Is hard to believe that its been 25 years since the PlayStation 2 console was released. The PS2 was such a massive deal because it was the first high profile console of the new millennium. The PlayStation 2 to 3D game to another level following the release of Sega Dreamcast back in 1998. The standard PS2 featured 32 MB RAM and 4 MB Video RAM. Sony also developed Memory cards that held up to 8 MB of storage space which was far better than the PS1 which only had 1 MB. The PlayStation 2 was a console that had so many high profile third party games to a point where Nintendo could not compete with them during the early 2000’s. The PlayStation 2 had games like GTA: San Andreas, GTA: Vice City, Final Fantasy X/X-2, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, Tekken 5 along with others that achieved mainstream popularity and success. Everything about the PS2 from its intro along with its extra features like playing CD’s and watching DVD movies made the console better than Nintendo’s GameCube from 2001.

It should also be noted that the original Xbox console which also came out in ’01 did not allow people to watch DVD movies and had limited features in relation of playing music CDs. PlayStation 2 was a console where adult-theme games flourished because of how much the landscape of gaming had changed by the early 2000’s. While arcade games dominated the 90’s the 2000’s had more blood and gore with story driven action-adventure games becoming more prominent. The PlayStation 2 was also a great console because it featured games that included robust offline in-game modes that did not heavily rely on online multiplayer game modes for a high replay value. The PlayStation 2 had a more sophisticated look than its 90’s predecessor and the intro captured the futuristic vibe of the early 2000’s perfectly.

While many third-party video games shined on the PS2 Sony deserves a ton of credit for the evolution of the Gran Turismo franchise. During the 2000’s Sony released both Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Gran Turismo 4 which were arguably two of the greatest racing titles of all-time. The popularity of Gran Turismo put the racing genre of gaming on the map forcing rival franchises like Need For Speed, Midnight Club and Ridge Racer to evolve. The PS2 did not just feel like another game system it was a product of its time reflecting how advanced technology had become compared to the 80’s and the early-90’s. Since its release the PlayStation 2 has managed to sell more than 160 million units worldwide making it the best selling game system of all-time. The Y2K era was one of the greatest time periods to be a gamer and the PlayStation 2 is a console that still holds up to this day despite its inferior graphics. The release price for the PS2 in America was only $299 back in 2000 and nowadays you have to pay almost double or even more for advanced modern consoles that do not sell nearly as much.