Unlike the PS1 which took a while to find a good mascot platformer, the PS2 didn’t take long at all. The console had a bevy of platformers that are all different.Jak and Daxterfell more in line with the typical mascot platformer until guns and cars were added to the sequels.Ratchet and Clankinfused guns and RPG elements into the chaotic gameplay.
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And thenSly Coopertook a stealthy approach to its platforming. All three series are some of the best on thePS2, but other platformers didn’t get a lot of attention at the time but should have. Some of these hidden gems even include spinoffs from these mighty series. So, buckle up for a trip down memory lane.
8Ape Escape 3
This action platformer series had a simple concept wherein apes escaped from a lab and players had to go level by level to capture them all with varying gadgets.Ape Escape 3was the last numbered sequel in the series.
Everything else from here was mini-games on PS3 and some otheroddball spinoffson PSP.Ape Escape 2was made available as a PS4-enhanced port but not this game in the West. As one of Sony’s first platformer series on PS1, it’s sad to seeApe Escapelie in waste for so long.
7Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence
The transition from 2D to 3D was easy for some series likeMarioviaSuper Mario 64, but rougher for others likeCastlevaniavia the two games on N64. Konami’s next attempt was on the PS2 viaCastlevania: Lament of Innocenceand it was ultimately a muchbetter experience than the N64 games.
It was more likeGod of Warwith action taking center stage but there was platforming abound as well. It may not reach the heights of the 2D Metroidvania entries, butCastlevania: Lament of Innocencedeserves more credit along with the other PS2 game,Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.
6Herdy Gerdy
Herdy Gerdywas a divisive game with reviews all over the board. Visually, it is one of the best-looking games on the consoles.The cel-shading helpsit hold up, even without HD upgrades through emulation.
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The designs make everything look like they came from a Don Bluth animated movie likeThe Secret of NIMH. The load times made it hard to play on any console though because they lasted a minute or even longer and they were frequent. The AI surrounding the herding mechanics was also a bit touchy, causing plenty of frustrations.
5I-Ninja
I-Ninjais genuinely a fun platformer that offers younger players a chance to dive intoa ninja gamewithout all of the usual gore that players expect from sword-slashing, assassinating ninja games.
It was designed by Argonaut Games who had a good history with games likeStar Foxand even the overshadowedCrocseries on PS1 deserves a mention.I-Ninjamay not have reinvented the wheel but it did exactly what it needed to: entertain.
4Jak And Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontierwas notdeveloped by Naughty Dogbecause they were deep into theUnchartedseries. It was instead developed by High Impact Games who handled a lot of support for other studios giving up the reigns on platforming icons. It was released on the PS2 in 2009 and by that point it was a miracle games were still released on the console.
The tragic thing is thatJak and Daxter: The Lost Frontieris a great entry in the series that features traditional gameplay with air combat as well. It was passed up by many because the HD era has begun years before this.
3Maximo: Ghosts To Glory
Maximo: Ghosts to Gloryis a reboot and spinoff to theGhosts ’n Goblinsseries. It was the first game in full 3D and it worked surprisingly well. It was also a bit more lenient on the difficulty although it was still challenging.
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Players could collect armor, fight demons and skeletons, collect coins for shops, and so on. There was a sequel that followed this,Maximo vs. Army of Zin, and there were plans to make a third as well but plans eventually werecanceled from within Capcom.
2Secret Agent Clank
TheRatchet and Clankseries was the other high-profile platformer franchise that High Impact Games worked on. First, they madeRatchet & Clank: Size Mattersfor the PSP which adhered to a lot of the mechanics of the first game. Then they made this spinoff,Secret Agent Clank, which took Ratchet away like how the gameDaxtertook Jak away from that spinoff.
Secret Agent Clankwas an in-universe show that Clank took on to make extra cash, but in the game, he is recruited as if he were a spy. It didn’t feature the wild guns of the core games, but Clank did have some cool gadgets at his disposal.
1Tokobot Plus: Mysteries Of The Karakuri
Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuriis a port of a PSP game that first launched in 2005 with this edition coming out a year later. The design of the robots and the world is reminiscent ofMega Man Legendsand the gameplay is sort of like Pikmin.
Players control an army of robots who can form into various patterns to solve puzzles or to help with traversal. It was not as strategic or as mindful as thePikmingames. However, there are very few of these game types around so it should be celebrated. Another great, modernPikmin-like,isTinykinwhichwas released in 2022.
