10 PS2 Games That Proved Graphics Weren’t Everything Even Back Then

Ah, the PS2. For those of you old enough to remember what it was like, it was the first real revolution in the gaming industry. Seriously, before the PS2, even games with 3D graphics were just…missing something. There were pre-rendered backgrounds, blocky-looking characters, and expressionless faces.

The PS2 changed all that. The graphics upgrade was magnificent, but despite that, many of the system’s most important titles proved that graphics aren’t the only thing that matters when it comes to making a game.

We’re going to check out some PS2 games that wowed with nothing but a great concept, and left amazing graphics at the door.

10

Tales of the Abyss

Anime Character Study

Tales of the Abyss is one of the best games in a long-running franchise, and it made its home on the PS2 during a time when Final Fantasy was blowing everyone away with its then next-gen graphics. Tales of the Abyss didn’t look close to the level of a Final Fantasy game, but it didn’t matter.

The story, the characters, and the combat were all top-notch, and the charming use of color and art design more than made up for a lack of graphical expertise.

It’s an amazing journey that sees some great character growth from the main character, Luke, and his companions. Combat-wise, it’s all real-time, and it felt like a true evolution of the series that introduced the ability to move 3D throughout the battlefield, which is something that would become a pillar of the franchise going forward.

9

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

The Dreary Is Beautiful

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is a little-talked-about gem of the PS2 that was definitely not a looker to say the least. While the character models were solid, the overall look of the game was pretty ugly. Lots of grays and browns made up this world, and while the battle effects were great, everything else was covered in a dreary look that was far from pleasing to the eyes.

But that’s okay, because this isn’t a cheerful journey. This pseudo-sequel/prequel to Valkyrie Profile is just as dark as its predecessor, with an even more melancholy main plot involving a Valkyrie banished by Odin named Silmeria and her journey to avert an end-of-the-world battle. Along the way, you meet some fascinating characters, who help tremendously with world-building and even more so on the battlefield.

This is one of the best JRPG combat systems out there. It’s turn-based, with dashes of real-time in it, and it feels both incredibly strategic and skill-reliant, as you need to time your attacks properly to get the most out of every fight. It’s an ugly-looking ride, but one that’s unforgettable and every bit as good as the beloved PS1 classic.

8

Evergrace

The Soul Was Born

You see that angle? You see the golden trees? Is this an Elden Ring demake at work? Nope, it’s one of FromSoftware’s first forays into what would one day become the Souls game. Enter Evergrace, a brutally generic-looking fantasy game that was released in 2000 and made little impact when it was released. However, there is a lot to love here. It’s got some incredibly obscure world-building and an eerie feeling to it that I can’t quite describe. It feels…wrong for lack of a better word. The story is pretty interesting, but you need to work to get it, and of course, the story is not clearly told.

You’ll need to figure out a way to piece the story together on your own, through vague dialogue exchanges and, yup, item descriptions. This is where it all started. You’ve got a couple of characters to play with different playstyles and a host of bizarre enemies to fight. It’s a game unlike any other and one that stands out in a big way as one of the first PS2 titles. It had the look, the style, but the graphics were abysmal and blocky, and the game was just way too weird for the public. We’re in the time now when all the games of history are available, though, and if you want a weird and worthwhile journey to the past, Evergrace will stick with you.

7

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2

Play Through the Show

While some people prefer the 3rd game, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is my preferred Dragon Ball Z game of choice. Although the graphics are very basic here, they capture the vibe of the show beautifully.

If you’re a fan of the anime or just fighting games in general, there is so much to chew on here. The main plot is simply enormous, with every single fight of the show involved. That’s a daunting task for many, but for me and others, this was the perfect meal.

It might not have the graphics of modern-day Dragon Ball games or the in-depth fighting mechanics of Street Fighter, but damn if it doesn’t give you some epic fights and make you feel like every character on the show.

It’s all about the combat here, but there’s plenty of great story being told as well, with the whole cast doing a damn fine job of replicating their most famous scenes. I play through this one every few years because we still have yet to see a game in the franchise to top it.

6

The Warriors

Come Out and Play

The Warriors is a Rockstar game, but it’s clear as day it didn’t get the typical Rockstar treatment. By all metrics, this game looks as crude as possible, but that’s kind of the point. As a tribute to the movie of the same name, which had less than impressive visuals to say the least, The Warriors is nonetheless a kick-ass brawler that has some of the best combat the company ever produced.

It’s a brawler by nature, but it’s deeper than most with all kinds of movies, including some brutal finishers and environmental weapons for good measure.

You get the whole plot of the movie here, but in addition to that, you even get a prequel story here. Best of all? It’s all co-op, and it’s definitely one of the better multiplayer brawlers ever made. It replicates the film’s grit and grime perfectly, and while it’s not flashy, it’s damn fun, and that’s what the PS2 was all about.

5

Drakengard

So Nier, So Far

Drakengard is a simply awful-looking game now, and when it came out in 2003, it was still terrible to look at. It’s drab, with the most undetailed levels you’ve ever seen. In short, it’s a hideous game visually, but that doesn’t stop it from being an underrated classic of a game. The reason isn’t because of the gameplay either, as it’s a rather basic Dynasty Warriors clone with some twists, like being able to fight on the back of a dragon, for instance.

The real draw is the story. You play as Caim, who is far from your typical hero and really is much more of a villain by the game’s end. Granted, this is a world that seems to have 0 morality anywhere you look, and whether it’s genocide or other horrific atrocities, the characters you meet throughout all usually have a brand of “what is wrong with this person” about them.

It’s a wildly complex story, though, that has some crazy permutations to it, and the various endings are some of the strangest and most compelling ones ever made. This should be no secret to Yoko Taro fans, as this is technically the first game in the Nier series, as one of its endings leads directly into the story of Nier 1. It’s a trip for sure, but one that is worth pushing through the ugliness to get to.

4

God Hand

The Fight is What Matters

God Hand is a famously bad, badly reviewed game that has gotten a near legendary status over the years. As a late PS2 game released in 2006, it had terrible graphics, boring levels, and overall looked like a game that would’ve made more sense if it came out in 2002.

Regardless, God Hand had and still has, to this day, one of the most compelling and fun combat systems out there. It’s absurdly over the top and goofy, but it’s so much fun to put into action and takes quite a bit of skill to get the hang of.

You’ll be facing off against a variety of ridiculous enemies throughout the game, and while the story is barely there, it doesn’t take anything away from how fun the game is to play. You’ll be spin-kicking enemies through tables, performing insane-looking melee attacks, and fighting some of the weirdest and most ridiculous bosses you’ve ever seen. It’s an amazing combat experience that makes graphics, voice acting, and anything else obsolete.

3

Dynasty Warriors 2

Virtual War

Dynasty Warriors 2 is the first in the series that took a rather basic fighting game to a full-fledged war. Now, it was the year 2000, and PS2 was in its infancy, but even with that, Dynasty Warriors 2 looked distinctly like a PS1 game in almost every way.

The environments were empty as can be, barely resembling a battlefield, and the basic enemies looked boring and identical on top of it. But the magic was in the numbers. Never before had we seen this many characters on screen at one time in an action game like this.

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It felt like being part of an actual war, which was a fascinating new experience that gave birth to the Musuo genre, which is still going strong 26 years later. Graphics aside, you’ve got a bunch of characters to play as, endless replayability, and multiple campaigns to play through. It created a genre that, even in 2000, was a tough task to achieve.

2

Shadow of Rome

The Best Video Game About Rome

Somehow, Rome has been a little plundered moment in human history for video games, even though it’s one of the most compelling. Shadow of Rome nails that aspect in various ways, from the political intrigue and betrayal-laden stealth sections where you play as Octavianus trying to uncover the conspiracy of Caesar’s death, to the blood-soaked sections as Agrippa, where you tear through legions of soldiers and test your mettle in the arena.

It looks pretty mediocre, with some strangely proportioned characters and drab-as-hell environments and ugly-looking levels. But that doesn’t matter because the sneaking gameplay feels great, and the combat feels even better.

It’s bloody, brutal, and feels like a much more evolved game than a 2005 product would have you believe. It’s an unsung action game for sure, and one that’s well worth playing even with less than impressive graphical fidelity.

1

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

The Devil is in the Details

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is a dark, desolate sort of game about the end of the world appearing awfully suddenly, and a boy being forced to deal with that reality. Now, this game was released in 2004, and that means the JRPG world had already been thrown into a whirlwind with high production titles like Final Fantasy X setting the gold standard.

Atlas was just not nearly on Square Enix’s level at this point, and their budget showed as much. Shin Megami Tensei is a rather nothing-looking game graphically. Vast landscapes with very little detail are the norm here, and thankfully, it serves how this game is supposed to feel.

As you explore the wasteland of the now, you learn more and more about how the world came to be this way, and it’s on you and a host of demons that you recruit throughout the game to figure out the proper path to the future. There are multiple paths to take, and each one is wild and full of strange and awesome revelations.

The story is very interesting, but the battle system is the highlight. Using Persona’s press turn system, you and your demon allies will take on some brutally tough battles throughout. But the push to further figure out what’s happening with the world is endlessly intriguing, and in many ways, this is the most interesting Atlas JRPG ever made, and the graphics are far from the reason why.

NEXT

10 Badly Reviewed PS2 Games That Are Actually Pretty Good

This was undoubtedly the console-gaming golden era, but some great games didn’t get to reap the spoils.