this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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Worth mentioning that almost every time, the PS2 is the worst platform for multiplatform titles, simply due to how weak the system was compared to both other consoles and contemporary PCs.
There are a small handful of exceptions. GTA San Andreas has complex lighting and effects (which took advantage of the unique hardware and were not possible on other systems at the time, not even PCs), as well as many details that are completely lost on every single other version. The downside is that the PS2 version has primitive shadows, poor frame rates, a low resolution and a very short draw distance. Thankfully, you can mod the PC version (which was actually downgraded even further several times over the years) to add in all of the missing effects and details, making it the best of both worlds. Don't underestimate just how much of a difference this makes. The lighting alone turns this otherwise bland-looking title into a game that can provide surprisingly atmospheric and even stunning moments, despite the low poly count and low-res textures. The more recent remaster tries to unsuccessfully emulate this look, but I would stay away from it as far as possible.
Another example is Need for Speed Underground 2: Only the PS2 version has complex lighting and color-grading effects. They were never ported to other platforms, because just like with GTA SA, they were not technically possible elsewhere at the time.
If anyone knows more games this applies to, feel free to reply.
I should add that due to the low resolution of the system, it's usually a far better idea to emulate PS2 games than to play them on native hardware. On PC, PCSX2 is the gold standard and on Android devices, AetherSX2 is near equivalent, provided you have a beefy enough phone or tablet (lower-end devices might struggle). This also makes it far easier to explore ROMhacks (or should we call them ISO-hacks?), like this upcoming one of Gran Turismo 4:
https://youtu.be/Ct2i7cCaetk
If you want to stick with original hardware, make sure to use a Component cable instead of Composite cable, if you aren't already. The difference in image quality is massive, even if it's rarely ever great due to the messy, highly aliased output of the system in in all but a small handful of titles.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 was best on PS2 because it was made by a different developer (Black Box) who then went on to make all the NfS game up to Undercover as well as World.
Ah yes, the confusing world of ports that aren't ports, but entirely different games. There were a number of those on PS2, especially late in the system's lifespan, during the cross-gen days, when it was lucrative to cater to the huge existing install base.
On top of my head, Splinter Cell Double Agent was a completely different (and according to some, better) title on sixth compared to 7th gen consoles and PC, although I have played neither version myself.
Test Drive Unlimited on PS2 and PSP had the same enormous game world as the 360/PS3/PC-version, the entire island of Oahu at full scale, but ran on a different engine with very different driving physics, which feel bouncy and direct, nearly identical to Gran Turismo 2 of all games, making it more fun to play than the "next-gen" version, which attempted more realistic physics that feel flat by comparison however. I consider GT2 to be the peak of simcade driving physics and thus am a huge fan of this version's driving physics as well. Graphics are obviously much worse than on seventh gen, customization features, game modes and many vehicles are missing and the GPS is buggy, but it is nonetheless a very interesting and enjoyable version. In my opinion, the visuals have actually aged rather nicely, on PS2 at least, where it even has pleasant-looking car reflections and surprisingly detailed interiors. It has a low-poly charm to it, with just the right amount of detail. Both versions are outstanding at just randomly going on a relaxing drive, since you'll never run out of twisty roads to explore.
That was a good example. A bad, but fascinating one is the Alone in the Dark reboot. The next-gen version was by the same developer as the next-gen version of Test Drive Unlimited, Eden Games, an attempt at using the latest tech and tons of innovative and immersive mechanics as well as scale never seen before in a horror game. It didn't work at all and fell flat at practically everything it tried, from physics to narration, not to mention, it manages to be a horror game that isn't scary at all, except for the terrifyingly bad controls, but it's a very interesting train wreck to behold. By comparison, the PS2 version, by a different studio, feels like a demake made by someone who got the rough outline of every scene over a bad telephone line and then tried to cobble something vaguely similar together in six to nine months on a budget of whatever was left from the catering bill of the developer of the costly next-gen version. Sometimes, it just uses screen-recordings of real-time cutscenes from the PS3/360 version. It's awful to play, but also very interesting, especially next to the overambitious next-gen version.
These days there are mods, such as SkyGFX, that let the PC version of GTA:SA match the PS2's graphical effects, but these obviously rely on GPU improvements that didn't exist back in 2005.