5 video games from the PS2-era that would be great on PS Plus Premium

While some might call PS2 video games old, for many people, these are the games of their childhood during the 2000s. Those games set a precedent for what they grew up playing and which genres became their favorite. In many ways, those games molded the gamers that they are today.

While many games might not hold to scrutiny today, at least not in comparison to recent video game releases, some have stuck with players over time. Whether it was because the games did something different for the first time or simply offered some fun, engaging gameplay to have fun.

Let's take a walk down memory lane, then remember some of the PS2-era video games that would be worth revisiting. Maybe on PlayStation Plus. Here are five such games.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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Five PS2-era video games that would be great on PS Plus Premium.

1) Bully

Bully is what happens when Rockstar decides to do GTA but in a boarding school. Set in the fictional town of Bullworth in New England, United States, Bully tells the story of one Jimmy Hopkins as he navigates the intricacies of high school and puberty.

Set in a similar environment to its GTA series, Bully's story sees various factions (or cliques) coming into conflict against each other, with the protagonist somehow getting caught up in it all.

Bully is a fantastic video game, as its environment and story are iconically very Rockstar Games but blend in the childlike humor and high school tropes. The characters are hyper-realized versions of real-life stereotypes, and the open world is small yet diverse enough that meandering through it on its own is a fun little adventure.

The latter felt apt due to the smaller scale setting of the plot. Similarly, the combat and weapons were stripped down to basic school-level items, with no gore being featured in the game (aside from the biology classes).

Speaking of classes, the game also provided students with various lessons to attend, giving them a grade at the end of the semester. It was an authentic American high school experience. Sadly, it didn't get a sequel.

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2) Need for Speed: Most Wanted

After the cult classic that is Need for Speed: Underground, Most Wanted is probably the top entry for many players in racing video games. While Most Wanted didn't have as many customizable options, what it did have was a dedicated singleplayer story.

Which was quite well written considering that it was just a racing game. The story revolved around the player character on the road to reclaiming their BMW M3 GTR, which was unfairly taken from him by another racer.

While also incorporating subelements of a police sergeant's hunt for illegal racers and an elite group of racers known as the blacklist, Most Wanted's story gave other racing video games a run for their money.

The open world also contained a new police chase element, wherein if the player is seen committing a traffic violation by a cop car, they will give chase. The player then had to either lose the cops or wreck their vehicles. While police chases were not new in the franchise then, it was done with a much more intricate system that made the open-world feel alive.

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3) GTA San Andreas

While many players would have played GTA Vice City as well as GTA III on the PS2, it cannot be denied that GTA San Andreas was the best GTA video game on the console.

Set in not just one but three cities, it told the story of Carl Johnson, or CJ as he’s known to his friends. The narrative unfolds as CJ returns to his hometown of Los Santos to attend his mother’s funeral.

The game picks up the plot train and does not let up. Full of interesting characters, plot twists, and multiple changes of scenery, San Andreas takes the player around the large map, ultimately bringing them right back full circle.

Compared to its predecessors, Sam Andreas also had an expansive open world, with various sights to see and activities to do when players are not following the main story.

The missions themselves were mostly interesting and engaging, never feeling too long. It was no wonder that GTA V returned to the same setting as this game, right back to Los Santos.

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4) Resident Evil 4

Considering how many players loved the recently released Resident Evil Village, it would be a shame if the game was so heavily inspired it did not feature in this list. Resident Evil 4 follows Leon S Kennedy once more, now searching for the president's daughter in an idyllic village overrun with infected people.

This was the first video game in the series to step into the action-adventure element while not completely shedding its horror roots. As opposed to the fixed cameras from the previous games, RE4 relied on the player's aim and ammo as a core mechanic, taking on a third-person over-the-shoulder stance.

That feeling of having just three bullets left and unsure what awaits in the next area was as sweat-inducing as it was scary.

It was due to how well RE4 balanced the horror element with action, which set it apart from the later entries in the series. RE5 tried to emulate this but couldn't quite get it right, and RE6 killed the series when it launched.

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5) Devil May Cry 3

The Devil May Cry series of video games have been a staple of the hack and slash genre, with probably the best-looking combat in most games. A simple look at 2019’s Devil May Cry 5 is evidence of that fact. However, many fans of the series have cited the third video game in the series as their favorite.

Devil May Cry 3 was a fan favorite because of its combat and also for its story. Combat was a carry-over from the last game but dialed up to 11.

The story, however, did the opposite as in the series. The story is chronologically the first one, showing a younger Dante (the main protagonist of the series), still mostly a beginner at taking down demons.

Thanks to Devil May Cry 3, the series has gotten a reputation for being cool, with refined combat, smooth character designs, and over-the-top boss battles that still work somehow.