The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling game console ever, so it has a huge library of games. Shooters were especially popular during that time, making it one of the most common genres on the system. While the PS2 didn’t have games like Halo, it still offered many excellent shooting games. Many of these titles were also available on other consoles, but because the PS2 was the most popular choice for gamers, most people likely played them on Sony’s system.
Here are six great PS2 shooters.
6) Black
Black is a visually and aurally impressive game for the PlayStation 2. Criterion Games aimed for cinematic sound quality, and they largely succeeded. While it received some criticism for its short length and lack of multiplayer, it remains one of the best shooter games of its time.
The game’s sound design was excellent, but the truly impressive part was how destructible the environments were. Players could creatively destroy cover, which made the story mode more replayable. Although a similar game, Bodycount, was released in 2011, nothing has quite matched the experience of this classic PS2 shooter.
5) Call of Duty 3
This Call of Duty game was the last one set in World War II before the series shifted to modern settings. Players experience the Western Front, taking on the roles of soldiers from the United States, Britain, Canada, or Poland. Beyond the story mode, the game also offered online multiplayer matches with up to 15 players.
Okay, so Call of Duty 3 is kind of the odd one out in the series, honestly. Everyone quickly moved on when Modern Warfare came out and blew everything up. People say it didn’t do much new, but it did test out some things that ended up being really important in later games – like bigger multiplayer maps and those quick-time melee fights. But even putting all that aside, it’s a really good World War II shooter and, for me, it’s the best CoD experience before Modern Warfare changed the game completely.
4) Medal of Honor: Frontline
It’s easy to forget now, but the Medal of Honor series was once the go-to choice for World War II shooters. Frontline was the first game released on the PlayStation 2, and it marked the first time Steven Spielberg didn’t participate in making the game. You might expect that to cause problems, but surprisingly, it didn’t.
Frontline immediately throws you into the action with the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, establishing a grand scope for its campaign through Nazi Germany. While the graphics don’t look as impressive today, it was one of the best-looking games on the early PlayStation 2 when it was released in 2002. Sadly, EA didn’t continue the success of the Medal of Honor series after Frontline, but that first mission remains a memorable experience.
3) Red Faction 2
I noted that Black effectively includes environmental destruction in its gameplay, but the Red Faction series does it even better. The Geo-Mod feature in Red Faction was revolutionary, and the sequel improved on it with enhanced graphics and a fantastic split-screen multiplayer mode.
It’s true that the absence of online multiplayer in Red Faction 2 was disappointing, especially considering it came out in 2002. But overall, the game is still excellent and makes up for it. Just avoid playing the PC version.
2) TimeSplitters 2
As a huge fan, I can tell you that TimeSplitters 2 really built on everything that made the first game great. If you and your friends were looking for the ultimate split-screen experience on the PlayStation 2, this was the game to have. Just like Red Faction 2, it didn’t have online multiplayer, but honestly, when the game is this fun, you don’t even miss it!
Some might suggest TimeSplitters: Future Perfect deserves this spot. Its time-traveling story mode is incredibly fun, and the game offers a huge amount of content for both single-player and multiplayer experiences. It also introduced online play to the TimeSplitters series, but regardless, TimeSplitters was a standout shooter on the PS2.
1) Star Wars Battlefront 2
Despite sharing a name with a newer game, the 2005 Pandemic Studios title was a standout game for its time. Its single-player story is detailed and expansive, letting you experience a long campaign as a seasoned Stormtrooper who fought for both the Republic and the Empire.
Battlefront II introduced powerful Hero characters – players could temporarily control Jedi and Sith, dramatically changing the course of battles. Combined with Galactic Conquest, a unique shooter take on the Risk strategy game, it became one of the greatest Star Wars games ever made. It’s unfortunate that EA later damaged the game’s reputation with controversial microtransactions.
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2026-02-14 02:12