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Key Points
- Party games are video games designed to be played by multiple players. They are great for entertainment and social gatherings.
- PlayStation 2 is known for having multiple party games and a console with party mode.
- Super Monkey Ball and Pac-Man Fever are examples of popular party games to play on PS2.
The PlayStation 2 is the best console to play party games on. When it comes to having your friends over for a night of face painting and playing with your PS2, these games will ensure everyone is having a great time.
Let’s dive into the best party games for PlayStation 2!
What is a Party Game?
A party game is a game you play with a group of people, usually at a gathering. It’s best played when you’re in the middle of something fun and exciting, like celebrating an occasion or just having fun with your friends.
Party games are great because they allow everyone to get into the action without worrying about rules or skill levels because “they’re meant for everyone.” Party games can be played on consoles like the PlayStation 2s and 3DS.
Was the PlayStation 2 Known for Party Games?
Yes, the PlayStation 2 was known for party games. The console had multiple party modes, many of which were designed to help you play with friends and family. There are three main party modes that the PS2 had, which include:
- Party Mode: This is the most popular mode on the system. It allows you to invite friends and family to play games on your TV screen. You can also set up challenges for each player, which will unlock new items as they play through the game.
- Score Attack: You can have up to 4 players playing at once in this mode, but only one person can be the leader. The other players will follow their lead while they try to beat their score to win new items and power-ups.
- Battle Royal: This is another popular mode where up to 8 players can compete against each other by hitting buttons on their controllers as fast as possible. Each button has its power-up that players need to hit for them to activate it in time for them to use it during battle royale rounds.
Here are the 9 best PlayStation 2 Party games ever released.
#9: Sega SuperStars
Sega SuperStars is a party video game for the PlayStation 2 that the Sonic Team formed.
Sega released it on October 22, 2004, in Europe. On November 3, 2004, it came out in North America, and on November 11, 2004, it came out in Japan. The EyeToy device is used to control several minigames that are based on Sega games. Critics gave the game “average” ratings when it first came out.
Like EyeToy Play, users use their bodies to play a variety of minigames. On the other hand, Sega SuperStars employed a more advanced mechanism than just tracking the player’s movement. Before each game starts, an orange area shows up on a setup screen. For the game to start, players must press the “Continue” button while standing in a sensitive area outside the orange region.
With this method, EyeToy can tell which parts of the screen are moving and which are in the background. This gives a complete picture of where the player is. This is especially clear in games like Puyo Puyo, where players are encouraged to use their whole body to win.
The Sega SuperStars collection contains 12 minigames based on various Sega properties, including:
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Requires players to navigate Sonic down a tube while collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds and avoiding explosions.
- Super Monkey Ball: The player leads Ai-Ai with his arms as he rolls a ball through a maze toward a target without letting go of the ball or the stage.
- Samba de Amigo: Participants will move their hands over one of the six circles as the music plays.
- Space Channel 5: Players take on the role of Ulala and use their arms to emulate their Mongolian opponents’ dancing routines.
- NiGHTS into Dreams: Players guide NiGHTS through a succession of rings and collectibles by flying their arms.
- House of the Dead: You must use your body to attack on-screen zombies without harming any hostages.
- Virtua Fighter: Players defend themselves from attacks while launching their own at enemy fighters.
- Billy Hatcher: Players control a massive egg that Billy Hatcher must roll across various surroundings to complete the levels.
- Puyo Pop Fever: Requires players to use their entire body to steer different colored Puyos into their designated regions while avoiding rolling in a bomb.
- ChuChu Rocket: Gamers save the cute tiny ChuChus from the greedy kitty’s paws! They must use their hands to engage gears and guide them toward a rocket.
- Virtua Striker: Players take on the role of the goalkeeper in a soccer game, striving to protect the ball from being scored.
- Crazy Cab: Participants attempt to attract the attention of a passing cab by making as much noise and disturbance as possible.
#8: emApe Escape: Pumped & Primed/em
- Mixes classic characters from Ape Escape like Natalie, Spike, the Professor or Jake -- with new characters like Pipotron, Helga and a mysterious new boss
- A wide selection of gadgets help you beat the competition - each character has their own gadgets -- Stunclub, Dragonfly, Slingshot, RC Car, Dash Hoop and WaterMech
- Two game modes - Two players can enjoy Story Mode with its 44 competing levels and eight boss battles, or Versus Mode with 21 four-player stages
- More than 400 unlockable items - Special gadgets, clothes, abilities -- even fan emails and movies
- Players can create their own tournaments from the 28 stages in Story Mode
Developed by Japan Studio, published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and released on October 20, 2004, for the PlayStation 2, emApe Escape: Pumped & Primed/em was one of the first-party games on the PlayStation 2 console.
The Professor, Spike, Natalie, and Casi all sign up to compete in the High-Tech Tournament, which takes place in a virtual environment. Helga, the former champion, is currently engaged in an essential mission to locate the disk based on the study conducted by her father, which is concealed within the trophy. This game, in contrast to the others in the Ape Escape series, is more of a party game along the lines of Sonic Shuffle and Mario Party.
The game contains a series of competitive minigames in which the player utilizes a variety of vehicles and gadgets from earlier Ape Escape games. These minigames include racing on foot, dueling underwater using submersibles, and collecting the most cash. The story mode is divided into tournaments, each with three to four participants. In each event, one or two players must finish in the first position for the tournament to progress.
Get your copy on Amazon here.
#7: emMy Street/em
emMy Street/em is a party video game first made available for the PlayStation 2 on March 9, 2003, and it was initially released in North America.
Sony Computer Entertainment was the company that was responsible for both the creation and publication of the game.
emMy Street/em can be played with up to four people at once, which makes it perfect for parties or get-togethers. Players take turns moving their character around a street by choosing from three paths: straight ahead, left, or right. If you decide to move forward on your path, your character will walk off until they reach another street intersection where they must choose which direction to go next: northward or southward (there are no other options).
Suppose you choose one of those two directions instead of continuing straight toward an intersection without any other option (like north). In that case, your character will enter that street’s neighborhood before returning to another street farther down toward its beginning point.
Discover emMy Street/em on Amazon here.
#6: emShrek: Super Party/em
- Shrek Super Party is an interactive board game with 30 action-packed mini-games
- Six Playable Characters: Shrek, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquaad, Donkey, Monsieur Hood and Thelonious
- Play fair and square or team-up on your opponents
- Multiplayer modes - 1 to 4 human players against the balance of A.I.
- 30 mini-games to choose from
emShrek: Super Party/em is a party video game for the PlayStation 2 that was released in 2002 by Mass Media.
This game shares some similarities with the Mario Party series of games and Pac-Man Fever, which the same company developed.
Shrek, Monsieur Hood, Thelonious, Lord Farquaad, and Donkey are all playable characters. There are five domains to explore, each with its unique set of mini-games: The Farm, The Castle, The Swamp, The Windmill, and The Keep. The cover shows four different colored castles and four characters: Lord Farquaad, Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Shrek. Some are team games, with teams always limited to P2/P4 vs. P1/P3.
The goal of the emShrek: Super Party/em game is to be the initial player to gather a set quantity of “Precious Drops.” This value can be modified in the “game settings” menu at the start of the game to anything between 200 and 800 in 100-point increments. The drops can be obtained by participating in bug matches or visiting Realm Caches.
Join emShrek: Super Party/em from Amazon here.
#5: emMonopoly Party/em
- The Monopoly Party game is the fastest way to discover what your friends are really like. It's an intense buying, trading, building, and deal-making frenzy because every player moves at the same time....
- This item comes with game, game case and manual. Item shows slight wear from use. Jewel case might be a replacement and might include replacement jewel case artwork. Bonus downloadable content may...
emMonopoly Party/em is a party game that was released on November 11, 2002, for PlayStation 2.
It’s based on the board game, Monopoly, and up to 6 players can play it at once. The game’s object is to buy properties, build houses and hotels, and collect rent money from other players’ properties and money held in bank accounts (which you can use to pay off debts).
The gameplay consists of multiple rounds where each player turns being bankrupted or collecting money through their properties and bank accounts and then passing it around, so everyone else gets something too. To win the round, you need more money than anyone else has collected during their turn; if this happens, all players will get nothing but go bankrupt at random later on unless they can stop themselves from doing so before then.
It’s a lot of fun, and the best part is that it can be played with up to 6 people at once! There are also several different rules you can use for your game, including ones where players can steal money from each other’s accounts.
Collect all the money in emMonopoly Party/em from Amazon here.
#4: emPac-Man Fever/em
emPac-Man Fever/em was released in North America on September 2, 2002, for the PlayStation 2.
People compete to reach the end of a virtual game board. Reiko Nagase, Tiger Jackson (Tekken), Ms. Pac-Man (Pac-Man), Heihachi Mishima (Tekken), or Astaroth (Soulcalibur) are among the characters available to up to four players (Ridge Racer).
Minigames can be found on Tropical, Space, and Medieval game boards. Players can play a short, medium, or long game with variable numbers of tiles. Each round begins with a four-person minigame whose outcome affects player advancement. Tiles change the game. You can travel forward or backward, steal or lose tokens, play a single-player, two-player, free-for-all minigame, or win the banana raffle, orange, or cherry tickets.
Players can spend tokens on a “store” tile to move forward and backward, buy raffle tickets, speed up their next turn, or risk earning extra tokens. Three raffle spots exist before the goal (banana, orange, and cherry). These tiles are raffle spots for the first player to reach them and require players to place third, second, or first in a minigame to advance (and token spaces after that); after a minigame, a player on a banana moves to the goal.
When a player finishes the game, they obtain redeemable tickets. You can buy minigames for short tournaments with these. After purchasing all minigames, a player can let the tickets accumulate to calculate their high score.
Find it on Amazon here.
#3: emBuzz! Junior: Monster Rumble/em
emBuzz! Junior: Monster Rumble/em is a quiz game based on the popular Buzz! Quiz and was released for PlayStation 2 on October 31, 2007.
It’s easy to play, but some challenging levels will keep you coming back for more. The game has a wide variety of questions and modes, including multiplayer. You can customize your character with different hairstyles, clothing styles, and accessories.
The first thing you’ll notice about this game is how much fun it is to play alone or with friends. It’s simple enough for anyone aged 3+ years old to enjoy; it does require some strategy if you want to win at all costs (or just have fun).
There are five different modes: “Easter Eggs” mode lets players answer questions until they get one right; “Challenge Mode” gives players three lives before they lose their turn; “Party Mode” offers up even more challenges than Challenge Mode but only lasts six turns per round; and “Battle Royale” pits two teams against each other until one team wins or runs out of time (or both).
There’s also an online leaderboard where users can compare scores from around the world so everyone has something common ground upon which they can stand together as equals rather than competitors who need victory over one another
Discover emBuzz! Junior: Monster Rumble/em on Amazon here.
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#2: emSpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants/em
- SpongeBob goes multiplayer for the 1st time! Play with up to 4 players in both a competitive and co-operative gameplay experience
- Compete to earn roles in a 15-minute, full-fledged episode of The Adventures of Mermaidman & Barnacleboy
- Your role changes depending on who plays and wins the game -- Play all 30 party-style games in classic SpongeBob-style madness
- 3 unique game modes (Story, Quick Game, and D.I.Y. Tournaments) provide endless variety of gameplay
- Cross-game save system that will unlock special levels, characters and cheats across other Nickelodeon videogames
The television show SpongeBob SquarePants was the inspiration for creating the video game, emSpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants/em.
On October 21, 2005, it came out for the PlayStation 2. It is the first SpongeBob SquarePants game with minigames that can be played with more than one person, like the Mario Party games.
It’s fun to go to Bikini Bottom. Everyone’s favorite superhero show, “The Adventures of Mermaidman & Barnacleboy,” is filming a special episode in Bikini Bottom, and locals are being asked to act in it. All your favorites are working hard to complete a series of exciting tasks designed by talent scouts.
Compete for 10 various positions, including the coveted role of a supervillain, with SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Plankton. SpongeBob is now playable by more than one person. You can play with up to four people against each other or together.
Try out for parts in a 15-minute episode of “The Adventures of Mermaidman & Barnacleboy.” Your position in the game will shift according to who plays and who comes out on top. Play each of the 30 party games in a typical SpongeBob way. There are three different ways to play the game: Story, Quick Game, and Do-It-Yourself Tournaments.
You can find it on Amazon here.
#1: emSuper Monkey Ball Deluxe/em
- 300 stages of Monkey Ball rolling, banana-collecting madness
- 12 over-the-top mini-games including Monkey Bowling, Monkey Golf, Monkey Billiards and Monkey Target
- Multi-player madness with up to 4 friends
- Challenge mode... Go ahead, dare your friend to beat your best time
- Compete with friends in four-player matches for hours of party game fun
The platform video game Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was made by TOSE and put out by Sega, and on March 15, 2005, it came out for the PlayStation 2.
The game has all the levels from Super Monkey Ball and Super Monkey Ball 2, plus some new ones. Critics liked emSuper Monkey Ball Deluxe/em and the gameplay was praised. The game is known for having a lot of customizable party minigames that have also been in previous games. It is also known for the stages that were cut from the originals that were put back in.
In this game, the player has one minute to guide a ball through increasingly difficult obstacles. The player moves the whole playing field with the analog stick and guides one of the four humanoid monkeys inside a large transparent ball toward the goal while avoiding dangerous obstacles (for example, moving platforms, mazes, and ramps).
The player can get more points and extra lives by picking up the bananas scattered around the playing area. Players lose a life if the monkey ball goes off the edge of a platform or if the timer runs out. When the player gets to the goal in the shape of an arch, the level is over, and they move on to the next. As you move through the ranks, it gets harder and harder to do. Most Story Mode stages are labeled as Easy, Medium, or Hard.
Play it for yourself from Amazon here.
Final Thoughts
There are definitely some massive contenders regarding the best, most fun, and most original party games on the PlayStation 2. Many games on this list have gotten rid of party game tropes, like complicated button combinations, and made the gameplay easier.
Many of these games are great for introducing people who don’t usually play games to the fun world of games, while others offer many ways to have fun. No matter what kind of party game you want, this list is sure to have something that will make your party great.
