With more than 155 million units sold worldwide,the PS2 remains the best-selling video game console of all time. Though its fantastic library of games certainly contributed to the PS2’s success, its ability to double up as a DVD player also played a hugely important role. Not only did this eliminate the need for a designated DVD player, but it also allowed developers to cram a lot more data onto the system’s optical discs.
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With a 4.7GB capacity, PS2 discs were able to store almost seven times as much data as the discs used by the original PlayStation, resulting in a lot fewer multi-disc games on the PS2. To be a little more precise, only 11 PS2 games came on more than one disc, which is around the same number ofmulti-disc Sega Dreamcast gamesdespite the latter’s signature GD-ROMs having a significantly lower capacity than DVDs.
Compilations likeGrowlanser GenerationsandHitman Trilogywill not be included in this list, nor will games that came with a second disk featuring audio or video content or demos for other games from the same publisher.
Metacritic Rating
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BeforeDemon’s Souls,FromSoftware was best known for its work on theArmored Coreseries, with five mainline installments and a variety of spin-offs released between 1997 and 2013.Armored Core: Nexuswas a sequel toSilent Line: Armored Core, which itself was a direct sequel to the series' third installment. It came on two discs, with the first, EVOLUTION, focusing on brand-new content. Conversely, the second disc, REVOLUTION, was heavily inspired by previousArmored Coregames.
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Cy Girls, orCool Girl, as it’s known in its native Japan, started life as an action figure series before later being adapted into a video game by the Japanese developer and publisher Konami. The game offers up a healthy mix of puzzles and combat and features two playable characters, with one specializing in melee attacks and the other being amaster of stealth. Like many other multi-protagonist games from this era, each character gets their own disc, with Ice on the first disc and Aska on the second.
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Most considerDevil May Cry 2to be the weakest game that the series has to offer, with the developers' decision to include more than one playable character remaining somewhat divisive among fans. Much like many of the earlierResident Evilgames, the game’s two unique storylines come on two separate discs, with Dante playable on one and Lucia’s missions confined to the other. Players can also use Trish in place of either character by beating the game on Hard Mode using Dante or holding L3, R3, L1, and R2 on the main menu until a sound is heard.
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Considering how many multi-disc RPGs there were on the original PlayStation, it should come as no surprise to learn that the PS2 also had a couple of robust role-playing games in its expansive library.Grandia IIIis perhaps the most notable, with the game’s action-packed story split up fairly evenly across two game discs. This is the same number as the firstGrandiagame, which was one of fifteenPS1 roleplaying gamesthat came on more than one disc.
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Although bothZone of the EndersandMetal Gear Solid 2were released with two discs, neither bonus disc actually featured any gameplay for their respective games, with the second disc ofMGS 2packed full of videos and trailers and disc 2 ofZotEboasting a demo forMGS 2. As a result,Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistencewas the only true multi-disc PS2 gamedirected by Hideo Kojima. Even then though, disc 2, Persistence, featuredMetal Gear Onlinerather than a direct continuation of the game’s story, so whether or not it really counts as a multi-disc game is somewhat debatable.
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BeforeGod of Warand Team Ninja’s fantasticNinja Gaidenreboot series,TenchuandOnimushareigned supreme over the hack and slash genre. The latter was by far the most successful, with fans of the Capcom series treated to six games in as many years at the beginning of the 21st century.Onimusha: Dawn of Dreamswas the last to be released in the PS2 era and features 17 scintillating stages for players to sink their teeth into. The first 11 can be found on the game’s first disc, with the six remaining stages coming on disc 2.
TheSakura Warsseries never really took off in the west, though that didn’t stop Sega from localizing the franchise’s fifth mainline installment for English-speaking audiences. As a result, the North American version ofSakura Wars: So Long, My Lovecame with two discs; one featuring the game’s Japanese dub and the other featuring the English localization. Sadly, despite positive reviews, the game failed to make much of a mark, with fans having to wait well over a decade for the next mainlineSakura Warsgame.
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Koudelkawas one of the most unique titles on the original PlayStation, perfectly blending together survival horror and RPG mechanics. Many consider it to be the inspiration forthe threeShadow Heartsgames, the second of which isShadow Hearts: Covenant. Though it still holds onto the Lovecraftian horror elements found throughout its spiritual predecessor,Covenantleans much more into the RPG genre this time around. This includes having an incredibly long narrative, with two discs needed to cram everything in.
tri-Ace
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Given the series' sparse release schedule in recent years, it can be easy to forget thattheStar Oceanfranchise is now more than a quarter of a century old. It wasn’t always this way though, with the series receiving regular releases between its debut in 1996 and the release ofStar Ocean: The Last Hopein 2009. Slap bang in the middle of that period cameStar Ocean: Till the End of Time, a PS2 RPG with a 45-hour main story. Naturally, this required a multi-disc solution, with the director’s cut of the game split evenly across two DVD discs.
Given that they are widely renowned for theirheavy-handed use of cut scenes, it should come as no surprise to learn that two of the threeXenosagagames came on more than one disc. Interestingly, though, it’s the second and third installments of Monolith Soft’s ambitious trilogy rather than the first that are multi-disc, despiteXenosaga Episode Iboasting a much more lengthy main story than either of its two sequels. This was likely down to the aforementioned cutscenes, which become a lot more prominent as the story goes on.
Despite being widely praised by critics,Xenosaga Episode IIIsold somewhat poorly, with only 340,000 lifetime sales worldwide. This, together with the niche nature of the series played a big role in Monolith Soft’s decision to pivot toward makingXenoblade Chroniclesrather thancreating sixXenosagagamesas the team had originally planned. Like its predecessor,Xenosaga Episode IIIwas released on two discs, with much of the storage capacity on them once again taken up by FMV cut scenes.
