8 Good PS2 Platformers From The Past
Platform games are still one of the most well-known types of video games, and the PS2 had some of the best ones that are often forgotten.
On the PS1, it took a while to find a good mascot game, but on the PS2, it didn’t take long at all. There were a lot of different kinds of platform games on the system. Before guns and cars were added to the sequels, Jak and Daxter was more like a normal mascot platformer. Ratchet and Clank was a chaotic game with guns and RPG features.
Then, Sly Cooper went about its platforming in a sneaky way. All three of these games are some of the best for the PS2, but other platformers should have gotten more attention at the time. Some of these undiscovered gems are even spinoffs from these great shows. So, get ready for a trip back in time.
Ape Escape 3
This action game series was based on a simple idea: Apes escaped from a lab, and players had to go through each level and use different tools to catch them all. Ape Escape 3 was the last game in the series with a number.
The only other things were minigames on PS3 and some strange spinoffs on PSP. Ape Escape 2 was ported to the PS4 with extra features, but this game was not. Ape Escape was one of Sony’s first adventure games for the PS1, so it’s sad that it’s been sitting idle for so long.
Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence
Some series, like Mario, made the change from 2D to 3D easily, like with Super Mario 64. Others, like Castlevania, had a harder time with the two N64 games. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Konami’s next game, was for the PS2, and it was a much better experience than the N64 games.
It was more like Eggy Car, with fighting being the main focus, but there were also a lot of platforming sections. It might not be as good as the 2D Metroidvania games, but Castlevania: Lament of Innocence and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness both deserve more attention.
Herdy Gerdy
Herdy Gerdy was a game that had reviews that were all over the place. It has one of the best graphics of any game on a computer. Even without HD upgrades through emulation, the cel-shading makes it look good.
Everything looks like it came from a cartoon movie by Don Bluth, like The Secret of NIMH. But the load times made it hard to play on any system because they took a minute or more and happened often. The AI for herding was also a bit touchy, which caused a lot of irritation.
I-Ninja
I-Ninja is a fun platformer that gives younger players a chance to play a ninja game without the normal blood and gore that comes with slashing swords and killing people.
It was made by Argonaut Games, which had made games like Star Fox and the Croc series for PS1 that didn’t get much attention. I-Ninja didn’t change anything, but it did what it was supposed to do: it was fun.
Jak And Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Naughty Dog didn’t make Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier because they were too busy with the Uncharted games. Instead, it was made by High Impact Games, which helped a lot of other companies when they gave up control of platforming icons. It came out for the PS2 in 2009, when it was a wonder that games were still being made for the system.
The sad thing is that Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is a great game in the series and a great addition to the series. It has both traditional gameplay and air fighting. Many people didn’t buy it because the HD age had started years before.
Maximo: Ghosts To Glory
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is a new start for the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series as well as a spinoff. It was the first game to be played in full 3D, and amazingly, it worked well. It was also a bit easier, even though it was still hard.
Players could get weapons, fight demons and skeletons, get coins for shops, and so on. After this, Maximo vs. Army of Zin came out, and there were plans for a third game as well, but those plans were finally scrapped by Capcom.
Secret Agent Clank
The other big game series that High Impact Games worked on was the Ratchet and Clank series. First, they made Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters for the PSP. It was a lot like the first game in terms of how it worked. Then they made this spinoff called Secret Agent Clank, which got rid of Ratchet in the same way that Daxter got rid of Jak from that spinoff.
Secret Agent Clank was a show that Clank did in-universe to make extra money, but in the game, he is hired as a spy. Clank didn’t have the crazy guns from the main games, but he did have some cool tools to use.
Tokobot Plus: Mysteries Of The Karakuri
This version of Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri is a copy of a PSP game that first came out in 2005. The robots and the world look a bit like Mega Man Legends, and the game play is similar to that of Pikmin.
Players are in charge of an army of robots that can form into different patterns to help solve tasks or get around. It didn’t have as much strategy or thought as the Pikmin games. But there aren’t many of these kinds of games, so it’s something to be happy about. Tinykin, which came out in 2022, is a great modern game that is a lot like Pikmin.