Playstation 2 video games software#

Games like Virtua Fighter 4 and reboots such as the 2005 release of Altered Beast and the 2002 release of Shinobi were made exclusive to the platform, and Sega found itself producing several 'budget' releases for the console, such as the 33-volume Sega Ages 2500 series. By the middle of the decade Sega prioritised multi-platform releases, the PlayStation 2 receiving its fair share of titles, and the longer lifespan of the console led to the PlayStation 2 receiving the most Sega-published games overall.

Starting with the likes of Gungrave in late 2002, PlayStation 2 exclusives from Sega began to pick up, but never to the same level as the console's rivals.

Though Sega were keen to back the Xbox and GameCube upon release, the company's plans for the PlayStation 2 were subdued during the early years, receiving only a handful of Dreamcast conversions (including F355 Challenge, Rez, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future and Space Channel 5).

Playstation 2 video games software#

As Sega's financial position deteriorated, and threats came from Microsoft and Nintendo, Sega announced its exit from the console hardware market entirely in January 2001, in order to focus instead on third-party software and the arcade market. Despite many critics proclaiming that the Dreamcast's library in 2000 far exceeded that of the PlayStation 2's, its sales were being outpaced by the PlayStation 2. Although the Dreamcast had over a year's head start over the PlayStation 2, it was haunted from day one by news of the PlayStation's successor, and was perceived to be the weaker console when the PlayStation 2 launched. The PlayStation 2 is most remembered among Sega fans for being the catalyst which forced Sega out of the home video game console market. Perhaps most notably is its Japanese record, in which PlayStation 2s continuously outsold the Xbox 360 despite being on the decline. Despite this, third party relations kept the system afloat for far longer than expected. Though the PlayStation 2 was more capable than the Dreamcast upon launch, it was soon displaced by its rivals from a technical perspective. Brand awareness also played its part - the original PlayStation was a huge success, and customers were familiar with the name (the GameCube building the awkward history of the Nintendo 64, and the Xbox being completely new). Sony gathered strong third-party support from Japanese publishers, and succeeded in part due to the failings of its rivals - the GameCube's inability to attract older users, the Xbox's inability to break into Japan and the Dreamcast's inability to compete from a technical or marketing perspective. 4 Other PlayStation 2 games also released for Sega systemsДЇor most of its history, the PlayStation 2 dominated the video game landscape, being the most powerful console in the world at the time of its release, near-complete backwards compatibility with older PlayStation 1 games, the ability to play DVD movies (thus turning it into an inexpensive DVD player), and a dual-stick analogue controller with rumble features straight out of the box.