

In hindsight, it's easy to see the roots of what became modern day NBA 2K, making it easy to wonder what might have been. It also had the "crib," a room that you could decorate with unlockable collectibles. Its presentation was second to none, with a pre-game show that directly recreated NFL PrimeTime, and a pretty good sim engine to boot. Of course, it helps that NFL 2K5 was really good. Sports games have never been the same since, which is perhaps one reason that NFL 2K5 is so consistently lionized by football fans.

Lagging on the sales charts, 2K decided to price ESPN NFL 2K5 at $19.99, undercutting Madden to the point that EA went to the nuclear option and secured sole access to the NFL license. In 2004, EA and 2K were locked in a brutal battle for the hearts of sports gamers, a competition that gave rise to some of the best sims ever. Eric Van Allen ESPN NFL 2K5 is a legend among sports fans. Soulcalibur 2 is assuredly a fighting game highlight of this generation. It's approachable, easy to understand, and yet incredibly deep and rewarding to master.
LIST OF 2003 PLAYSTATION 2 VIDEO GAMES SERIES
It stood as a gold standard for the series for a long time, and arguably still does.
LIST OF 2003 PLAYSTATION 2 VIDEO GAMES PS2
Soulcalibur 2 was the gateway to more fighting games for a lot of young players in the PS2 generation. Guest characters were a highlight too, though PS2 might have been on the losing end of that as much as I love a good Mishima rep, you can't really beat Link. Fighters like Kilik, Talim, Seung Mina, and the rest make up a varied roster, with noticeably different styles and approaches. Improved defensive techniques really helped this game, but to be honest, a lot of it was just the fantastic lineup. The preceding Soul Edge and Soulcalibur laid the foundation, but SC2 was the polished, refined version of it all. While Tekken launched its Tag Tournament, Soulcalibur saw the refinement of its systems and arguably its most popular entry ever on this generation of consoles. The PlayStation 2 saw two 3D fighting games kick it up a notch. Eric Van Allen Fighting games didn't get much better than Soucalibur 2 in the PS2 era | Bandai Namco 24. While the story only branched and got weirder from there, I hold a certain sentimentality for the first-it may not have dual Keyblades or a bizarre opening sequence, but it feels contained, focused, and directed forward from that first day on Destiny Islands to the final battle against Ansem. Instead, Kingdom Hearts was the first of what would be many, many games to follow. Kingdom Hearts quickly eschewed any notion that it would simply be a vessel for other properties. Oh, and don't forget an absolute banger of a theme. It had tears, laughs, gigantic bosses, and clever takes on an action-laden version of Final Fantasy combat. From its opening moments, romping around the Destiny Islands and diving into the heart, to heartbreaking confrontations at Hollow Bastion, Kingdom Hearts grew a life of its own. Ultimately, Kingdom Hearts was much, much more. I can picture someone furiously scribbling different mash-up ideas until they hit paydirt with, "What if Square and Disney?" From the outset, that seemed like what it was mostly going to be: a serviceable fantasy story, facilitating the meeting of characters like Squall-err, Leon, and Mickey Mouse. Kingdom Hearts, just on concept alone, sounds like a marketing man's fever dream. Kingdom Hearts was the beginning of a new era for Square Enix | Square Enix 25. On that note, here's our list of the 25 greatest PS2 games ever the games that helped define gaming.

The top of our list includes some of the finest games ever made-undisputed classics that cement PlayStation 2 as a gaming powerhouse for the ages. We did tip our cap to the PS2's sports legacy with ESPN NFL 2K5, one of the best football games ever made, and we obviously had to include Burnout 3: Takedown, which is still the pinnacle of arcade racing. We admittedly went a little RPG heavy with this list, which meant God of War 2 (iffy story) and Resident Evil 4 (more of a GameCube game) ultimately didn't make the cut. Naturally, it was hard to pick just 25 games from the PS2's roster of classics.
