Emulating PS2 for my Steam Deck, would love any recommendations!
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It's perfect!
Performance is tied to framerate, or at least was a loooong time ago. I notice a lot of users on EmuDeck write about this. Like...a lot! Not your issue, but I read a lot who think the game is playing in super slo-mo, but this is all tied to the framerate. Keep it at 60 Hz or above, and all is fine.
PCSX2 has a huge range of tweaks you can make, but there's also HD texture 'packs' you can download and apply, which re-do all the textures (yeah, I know you guessed that). Some of these can be huge like Silent Hill 2's coming in at 29GB, and some can be teeny-tiny like MGS2's which only re-textures the HUD and menu (because PCSX2 can upscale the native game's resolution well enough on its own!)
Long reply, for me to say it performs perfectly for me!
It's not perfect. Most games emulate absolutely fine, with only minor slowdown. One game I can point to which absolutely does not work fast enough to play is The Getaway which gets about 6 fps.
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It's not perfect. Most games emulate absolutely fine, with only minor slowdown. One game I can point to which absolutely does not work fast enough to play is The Getaway which gets about 6 fps.
Hmmm, maybe you should try your resolution and texture settings, I've had not one issue playing games, no slowdowns for me.
But, never say never!
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Beyond Good & Evil. Legendary, Ubisoft firing on all cylinders. Weird and French and beautiful. HD remaster is also a fine option but I like it on PS2.
Ace Combat 4, 5, and Zero are great. The music in zero is legendary.
SSX tricky
Timesplitters
Final Fantasy X unless you want to do the HD remaster, which is a great way to play tbh.
Devil May Cry holds up incredibly well and IMO is a must-play.
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Armored Core 3 is pretty great if you’re into the series as a whole.
GTA Vice City/San Andreas. 3 is fine but VC is better.
Final Fantasy X unless you want to do the HD remaster, which is a great way to play tbh.
Yeah, I’d argue that the HD PC port is actually the definitive way to play the game. They fucked up Tidus’ face, but virtually everything else about the game is better. And you can just install a mod to change his face back to the way it used to be.
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
Arc the lad 2 twilight of spirits is a cult classic
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
The first three Ratchet and Clank games (R&C, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal) were phenomenal. The first feels dated by today’s standards, but 2 and 3 are peak. Deadlocked is a divisive entry; Some players loved it, others hated it. Try it first yourself and see. It’s definitely different than the first 3 games.
Final Fantasy X has already been mentioned in the thread, but I’d suggest trying the PC HD remaster instead. It adds a lot of quality of life improvements.
Final Fantasy XII wasn’t well received at launch, and I initially agreed. But that was largely because it didn’t fit into my idea of what a Final Fantasy game should be. I gave it another try a few years ago with a more open mind, and ended up loving it. The gambit system seems basic at first, but eventually opens up into a very versatile system once you start unlocking new gambit combos for it. The Zodiac version is the definitive version, (it enforces a rigid job system, where each character is locked into a specific ability tree) but the original is still alright too.
If you enjoy the Castlevania series, Curse of Darkness is an interesting entry. It features Hector, who has the ability to summon creatures to fight alongside him. They level up based on which weapons you use in combat, so it encourages you to diversify your play style to level up your creatures in specific ways. The gameplay can initially feel clunky by today’s standards, but that’s true of most 3D hack-n-slash games from that era.
Speaking of clunky hack-n-slash games, I see you already have Kingdom Hearts 2. Do yourself a favor, and play the other games (KH1, then KH Re:Chain of Memories) first. CoM has some radically different gameplay, which many players hated. It seems like one you can skip… You can’t. You will be horribly confused for the rest of the series without it. At the very least, go watch the cutscenes on YouTube. In terms of gameplay, KH1 feels janky by today’s standards. CoM is very different. KH2 is where the series really hit its peak.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. It’s a prequel, so you don’t need to play 1 or 2 first.
Metal Gear Solid. Play 3 (Snake Eater), 1, and 2 (Sons of Liberty) in that order. Snake Eater is an early prequel. Then 1 is on the PS1. Sons of Liberty is the direct sequel to 1.
GTA: San Andreas.
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
Silent Hill 2
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What's wrong with it? I enjoyed playing it on PS2.
I only read it somewhere since I only played the game on PC way back.
Supposedly, the PS2 version suffers from slowdown/FPS dips.
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
Okami is native on PC, so I'm curious, why not run that?
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
Ace combat 4, 5, and Zero
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
I’m just gonna say that KH2 on the PS2 isn’t even the best one. The HD remake was better bc it was the English release of the final mix. And you can play that natively through steam. Even with mods on the steam deck.
Play Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the PS2. It’s such a great cops vs racers game. It’s perfect for emulation bc shop should save state before selecting the winning card since there is one with a pink slip every time. Back in the day, we would just need to reset the whole system and make sure we saved before 3 full races, and just redo them. Emulation is the way to play this game!
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For anyone who wants to play Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, don't forget about Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, which was a PS2 port of the GBA game. It's integral to the very wild and wacky story of the KH franchise, you'll be (even more) lost if you skip it and go straight to KH II
But the HD remakes of the game are so much better. They’re the English releases of the final mix versions, which adds a lot of new abilities and extra content.
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Try Steambot Chronicles! It's my favorite game of all time by a wide margin, but it's been forgotten by time. It's a really cool adventure game with a ton of different things to do, from piloting a giant robot to playing different musical instruments in a band, to decorating your own little apartment, and a bunch of other stuff! There's a lot of dialogue choices to make too that can affect how people treat you, and lead to a few different endings, including being a hero vs a villain. The graphics and soundtrack are great, too! I can't recommend it enough!
Oh my god. I have forgotten about this game for a while. I need to redownload it and get it on my steam deck! It’s such a fun game! I played this for a while. I can still hear the first song you play on the harmonica when the girl sings. I gotta get my wife to play this game and see what she thinks. Thanks for the reminder!!
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
Manhunt 1 & 2, God of War
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
The Simpsons: hit & run, Shinobido, GoW
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I've been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So...this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven't got MGS3 there, as I'm waiting for the remake to arrive, but...
Can anyone suggest any titles which are 'must adds' for me? I'd appreciate it!
GTA SA, God of War 1/2, Gran Turismo 4, Katamari Damacy, SSX Tricky, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Downhill Domination
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No what's insane is these riders will fly past spectators mere inches from a wall at speeds upwards of 200mph.
The highest recorded speed of the riders on one of the straights is 206mph I believe. The record for highest average speed of a lap (which is nearly 38 miles long) was 136mph in a little over 16 minutes.
Insane doesn't even begin to describe these riders and that race.
Oh I watched the video. That's what prompted me to comment.
As soon as he opens it up it's like wrap speed. Just doing that in a video game would feel crazy.
I can't imagine maintaining fine control with how much vertical motion you must get over even smooth crests and dips. Those suspensions must be great.
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But the HD remakes of the game are so much better. They’re the English releases of the final mix versions, which adds a lot of new abilities and extra content.
I was about to say "but you can't emulate the HD remakes with a PS2 emulator, those only released for the PS4", but then I remembered they were all released for PC lol. So yeah good shout, if you wanna play the Kingdom Hearts games on the deck, just buy the HD remakes on Steam
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Another one for Jak & Daxter. I've got OpenGOAL and PCSX2, and between them both I have the full Jak series. I was playing Jak 3 when I had a crash, but then I had been playing it like all day.
I've also been making my way through the first three Sly Cooper games (loved the series as a kid, but only ever got to play the third one for myself) and they've been running flawlessly.
My plan is to play through the Ratchet & Clank PS2 games as I never really got a chance to play them when they were fresh or otherwise. I'm excited for those.
Then I might go and play through the Spyro PS2 era games, minus the original trilogy as I have Reignited already.
Aside from those I have a bunch of other classics I've played and loved/wanted to play like the Tak games, Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Batman: Vengeance, and others.
I would also be open to suggestions. I'm very into 3D platformers and action RPGs.
If you've tried the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane trilogy, there are a few sequels of differing quality on PS2. I don't think any of them are particularly bad, but none are as good as the original PS1 trilogy (or the N-Sane remakes).
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...from what I've read and seen in the past, that game can be rather risky on one's thumbsticks due to all the efforts in making yourself look as amazing as possible.
(sounds worth it, tbh, thanks!)
Luckily since you have a Deck, you can realistically change your thumbsticks should they get damaged.
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I have enjoyed the several Ratchet & Clank games that I have played. I had tried the first two Jak games using OpenGOAL, and they just didn't grab me like every Ratchet & Clank did.
I know that this thread is about PS2 emulation, but do you know if the HD collection for PS3 is a better way to emulate the original Ratchet & Clank titles nowadays?
I haven't tried the R&C collection on RPCS3 yet even though I have a copy. The compatibility list has it under In Game with some graphical bugs and glitches, but it was last updated nearly 5 years ago, so things may have improved.
