5 Masterpieces Trapped on the PS2 | Forgotten Greats

The PS2 is one of the most successful consoles of all time, ranking up there in the top five easily. It was supported long after the PS3 launched, and it continues to be important to a lot of people because of its library. For such an important console, it is a little bewildering that so many games remained trapped on it.

Final Fantasy 10, Devil May Cry, Ratchet & Clank, and so many others have received remasters, but not the following five games. They never received remasters or remakes, and the time when any of these five games gets a port, it will be a big day for PS2 fans.

.hack//Infection

A Forgotten Quadrilogy

.hack//Infection was the first part in what would become a quadrilogy on the PS2, which was all released between 2003 and 2004 in North America. Each game came with a DVD of the accompanying anime, .hack//Liminality, that tied into the story as well, and data was transferred between all games. The story began when Kite entered an MMO with his friend for the first time, only for that friend to go into a coma after a chance encounter. Kite also got a bracelet that allowed him to hack monsters, and with a growing party, he investigated what’s really going on in the game. Players could form parties of three and explore randomized dungeons by punching in codes.

Combat was fought in real-time, with players being able to pause to use a list of spells along with Kite’s hacking ability. The story, characters, and fake format of the MMO and the desktop all made it one of the most unique action RPGs on the PS2, which was exclusive. Its sequel trilogy, .hack//G.U., did get a remaster, so it’s strange .hack//Infection and the other games haven’t yet. Fans have been itching to play it for years now, and tracking down all four games is not completely impossible, but it will be expensive for anyone curious at this point.

Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille Zur Macht

A Religious Space Epic

Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht was the start to another big ongoing series on the PS2, but there were only three games that made up the Xenosaga games as opposed to the .hack quadrilogy. Also, there was not a direct 1:1 save file transfer, but the story would continue between every entry. This first game followed a research vessel far in the future, which was attacked by invisible aliens. Within this ship was an experimental robot named KOS-MOS, who could emit a field to make these aliens transparent and thus killable.

While it initially seemed like this was going to be an alien-focused story, the plot quickly diverged into deeply religious material that rivaled Neon Genesis Evangelion at the time. It’s hard to summarize, but thanks to the characters, action set pieces, and the main villain, Albedo, it was entertaining to say the least. Combat was turn-based, with each character getting to attack with combos, boosts to gain extra turns, skills, and something more. A few of the human characters could summon their mechs into battle to get an edge. Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht, and the rest of the games, have never left the PS2, but the first two games were demade and truncated on the DS in a game that never left Japan: Xenosaga 1 & 2.

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

Time Traveling Samurai

To Capcom’s credit, they have been re-releasing the Onimusha games at a steady pace in North America with Onimusha: Warlords in 2019 and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny in 2025. With Onimusha: Way of the Sword coming out in 2026, it is possible that the third main entry, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, could come out before the new game. Among all of the games, this is the wildest as it added time travel to the survival horror samurai action of the previous titles. It brought back Samanosuke Akechi as the lead from the first game, who got transported to modern-day France, which was being invaded by demons from his time period in ancient Japan.

While here, a cop got tangled up in this mess, Jacques Blanc, who was sent back to Samanosuke’s era. Jacques was portrayed by Jean Reno, who some may know from The Professional or Mission: Impossible, so this was a big deal in 2004. Regardless of fame, the game played similarly to the previous entries, with players fighting demons in real-time combat and occasionally solving puzzles. Jacques and Samanosuke received various magical powers, ranged and melee weapons, and overall, it still holds up as one of the better horror games on the PS2.

Champions Of Norrath: Realms Of EverQuest

A Baldur’s Gate-Like

Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest was a spinoff of the MMO, EverQuest, which was also like a competitor to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. It was exclusive to the PS2 and let players choose between a Warrior, Ranger, Cleric, Shadowknight, or Wizard. The story was a basic quest-based adventure featuring fighting various monsters for glory in a linear fashion without much player input. Players could go on their top-down adventure alone or engage in the four-player co-op locally or online.

While short, the replay value was high as players could chase levels and try to get the best gear through new difficulty levels, similar to the gameplay loop of Diablo. It did get a sequel, Champions: Return to Arms, which is also stuck on the PS2. While it did not surpass Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, its sequel, or even the Diablo franchise in terms of creating something new, it was still a great co-op action RPG that PS2 fans adored. Like Bloodborne, this is another Sony-backed RPG that is baffling to see lingering on old hardware.

Maximo: Ghosts To Glory

Ghosts ’N Goblins Reborn

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory was a reboot of the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise, which still provided an adequate challenge, but it wasn’t as painstakingly punishing as other entries in the series. Players assumed the role of Maximo, a knight fighting deadly hordes of skeletons and other monsters in levels. Players could hack and slash away at enemies, jump around, get power-ups, find treasure, and so on. If players took too much damage, they would explode their armor, and players would have to humorously fight in their boxers until death.

It’s one of the more forgotten platformers of the PS2 era, as most of the big ones, including Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and Jak and Daxter, all got the remaster treatment. Maximo: Ghosts to Glory did get a sequel, Maximo vs. Army of Zin, and there was almost a third game, but it was canceled. Maximo: Ghosts to Glory did technically leave the PS2 as there was a native port to the PS3, but since that console is all but nonexistent now, it may as well have next left the PS2. Like with Onimusha, fans shouldn’t discount Capcom from being back from the dead, as they drink from their well often enough for collections.