This fondness has fiddling to do with the world power of the system, as it was on the weaker side when compared to the original Xbox and flush the Nintendo GameCube. alternatively, it ’ south about the games .
And while the PlayStation 2 is best known for its amazing RPGs, there are batch of other PS2 games deserving noting—such as its race games. Remember those ?
here are some of the best PS2 racing games that graced the system. The contest was fierce given that there were so many of them, but we narrowed it down to the very best .
want for speed : underground took the series from cheery blue skies to neon-lit streets and car tune culture .
indigence for rush : Underground 2 is more of the same, though because developer EA Black Box was iterating on the formula, it was barren to make some improvements .
While Lap Knockout was dropped from the beginning game outside of the campaign, Need for Speed : underground 2 adds variations on existing gameplay to up the variety .
Most people credibly would have chosen Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec to represent the franchise here, and that is absolutely a big game. Gran Turismo 4 merely has more variety, not to mention a more absolvitory single-player campaign, which is nice for those of us who aren ’ metric ton series veterans .
Gran Turismo has always lingered toward the sim-style race game, but not so far that you need a rush wheel. This entrance features more cars and better graphics than A-Spec, though it still lacked the on-line multiplayer that would come to define the series .
With this was the first Wipeout game with a developer not named Psygnosis, that was largely ceremony. Psygnosis was now known as Sony ’ sulfur Studio Liverpool. hush, Wipeout Fusion feels very unlike than the PS1 games that preceded it .
Among other things, Wipeout Fusion implemented an about RPG-style upgrade organization. This mean that even if you lost a race, you were hush working toward upgrades that could help you win races in the future .
This, combined with the solid multiplayer, made for one of the best games on the PS2 .
Related : How to play PS2 games on PS4
While the biggest identify from the Burnout series is undoubtedly Burnout Paradise, that is the only game from the series to feature that post of open world driving playfulness .
Before that, the series was chiefly straight-up arcade racing with an unhealthy compulsion with crashes .
Of those games, Burnout 3 : put-down is the best, and we ’ re not merely talking about in the series. Burnout 3 : put-down remains even now one of the best rush games of all time .
The first Midnight Club was very much a PlayStation 2 technical school show, as was Rockstar ’ s other pre-Grand Theft Auto 3 open-world game, Smuggler ’ s Run. That said, there was fun to be had in the first Midnight Club that Rockstar San Diego built on for Midnight Club II.
Midnight Club 3 : DUB Edition is a major mistreat up, as the first game in the series to feature accredited vehicles and besides the inaugural to allow for customizing those cars .
Critics weren ’ thymine specially fond of MX vs. ATV Unleashed, but this game was the first to mash up the MX and ATV Offroad Fury series, bringing the best of both into a single plot .
Judging based on the name, you ’ five hundred assume you drive dirt bikes and ATVs. That ’ s not the shell, as you can besides drive giant trucks, dune buggies, and even golf carts, among early vehicles .
Yes, Crash Nitro Kart is a fairly middle of the road kart racer. And yes, an apples-to-apples comparison of the genesis ’ s equivalent Mario Kart will always show the weaknesses of the Crash kart racers. That said, Crash Nitro Kart is still a blast .
A large function of this comes down to the power chute mechanic. This is alike to the hop-slide found in many Mario Kart games, though it throws another push button and some timing into the blend, making efficaciously boosting your direction through corners more satisfying than it has any right to be .
Related : The best PS2 games on PlayStation now
The original Need for Speed : Hot Pursuit introduced the racers-vs-cops gameplay, but Need for Speed : Hot Pursuit 2 turned all the node up to 11 .
While at its roots, this is hush a slipstream around the set racing game, the addition of the patrol and the respective obstructions they ’ ll throw in your manner make it feel like no other game on the PS2 .
then there are the other game modes. The mode where you play as the police taking out speeders is fun, letting you execute colliery maneuevers a well as deploy items like spike strips and barricades .
MotorStorm was born on the PlayStation 3, so what precisely is a MotorStorm game doing on the older coevals of the comfort ?
basically, no one—including Sony—expected how well the PS2 would continue to sell, which is why this plot was released for the PS2 arsenic well as the PlayStation Portable in 2009 .
even more surprisingly, it plays well. The icy environments actually factor into the gameplay, letting you cool your overheating hike by driving into snow or body of water. even if you ’ ve never played the PS3 originals, it ’ randomness deserving picking this one astir for your PS2 collection .
More Modern Racing Games
Looking over this list, you might notice that few of these games resemble what we see in advanced racing games.
The Wipeout series has remained largely unaltered, but the Need for Speed serial is quite a bite different nowadays compared to how it was when the Underground games were released .
If you have a PlayStation 4 and want to expand your race game collection flush further with modern titles, there are batch of excellent PS4 racing games worth checking out .
understand following : The best PS4 racing games
