It’s official: Sony is shutting down the PlayStation Store for its legacy platforms. What this means is that come July 2, 2021, PS3 and PSP gamers will no longer be able to make purchases through the PlayStation Store. They will still be able to re-download previously purchased games, however, and so anyone interested in collecting the digital versions of classic, rare games will want to make it a point to do so while they still can.
The PS3 has quite the impressive library of classic games that are cheap digitally, but incredibly expensive elsewhere and are only available on the PlayStation Store. There a ton of PS1 classics on the PlayStation Store that fans may want to prioritize, but there are also quite a few PS2 games that fit the bill as well.
Pretty much all PlayStation 2 games on the PlayStation Store cost $9.99, so they’re a little more expensive than their PS1 counterparts. However, when the PlayStation Store shuts down, playing some of these games will become a significantly more expensive prospect. Considering this, anyone that wants to play these PS2 games without breaking the bank should definitely consider buying the digital versions while they still can. Please note that this list excludes games that are readily available on modern platforms or have HD remasters on the way, as is the case with Shin Megani Tensei 3: Nocturne HD.
Here is a shorthand list for those who just want a quick rundown of the rare PS2 games they should consider buying through the PlayStation 3’s digital store:
- Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
- Chulip
- Fatal Frame
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
- Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented
- God Hand
- Gradius 5
- Grandia 3
- Growlanser: Heritage of War
- Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power
- PTO 4
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2
- Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity
- The Red Star
- Warship Gunner 2
Regularly going for over $50 online, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 is the sequel to the popular Capcom vs. SNK fighting game. The game didn’t exactly light the fighting world on fire when it originally launched, but it has retroactively been looked at as one of the best fighting games ever made. Various outlets have published best-of lists in the years since that have put Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 near the top, so it’s definitely something that hardcore fans of the fighting game genre should check out while they still can.
This is a weird one. Chulip is essentially a game about kissing in public, and it didn’t even receive a release in North America until it launched as a GameStop exclusive in 2007. Its limited release means that copies of Chulip go for hundreds of dollars online, sometimes as much as $500 on auction websites. Anyone curious to check it out will definitely prefer to pay the $9.99 that it will cost to get the digital PS2 version on their PS3. The game isn’t exactly known for being all that great, but it has a bizarre concept where the goal is essentially to kiss everyone in town, and that alone makes it a weird curiosity worth looking into.
Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, and Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented are all considered classics of the survival-horror genre. Unfortunately, the games have not been properly remastered for modern platforms, and so one of the only ways to play them without spending a ton of money is through the PlayStation Store on PS3. All three Fatal Frame PS2 games are readily available for PS3 owners, and once the PlayStation Store shuts down, it stands to reason that the secondhand price for the disc versions will only increase.
When God Hand first launched, it was panned by many Western critics, who were all seemingly unimpressed with the gameplay and lack of polish. However, public perception of God Hand has drastically improved overtime, and it is now considered one of the best hidden gems available on the PlayStation 2. Developed by Capcom’s celebrated Clover Studio, God Hand is also one of the most expensive PS2 games out there when buying the physical version, as it typically costs hundreds of dollars.
Developer Treasure is known for its shoot ’em up games, and one of the most notable is Gradius 5 is one of the most notable. A classic-style shoot ’em through and through, fans of the genre can look forward to a tough-as-nails experience. The physical version costs around $100 online, and a game in a niche genre like this will likely only get harder to find with time.
Tactical RPGs were a dime a dozen on the PlayStation 1, and they still had a significant presence on the PlayStation 2 as well. One such tactical RPG on the PS2 is Growlanser: Heritage of War, another game that’s cheap on the PS3 PlayStation Store, but incredibly expensive if players have to track down a physical copy. It’s not uncommon for copies of Growlanser: Heritage of War to go for hundreds of dollars online, so this is definitely one that gamers will want to prioritize.
Nobunaga’s Ambition is a long-running series of strategy games from Koei Tecmo, and there are a couple available to play on PS3 through the PlayStation Store. However, the rarest one is Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power, which was a PS2 port of the PC original. It released very late in the PS2’s lifespan, February 2008, and so it makes sense that it is somewhat more difficult to find than its predecessor on the console.
Koei’s PTO series is a strategy game franchise that was prevalent in the 90s and early 2000s. The last game in the series was PTO 4, released exclusively for the PlayStation 2. It received generally positive reviews at the time of its release, but its status as a niche game ensured that it has become incredibly rare in the years since. It costs over $100 when purchasing the physical version online.
There have been numerous Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series over the years, with one of the most notable being the Devil Summoner games. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kazunoha vs. the Soulless Army is a big departure from franchise norms in that it abandons the turn-based RPG gameplay for an action-RPG style. The sequel offers similar style of gameplay, and both were well-received by fans and critics at the time of their release. Like many other Shin Megami Tensei games, both Devil Summoner and Devil Summoner 2 are hard to track down when it comes to buying the physical copies, and getting both will likely set someone back a couple hundred bucks at the very least.
Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity is yet another Rare Atlus game that’s only available in digital form through the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Store. It’s a tactical RPG that earned mostly positive reviews, though it’s not nearly as well-known as some of the company’s other games. Fans can expect to spend over $100 if they have to buy the physical release to experience the game.
A mix of old-school beat ’em up and shoot ’em up style gameplay, The Red Star is based on a graphic novel about a futuristic version of the Soviet Union. The game was later ported to iOS devices and the PSP, but those versions aren’t readily available on modern platforms.
Warship Gunner 2 is the sequel to Naval Ops: Warship Gunner, which is also available to download through the PlayStation Store on PS3. However, the original game is not nearly as expensive, with the sequel costing over $100 online for the physical release.
Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash
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