Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2) was the king of the sixth generation consoles. It reigned supreme from 2000, trouncing the likes of Sega's Dreamcast, Nintendo's Gamecube and Microsoft's tentative steps into the console world with the Xbox. By late 2009, it had sold some 140m units, making it the most successful platform EVER!

It was a massive leap ahead of its predecessor with far more power under its black hood but man, was it an ugly beast - the ugly duckling of Sony's various consoles.

Nevertheless, it was - and still is - hugely popular among gamers and even all these years after its release is still selling, albeit now in a sleaker, slimmer form.

Here are my picks of a few of the PS2's gaming highlights...

10. ICO
ICO was years ahead of its time; graphically, at least, it would still look perfectly at home on the current crop of consoles. This was your typical story about a lad with horns (!), trying him damndest to escape a kingdom, while solving puzzles and slaying weird beasties along the way. Classic and still great looking.

9. Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament
Namco's Smash Court Tennis was an absolutely ace game (geddit?!), and seamlessly made the transition to a more realistic looking arcade tennis game - with real players - from the cartoony style that made such an impact in its first incarnation (where each fictitious player had a massively oversized head). Simple to grasp but tough to master, it gave Virtua Tennis a run for its money.

8. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Hideo Kojima gave the series a massive facelift for Sony's new console, grabbing the tried and tested formula by the throat and giving it a firm shake. Sons of Liberty looked absolutely amazing and was rightly lavished with praise, becoming one of the console's best-selling titles. Granted, the story was a little convoluted and the inclusion of Raiden a disappointment to die-hard Solid Snake fans but it showcased what the PS2 could do.


7. This is Football
TIF was Sony's attempt to muscle in on the world of soccer simulation and was a pretty decent effort. Sadly, the photo realistic players, motion captured movement as well as real player and team names couldn't compete with the long-running, and much-loved, FIFA series... The game was definitely an enjoyable kickabout...it just wasn't in the same league as EA's franchise!

6. XIII
Cel-shaded comic book caper XIII - or 13 - remains a fondly-remembered title from the stable of Ubisoft. A clever take on the first person shooter genre that stands out from the crowd as much for its great storyline as its unique aesthetics. Struck by amnesia, your character has to find out his true identity and why he's being chased by hitmen and the FBI. X-Files' Mulder (aka David Duchovny) lends his voice to the protagonist too.

Part II follows after the jump...

(Photo credit: Bojeeva)