PC gamers are notorious for refusing to use any machine but a PC for gaming, and this is rather understandable once you become a PC gamer. It’s a one-stop spot for all your needs, gaming and otherwise, so why would you want or need to go to a TV for gaming? So, instead of trying to get PC gamers to move to console, developers and publishers should instead bring their games over to PC.

In the interests of fairness, there can only be one game per franchise in this list, otherwise there’d be about two of three franchises on here! This also means that you may sometimes disagree with the exact game choice in a franchise, but if one of them should come to PC then all of them should come to PC, right?

So, without further ado, here’s a list of ten PS2 games that need to come to PC.

God of War

Let’s start with an obvious one. The God of War franchise has kicked into full swing again, and 2018’s God of War is already on PC, and Ragnarök will likely follow. But the original game, the one that started it all, is still relegated to the PlayStation platform in the form of old PS2 discs and the remasters that have made their way to later consoles. But the game that started it all needs to head to PC too.

It would be a perfect opportunity for PC gamers to see Kratos back when he was a completely two-dimensional character. He didn’t used to have any kind of depth. His entire character was anger. That was it. Anger, the brutal murder of various mythological creatures, and a man with an unending frown on his face. It was fast paced, it was visceral, and it was utterly ridiculous. And we sometimes need a return to that!

Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2

A game that those who know it will remember fondly, and one that everyone else will never have heard of. Dark Chronicle is an orphan of history as the developer, Level-5, would go on to make much bigger and more famous games, like the Ni-No Kuni and Yo-Kai Watch franchises, but Dark Chronicle is one that should be experienced as an early, experimental take on RPGs.

You play as two characters as they try to stop the big bad guy, and along the way you enter dungeons while rebuilding the world in an early example of an RPG that blended real-time combat and base-building mechanics. It has definitely aged, but aspects like the lack of a traditional leveling system and the various rather unique mini-games you get to play make this one worth a try.

Guitar Hero

The fad that burned hot and then whimpered away into an early death. If you think Activision milks the Call of Duty franchise, you’ve seen nothing. The Guitar Hero franchise was all the rage in the mid- to late-2000s and it was awesome. The later games would become progressively more ambitious and would even invite big name rockstars, like Slash and Tom Morello in the third game. Every game is, effectively, interchangeable except for the music on display, so it doesn’t actually matter which entry is technically brought over, but it would be a great bit of a fun for the PC.

The biggest issue with this rhythm game is that it requires a special guitar controller, but Activision could make a bunch of money selling some peripherals, or they could map a keyboard to be a guitar controller. Some pale PC imitators to the Guitar Hero legacy attempted that, and it had mixed results, but imagine how entertaining it could be to bring some friends over while you all take turns on the Bluetooth keyboard and hammer your way through some of the greatest hard rock and heavy metal tracks out there.

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

It’s hard to pick which Jak and Daxter game to recommend, but the first game was a fun romp that combined PSOne-era collectable sentiment with the upcoming commitment to a more action-oriented third-person style of play, with other PS2 games like Sly Cooper and Ratchet & Clank continuing this tradition. The first game is also the one before the main character got emo, and if you want to see some 2000s emo-ness, check out Jak 2.

But the first game has you chatting to various cutesy characters, going on an adventure through colorful locales, and listening to the most annoying character that Naughty Dog was able to formulate before they got all serious with Uncharted and The Last of Us. It’s also an aggravating experience to love the Jak and Daxter games as Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted have made their way to PC, one franchise came before and the other after Jak and Daxter, so where’s that PC port already, Naughty Dog!?

Killzone

The original Killzone was a strange thing. It was once expected to be Sony’s “Halo-killer”, but Halo kept on going and Killzone has effectively faded into obscurity now that Guerrilla Games has the Horizon games to focus on instead. The first game presented a dirty, grimy, and gritty take on sci-fi rather than the powerful Master Chief versus the colorful array of aliens that inhabit the Halo universe.

The first Killzone, which is often forgotten in favor of the PS3 entries, had an overall lack of big set pieces and was instead a grounded, more open-ended take on a shooter. In various levels, you even got to choose between several playable characters who would all play vastly differently from each other. It was an experiment that was never repeated, as Killzone 2 is pretty much like Call of Duty on a hostile alien planet. It would be great to see that first entry get some love again, even though it was a very flawed game.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

There are no flaws in this one. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, called Ratchet & Clank 3 in PAL regions, because they’re less willing to have a jokey, innuendo-laden name, is simply the best the franchise ever accomplished. The game is long and allows you to travel to a variety of planets with vastly different biomes. There’s a massive array of weapons, replayability, tons of upgrades, and a bunch of funny jokes.

It would also be remiss to neglect the fact that Dr. Nefarious was first introduced in this entry, and for all fans of the Ratchet & Clank games, you simply need to see the origins of this character in the franchise. The other games in the series are also great, but it was this entry that was the most Ratchet & Clankiest. From Dr. Nefarious, to the great Clank sections, and even a whole 2D side-scroller additional game for you to play. This is a classic.

Shadow of the Colossus

It would be easy to simply say that it’s Shadow of the Colossus and move on, but PC gamers have never had the opportunity to touch either of Team Ico’s PS2 classics. This game needs to come to PC because it is one of the greatest games ever made, and the fact that it’s wasting away on consoles is a sad state of affairs.

In addition, if this game could be brought to PC, the superior technical capabilities of the hardware could allow for higher visual fidelity in an already gorgeously stylized world. Tackling the sixteen colossi that populate the empty world of Shadow of the Colossus is an experience that everyone should be able to experience. Much like the near empty landscapes of Journey, which has now made its way to PC, Shadow of the Colossus needs to do the same.

TimeSplitters 2

First-person shooters have a reputation on consoles because controllers aren’t as good for FPS controls as a mouse and keyboard. The analog sticks lack the accuracy and precision of a mouse, but this didn’t stop most console-bound FPS games from doing the exact same kind of thing the PC versions were doing, but just worse. TimeSplitters was the exception. While the first game is fine, the sequel really ramped things up.

This may be one of the best FPS experiences ever made and it was stuck to the PS2. A game with a large set of levels, all of which gained content on higher difficulty levels rather than simply making the enemies harder, and an aiming style that used a snap-back system that allowed for the weapon to be moved around the screen without turning the camera, similar to the N64 classic GoldenEye 007. It also featured a full co-op option, tons of extra challenges, and various competitive modes. The amount of content in TimeSplitters 2 would put most modern games to shame.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

A major classic, and a series of games in which only the final two entries ever went to the PC market! Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain were the first introductions PC gamers got to the supposed auteur’s work, and that’s a bit disappointing. Metal Gear Solid is a complex web of nonsense that you really need to play every game to unravel. Don’t do what the writer of this list did and play Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots first. It makes everything even more gibberish.

However, if you had to play one of them, Snake Eater is the one that should be played. This is the game that had some of the biggest ambitions and it contained the skeleton of what would eventually become The Phantom Pain. It’s also, chronologically, the first game in the franchise so it’s pretty much the most understandable and accessible point for a PC gamer to enter things. In addition, it’s the game with the legendary boss battle against the ancient sniper The End, and that’s a piece of gaming history that every gamer should experience.

Half-Life: Decay

Let’s be honest here. Half-Life: Decay is not a good game. It simply isn’t. So why include it on this list at all then? Well, because the Half-Life franchise has been an absolute stalwart of PC gaming for decades now. The first two games are considered to have revolutionized games in narrative and technical directions. Then Valve handed development of the spin-off games Blue Shift and Opposing Forces to Gearbox and called it a day until they released the sequel, but many forget the existence of Decay because they never even knew about it.

This is the story of the other two HEV suits you see at the beginning of the first game, and Decay puts you in the shoes of the two scientists who wore those suits. This also means that it’s a co-op game that you cannot play on your own no matter what. This automatically means that playing it with your friends will make it better than it is! And on the PS2, it had to be couch co-op, but on PC you could play it with anyone! The game would probably be a lot better, plus it would be a piece of Half-Life that most Half-Life fans have never seen. So, it’s worth giving them this one even though it isn’t great.

Do you agree with any of these picks? Are there other games you’d have added to the list? Tell us in the comments.

Justin van Huyssteen (@LC_Lupus)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed