Older video games rarely hold up in retrospect—at least graphically.
While plenty of older video games feature phenomenal gameplay that continues to stay relevant decades later, technology has moved quickly enough that older graphics look borderline ridiculous in comparison to the modern stuff. Of course, there are exceptions—8-bit and 16-bit era aesthetics will always remain popular within certain niches—but as soon as video games began aiming for more realistic graphics, the medium cursed itself with the never-ending whims of technological advancement
The Sony PlayStation 2 launched 20 years ago in March of 2000, and for all intents and purposes, it was the first system to bring mainstream video game graphics into the realm of realism. As such, perhaps more than any other older system, PlayStation 2 graphics look especially dated. (It's worth noting here that Shenmue released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and was graphically superior to the majority of games that came out on PlayStation 2 and competing systems even years later. Alas, the Dreamcast flopped hard enough that Shenmue was relegated to a forgotten gem, so the burden of establishing a mainstream standard for video game graphics fell onto the PlayStation 2.)
While technically boasting less powerful hardware than the GameCube and Xbox, both of which came out a year later in 2001, PlayStation 2 remained most gamers' console of choice for many years, becoming the best-selling video game console of all time (a title it holds even today) and maintaining relevance long after the technologically advanced PlayStation 3 debuted in 2006. So how did a system that featured less impressive hardware go on to become the most popular console in the history of video games? What made the PlayStation 2 so special?
In short, the PlayStation 2's overwhelming success proves the only consistent truth in video games: Great games are not limited to great graphics.
Great graphics are nice, of course. Looking at the gorgeously rendered models of modern video games is much more appealing than staring at the smushed, pixelated faces of the PS1 era. But given the choice between an old school game with subpar graphics that features fantastic gameplay, or the latest Call of Duty, the old school game wins every time.
Thus, the most central element to the PlayStation 2's success was its incredible library of exclusive games: Metal Gear Solid 3, God of War, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Jak and Daxter, Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 4, Kingdom Hearts 1 + 2, God of War, Dragon Quest 8, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Final Fantasy X, etc. There's a reason that so many of these games have been graphically remastered to better fit into the modern era of graphics—Because the gameplay continues to hold up even if the graphics don't.
So while the actual PS2 console may be a distant memory in the modern age, its greatest hits continue to thrive.
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