The SSX series is what happens when someone says, “What if we made snowboarding… but completely unhinged?” and then followed through with maximum chaos. Short for Snowboard Supercross, SSX first launched in 2000 and instantly turned the slopes into a gravity-defying playground. Forget realistic snowboarding — in SSX, you could launch yourself 300 feet into the air, pull off a triple backflip while grabbing your board with one pinky, and still have time to wink at the camera before landing perfectly. The game didn’t care about physics; it cared about style.
Every SSX game had the same core philosophy: snowboard like you have a death wish, rack up points, and look cool doing it. The characters were all basically extreme sports superheroes — like Mac, the lovable goofball who treated snowboarding like a rock concert, or Elise, who probably did double backflips just to grab a sandwich. The courses were pure chaos, ranging from death-defying mountain peaks to neon-lit night runs, and the soundtrack? Absolute fire. (Jurassic 5 while shredding a glacier? Yes, please.) By the time SSX Tricky came out, the series had achieved cult status, teaching players that if you’re not pulling off a mid-air worm while flying over a bottomless ravine, are you even snowboarding?
Ratchet & Clank is what happens when you take a sci-fi buddy comedy, inject it with cartoon chaos, and arm a fuzzy alien mechanic with the most absurd weapons imaginable. The series follows Ratchet, a Lombax (basically a space cat with a knack for fixing things), and Clank, his tiny, sophisticated robot pal who occasionally turns into a helicopter. Together, they travel across the galaxy, saving planets from megalomaniacal villains who have an alarming fondness for doomsday devices. But the real star of the show? The weapons. Where else can you turn enemies into sheep, pixelate them into 8-bit, or launch an army of killer disco balls that force bad guys to dance before their inevitable doom?
Beyond the explosions and intergalactic mayhem, the series shines with its razor-sharp humor, ridiculous characters, and a story that somehow balances heart with complete nonsense. You’ve got a muscle-bound superhero with the IQ of a toaster (looking at you, Captain Qwark), an evil mastermind who sounds like he’s always two minutes away from a stress-induced meltdown, and a never-ending parade of wacky aliens who act like they just walked out of a sitcom. Whether you’re blasting through the classic PS2 adventures or marveling at the Pixar-level visuals of Rift Apart, Ratchet & Clankproves that saving the universe is way more fun when you have a wisecracking sidekick, a wrench the size of a canoe, and a gun that literally shoots tornadoes.
Gunbird is like stepping into an arcade fever dream where the only rule is “fly fast, shoot faster, and try not to question why a witch on a broom is battling robots.” This classic vertical-scrolling shooter drops you into a world where ancient treasure hunters don’t bother with shovels; they prefer high-powered airships and endless waves of absurdly hostile enemies. You’ve got a roster of eccentric characters, from Marion, the aforementioned witch with zero chill, to Ash, a grumpy adventurer whose solution to everything is “more bullets.” The plot? Something about gathering magic mirrors to summon a wish-granting bird. But let’s be honest, you’ll be too busy dodging neon death rays to care.
The gameplay is pure chaos—screen-filling explosions, relentless bosses, and enough flying projectiles to make you wonder if dodging should be an Olympic sport. Power-ups drop like candy, giving you temporary godlike firepower before the game humbles you with a well-placed laser to the face. And the humor? Top-notch. The bosses shout ridiculous one-liners, and your characters respond with quips that make you question their life priorities. It’s the kind of game where you’ll laugh, cry, and probably scream when you lose your last life to a pixel-sized enemy you swore you dodged. Gunbird doesn’t just test your reflexes—it tests your ability to survive pure, unadulterated mayhem with a grin.
The sixth generation of gaming consoles, ah! The early 2000s—a glorious era when tech was just powerful enough to bring our gaming dreams to life, yet clunky enough to make us yell at our TV screens. Picture this:
PlayStation 2 – Sony decided to make a console that doubled as a DVD player. No one cared much for DVDs until the PS2 arrived, and then suddenly, everyone’s mom had a reason to let this console into the living room. It had a library of games longer than the Lord of the Rings series, and you could never resist buying more, even if the backlog was a mile deep. But let’s be honest; we all spent more time replaying Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and running over NPCs.
Xbox – Microsoft’s first foray into the console world, and it showed. This thing was about as subtle as a bulldozer, weighing in heavier than a small child and looking like an oversized VCR on steroids. But it came with Halo, which made it the coolest kid on the block. Multiplayer mayhem on Halo turned living rooms into battlegrounds, and “frag” and “teabag” became part of our vocabularies for the next decade.
Nintendo GameCube – The adorable purple lunchbox that could. Nintendo went for a square design as if they were trolling the competition. Everyone laughed until Super Smash Bros. Melee dropped, and then suddenly no one was laughing because they were all too busy smashing controllers and friendships. It even had a handle, so you could bring it over to a friend’s house—a good thing since you’d need it for Mario Kart Double Dash parties.
Sega Dreamcast – Sega’s final hurrah in the console wars, the Dreamcast was the hip, misunderstood sibling of the generation. It introduced online gaming before any of the others, even though most of us had dial-up Internet slower than a sleepy snail. The Dreamcast had games with more originality than half the consoles since, but its fate was doomed by Sega’s previous console misadventures. It’s like that artist friend you wish had made it big but ended up selling pottery on Etsy.
This generation brought us memory cards, clunky graphics that we thought were “realistic,” and the timeless habit of yelling at your sibling for screen-peeking. If gaming consoles were people, the sixth-gen would be that quirky friend who’s super talented but hasn’t quite figured out how not to make a mess.
Radical Reggie is back w/ a brand new Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) BUYING GUIDE for 2024: Main Consoles, HDMI video solutions, Accessories + Best Games & HIDDEN GEMS! Do you still play or collect for the mighty PS2?!
As of my last update in January 2022, the top 10 best-selling PlayStation 2 games were:
1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – This open-world action-adventure game from Rockstar Games became a cultural phenomenon, offering players a vast sandbox to explore and causing a stir with its mature themes and gameplay mechanics.
2. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec – Developed by Polyphony Digital, this racing simulator set a new standard for realism in console racing games, featuring a wide range of cars and tracks for players to master.
3. Gran Turismo 4 – The sequel to Gran Turismo 3, this installment further refined the series’ realistic racing experience, boasting even more cars, tracks, and improved graphics.
4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – Another entry in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series, Vice City took players to a fictionalized version of Miami in the 1980s, featuring a captivating storyline and memorable characters.
5. Grand Theft Auto III – Often credited with popularizing the open-world genre, GTA III allowed players unprecedented freedom in a sprawling, crime-ridden city, setting the stage for the series’ future success.
6. Final Fantasy X – This critically acclaimed RPG from Square Enix combined stunning visuals, a compelling story, and strategic turn-based combat, cementing its place as one of the most beloved entries in the Final Fantasy series.
7. Tekken 5 – The fifth installment in Namco’s long-running fighting game franchise, Tekken 5 introduced new characters, improved graphics, and refined gameplay mechanics, attracting both casual and competitive players.
8. Kingdom Hearts – A collaboration between Square Enix and Disney, Kingdom Hearts blended action RPG gameplay with beloved Disney characters and worlds, creating a unique and charming experience that resonated with players of all ages.
9. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – Hideo Kojima’s cinematic stealth-action masterpiece pushed the boundaries of storytelling in video games, offering complex narrative themes, innovative gameplay mechanics, and stunning graphics.
10. Final Fantasy XII – Another standout RPG from Square Enix, Final Fantasy XII featured a vast and immersive world, a complex political storyline, and a revamped real-time battle system that garnered praise from fans and critics alike.
Please note that sales figures may have changed, but these titles were among the best-selling games on the PlayStation 2 during its lifespan.
We’ve got ourselves a battle of what many refer to as the “6th generation” game consoles. Sega’s Dreamcast, Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube and Microsoft’s Xbox duke it out. Dreamcast vs. PS2 vs. GameCube vs. Xbox – Retro Bird / Best 6th Generation Video Game Console / System / Sega / Sony / Nintendo / Microsoft
On today’s episode of Gaming Off The Grid, we discuss generation 6 of video games and compare them to the newest generation. The PlayStation 5 is now officially older then the Sega Dreamcast and it really got us thinking… Do you agree Generation 6 was the APEX of video games? Gaming Off The Grid
Here is my entire PlayStation 2 (PS2) game collection. I have over 340 games including rare, expensive $$$, common & hidden gems! Check it out: https://youtu.be/FH-99jxqdAA
