Here are a few 3rd-party PS2 games from either 2000 or 2001. The list is not extensive, but neither are they shovelware (even if some are ports and rehashes, there was still some work).
Ace Combat 4
All-Star Baseball 2002
Armored Core 2
ATV Offroad Fury
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Burnout
Devil May Cry
Dynasty Warriors 2
Dynasty Warriors 3
Final Fantasy X
Grand Theft Auto III
Guilty Gear X
Half-Life (which included updated graphics and a co-op mode)
Ico
Klonoa 2
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Madden NFL 2001, 2002
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Midnight Club: Street Racing
ESPN NFL 2K
NHL 2001, 2002
Onimusha
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
Shadow Hearts
Silent Hill 2
SSX
Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force
Summoner
Tekken Tag Tournament
TimeSplitters
Time Crisis II
Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Zero
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
And this is not the full list of 3rd-party games, that were given due effort in development (or at least porting them, where the were made with effort on their original systems).
A flashy-first game is awesome when it comes out. A great-first game is awesome forever.
Plus, just for the hell of it: Kelly Brook at the 2008 BAFTAs
