• Third-party control pad for the Playstation 2black game pad and hand image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
  
  Sony's Playstation 2 video game system continued the Playstation brand's reputation for versatile hardware and accessible, challenging game software with an emphasis on fun. While the system saw companies such as EA, Capcom and Konami turn out highly successful software exclusives, many of the best-loved games on the system were Sony Computer Entertainment's own properties. Here are some of the best-regarded of Sony's own Playstation 2 games.
  
  

God of War

• Greek myth comes to life in "God of War" and "God of War 2." These games, which began life on the Playstation 2 and later found an audience on PSP and Playstation 3, feature fast-paced action-adventure gameplay with frantic battle sequences, tricky puzzles and platform-based tests of dexterity. The games tell the story of Kratos, a Spartan warrior cursed by his bargain with Ares, the Ancient Greek God of the battlefield.
  
  

Gran Turismo

• While "Gran Turismo" began life on the original Playstation, the Playstation 2's more powerful hardware brought with it leaps in graphical flourish and gameplay options. A racing game for the automobile obsessive, the Gran Turismo games ("Gran Turismo 3" and "Gran Turismo 4" are designed for Playstation 2) feature a host of unlockable cars, tracks and race modes. The games' customization features set a benchmark for the genre.
  
  

Ratchet and Clank

• The platform genre was kept alive on the Playstation 2 by the invention and humor of the Ratchet and Clank series. Documenting the comedy sci-fi adventures of a wisecracking rodent and his backpack-bound robot sidekick, the games see the duo traveling between planets and solar systems collecting loot and fighting evil. A heavy focus of the Ratchet and Clank games is their imaginative and often willfully ridiculous weaponry, including out-sized spring-mounted boxing gloves, shrink-rays and gravity guns.
  
  

SOCOM

• The Socom games place a heavy emphasis on realistic team-based action. Released to highlight the launch of the Playstation 2's Internet modem plugin, the military-themed Socom third-person shooters are designed for squad-based co-op and competitive play. Originally packaged with a Playstation 2-specific headset, the games' computerized squad members respond to the player's voice commands and can be directed accordingly. The headset is also used to issue commands or send taunts in multiplayer Socom matches.
  
  

The Getaway

• Launched to a flurry of media hype, "The Getaway" and its sequel, "The Getaway: Black Monday," capitalized on the Guy Ritchie brand of gritty London gangland violence. The games are heavy on adult-oriented story and content, and revolve around kidnapping, extortion and revenge. The first Getaway game was noted for its scale recreation, from thousands of photographs and maps, of the entirety of downtown London.