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Favorite Playstation 2 Games
Sony's Playstation 2 has
perhaps the most diverse software library out of the next generation
consoles, mainly because it has been out for so long. Thus the
library of the "Greatest Hits" and its variants are larger than that
of the Xbox and the Gamecube. There are actually four variants of
top selling Playstation 2 games. In America the collection is known
as the "Greatest Hits" collection, which can be identified by the
bright red title. In Europe the collection is called the Platinum
Hits collection. In Japan there are two honors that can be bestowed.
There is the "Best" collection for top selling games, which is
similar to the Greatest and Platinum hits collection. The highest
honor is to be included in the Mega Hits collection, which is
reserved for games that sell over 500,000 copies. These games are
denoted with the word "mega" next to them.
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| Playstation 2 Greatest Hits | USA | EUROPE | JAPAN |
| Ace Combat 4 |
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| Ape Escape 2001 |
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| Ape Escape 2 |
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| ATV Offroad Fury |
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| ATV Offroad Fury 2 |
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| Armored Core 2 |
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| Armored Core 3 |
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| Armored Core 3: Silent Line |
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| Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance |
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| Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter |
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| Burnout |
 |
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| Burnout 2: Point of Impact |
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| Busin: Wizardy Alternative |
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| Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 |
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| Conflict Desert Storm |
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| Crazy Taxi |
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| Conflict Desert Storm |
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| Crash Bandicoot: The Wraith of Cortex |
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| Culdcept II |
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| Dark Cloud |
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| Dark Cloud 2 |
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| Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 |
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| Dead to Rights |
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| Dead or Alive 2 |
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| Densha de Go! Shinkansen |
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| Devil May Cry |
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MEGA |
| Dragonball Z: Budokai |
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| Dynasty Tactics |
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| Dynasty Warriors 2 |
MEGA |
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| Dynasty Warriors 3 |
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MEGA |
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| Energy Airforce |
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| Extermination |
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| FIFA: 2001 |
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| FIFA Football 2003 |
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| Final Fantasy X |
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MEGA |
| Formula 1 2001 |
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| Freekstyle |
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| Gallop Racer 6: Revolution |
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| Gran Turismo 3: A-spec |
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MEGA |
| Gran Turismo Concept |
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| Gran Turismo Concept 2001 Toyko |
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| Grand Theft Auto III |
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| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City |
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| Guilty Gear X Plus |
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| Guilty Gear XX: Reload |
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| Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon |
MEGA |
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| Gungriffon Blaze |
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| Gun Survior 2: Resident Evil Code Veronica X |
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| Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland |
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| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
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| Hitman 2 |
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| Hot Shots Golf 3 |
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MEGA |
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| Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy |
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| James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire |
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| James Bond 007: Night Fire |
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| Jet de Go! 2 |
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| ICO |
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| Initial D: Special Stage |
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| Kessen |
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| Kessen 2 |
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| Kingdom Hearts |
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| Klona 2 |
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| Legia: Dual Saga |
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| Mad Maestro! |
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| Magic Pengel: The Quest For Color |
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| Max Payne |
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| Maximo: Ghosts to Glory |
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| Metal of Honor: Front Line |
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| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty |
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MEGA |
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Substance |
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| Midnight Club |
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| Monster Rancher 4 |
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| Moto GP |
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| Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance |
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| Mr. Mosquito |
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| MTV Music Generator 2 |
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| Myst III: Exile |
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| Namco Museum |
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| NBA 2K2 |
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| NBA Street |
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| NFL 2K2 |
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| Onimusha |
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| Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny |
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MEGA |
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| Oni |
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| Okage: Shadow King |
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| Operator's Side |
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| Pac-Man World 2 |
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| Parappa the Rapper 2 |
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| Pilot Nina Rou! 2 |
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| Pro Evolution Soccer |
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| Pro Evolution Soccer 2 |
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| Rayman Revolution |
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| Ratchet & Clank |
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| Red Faction |
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| Red Faction 2 |
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| Resident Evil Code: Veronica X |
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| Rez |
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| Ridge Racer V |
MEGA |
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| Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII |
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| Samurai |
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| Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights |
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| Shadow Hearts |
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| Shinobi |
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| Sidewinder MAX |
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| Silent Hill 2 |
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| Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus |
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| Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth |
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| Smuggler's Run |
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| SOCOM: U.S. NAVY SEALs |
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| Space Channel 5: Part 2 |
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| Spider-Man: The Movie |
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| SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of Flying Dutchman |
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| Spy Hunter |
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| Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly |
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| SSX |
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| SSX Tricky |
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| Star Wars: Starfighter |
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| State Of Emergency |
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| Street Hoops |
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| Stuntman |
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| Super Robot Taisen: Impact |
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| Tales of Destiny 2 |
MEGA |
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| Tekken Tag Tournament |
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| Tekken 4 |
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| Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven |
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| Test Drive |
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| The Getaway |
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| The Simpsons Road Rage |
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| The Sims |
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
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| This is Football 2002 |
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| This is Football 2003 |
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| Time Crisis 2 |
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| Timesplitters |
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| TOCA: Race Driver |
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| Tokyo Extreme Racer: Zero |
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| Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon |
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| Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell |
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| Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 |
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| Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 |
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| Twisted Metal: Black |
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| Ultraman: Fighting Evolution 2 |
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| Vampire Night |
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| Victorous Boxers |
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| Virtua Fighter 4 |
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| Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution |
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| Virtua On Marz |
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| Wild 7 |
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| Wild Arms 3 |
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| World Rally Championship |
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| World Rally Championship II Extreme |
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| WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It! |
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| Xenosaga Episode I: The Will to Power |
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| Zone of the Enders |
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There are few games that have a greatest hit rendition in all three territories. The ones that do are: Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear Solid 2, Tekken 4, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Final Fantasy X, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Devil May Cry and Jax and Dexter. Seems like these are the games that are deemed to have universal appeal. Most of the games that have universal appeal are the platformers. It seems that the classic platformer design can be enjoyed by anyone as seen in the popularity of games like Jax and Dexter, Ratchet and Clank and Crash Bandicoot.
While there are few similarities there are many more differences in the tastes of gamers. Many of the popular American brand names such as Scooby Doo and Spongebob Squarepants have top selling games. This isn't too surprising since the top Japanese brand names such as Initial D and Gundam also are on the Japanese best seller list. Even the ever popular Harry Potter graces the European platinum hits list, but doesn't appear in either of the US or Japanese lists despite a release in both of those countries. What does this mean? Brand names sell games.
However few of the games on the lists are actually "brand name games". If only games based off of movies and TV shows sold the most the list would be full of games like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (ugh!) and Simpsons Skateboarding. A decent amount of the favorite American games are extreme sports games such as the SSX series and the Tony Hawk series. Another popular genre is the first person shooting genre seen by the popularity of Medal of Honor: Frontline, the Tom Clancy games and the Bond series.
Japanese gamers have a slightly different taste in games. First of all they have a slant towards RPGs. Legia Dual Saga, Wild Arms 3 and even the lukewarm Breath of Fire V all appear on the best seller list. A number of fighting games like the Guilty Gear series and even Capcom Vs. SNK 2 appear on the list. There are also quite a few light gun games such as Time Crisis 2, Vampire Night and also scorned Gun Survivor 2: Code Veronica. The Dynasty Warriors series of games is extremely popular, with both titles becoming Mega Hits. Yet not even one Dynasty Warriors title appears as a greatest hit in America. Another popular series is the Armored Core series, a mech fighting series, that showed little popularity in America. There are also some unique games such as the hard to find Rez, the bargain bin Mad Maestro! and the innovative Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color in the list too. One big surprise is where is Kingdom Hearts on the list? The game appears in both the American and European lists, but not in the Japanese one. This is most likely due to the release of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, which is still selling well in Japan.
European gamers have more similar tastes to American gamers, but there are a few surprises in the list too. The Europeans agree with the American with games like Grand Theft Auto III, Silent Hill 2 and Red Faction. The Dynasty Warriors series is more popular in Europe than it is in Japan since Dynasty Warriors 3 makes it to the platinum hits list. What else is really big? Football (or as some of you call it soccer). Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA and This is Football all appear as platinum hits. Racing games are also a big deal since Burnout, World Rally Championship and Gran Turismo Concept are all top sellers. Something else to note Dead or Alive 2 is one of the two fighting games on the European list. Virtua Fighter 4 or Capcom vs. SNK don't seem to have the same amount of popularity. There is one other surprise on the list, MTV Music Generator 2, which barely sold any copies in America is a platinum hit in Europe.
What games are missing from the lists?
Some of the other top selling games in America are the football games like the Madden series, which never apply to become greatest hits titles. The Lord of the Rings games (Two Towers and Return of the King) should appear as greatest hits eventually along with the other top selling movie game Enter the Matrix. We're pretty sure Final Fantasy X-2 will appear here as well since it sold a million copies in the states already. Other games from last year that will eventually be greatest hits titles are Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, True Crime: Streets of LA, Need for Speed Underground and of course Soul Calibur 2. We also think that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will appear here and finally get the respect it deserves.
In Japan there are a lot of top selling games that keep selling well so they don't appear as part of the best collection. Games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution still sell at full retail price. Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X-2 are being repackaged with the American voices and resold. Games based off of popular anime series like Naruto: Narutimett Hero and Dragonball Z: Budokai sold a large number of copies and should be added to the best collection. Other games that will be included are Soul Calibur 2, the .hack series and Zone of Enders 2 will be included. Finally, Dynasty Warriors 4, which was a hot seller will be added to the mega hits collection.
In Europe there are some games that have yet to be added. The Sims, which is a greatest hit title in the US will be one in Europe too. Also the Eye Toy: Play camera peripheral which has taken Europe by storm will appear repackaged in platinum hit form. Timesplitters 2, which was another popular title in Europe will likely be a platinum hit too. Some of the other games that are to be included are Soul Calibur 2, Ghost Hunter and Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando.