Cheap PlayStation 2 = recession-friendly fun

Fanboys rejoice! Sony dropped the PlayStation 2 price to $99, less than half the price of the Nintendo Wii, XBox 360 and its latest incarnation, the PlayStation 3. Yeah, the PS2 is old as hell, but the games are amazing. Besides, the fancy PlayStation 3 can play PS2 games, so when you decide to upgrade, the older games won't become obsolete.

Here are five must-have PS2 games. Most of these can be had for $20 or less.

Final Fantasy X: The two-decade-old Final Fantasy games are known for hearty adventures, and part 10, the first for the PlayStation 2, is one of the strongest. Massive and complex, Final Fantasy X creates a whole new world to experience.

God of War: Bloody, intense and fun, God of War brings Greek and Roman mythology to a wonderfully brutal action game. Beautiful visuals and intelligent storylines make it one of the best adventures ever made. The PS2 sequel was even stronger, but it's best to begin with the one that started it all.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Sure, it's hard to go back to "retro" visuals after the recent Grand Theft Auto IV, but in some ways San Andreas has more fun gameplay - and the urban adventure truly pushes the PS2 to its limits. Early copies of the game also have the infamous "Hot Coffee" minigame, which I discuss in "Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture".

Resident Evil 4: Imagine "Night Of The Living Dead" with a tough blond packing serious weapons. And, just like a good scary movie, Leon's adventure is long and scary. Winner of several Game Of The Year awards, RE4 is a great balance of puzzle solving, hot action and genuine frights.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: The fifth installment of the racing series just hit the PlayStation 3 last year, but adrenaline freaks will be hard pressed to find a better incarnation of the game. Winning races to unlock all thirty-four tracks and 120 cars will keep you busy for ages.

(PlayStation 2 image courtesy of Getty)

Comments

[kspencerjr]

I never expected this - A spot for gaming! I actually own one of the "Big Bertha" machines, and I love it. It's great how the prices of technology keep falling, and I'm admittedly jealous - The first one I received was well over $300 - Not including tax.

Unfortunately at the same time, the PS2 has been out almost 10 years, and it won't be supported much longer - Skip the 360 (I have a blog on all my issues, from losing gamertags to starting the initial setup 6 times). Wii's are cool, and cheap!