Wow. The list grows. See why I call myself irrelevant? I have missed a lot of console gaming, and I know it. Once again, thanks. A lot of these I would not have thought to look for.

The PS2 was a time of great joy for me. Ever seen the reaction of the kid who got an N64 for christmas? That was me, except with PS2. I had it for a long, long time, before I sold out for a 360. I don't regret it, but the new Ratchet and Clank sure does strike my fancy.

Anyway, the best games I'd played on PS2 are as follows-

Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts 2

Disgaea

Killzone

Ratchet and Clank (All except Deadlock)

Dark Cloud 1/2. (I liked 1 better, both great.)

Shadow of the Colossus

Suikoden 3

Okami (It's possible, nay probable that the brushing will be better on Wii. Then again, you can't get a Wii for the price of a PS2 and near half of these games.)

Dragon Quest VIII

Ico

Final Fantasy X

God of War

Those were some of the greats. My PS2 list is riddled with other titles, Psychonauts being one of them, but there are better places to play that.

Its my humble opinion that PS2 is, in terms of exclusive games, one of the best systems ever made.

EDIT* And Zone of the Enders. Really, really good game, that one. Best robot fighter I've ever played hands down.

I reccomend the Shadow Hearts series, with emphasis on Covenant if you can find it. They're really quirky and deep, and the battle system is incredibly fun to use.

I found this list over at the Penny Arcade forums.

I'm a little honored that so many people commented on my list, even if most of their comments were negative. I can't understand the appeal of Shadow of the Colossus, or Devil May Cry 3, but then again I'm the kind of guy that thinks Super Mario 64 was a waste of time and MGS2 is better than MGS3. I suppose if you tend to find yourself agreeing with most of the things posted on this forum, then pick up these games (especially SOTC, since I'm the only person in the world who isn't madly in love with it). If you come away saying, "damn, that game was kind of bad, Ico was hundreds of times better." I just want everyone to know that I FUCKING CALLED IT! If you come away saying, "Damn, that game was tons of fun," then I'm glad you had fun with it, and I will continue to be confounded by the entire world.

Also, I've never played Gran Turismo 4, but if it's anything like the third then it's going to be an experience you will never regret.

Definately get the Xbox version of Psychonauts, its on the Originals service now so there's no excuse.

- If you haven't played the first Guitar Hero then you haven't experienced one of the best music games in existance.
- As a lightgun nut I have to also mention Time Crisis 2+3 and the glory of the G-Con 2
- Bombastic is a great puzzle game I picked up dirt cheap knowing it was the sequel to Devil Dice on the PS1, hunt that down if you can.

Then there's the obvious stuff like Final Fantasy X, Kingdom Hearts 1+2 and the Ratchet and Clank games. Get Disgaia on the PSP though, and get Tekken: Dark Resurrection off the PS Network.

I registered just to add to this post.

I highly recommend the .Dot Hack games, both the original 4 and the 3 new G.U. series.

If you like JRPGs these will be right up your alley, and they have some deep and good story.

Some minor flaws, like the camera and all, but still one of my favorite game series to date.

Let's see, you missed:

Mega Ma Anniversary Collection*

ObsCure

Silent Hill 3

Taito Legends 2 (if you can find it)

Time Splitters 3

Twisted Metal Black

* = Just about the only good Capcom has released in the 2000's with the exception of Demento... though I can't REALLY say that's a game worth getting... if chicken-necked anime characters scare you, then nevermind.

I agree with the notion that Psychonauts is poor on the PS2 because of the technical faults, which is a real, real shame because it was a brilliant, original, well-scripted and immensely loveable game. So get it for PC, if you can.

Anyway...

Timesplitters 2
Devil May Cry 3
Metal Gear Solid 2
Kingdom Hearts 2
Gran Turismo 4
Final Fantasy XII.
SSX3

As much as I acknowledge that all of those games are sequels, each one is brilliant, and many happy times were had with each. If I were to recommend only three, I'd say Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts 2, and SSX3.