The highest-selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2, strapped a rocket to the video gaming industry and shot it into mainstream media. The PlayStation 2’s success was helped partly by its built-in DVD player and largely by its excellent games catalog. Featuring action-adventure classics like Okami, Devil May Cry, and God of War, stealth gems like Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3, Splinter Cell, and Hitman, and excellent sports games including the Fifa series, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, and Gran Turismo 3, it’s still recognized as one of the most successful consoles of all time.
Furthermore, the PlayStation 2 had significant hardware improvement from its predecessor, PlayStation 1. These improvements allowed developers to create more realistic titles, encouraging them to make more first-person shooters.
Updated February 16, 2021, by Jack Pursey: Unlike some genres that were popular during the PlayStation 2 era of gaming but have since died out, such as Rhythm Games and Street Racers, the first-person shooter style of gaming is still going strong today.
However, the genre has had a serious makeover since the sixth generation of consoles, as the games now generally live in the realm of online multiplayer. There are plenty of exceptions to the rule, such as DOOM Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077, which were major financial successes last year, but generally speaking, it’s difficult to find great single-player FPS campaigns today. So for those deciding to dust off their old consoles to find some great campaigns to play, there’s no better place to start.
14 Killzone
The first entry into the PlayStation exclusive Killzone series was developed by Guerrilla Games and hit stores in late 2004. The first-person shooter takes players to 2357, over 300 years after a nuclear war shattered planet earth.
Killzone attempted to stand out from the crowded FPS market by trying to create a more cinematic experience than other shooters offered. Guerrilla Games did a great job of this, as both the sound and art design were top-notch for the time of Killzone‘s release. However, the game wasn’t without its issues as the enemy A.I. and technical performance of Killzone left much to be desired.
13 Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Electronic Arts’ Medal of Honor series may not be too recognizable to audiences today, but back in 2003, it was one of the premier names in the first-person shooter genre.
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun didn’t reach the heights of the classic PlayStation 1 games, but it still provided a fantastic eight-hour campaign and enjoyable split-screen multiplayer that should appeal to any FPS fan. Although it’s not considered among the best Medal of Honor games, it had one of the biggest influences on the FPS genre as it offered online multiplayer, something that was uncommon on the PlayStation 2.
12 Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 was released in March 2005, making it the first entry into the Brothers in Arms series. The franchise would have over ten releases, the most recent of which was the 2014 mobile game Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War.
Despite the series’ many subsequent iterations, Gearbox Software’s original Road to Hill 30 is still regarded as the franchise’s high point. The game was particularly praised for its squad management mechanics, which were unique for the time and gave the FPS genre, which was considered stale in 2005, a new lease of life.
11 Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
The iconic Call of Duty series wasn’t always known for its online shooters set in modern times, as the first handful of games took players back to World War 2. Another fact about the series that seems odd today is that the first two games weren’t released on a PlayStation console. Thankfully, Big Red One was there to satisfy fans of Sony’s PS2.
Series spin-off Call of Duty 2: Big Red One wasn’t too dissimilar to the original Call of Duty 2, leading to criticisms and a reduced Metascore of 77 compared to the original’s 86 and 89. However, this wasn’t an issue for PlayStation 2 owners, as it was their first taste of the Call of Duty gameplay formula.
10 Black
If Michael Bay was to make a video game, it would probably be something like Black. The game had some incredible visual design for the time, high-quality sound effects, and used real actors for cutscenes.
Developers Criterion Games created Black with the idea of making it the FPS version of their Burnout games, and it certainly achieves it. The game has wonderfully over-the-top action with land mines, grenades, cars, and even buildings frequently exploding during the objective-based gameplay, making Black one of the most cinematic gaming experiences available on the PS2.
9 Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie
The movie tie-in game with the oddly specific title surprised gamers upon release. Movie tie-in games are often looked down upon and rightly criticized for being rushed as the developers often have tight time schedules to adhere to, ensuring that their game is released in line with the corresponding film. Many gamers thought that this would be the case with King Kong. Even the title implied that the game would be a cash grab, with publishers Ubisoft seemingly desperate to let consumers know that it was related to the hit film.
However, developers Ubisoft Montpellier did an excellent job with King Kong. With no HUD and fantastic sound effects, the game was extremely immersive and played like a survival horror title. Along with the FPS gameplay, King Kong also featured enjoyable third-person sections with players controlling the iconic gorilla himself.
8 Call of Duty 3
Before the Modern Warfare series revolutionized online gaming, there was the original trilogy. Call of Duty 3’s single-player mode was broken into four sections, with American, British, Polish, and Canadian campaigns. These campaigns had an immersive historical World War 2 setting, helping the game become one of the best historical FPS titles at the time.
Call of Duty 3, much like the aforementioned King Kong, was released late in the PlayStation 2’s life span and pushed the PS2’s capabilities to its limits, resulting in some of the best graphics available on the console.
7 James Bond 007: Nightfire
Many James Bond games have the thankless task of being compared to the classic Nintendo 64 game, GoldenEye 007. Despite being released 5 years later, Nightfire still had this weight of expectation on its shoulders.
Despite never reaching the heights of GoldenEye 007, Nightfire was still a fantastic game in its own right. For example, it did an excellent job of updating the split-screen multiplayer formula that GoldenEye revolutionized. The game’s multiplayer had many weapons to use, characters to play as, and well-designed stages to compete in. Moreover, Nightfire had one of the best single-player campaigns in Bond’s gaming history. Players could use multiple gadgets, drive modded cars, and shoot down enemies with great gameplay that made gamers feel like they were the iconic 00 agent.
6 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is the third entry in the TimeSplitters series. Much like the rest of the series, Future Perfect takes heavy inspiration from Rare’s Perfect Dark and GoldenEye.
Furthermore, the game added online multiplayer, finally letting players take their arcade shooting skills to the worldwide web. It also featured an impressive catalog of 150 characters, many of which were unlocked via completing levels and challenges in the game’s campaign, giving gamers incentive to perfect the game and adding great replay value.
5 Quake 3: Revolution
The PS2 port of PC’s Quake 3: Arena was always going to be a difficult sell, as the game removed the online capabilities that the PC version thrived on. Despite this, Revolution sold very well on the home console.
Like many games on this list, Quake 3: Revolution had a heavy emphasis on multiplayer gameplay. Developer’s id Software gave gamers a huge selection of maps to play on and a substantial variety of game modes to choose from. Moreover, the game removed plot-based single-player from the series, replacing it with a mode that simulated the game’s multiplayer experience by giving players bots to fight.
4 Half-Life
Half-Life is another game on this list that was ported to the PlayStation 2. Unlike the stripped-back Quake 3, the PS2’s Half-Life port improved the game’s level design and graphics. Valve’s award-winning first-person shooter was also showered with praise upon release for its realistic combat, ingenious puzzle design, and well-written story that was intelligently integrated into the gameplay.
In 2007, IGN named Half-Life as one of the 10 most influential games in the industry’s history, along with iconic titles like Space Invaders and Super Mario 64. The game’s influence hasn’t been forgotten today, as there are many modern franchises, such as Dishonored and Metro, that take more than one page out of Half-Life‘s book.
3 Red Faction
THQ’s Red Faction takes players on a futuristic space adventure on Mars. The game’s marketing heavily focused on its engine’s ability to create destructible environments. These destructible environments were revolutionary at the time, and they helped the game receive universal praise.
What’s more, the plot-centric single-player campaign inspired many other works of fiction. This was rare at the time, with early 2000s video games usually basing their generic storylines on pre-existing story tropes and cliches. Developer’s Volition, however, created an original story that paved the way for more complex and well-written stories in the gaming industry.
2 Medal of Honor: Frontline
The Call of Duty series didn’t always dominate the FPS market like it does today. Before the Modern Warfare series revolutionized the genre, Medal of Honor was considered the superior series.
Consequently, Frontline had heavy expectations on its shoulders, as two excellent PS1 games, Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Underground, and a PC classic Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, helped shoot the Medal of Honor series to the top of the FPS pyramid. Thankfully, the PS2’s first Medal of Honor game didn’t disappoint. It kept close to its roots, opting to simply improve the objective-based gameplay rather than fix what wasn’t broken.
1 TimeSplitters 2
TimeSplitters 2 is comfortably the best TimeSplitters game and the best FPS game on the PS2. Developer Free Radical Design didn’t try to re-invent the wheel and kept the fast, fun action gameplay created with the original.
The game expanded on the series’ pre-existing features. Most notably the Mapmaker mode, allowing players to create story levels for the first time. Furthermore, the single-player campaign was fleshed out, with players now needing to complete objectives to finish each level. Consequently, TimeSplitters 2 received heaps of praise from both critics and fans and is the PS2’s highest-rated FPS game on Metacritic, with a score of 90.
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