Good PS2 games online with decent traffic

[figgler]

Are there any?

Better yet, are there any that aren't FPSs or EA Sports games?

[Mr.FoodMonster]

I'd imagine that Amplitude or Frequency does, and maybe Champions of Norath (I have a network adaptor, just not hooked up. Yet.)

[Agent X]

I've been playing a lot of Burnout 3: Takedown and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. Both games tend to have lots of online players, and both are among the best games of the year (offline as well as online). They are highly recommended!

[figgler]

Would I be missing much if I haven't played through Ratchet 1 adn 2 yet? What is the online game play all about? Co-op or deathmatch type stuff?

[Agent X]

It isn't necessary to have played the previous two R&C games, though it might help (particularly in the single-player game).

 

The online game plays like a combination of a platformer and a run-and-gun shooter (like Quake or Unreal). There are Deathmatch, Siege, and Capture the Flag modes. Deathmatch is every man for himself in an all-out battle. There's also a team Deathmatch option available. Siege aligns the players into two teams; the object is to get to the opposing team's base, get inside, and destroy the core. Capture the Flag also has two teams; you're trying to grab the flag from the other team's base and bring it back to your own, while preventing the opposing team from doing the same to you. In both the Siege and Capture the Flag modes, there are also nodes scattered around the map that you can capture, which act as spawn points, and generate weapons, vehicles, and automated defenses.

 

The weapons are generally wacky, but most are analogous to typical shooter guns like machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers, etc. The vehicles can be used by one person or by two (the second player acts as a gunner). There's around 16 maps, and they contain unusual but fun elements like jump pads to boost up to high-altitude platforms, gravity boots to walk on magnetized strips on walls and ceilings, and floating targets that you can latch onto with your Hypershot like a grappling hook and swing on.

 

There are three methods of control. The "Third-person" mode is your typical 3D platform game controls, like the first two R&C games. "First-person" mode plays from a first-person perspective, and switches the controls to something more like you would see in a console first-person shooter (left analog stick to move forward/backward and strafe left/right, right analog stick to look/aim). Finally, there's my preferred control scheme, "Lock-strafe" mode, which uses the "First-person" style controls, but is viewed from a third-person perspective.

 

This is probably my favorite game released this year, with lots of gameplay variety, humor, and some of the best graphics you've ever seen. Don't forget, there's a complete single-player platform adventure in here, too! You owe it to yourself to play this spectacular game!

[eldunko]

Amplitude online is only inhabited by the best of the best nowadays, but played by quite a few people.