This week, gamers from across the globe have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the iconic PlayStation 2 (PS2) console.
Of course, PlayStation, in a historic sense, does not embody the entire history of gaming. In fact, one would have to track back to the 1940s to get a true understanding of how old the gaming industry is.
It’s just that, the PlayStation brand has been the most influential. The PS console was our first introduction to advanced digitised gaming and the PS2 just took it all to the next level.
20 years of PS2: Why this is the most iconic console
This iconic console was released in 2000, at the turn of a new century when the fourth industrial revolution was still in its infancy. Japan got its hands on the PS2 in March of that year. Other countries, like the United Kingdom (UK), would only receive it eight months later.
The PS2 offered a number of incredible conveniences at the time. The world was moving away from the cassette tape and DVD players were the craze of the era.
The console was fitted with a DVD player, an added incentive for gamers who also enjoyed the easiness of using it as a way to watch rented movies.
Many expert gamers today will tell you that it was the PS2 that changed their lives forever. It came with more powerful processors which allowed developers more freedom to create more ambitious games.
This was the first time gamers looked at the graphics of a game and say, “oh my goodness, that looks real.:”
Until this day, the PS2 is the most successful video game console of all time with a gigantic sales total of 158 million units. To honour this gem, we have selected — with the help of the good folks at Digital Trends — 10 best PlayStation 2 games of all time.
10 best PlayStation 2 games of all time
- Resident Evil 4
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- God of War
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
- Gran Turismo 4
- Final Fantasy X
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4
- NBA Street Vol. 2
- FIFA 2001
