Replaying a beloved PS2 game can expose frustrations that nostalgia smooths over. The three picks associated with this title—Grand Theft Auto III, Tony Hawk’s Underground, and Jak II—are not objectively worse for every player. Their reported drawbacks instead point to specific places where today’s expectations may clash with their worlds, stories, dialogue, or controls.
The list and its order come from an indexed entry for an Austin King article at Screen Rant. The detailed criticisms below were available only through a third-party repost summarizing that article; the indexed original could not be checked directly. Treat them as reported opinions, not verified quotations or a measure of player consensus. The index entry displays 2002 for Grand Theft Auto III and 2003 for the other two games; those labels were not independently checked against primary release records.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Pac Man World 2 - PlayStation 2 (Renewed) | $16.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas | $31.86 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Capcom Classics Collection | $16.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Medal of Honor Frontline - PlayStation 2 (Renewed) | $13.46 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Mortal Kombat Armageddon - PlayStation 2 | $42.89 | Buy on Amazon |
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1. Grand Theft Auto III: Liberty City may feel less alive
The reposted summary says the Screen Rant piece found Liberty City empty and repetitive by modern expectations, and the story comparatively simple. That is a critique of how the game may land on a replay—not a claim that every player will find its city or narrative unsatisfying.
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For someone returning to it after playing newer open-world games, the contrast may be the point: a familiar setting can feel less varied when judged against later expectations. The criticism reported here centers on world density and story simplicity, rather than a specific mission, feature, or technical defect.
#1 Best Overall
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
2. Tony Hawk’s Underground: dialogue and controls may not age as well as the soundtrack
According to the repost, the article points to dialogue that now feels awkward and controls it characterizes as clunky, while still treating the soundtrack as a strength. These are reported reactions, not a universal verdict on the game.
That contrast makes this pick distinct from the other two: the reported friction is in how the characters sound and how the game feels to control, alongside an element the summary says holds up well. A replay may therefore be a mixed experience rather than a simple case of a classic losing all its appeal.
Rank #2
- Drive through the largest GTA environment ever -- The game has three cities players can explore, for a gaming area 5 times larger than Vice City
- Recruit new characters into a street gang and take over by leading drive-by shootings against rivals Steal all-new vehicles, including bicycles
- Improved fighting elements -- smoother hand-to-hand combat, plus the ability to hold a weapon in each hand
- New graphics elements as cars get dirty and even rust, the longer you drive them
- Advanced role-playing elements -- Unlike previous GTA characters, Carl can swim and he needs to eat to survive
3. Jak II: driving and timed quests can make the challenge feel frustrating
The reposted account says the article singles out driving, timed quests, and controls as sources of frustration. It does not identify particular missions or establish that these complaints are shared by most players, so they are best read as the author’s reported points of friction.
Unlike the broader concerns about city feel and story simplicity attributed to Grand Theft Auto III, or the dialogue and board-control complaints attributed to Tony Hawk’s Underground, the reported issue here is the pressure of specific activities combined with control feel.
Rank #3
- Capcom Classics Collection includes the following features -
- Experience more than 20 groundbreaking and revolutionary games of their time on one disk
- Hundreds of hours of nostalgic gameplay
- Enjoy a wealth of added features including original artwork, remixed music and playing tips
What “worse than you remember” means for these three games
The phrase describes a possible gap between memory and a present-day replay, not a finding that the games have objectively declined or that all players remember them the same way. The reported comparisons concern different things:
- Grand Theft Auto III: perceived world repetition and story simplicity.
- Tony Hawk’s Underground: awkward-feeling dialogue and clunky controls, with the soundtrack noted as a strength.
- Jak II: driving, timed quests, and controls as possible sources of frustration.
These are editorial judgments relayed through a repost, not standardized measurements or independently established player findings. The index identifies the three games in that order, but the source material available does not support broader claims about consensus or a definitive ranking of which holds up least well.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon PS2
Rank #4
- Jimmy has been sent back behind enemy lines to steal the HO-IX flying wing, an experimental Nazi weapon
- To get it, you'll have to survive six major missions and 20 unique levels of gameplay
- There's all-new non-player character animations, with superior 3D details -- even full facial expressions and lip synchs
- Use 20 authentic WWII weapons, from a Colt. 45 pistol to a German Panzerschrenk rocket launcher
- You can even drive vehicles like the motorized rail car, train, and mine cart
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