With recent news of EA no longer supporting several PC and PS2 titles, it feels appropriate to honor those few stand out titles that have survive two new sets of console releases. These games have stood the test of time and maintained active servers to this day. Some (most notably Star Wars: Battlefront 2) were even still being produced and sold new at a few retailer outlets.
Disappointed you couldn't play the original Killzone multiplayer in its online form with the HD update? No worries, the original PS2 title's multiplayer is not only still online but has a small yet active player base.
The title still has its own section in the Killzone forums, so if you wanted to see what the original game's multiplayer was all about, you can pop in a disc from your local used games store and try it out.
Not only is Final Fantasy XI still active on PS2, it holds the claim to fame of releasing one of the last PS2 releases, an expansion pack back in 2013.
It remains active on Playstation 2, Xbox 360, and PC, having been far more successful than its intended successor, Final Fantasy XIV.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, and Call of Duty 3 are all still available as online experiences.
World at War lacked a multiplayer component for Playstation 2 but if you want some WWII shooting at its finest, Call of Duty remains an open option on PS2. Finest Hour and Big Red One are available through OpenSpy whilst Call of Duty 3 is still receiving official server support. Stimulus packages not needed.
X-Men! Attack! Yes, as crazy as it may seem considering Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 couldn't even keep its DLC active on PS3 and Xbox 360 for more than a few years after release, it is apparently possible to play X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse online through your PS2.
So if you've been hankering for some dungeon crawling, mutant action, the X-Men are still there to satisfy that urge. If you want a more general Marvel roster though, Marvel Ultimate Alliance's first entry is also available with online support to boot!
Before the days of dubstep, single-player campaigns starring Hollywood actors, and killstreaks, there was Battlefield 2. As it turns out, Battlefield 2 was (and for the time being until EA shuts their official servers down) still popular and active on the PS2 through the spin-off title Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.
Vehicle combat, infantry warfare, grand scale maps, commands, conquest -- you name it, they had it shoved tightly onto that single DVD disc.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is another title that will be hurt by the discontinued support by EA, but thanks to the original already being saved by OpenSpy, it's likely the same will be the case for this one.
Retaining an active player base on PC, PSP, and Playstation 2, it remains one of the most popular shooters of the PS2 era and one of the most popular Star Wars games period.
Resident Evil: Outbreak. This title was a divisive one, as it offered a multiplayer oriented survival horror experience back before the days of DayZ and the co-op shenanigans of Resident Evil 5 and 6.
It was popular enough though that fans have restored the online support through hacks and a custom client. The reverse-engineered support however is limited to the Japanese versions at this present time.
Toasty! Both Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Mortal Kombat: Deception are available as online fighter options for PS2. Considering Armageddon offers every character in the series ever, it was certainly a strong title for the closing time of the PS2's new releases.
These all aren't even counting the titles that lasted for years like Area 51 (which held out until 2012) and the PS2 entries of the SOCOM franchise. Are there any PS2 multiplayer games I missed? Any titles you wish were still active? Any fan-restoration efforts you've heard of? Let me know in the comments below!
Published: May 12, 2014 11:54 am