The PS2, Gamecube and Wii were the only non-handheld games consoles I had until like 2019. Loved games such as Sly Raccoon, Jak II and Star Wars: Racer Revenge, but there are so many games for it and some niche ones others might have missed that I spent so much time playing as a kid were Timesplitters (the first one!) and Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge.
I'm sure video game nerds are familiar with Timesplitters in some way, but people usually seem to talk about the sequel which was cross-platform, rather than this first entry, which you could only enjoy here. It was made by a new company comprised of many staff of Rare who'd worked on Goldeneye and Perfect Dark - and you can feel it in the gameplay. I'd say if someone remembers the multiplayer for those games fondly but finds getting into the N64 to have too many hurdles, get a PS2 and Timesplitters, The multiplayer is very similar indeed! The single player is also fun; not quite so story-focused as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, it feels nudged a little bit towards something like Quake III Arena; you're just kind of dropped into a scenario where you have to achieve an objective, without much direct connection between each. But it does continue the same kind of style of missions as Goldeneye and Perfect dark, where you typically have to infiltrate some enemy base and retrieve something and then reach some goal point. And it has a really memorable sense of style, soundtrack, and even sound effects, heheh! And also, an extremely excellent level constructor! That's what I spent most of my time on it doing as a kid!
Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge is a port from the ill-fated Dreamcast, but much improved, with a new cell-shaded style, voice acting, and an extra level, and other small areas of polish. It's like Banjo-Kazooie with guns heheh, and third-person shooting segments between fun platforming challenges. And also revolves around swapping between six different characters, each with a unique special ability, and their own babies that only they can save! It's so cute and toony with a great sense of humour, and deftly juggles action with slower platforming and puzzle moments. Very recommended for furry friends
So many cool and incredibly quirky games for the PS2, a very fun system to explore!
And here's the rest of my PS2 collection for good measure; just picked up SSX Tricky today! :3 (Should be able to enlarge and zoom in to read all the titles hehe)