10 PS2 Games That Still Blow Our Minds

Whilst the likes of Virtua Fighter 4 and Tekken 5 sit among the best fighting games that the PlayStation 2 offers, it's Soul Calibur III that is the most bold.

In fact, the series has always pushed to stand out amongst it's contemporaries by being as stylish as possible. The varied character roster contains weapons, a rarity for the genre, and its' 16th century backdrop sits in stark contrast to most fighting games' arbitrarily modern day setting.

Soul Calibur III pushes it's identity even further. The character creation mode is deeper than ever. The title is stuffed with various gameplay types including, for better or worse, an RTS mode. But most importantly, there was just a lot to look at in-game. Beyond terrific character models, Soul Calibur III has some truly incredible fighting locations. Arenas aren't locked to a specific place and can move around you, like the raft on a river or a rotating platform in a clocktower.

They're a joy to simply spectate, let alone fight in yourself, adding some real intensity to a showdown. It was one of those inclusions that begged to become standard in the fighting game genre.

The fact that, unlike other entries in the series, Soul Calibur III was exclusive to PS2 meant that Namco could focus on getting the most out of the console and it truly shows as the game is still looks beautiful.