There Are Only 4 Near-Perfect PS2 Games, According To Metacritic

Many gamers have fond memories of the PS2. It represented a massive generational leap forward and is still the best-selling console of all time, having sold more than 155 million units worldwide. Of course, there are a lot of hardware factors that likely weighed into its commercial success, such as its ability to function as an excellent DVD player, but another reason people loved the PS2 was due to its outstanding library of games.

There are a monumental 4,380 games that players can experience on the PS2 (per ISGamers), ranging from massive blockbuster titles to weird and obscure titles that many gamers have likely never heard of. The best-selling game on the console was "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," and although critics reviewed it very highly, it wasn't the highest-rated game on the PS2. The easiest way to determine a game's critical success (as opposed to its commercial success) is by looking at Metacritic. This site aggregates dozens of critic and user scores to determine a single Meta-score. There are a lot of popular games on the PS2, but there are only four games that managed to score higher than 95: "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty," "Resident Evil 4," "Grand Theft Auto 3," and "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3."

Of all the horror video game franchises in the world, few are as iconic as "Resident Evil." The series' trademark combination of corporate corruption, undead horror, and gruesome biological monstrosities has kept fans coming back for decades. Still, many might argue that the franchise peaked with "Resident Evil 4." It's widely considered the best "Resident Evil" game, and some players even believe it to be one of the greatest horror games of all time. "RE4" was the game that got rid of the screen-locked, janky movement from the first few titles and streamlined the visuals, utilizing a fixed third-person point of view that would become a staple for the series until "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard." It also took the story in a new direction, bringing back Leon Kenedy as he's sent to rescue the U.S. President's daughter from a mysterious cult in rural Spain — only to discover that this cult has been infected with a mind-controlling parasite.

The PS2 version of the game has a score of 96 on Metacritic. 14 out of the 38 reviews give the game a perfect 100, and even the less-than-perfect scores are still generally positive. The game also has a staggering 9.3 user score, with 2,336 positive reviews, 107 mixed reviews, and 93 negative ones. Capcom will undoubtedly have its work cut out for it trying to get the new "Resident Evil 4" remake to live up to its source material.

Metacritic ranks "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3" as the highest scoring game on the PS2. This was the pinnacle of a trilogy of skating games on the console that allowed players to play as their favorite professional skaters. Players became enamored as they shredded around skate parks and attempted to chain together as many tricks as possible. "Pro Skater 3" also added a new technique called Reverts, which allowed players to link vertical tricks into new combos, exponentially expanding the size of combo chains beyond what was possible in previous games. It wasn't just the mechanics that made the "Tony Hawk" games great, though. Each title is often remembered for its impressive soundtrack and a counter-culture aesthetic that particularly appealed to younger gamers.

"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3" has an aggregate score of 97 on Metacritic. It has received 34 reviews on the site, with 13 being perfect 100s, 33 being positive, and only one mixed. Gamespot stated, "'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3' strikes a perfect balance between new and old and renders the two previous entries in the series almost completely obsolete in the process." Oddly enough, its user score is only 7.5, with 313 positive reviews, 58 mixed, and 78 negatives.