Mass Effect 1 – Mako Segments

Mass Effect’s first outing laid the foundation for what would end up becoming one of the most beloved sci-fi RPG trilogies of all time, but even those who swear by the franchise will tell you that the Mako segments are easily the game’s most off-putting mandatory sections. On paper, cruising across alien planets in a six-wheeled all-terrain tank sounds like a thrilling opportunity to explore strange landscapes and uncover hidden secrets. But in execution, the driving experience turns into a bumpy nightmare in the face of weird controls and awkward handling. The Mako handles like a bouncy toy through and through, ricocheting off the slightest hill and sliding around at every slope. It also doesn’t help that most planets you explore are barren with little variety between them and the enemy encounters presnet within. And when mission objectives force you into these segments repeatedly, it becomes painfully clear they were more ambitious than polished. They can break the narrative flow, drag the pacing down, and leave anyone dreading the next time the game says, “Time to deploy the Mako.”

Tomb Raider Legend

The original Tomb Raider trilogy is one that has remained relevant through generations, and a lot of that praise could be credited to the constant innovation that the developers had done to each game back then. However, Tomb Raider Legend proudly stands above the trilogy thanks to an excellent amalgamation of brain-tickling puzzles, thrilling chases, and challenging platforming segments that never fail to keep you entertained throughout its run. If you had to experience just a globe-trotting adventure on the PS2, it definitely has to be this one.

]]> 620873 https://gamingbolt.com/the-best-ps2-games-of-all-time-2024-edition Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:39:02 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=581365 Sony’s PS2 was a legendary console that’s home to plenty of great releases from different genres, and counting down the best from this vast library is obviously a daunting task. But we have done just that with this feature, and this list is all about 15 of the best PS2 games in no particular order. We have covered this topic before, so do check out our prior renditions of this list as well.

Tomb Raider Legend

The original Tomb Raider trilogy is one that has remained relevant through generations, and a lot of that praise could be credited to the constant innovation that the developers had done to each game back then. However, Tomb Raider Legend proudly stands above the trilogy thanks to an excellent amalgamation of brain-tickling puzzles, thrilling chases, and challenging platforming segments that never fail to keep you entertained throughout its run time. If you had to experience just a globe-trotting adventure on the PS2, it definitely has to be this one.

Max Payne 2

Remedy Entertainment delivered a great first game with Max Payne, but the full potential of the franchise was realized with the sequel. Max Payne 2 spins an appropriately complex tale with twisted characters and never-ending conspiracies, and that paired with the metaphor-heavy writing makes for a consistently engaging time. On top of that, you have some amazing third-person gameplay characterized by slow-motion mechanics which makes for some really cool moments as you swoop through dozens of enemies before they have an opportunity to properly blink.

Black

Criterion Games is most known for its work on Need For Speed: Most Wanted, but it’s first-person shooter Black remains underappreciated. And that’s a shame since Black is an adrenaline-pumping ride through macabre factories and large open arenas complete with realistic shooting mechanics, destruction physics and graphics that were quite ahead of their time. It wasn’t a flawless experience by any means, but Black definitely had its own distinct charm that made it memorable all these years later.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto 3 is what put the series on the map, and 2002’s Vice City is what catapulted the franchise to greater heights. Set against the backdrop of a beautiful rendition of sun-soaked Miami, Vice City provides a playground of possibilities that will keep you engaged for dozens upon dozens of hours. Between an engaging story and flexible gameplay mechanics, Vice City is a really special game that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

God of War

2005’s God of War was the first stepping stone for a franchise that would morph into a massive behemoth, a game that would go on to represent the crown jewel in Sony’s roster of first-party releases. And that prestigious status can be attributed to a simple yet satisfying gameplay loop of toppling down one enemy after another, solving the occasional puzzle, and partaking in an engaging story of vengeance. Sony Santa Monica stitches all these elements in a splendid fashion, which makes this a rollercoaster of an action experience that’s characterized by brutal levels of violence.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was one of the earliest games to be released for the PS2, and it’s safe to say that it set a high benchmark at the start of the generation. Kojima spins an intricate tale about the rapid spread of misinformation with its story, and the gameplay massively improves upon the concepts of the original in new and interesting ways. Add to that memorable boss fights and a clean visual style that surprisingly holds up well to this date, and Metal Gear Solid 2 becomes an unmissable game for fans of this ilk.

Hitman Blood Money

Hitman Blood Money took what worked in prior entries, and crafted a game that’s bigger and better in almost every regard. A suite of highly replayable levels, plenty of new gameplay mechanics, and improved graphics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the improvements that Blood Money provided over prior entries. It’s safe to say that the pre-reboot series peaked with this game, and it remains a beloved entry in this long-running series even after these years.

Kingdom Hearts 2

The original Kingdom Hearts was an interesting mix of combat and several other gameplay mechanics, but Kingdom Hearts 2 was the true realization of that potential. The sequel makes great use of the expanded horsepower of the PS2 and renders beautiful worlds brimming with imagination, and combined with its unique combat makes for an unforgettable trek that’s punctuated with memorable sequences and unforgettable boss battles.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

Before Insomniac Games would become synonymous with story-driven action adventure experiences, it made a name for itself on the back of amazing action platformers – including but not limited to Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. Released in 2004, Ratchet and Clank takes you on an entertaining quest to defeat Dr. Nefarious and put an end to his evil schemes. In addition to a simple yet satisfying combat loop of defeating waves of enemies, the game also offers a set of diverse levels and wacky weapons that will keep you glued to the edge of the screen at all times.

Onimusha 3

The third and second last chapter in the Onimusha saga, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege does everything to take the monster slaying experience to the next level. It tells a wonderfully eccentric story about Jacques and Samanosuke traveling through time to reach alternate dimensions to slay demons. The gameplay of slashing through waves of enemies is just as refined as one would expect. With plenty of memorable levels and solid combat loop, Onimusha 3 is a game that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Silent Hill 4

When it comes to the Silent Hill series, the majority of praise is bestowed upon the second game. And while there are plenty of reasons why that is the case, Silent Hill 4 is also deserving of love. Konami’s Silent Hill 4 was the last game in the franchise to be developed by Team Silent, and it pays homage to what came before while also being its own thing. Set against the eerie backdrop of Ashfield, players have to find a way out of this nightmare before they get caught in a demonic cult. The music and voice acting shine brightly as they elevate the tension and create a sense of loss and anguish. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but it definitely does more things right than wrong – making for a great time for horror fans.

Gran Turismo 4

Developed by Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo 4 provided a significant bump over A-Spec in almost every conceivable way. Right from the dozens of carefully curated car models and tracks to a strong simulation core and much more, Gran Turismo 4 impresses with its attention to detail. It’s a game that’s meant to be played for a long time, and the intrinsic motivation to get better at drifting across tracks in an effortless fashion will keep you grinding for days without getting bored.

Timesplitters

It’s safe to say that Timesplitters was one of the most creative shooters to be released for the PS2, and that’s largely due to its unique story of taking down time-traveling bandits in a bunch of diverse levels. The shooting mechanics were extremely enjoyable, and the writing also exudes a sense of personality which is something that not many games of the time can boast. While it has definitely aged in certain aspects, there is still quite fun to be had in revisiting this classic all these years later.

Bully

Rockstar Games’ Bully differs from its contemporaries thanks to its unique open-world setting, making it stand out all these years later. Jimmy Hopkins’ journey through the classes and dorms of Bullworth Academy is punctuated with plenty of memorable missions and fun activities – and you could easily spend hours upon hours wreaking havoc and causing mischief without getting bored. While the game has definitely aged in some aspects like the visuals, the gameplay remarkably holds up well to this date.

Freedom Fighters

IO Interactive delivered a great game with Freedom Fighters, an action-adventure game with plenty of interesting mechanics and an engaging story about leading a revolution. There’s great fun to be had in commanding your army of rebels; strategically placing them around corners and Manning a machine gun to clear out a massive herd of enemies. Between excellent level variety and unique gameplay, Freedom Fighters was a game that many more players needed to experience from start to finish.

Please note that most of these fan projects are just concept demonstrations, and are not to be mistaken for upcoming releases of the same. Also, this feature is part 2 of the series – so do check out the first part in the description below. With that out of the way, let’s begin:

Halo

Created by developer Infinite Forges, this is a fan-remake of a section of Zeta Halo where Halo Infinite is set against. While the level itself doesn’t have much in the name of interactivity and combat situations, it looks absolutely gorgeous on a visual level. Highly detailed reflections, picturesque lighting, life-like foliage and terrain all combine to create a level that’s an absolute feast for the eyes to gorge on. The level is free to download on Itch.io, but interested fans would need a pretty beefy rig to run this project in high graphics details.

True Knightfall Protocol – Batman: Arkham Knight

By the end of Batman: Arkham Knight, everyone is aware that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne. As a result, the Dark Knight looks to initiate the Knightfall Protocol, which requires completing seven of the major side quests. Once that’s done, Bruce Wayne removes the cowl, enters Wayne Mansion – which explodes – and is seemingly dead. To get the true ending, you need to apprehend all of Gotham’s villains. So along with dismantling the militia’s Road Blocks, Mines and Watchtowers to eventually face off and defeat Deathstroke, you also need to collect all 243 Riddler Trophies to bring in the Riddler.

Once this is done, the same ending will play out and Batman is seemingly gone. However, it’s followed by a new epilogue wherein Jim Gordon becomes the new Mayor of Gotham and Timothy Drake looks to marry Barbara Gordon. Cut to a scene of criminals attempting to rob a family in a back alley but instead of Batman, a fiery version of the Dark Knight descends on the crooks, instilling a new age of fear.

The identity of this figure is unknown – perhaps we’ll learn more in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League since it’s set in the same universe – but at the very least, it does paint a much more positive picture for the future (for the non-criminally inclined at least).

GATOR KEYS

There’s always content that gets cut out of a game during development, but quite often, dataminers end up finding traces of it in games’ files. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of that in GTA: Vice City as well. For instance, there are unused audio files for a phone conversation between Tommy Vercetti and Avery Carrington that mentions an area called Gator Keys. Interestingly enough, this area isn’t in the final game, suggesting that it got shelved during the game’s development.

MAP CHANGES

Plenty of other changes were also made to the map in Vice City beyond the removal of Gator Keys. Fort Baxter Air Base, for instance, was originally going to be an air traffic control tower, while several roads in the final game originally weren’t going to be in there. Meanwhile, several notable landmarks, such as the lighthouse in Ocean Beach and the Hyman Memorial Stadium, were originally not part of the plan either and were added in later on in development.

MOFFAT

Speaking of cut content, it wasn’t just parts of the game’s world that had to be chopped out during development. Some characters and storylines attached to them had to be removed from the experience as well, some of which can still be found (to some extent) in the game’s files. One of these was a man named Mr. Moffat, who, some years in the past, escaped from a prison with Tommy and has been on the run since then. During the game, he calls up Tommy asking him for his help on a matter, though the entire Moffat character and his story ended up being left out of the game.

AUTOCIDE

Autocide is a mission that GTA: Vice City fans will probably remember. For those who don’t, it tasks players with eliminating a number of rival gang members. Amusingly enough, the names of each of your targets are references to characters from contemporary GTA competitor franchises at the time- like Driver’s Tanner, True Crime: Streets of LA’s Nick Kang (or Nick Kong, as he’s referred to in Vice City), and of course, Hammond, Carter, and Dilson subtly nodding to The Getaway’s Hammond, Carter, and Jolson.

CLAUDE

Grand Theft Auto 3’s silent protagonist wasn’t given his name – Claude – until his appearance in San Andreas, but even though he didn’t have a name when Vice City came out, the game still did find ways to pay tribute to him. He didn’t make an appearance himself, of course (which makes sense, since Vice City is set fifteen years before GTA 3), but Tommy Vercetti’s room at the Ocean View Hotel does have a poster featuring Claude.

LICENSE PLATES

Rockstar always finds ways to do some fun stuff with license plates in its GTA games. In GTA 3, for instance, every car’s license plate in the game read “LC R29”. GTA: Vice City has some similar stuff going on. All vehicles in the game have the same license plates, reading “VC R29”.

RAY LIOTTA

GTA: Vice City having a fully voiced protagonist was a big deal, of course, and an actor as big as Ray Liotta playing the role made it an even bigger deal. The game itself does pay homage to the actor in some fun ways as well. There are two missions in the game called “No Escape” and “Cop Land”, both of which are the names of movies Ray Liotta starred in, releasing in 1994 and 1997 respectively.

ROCKSTAR’S LOGO

Rockstar’s never been shy about putting its stamp on its games- literally. In GTA: Vice City, for instance, you can find the Rockstar and Rockstar North logos scattered throughout the game. From clothing items worn by characters to doors of buildings to shops and billboards, Rockstar tucked away its logo in quite a lot of places throughout the game.

DMAir

GTA: Vice City has easter eggs paying tribute to the earlier years of Rockstar as well, of course. For example, there’s an airline in the game called DMAir (you’ll spot its logos on planes if you’re in the right place), and that name is a not-so-subtle callback to Rockstar before it was Rockstar. The company used to be called DMA Design in its earlier years, and curiously enough, Rockstar sprinkled in a few nods to that in its GTA games of the PS2/Xbox era.

APARTMENT 3-C

GTA: Vice City doesn’t hide its Scarface influences (in fact it’s pretty blatant about them), but it isn’t satisfied with doing that overtly throughout the story- it’s got plenty of fun little easter eggs tucked away as well. One of these can be found in a building in Ocean Beach- more specifically, Apartment. Head to the bathroom inside the apartment and you’ll find blood splattered on the walls and a chainsaw on the ground, which is a reference to a scene Scarface fans will remember all too well.

BEACH BALL

GTA: Vice City, like all other GTA games, has plenty of minigames to hunt down, but not all of them can be found easily. A couple of them are hidden. For instance, you can hit a beach ball in one of the pools on Starfish Island to begin a minigame where you must keep hitting it and keep it up in the air as long as possible. As soon as you trigger the minigame, a counter appears on the screen as well.

AK-47

It might seem like focusing on a single weapon and its exclusion from a game is a bit too specific, but the AK-47 not being in GTA: Vice City is actually a notable omission. Why? Well, because the rifle has been a usable weapon in every single 3D GTA game to date except Vice City– and yes, that includes Vice City Stories. The game’s files still have mentions of the weapon, suggesting that Rockstar planned on adding it in at some point, but ended up dropping the idea during development.

GTA: MIAMI

This is one that many fans of the game will probably already know about. Originally, Rockstar’s plan for the game was to make it as a direct sequel to GTA 3 and have it be set in actual Miami. Appropriately enough, they planned on calling it Grand Theft Auto Miami. Of course, plans changed, and they instead came up with Miami-inspired Vice City as the setting, and chose to set the game long before GTA 3, in the year 1986.

As spotted (once again) by GTA Forum members (via Rockstar Intel), the individual logos of each of the three remasters have also surfaced thanks to recent updates made to the Rockstar Launcher (as seen above). GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas all have the subtitle of “The Definitive Edition” attached. Recently, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition was also rated in South Korea, and the naming is definitely consistent.

The trilogy is rumoured to launch this November for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and Xbox One, followed by PC, iOS, and Android versions supposedly coming some time in 2022. An announcement by Rockstar should be coming soon to make all of this official- or we hope so, at any rate.

As spotted by members on the GTA Forums, icons for achievements of the GTA Remastered Trilogy have seemingly been found in the Rockstar Launcher. Some of these are quite similar to existing achievements for ports of the games that already exist, but a few are new, suggesting that there might be new content in the remastered releases- or, you know, at least new achievements.

Meanwhile, individual mentions of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas remasters have also been found in strings within the Rockstar Launcher’s files, while icons for each individual game have also been discovered. Interestingly enough, the strings mention that the games run on Unreal Engine 4, which matches up with what’s been said about the trilogy in leaks.

Whether or not a GTA Remastered Trilogy exists is still not officially confirmed, of course, but one would have to imagine that with all of these leaks and rumours and the collection’s release (allegedly) coming soon, an announcement won’t be far away. Stay tuned for more updates.

#GTATrilogy icons have also been discovered within the Launcher – with shiny gold outlines!

Credit to @bs_blackscout https://t.co/b9F4oqMIKH https://t.co/FV5bfAutgo pic.twitter.com/StBfo4UhxH

— GTANet (@GTANet) October 5, 2021

https://twitter.com/GTANet/status/1445462206053715968

According to the report, the GTA Remastered Trilogy is scheduled for release this November. Originally, the plan was to bring it either in October or in November, but now, the latter seems to have finalized, with PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch being the launch platforms, and PC, iOS, and Android getting the collecting some time in 2022.

Rockstar Dundee – formerly Ruffian Games – is supposedly heading up development on the remasters. Previously, it was suggested that the trilogy’s launch might slip into 2022, but with Grand Theft Auto 5’s PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions having been pushed out of November and into March, the late 2021 window is open for the trilogy’s launch.

Of course, this is all unverified information for now, but there’s quite a bit of smoke here- it remains to be seen when Rockstar will officially talk about the fire. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated on any new details that come our way.

Naturally, fans are beyond excited to jump back into these genre-defining games of a generation gone by. The games present in the trilogy are all more than a decade old, and haven’t particularly aged well in a number of aspects. According to rumors, Rockstar seems to be putting a lot of work into making these titles appeal to a modern audience – such as switching the games over to Unreal Engine. Here are 14 of the biggest issues that Rockstar needs to iron out in this rumored trilogy of remasters.

Mid Mission Checkpoints

One of the biggest issues with the earlier games in the series is the lack of checkpoints in between missions. Some missions in GTA: San Andreas had checkpoints, but none are present in the remaining games in the trilogy. Coupling that with the fact that enemies can be damage sponges and healing supplies are pretty scarce, it becomes quite cumbersome to tackle many of the late-game missions without resorting to cheat codes. If Rockstar wants to make this rumored trilogy a way for newer fans of Grand Theft Auto to revisit classics, it’s absolutely important that mid-mission checkpoints make the cut in terms of improvements to the core experience.

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/gta-trilogy-14-big-issues-rockstar-needs-to-iron-out-in-the-rumored-remaster/feed 0 490466