I got through phases of games, and right now I’m in the one I like to think of everything-modern-is-making-me-angry-so-I’ll-turn-back-to-vintage-games - and that’s in the form of PCSX2 on my Steam Deck.
Playing the PS2 generation on the Steam Deck is kinda the ‘perfect’ generation: I can upscale the resolution without a performance hit, I can apply HD texture packs, Retro Achievements and I can drop the TDP to extend the battery life.
Anyway, I never had a PS2 (it was just a touch before my time), so there’s so many games I’m yet to discover there. I’d love to hear any suggestions you might have for what I can play on there:
Just a couple notes:
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No GTA games because they’re better with the PC versions. While I’ve bought the games, the account that Rockstar demands people have to play their games makes me angry on principle (a single-player game forcing an online check each week to be able to play it? No thanks), so I’ve got cracked versions to play.
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No Final Fantasy because I’m not even sure where to start!
So if anyone was around back in the PS2 era, and has some recommendations for games they’ve loved, I’m all ears. I’ve been having such a fun time playing these.
Some big thanks to my friends who made and run RetroDECK (my choice for emulating on the Steam Deck), and to the PCSX2 team (who I’m chatting to right now actually, so keep an eye out and in a week or so I’ll share that chat with them all about creating and maintaining the PS2 emulator!)
Also, if you do have a Steam Deck, and want to play with the HD texture packs I do, then it’s really simple. Just download the pack, and name then according to their game’s I.D. code - SLUS-20743 for example, then place it in the texture_packs folder:
From there, go into PCSX2, then right-click the game, select properties, graphics, texture replacement and tick the two boxes I have:
Then you’ve got the games looking the best they can be!
Here’s a link to a stack of pre-done HD textures for a lot of PS2 games, to help you on your way!
Starwars: Racer Revenge was by far my favorite racing game. Not to be confused with the much more popular N64 game “Episode 1 Racer” - the PS2 version was kind of an unofficial sequel that made a lot of improvements. Most notably the physics: the PS2 version actually feels like a pod being pulled by two separate engines, vs the N64 kinda felt like you were driving a car that just looked like a podracer. The physics especially shine if you play in 1st person and set the controls so the L joystick controls the left engine and R joystick controls the right - i.e. to turn left, you don’t just push the sticks to the left, you pull the left stick back and push the right stick forward so the right engine accelerates faster and the difference makes you turn. It’s super satisfying, if a bit more difficult.
Full disclosure: relying on my memory from shortly after its release in 2002, so I honestly have no idea if it’s actually as good as I remember, or if I’m just wearing the nostalgia goggles. Grain of salt.