Silent Hill 2 – One of the most atmospheric games I have ever played. Great characters and an absolutely crushing story for its time. This game devastated me. This is perhaps the most depressing game I have ever played, but it somehow remains charming enough for me to play yearly.
Twisted Metal: Black – This game is pure adrenaline. The characters and atmosphere remain just as dark, but the manic mayhem really lightens the mood. Some of these story arcs still hold up today. In particular, the character Outlaw. He was a sniper for S.W.A.T. but his last mission went horribly wrong when he lost his temper and shot the terrorists and the hostages. He enters the Twisted Metal contest for a chance to have his wish of a second chance granted. This story is especially strong now with an impact that hits all of the relevant beats.
SSX Tricky – The most hilarious game I own. A snowboarding game with famous voice actors heckling each other and brawls that break out while pulling off insane tricks. That is the only description I have for this game. It is insane! The amount of characters, outfits, boards, and stats really kept me coming back for more. I like how each character has a specific playstyle and favored board type. It remind me of the Tony Hawk games, but with a focus on racing.
Siren – An underrated horror gem. This game is very Japanese with its horror and locales. The voice acting is awful with British dubs, but the game make sup for it with its branching storyline and huge roster of characters you play as over the course of 3 days. The story follows a group of survivors in a village populated by the undead after a natural disaster hit and red rain started pouring down. The survivors have the ability to “sight-jack” the enemies and see through their eyes. This means that the game is focused on stealth gameplay. You have to plan a route through the stages with combat as a last resort. Nothing is scarier than seeing your character through the eyes of the enemy.
GTA III – Yep, of course this is here. This was my first love on the PS2. This opened my mind to what gaming was becoming with a huge area to play around in if I wanted a break from the story. It felt like I would never complete it all. The storyline is also fantastic with missions that scaled in difficulty. It started easy, but ended up with hard missions. I felt so accomplished when I beat this game. Sometimes I would just drive my Banshee around while listening to Flashback’s Scarface soundtrack.
.
