Current Events > Anyone else feels, over 20 years on, PS2 gen games aged really well?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I mean, the graphics were still pretty far from realistic (of course) but at this point 3D games were so much more polished than the previous generation, specially in terms of gameplay.

ps2 games aged poorly

Even with emulation they still suffer from clunky gameplay and muddy visuals

Yes they have because games were 100% complete with zero patches and they ran off the disc.

Games were a lot more fun too unlike today.

It was the best. They aged really well too, everything looks like what it's supposed to be instead of a heap of polygons, gameplay was the top priority most of the time.
All those beach levels too, they all blend together and make a nice lasting image.

I was thinking recently about how nice it was to always have one or more good games coming out, too.
2004 looks absolutely insane compared to the permanent game drought we live in now.

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Yeah, the 6th Gen was the last time I feel most game studios were able to experiment with more unorthodox ideas and concepts and when mid-budget games were still viable. Once the 7th gen took off, studios seemed to more and more stick with what's guaranteed to work and make the most profit. Though that's also when indie games took off, so we still have that bastion of creativity. And of course, Nintendo is Nintendo.

Get a HDMI adapter for your PS2. They're cheap, and the picture quality is pretty decent for what's basically 240p. Also, you don't have to deal with modern TVs freaking out at games that send 240p over component.

Also maybe consider getting a HDMI adapter for Gamecube. They're not cheap, and only worthwhile if your Gamecube has the digital-out port.

yes i miss them

Gen 7 aged the best and feels like where games really started to plateau in terms of graphics.

Like Dead Space and GTA 4 came out 15 years ago in 2008 but both look and play just as good as modern games.

It's a mixed bag

The BEST PS2 games aged incredibly well and are still better than the vast majority of current titles

MGS2, Silent Hill 2, FFX, Shadow of the Colossus, Tekken Tag, MK Deception

But it's easy to forget that the PS2 was also home to piles and piles of shovelware garbage, probably more than any other console.