1 Final Fantasy X

Best Stuff: There isn’t a PS2 game out there that spins a better yarn than FFX. Add to that a slew of standard-shattering movie clips, a beautifully refined battle system, intricate side quests, and up to 250 (!) hours of gameplay, and you have one of the best role playing games of all time.

Worst Stuff: If you hated the random battles in the previous Final Fantasy games, X will do nothing to win you over. And honestly—doesn’t Tidus, the male hero, look exactly like Meg Ryan?

GN Tip: When you’re filling out the sphere grid, always try to think a few steps ahead— it’s best to keep the characters’ skills fairly balanced. And make sure to update your stats on the grid every twenty minutes or so.

GN Challenge: Only Final Fantasy pros are capable of securing every aeon in the game.

2 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Best Stuff: No game comes closer to giving players the feel of starring in a big-budget action movie. Electrifying music, eye-popping graphics and deep gameplay round out this groundbreaking release.

Worst Stuff: One word: Raiden. MGS2’s prissy new hero is just as annoying to listen to when he talks. And like Tidus in Final Fantasy X, the guy looks more like a chick than a dude—in the game, even the President of the United States can’t tell for sure (he checks Raiden’s package to find out).

GN Tip: When you’re trying to cross the bridge that’s rigged with explosives, one of the bomb sensors you have to snipe is all but invisible. You can find it to the left of the screen, behind a flag flapping in the wind.

GN Challenge: Collect all the dog tags hanging from the necks of enemy soldiers. Better still: try to get through the game without killing anybody.

3 Grand Theft Auto 3

Best Stuff: There’s nothing quite like being chased by police through a massive city because you decided to beat the hell out of an unarmed jogger. This title’s packed with great gameplay and a ton of cool extras: selectable radio stations (with gag ads), celebrity voice actors, exciting side quests, and street walking “professionals” who know how to replenish your health.

Worst Stuff: The graphics aren’t as impressive in GTA3 as they are in Metal Gear Solid 2 or Final Fantasy X—a shame, since this is the most popular PS2 game of all time. And the control setup for shooting people is somewhat awkward.

GN Tip: If you want to get to 100% level of completion, make sure you don’t blow off any of the little missions when you run across them.

GN Challenge: We still haven’t managed to find all of the packages—have you?

4 Devil May Cry

Best Stuff: Capcom turns survival horror on its ear with Devil May Cry, an atmospheric cross between Resident Evil and Onimusha. Dante, the game’s hero, is the coolest character to debut on the PS2, and the haunted world he trashes would send chills down even Duke Nukem’s spine.

Worst Stuff: The game’s over pretty quick, and its load times take longer than we’d like, but you won’t be thinking about any of that as you’re tearing up the screen with a shotgun.

GN Tip: Let loose with all the ammo you want, but be sparing of your magic masks; use them up and the game will feel impossibly tough.

GN Challenge: Try to get through the whole game without losing a life.

5 Hot Shots Golf 3

Best Stuff: Everyone loves this game—even the guys who hate sports. The characters are fun, collecting extras is addicting, and the courses are realistic. The option to post your scores online is great, too.

Worst Stuff: With only six courses, you might tire of the scenery more quickly than you’d like. And the audio effects sound like they were tacked on at the last minute.

GN TiP: Get used to using backspin on the long approach shots. Hit down on the D-pad to do it; this will keep your ball from rolling further than you want it to go. Also, don’t hesitate to jump into the vs. mode, which pits you against a computer opponent. The first several challenges are a breeze, and soon enough you’ll open up Toni (the mobster), whose stats are well balanced for newbies.

GN Challenge: Earn a score of -7 on the second course in the game.

6 Gran Turismo 3 A-spec

Best Stuff: This is, hands down, the racing game to own on any system. Over 180 cars to collect, set up and upgrade, and literally hours upon hours of races to complete makes GT3 a must-play. And the graphics...hot damn. No other racing game looks better.

Worst Stuff: If you’re not the type of person who wants to spend hours tinkering with setups or buying new parts, or the thought of 20+ lap races doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to look elsewhere for your racing fix.

GN Tip: Buy a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution early on (any version will do), and play as many of the early races with it as possible. It’s easily the best car for Gran Turismo rookies.

GN Challenge: Try getting gold awards on every license test. Completing that will assure you’re ready for any challenge in any other racing game out there.

7 Medal of Honor: Frontline

Best Stuff: Whaat could be better than pumping a bunch of Nazis full of lead? The newest Medal of Honor is a hard-hitting visual and audio masterpiece. You won’t be disappointed here, soldier.

Worst Stuff: The control scheme isn’t exactly the stuff dreams are made of. And whoever configured the freakin’ ladder-climbing system should be shot. Other than that, this game’s pure butter.

GN Tip: Don’t waste precious time trying for spot-on shots. War isn’t an exact science. Shoot early and often and, when in doubt, throw a grenade at a Kraut.

GN Challenge: EA’s built its own little challenge into Medal of Honor Frontline. You can’t save during a mission. We’re gonna one-up that. Beat the game without saving at all. Just tear through the whole thing in one extended sitting. Muhahaha.

8 Virtua Fighter 4

Best Stuff: This is the deepest, most challenging fighting game out there, and the visuals are great for a PS2 game. Better still, most fans of the genre have already picked it up, so there should be no shortage of capable human opponents to take on.

Worst Stuff: If you aren’t interested in memorizing combos, you might get bored. Additionally, VF4 isn’t exactly accessible to newbies—if a fresh player goes up against somebody who’s experienced, the resulting match will be a bloodbath every time.

GN Tip: Don’t button mash. Most fighting games allow players to progress by thrashing on the control pad, but if that’s done in VF4, the computer will whale on you.

GN Challenge: Reach either the rank of Emperor or High King at the end of the game. This is extremely difficult, but zen-like patience will eventually get you there.

9 Maximo

Best Stuff: Most companies struggle to make action-platform games work in 3D environments, but Capcom makes it look easy. This is the way retro-titles should be done; anybody who gets nostalgic about the old days of gaming has to see what Capcom’s accomplished here.

Worst Stuff: Some players have complained that this game is too tough. It’s also disappointing that Ghosts ‘n Goblins star Arthur doesn’t even get a cameo in the game.

GN Tip: Watch your back. Maximo has plenty of defense techniques to protect his face and chest, but enemies charging from behind spell trouble.

GN Challenge: It’s easy enough to get to the end of the game for pros, but even they have a tough time getting a 100-percent completion level on all stages. Go on... give it a try!

10 Twisted Metal Black

Best Stuff: After two horrible Twisted Metal sequels (III and IV) were puked out by 989 Studios, Sony tapped the wunderkinder responsible for the TM and TM2 to relaunch the series on the PS2. The result is a solid multiplayer game with gorgeous graphics and an extremely dark story.

Worst Stuff: At first, it can be tough to get a handle on the game’s unique control scheme: the vehicles in Black drive more like RC cars than real roadsters. And the difficulty level is way too high—only the hardcore will finish this.

GN Tip: Keep your eyes peeled for secret passages. They’re located all over the place, and usually hide really cool goodies—like additional vehicles.

GN Challenge: The coolest playable character in the game is Minion, and you need to beat the game with every character to unlock him.

Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Game Now.