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The Top Shelf: The Reserves List

This is an accompaniment to The Top Shelf: a year-long project to determine the forty-four games in my PS2 collection most worthy of being displayed for all posterity, or at least until this cheap plywood flat-pack shelving unit eventually collapses. More details can be found here - this "contents blog" collects together all the games we've processed so far, those we've confirmed for the shelf, and those still left to be analysed further.

At the end of the first round, there were 19 of the 44 shelf spaces accounted for. The rest of The Top Shelf feature will proceed like this:

  • Weekly blogs where one or more of the 70 PS2 games to survive the first round will be scrutinized, and then either moved ahead to the final deliberations or eliminated.
  • After that, we have a "battle royale" series of blogs where two or more games from the same series face down in order to determine which is the superior entry: I have a corollary where I only want to display one game per franchise, in order to keep the shelf somewhat varied and representative of the PS2 as a whole.
  • Finally, every game that progresses past the weekly scrutinies and the battle royales will be added to this list, which is in order of preference. Once every game has been processed and this list becomes final, I'll be moving its top twenty-five entries to the shelf.

(I realize this is a lot of palaver for putting a bunch of old games on a shelf, but then this series has really just been an excuse to bust out the PlayStation 2 again and tick off some pile of shame long-stays.)

List items

  • Clover's beautiful and engrossing action-adventure game featuring Amaterasu, the lupine Goddess of the Sun. Is it shelf worthy, or just barking at the moon?

  • Square Enix combines the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney in this highly original action-RPG. Is it shelf worthy, or am I just taking the mickey?

  • The follow-up to one of PlayStation's best RPGs combines an incredible running time with one of the best combat systems of any JRPG on the system. Is it shelf worthy, or is it just grandstanding?

  • PlayStation 2's sole Ys entry is a rebirth of sorts, doubling-down on the series penchant for fast-paced action RPG combat and narrative minimalism, and its engine would go on to be the basis of two of the greatest Ys games. Is it shelf worthy, or will it find that the path to the top isn't so easy?

  • Ubisoft's wonderful and versatile action-adventure game is getting a long-awaited sequel, and there's a reason its fanbase held out so long. Is it shelf worthy, or will it only make it if pigs fly?

  • Rockstar's best game, objectively speaking, is the schoolyard travails of Jimmy Hopkins as he ingratiates, and later fights, the various cliques of Bullworth Academy. Is it shelf worthy, or will it get stuffed into a locker and forgotten?

  • Double Fine's ESP action game combines traditional 3D platforming gameplay with Tim Schafer's pop culture-infused imagination. Is it shelf worthy, or have I lost my mind?

  • A distinctly Japanese take on one of video gaming's oldest RPG franchises is an unfairly overlooked dungeon crawler. Is it shelf worthy, or will its tale end here?

  • One of the strangest PS2 games I own, this licensed cartoon adventure game takes cute survival horror and adds to it a snooping and reconnaisance aspect as the player attempts to escape a hotel trapped in purgatory. It is shelf worthy, or will it be checking out early?

  • The follow-up to a sleeper PS1 hit, Silmeria combines a combo-heavy combat system with an elaborate story that sticks Norse mythology in a blender for several hours. Is it shelf worthy, or will I send it off to Valhalla instead?

  • A strategy RPG that splits its time between two equally engaging casts of characters and features a lot of novel ideas. Is it shelf worthy, or is this its twilight?

  • The Prince of Persia reboot made waves at the time of release, introducing now-ubiquitous climbing traversal and time manipulation mechanics. Is it shelf worthy, or has its time run out?

  • The second of the 3D Castlevanias to come to the PS2, Curse of Darkness has its issues but it's also the closest we've gotten to a decent 3D Castlevania that didn't involve Zobeks. Is it shelf worthy, or does shelf-kind ill need a game such as this?

  • While I retain a certain amount of antipathy for the Metal Gear Solid series, I can't ignore the impact, craft and importance of the third game in Kojima's series of insane military conspiracy delivery devices. Is it shelf worthy, or is it still in a dream?

  • The spectacular and synesthesiac shoot 'em up definitely leaves an impression, even if it amounts to around an hour of content. Is it shelf worthy, or will it be laid to rezt?

  • An excellent and expansive open-world gladiator strategy RPG from the fine folks at LucasArts. Is it shelf worthy, or were we not entertained?

  • This top-down action RPG's subversive streak of humor and clever summoning aspect helps its otherwise standard gameplay pop, even if it has the barest semblance to the venerable CRPG series it is named after. Is it shelf worthy, or is it barred from inclusion?

  • Gameplay by Atlus, art by Soejima, music by Sakimoto and Iwata (but not that Iwata). Stella Deus is almost the sum of its parts, its combat complexity and design ingenuity frequently let down by its plodding nature. Is it shelf worthy, or is it less than stella?

  • I unfairly overlooked the PS2 port of Rayman's second adventure back in its day, but I've come to appreciate the limbless hero's eternal quest for Lums and the difficult platforming challenges he faces. Is it shelf worthy, or will we discover that "everybody loves Rayman" isn't necessarily fact?

  • An action-RPG, with ideas adapted from what developers Stormfront took away from crafting the second of the LOTR games. Is it shelf worthy, or does it lack the stones to proceed?

  • TimeSplitters 2 was the last gasp for the highly-customizable local FPS multiplayer, making way for the far more dry Halos and Call of Dutys of the world. It is shelf worthy, or does it have to split?

  • The Simpsons takes on Grand Theft Auto for its next shameless rip-off, but it turns out to be surprisingly good fun for fans of the show and GTA proponents alike. Is it shelf worthy, or will it flee the scene?

  • This impressive follow-up to the original deicidal QTE action-adventure game sees Kratos mount an offensive on the very leader of the Greek pantheon himself. Is it shelf worthy, or is it too Zeusless to make the cut?

  • An action-adventure game that alternates between a traditional kick-ass hero and a cursed undead who uses his invincibility to solve normally deadly puzzles. Is it shelf worthy, or does it cut off its nose to spite its face?

  • I'm not the biggest fan but others swear by this multi-directional rhythm game full of aliens and other weird excuses for a duelling guitars showdown. Is it shelf worthy, or will I tell it to go on and git?

  • This James Bond licensed FPS dispenses with the movie tie-ins and drafts a bespoke adventure of espionage for the sardonic spy which emphasizes cool moments over traditional shooting galleries. Is it shelf worthy, or is this a case of live and let die?

  • A surprisingly solid third-person cover-based shooter based on the 2000AD comics book character, which rocks a neat premise and is filled with original ideas. Is it shelf worthy, or is this trooper not sooper enough?

  • Tecmo's Deception saw a PS2 entry with Trapt, resuming the series's long-held fascination with elaborate traps and sinister plots. Is it shelf worthy, or will it be overlapt by the better games on this list?

  • A 3D platformer also-ran that might not be able to run with the big boys, but still belongs to one of my favorite genres for the system. Is it shelf worthy, or will it vanish once this list is downscaled?

  • One of the earliest decent PS2 RPGs is also one of the earliest efforts from Saints Row developers Volition, and while it's outclassed by the system's embarrassment of RPG riches it still has some sentimental value. Is it shelf worthy, or is this feature too much of a zero-summoner game?
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