You no doubt caught the news early this year that US gamers collectively spent more time with their PlayStation 2 units than any other console - according to Nielsen ratings. Now SCEA's director of hardware marketing, John Koller, has been talking to Gamasutra about the continued importance of the aging machine in the manufacturer's ongoing plans. He reckons sales - which just hit 50 million in the states - are being kept strong by social gamers, sports gamers and lower income families.
A brief look at the PS2 release schedule, though, makes for uninspiring reading - Monster Jam: Urban Assault anyone? At least Atari is bringing Ghostbusters over, while Activision has X-Men Origins. And... erm...
We've probably done this before, but what the heck, I'm in the middle of a couple of huge features for the blog that won't be finished today, so in the meantime - what back catalogue PS2 titles would you recommend to a new PS2 user? Bear in mind the target demographics, and also the fact that PS3 and Xbox 360 have summarily raised expectations in terms of visuals. Which games can really stand up to mainstream scrutiny today? Is there anything you're still playing - not through weepy-eyed nostalgia, but because it genuine still does the business?
I'm going for Guitar Hero, Burnout 3, Ico, Okami and God of War - not all of them are 'social' or 'casual' but if you've only spent £80 on the console you might be willing to chance a few quid on an experimental purchase...
