Even 22 years after its initial release, many older gamers will have extremely fond memories of Sony's groundbreaking PS2. These days, technology is advancing a little slower than it was then. The current generation, including the Xbox Series X/S, and Sony's PS5, have yet to reach their full potential, and upcoming titles such as Grand Theft Auto 6 and Starfield will be hoping to help the consoles to achieve this. At the time of its release, Sony's PS2 was battling with 3 other major consoles for dominance: the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft's debut Xbox, and Nintendo's Gamecube. With a catalog of incredible games that have arguably only ever been matched by the PS4's library, this was not a closely fought battle for the PS2, and it ended up selling more consoles than the other three competitors combined.
The original Sony Playstation was released in 1994 and went on to sell over 100 million units. Cementing Sony as a major player in the video game industry, it also gave birth to some of the company's most infamous franchises. Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and Tomb Raider games all made their debuts on Sony's maiden console. As a result of this, the follow-up certainly had big boots to fill, and the weight of expectation lay heavily on the PS2's shoulders. Thankfully, Sony and developers rose to the occasion, and the PS2 went on to become the best-selling video game console of all time, shipping over 155 million units.
The PS2 Era Remains Dominant
Arriving at a time when developers were discovering just how far they could push the available technology at the start of the new millennium, the PS2 reeled off a huge number of high-quality titles over the course of its incredible 12-year lifespan. Titles such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Final Fantasy 10, and Devil May Cry all hold scores of over 90 on Metacritic, and helped to make the console a must-have for most video game fans worldwide.
A couple of these titles were so revolutionary that they forever changed the industry. Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequels provided a blueprint for open-world games in full 3D that redefined video games as players know them today. Gran Turismo 3 immersed players in a realistic racing simulation with visuals the likes of which had never been seen before, and younger gamers would be shocked to see how well they still hold up today. Titles like these left many fans wondering just how realistic and detailed games could go on to become in later years. An entire generation has passed since then, and gamers who grew up playing these landmark titles will likely have an appreciation for them the likes of which will never be replicated.
In terms of quality, the gap between console generations is getting smaller with each new cycle. While the Xbox Series X/S and PS5's capabilities speak for themselves, the fact that many of their games are still playable on last-gen consoles shows that the advancements being made now are not anywhere near as groundbreaking as before. A PS5 or Xbox Series X/S is still not an absolutely necessary purchase, with many gamers still choosing to stick to their last-gen counterparts. With the PS2, this was just not the case. The leap forward in quality and capability was revolutionary, and the PS2 did various things that were ahead of its time in many ways. It pioneered things like backwards compatibility and connectivity to its handheld equivalent, the PSP.
Over the years, Sony's PlayStation has become the best-selling console brand ever. While each of its consoles has played a part in helping it dominate the video game landscape, the PS2 remains Sony's crown jewel, and the huge part it played in shaping the industry will not be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to witness its meteoric rise.