PCSX2

PCSX2 is a full-throttle desktop emulator for Sony PlayStation 2. It puts any PlayStation 2 game on your PC with the added appeal of getting to set up your graphics configurations as you see fit -- often far surpassing original visuals.

In order to set up, simply install the appropriate BIOS file for any regional PlayStation 2 -- that said, they're NOT loaded within this program; albeit a quick Google search should put all the files you need in your hands fairly easily. This program is very simple to use. After just a few quick steps you get to play any and all original PlayStation 2 games from your DVD drive. Otherwise, you can also opt into loading images directly from your hard drive which speeds things along slightly. Set up game controllers, video and audio parameters, plus easily opt to save your games on an external SIM card.

With over 1500 games available -- all of which run seamlessly -- you'll find this catalog is ripe with compatible titles. That said, there are a few games with the occasional hiccup, but all in all PCSX2 has proven a very successful PlayStation 2 rendition for PCs. Best of all is that you can actually attain a gaming experience that is visually far more compelling than its original thanks to the tweaks you can make on graphics to display them to your own liking; provided that your PC set up can handle it -- that is. Among visual options that you can toggle you'll find there are a wide array of possibilities: reset resolution, rendering systems, shaders, texture filters, and much more. All in all, PCSX2 is by far the finest PlayStation 2 emulator out there today, a welcome title for any diehard PS2 fan who's in the market for a way to migrate their retro games onto today's PCs.