Some essential PS2 games

[battra92]

I finally decided to take the plunge and get a PS2. I have no interest in the PS3 and when I tried firing up my PSOne the other day, it was giving me trouble. So I figured now was the time to upgrade.

So besides playing my PS1 library (which was quite modest) I want to get some games that were never ported over to my beloved Game Cube.

So far for starters I plan on getting:
Kingdom Hearts 1
Tales of Legendia

So I figure that's a good start. What are some of the must haves that were not on the Cube?

[Fudce]

From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

If your going RPG, definatly try out these titles:

Disgaea
Phantom Brave
Disgaea 2
(in that order)
Kingdom Hearts 2 once your done w/KH1, obviously. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Non RPG fair:
Metal Gear Solid 3 Substitance
Silent Hill 2/3/4 (3's my favorite)

Other games if you felt like spedning lots of time perfecting score.
IIDX aka: Beatmania
Taiko

and finaly:
ITG, DDR Max2, and DDR Supernova w/ Cobalt Flux w/arcade mod. Get in shape. ^^

[jecca-neko]

Obviously you like RPGs if you mentioned Tales of Legendia and Kingdom Hearts. What other games do you like to play?

If you like Sega Genesis games, there's 2 great game collections out for PS2. One came out rather recently and is called Sega Genesis Collection. It has the great Genesis RPG games Phantasy Star 2, 3, and 4. There's Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Vectorman, Virtua Fighter 2, and more. There's also Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which has all of the Genesis Sonic games, some of the Game Gear games, plus some extra non-Sonic games.

If you like Final Fantasy, there's Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and Final Fantasy XII. I'm not sure if you'd like FFX-2 or not, but I think you'd like FFX and FFXII (I think... haven't played FFXII yet).

If you want to try music games, there's lots of options. Dance Dance Revolution series, Guitar Hero series, Space Channel 5 Special Edition, Mad Maestro, Technic Beat, Parappa the Rapper 2, Taiko Drum Master, and lots of others.

I DEFINITELY recommend Kingdom Hearts to you though Battra. I think that is very much up your alley and it's a great game. The voice actors for all of the Disney characters are there, plus there's remixed music and featured things from the Disney movies, so you'll get a lot of Disney nostalgia. Sure, there's Final Fantasy stuff in it too, but not much. It's mostly plopping Square Enix's new characters into a Disney world. But it's great!

[Chacranajxy]

[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Nork22]

Add Tales of the Abyss to your list. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I sense some bias here. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Chacranajxy]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I sense some bias here. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Only against bad games. Obviously there's good RPGs on the PS2 other than Final Fantasy though...

but damn... that FFXII. Battra, you need to buy that game and buy it fast.

[WRX]

Depends on what you like but I'd suggest:

Xenosaga (serious RPG)
Disgaea (cute/funny RPG)
Ratchet & Clank (funny platform game)
GT4 (serious racing)
GITS:SAC (serious third person action game)

Most of those should be available used/cheap too.

[martod]

Atelier Iris-Eternal Mana--Traditional RPG goodness with loads of anime-esque charm.

Shadow Hearts:Covenant--The second in a trio of games, but it's much better than the first and third.

Legaia II:Duel Saga--One of the most underrated games I've ever played. It takes a lot from the Tales series too(cooking, character titles, camp conversations, an ultracute heroine, etc.), even though the battle system is different.

Oh, and a word of advice, Tales of Legendia starts off kinda slow, but don't give up on it--it gets better as it goes.

[Tokachan]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Chacranajxy]

[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn... I wanted to avoid a Star Ocean rant, but apparently....

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of the worst RPGs on the PS2. The combat system had potential to be interesting, but the game features some of the worst AI ever... the AI is broken to the point where any positive aspects of the battle system are negated. This is the only game where your teammates will repeatedly kill themselves over and over and over by using their MP. Sure, there's AI commands you can set, but c'mon... why should your teammates actually follow orders? They either refuse to use any MP or spam magic like no other. And it's ridiculous. The storyline started out dull, but as the game progressed, it continually got worse and worse... that fairly significant plot twist towards the end completely killed the storyline. And then there's the fact that the game is simply an uninteresting dungeon crawler. The dungeons, towns, characters, etc. -- everything feels derivative. The game doesn't stand out in any meaningful way apart from it's unbelievable failure in the combat system.

[Tokachan]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn... I wanted to avoid a Star Ocean rant, but apparently....

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of the worst RPGs on the PS2. The combat system had potential to be interesting, but the game features some of the worst AI ever... the AI is broken to the point where any positive aspects of the battle system are negated. This is the only game where your teammates will repeatedly kill themselves over and over and over by using their MP. Sure, there's AI commands you can set, but c'mon... why should your teammates actually follow orders? They either refuse to use any MP or spam magic like no other. And it's ridiculous. The storyline started out dull, but as the game progressed, it continually got worse and worse... that fairly significant plot twist towards the end completely killed the storyline. And then there's the fact that the game is simply an uninteresting dungeon crawler. The dungeons, towns, characters, etc. -- everything feels derivative. The game doesn't stand out in any meaningful way apart from it's unbelievable failure in the combat system.

[/ QUOTE ]

*shrug* You really didn't have to post a rant, but fair enough. I personally never had a problem with the MP (still don't; I'm on my second playthrough), so I think it's all in how you play the game.

[battra92]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
Obviously you like RPGs if you mentioned Tales of Legendia and Kingdom Hearts. What other games do you like to play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I love most genres outside of sports games and really violent stuff. I'm not into stuff like GTA but most stuff works. I do like 2D fighters so I'll probably get some of the Capcom Vs. series

[ QUOTE ]
I DEFINITELY recommend Kingdom Hearts to you though Battra. I think that is very much up your alley and it's a great game. The voice actors for all of the Disney characters are there, plus there's remixed music and featured things from the Disney movies, so you'll get a lot of Disney nostalgia. Sure, there's Final Fantasy stuff in it too, but not much. It's mostly plopping Square Enix's new characters into a Disney world. But it's great!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah it sounds like my thing.

[Chacranajxy]

[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn... I wanted to avoid a Star Ocean rant, but apparently....

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of the worst RPGs on the PS2. The combat system had potential to be interesting, but the game features some of the worst AI ever... the AI is broken to the point where any positive aspects of the battle system are negated. This is the only game where your teammates will repeatedly kill themselves over and over and over by using their MP. Sure, there's AI commands you can set, but c'mon... why should your teammates actually follow orders? They either refuse to use any MP or spam magic like no other. And it's ridiculous. The storyline started out dull, but as the game progressed, it continually got worse and worse... that fairly significant plot twist towards the end completely killed the storyline. And then there's the fact that the game is simply an uninteresting dungeon crawler. The dungeons, towns, characters, etc. -- everything feels derivative. The game doesn't stand out in any meaningful way apart from it's unbelievable failure in the combat system.

[/ QUOTE ]

*shrug* You really didn't have to post a rant, but fair enough. I personally never had a problem with the MP (still don't; I'm on my second playthrough), so I think it's all in how you play the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

I specialize in going overboard /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
*shrug* You really didn't have to post a rant, but fair enough. I personally never had a problem with the MP (still don't; I'm on my second playthrough), so I think it's all in how you play the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

It also depends on what you're looking for in a game. I've never played that game as I got annoyed about some things in Star Ocean 2, but I like Final Fantasy X-2 a LOT (maybe even more than Final Fantasy VI, which was my favorite Final Fantasy for a long, long time) and there's a lot of people who don't like it for various reasons.

[battra92]

[ QUOTE ]
Nork22 said:
Add Tales of the Abyss to your list. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I forgot about that. I loved Symphonia on the Cube so catching up on new Tales games just makes sense.

[Tokachan]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
I specialize in going overboard /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't worry. Video games bring out the overboard in all of us. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
Battra92 said:
[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
Obviously you like RPGs if you mentioned Tales of Legendia and Kingdom Hearts. What other games do you like to play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I love most genres outside of sports games and really violent stuff. I'm not into stuff like GTA but most stuff works. I do like 2D fighters so I'll probably get some of the Capcom Vs. series


[/ QUOTE ]

I have Capcom vs SNK 2. I tend not to like Capcom fighters so much just because of the way they play (I can't describe it) but I like this one. It probably sounds silly, but one of my favorite features is where you can take one of the characters in the game, rename them and change their colors, so you sorta make your own character. I do this for characters I like to play (such as Chun Li) but change up the colors to ones I like better but are not normally an option to choose.

[SpaceButler]

Hmmm... I'll say get Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Front Mission 4 and FFX. I'd prolly say FFXII, but I haven't played it yet... even though I own it.

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[Dagger]

All three Xenosaga games. They should keep you occupied for a while. Xenosaga 3 suffers from some rushing of the story, but it's still a fantastic and ambitious franchise.

[ZenAmako]

If an innovative action/adventure game that's deeply rooted in Japanese mythology sounds interesting, I'd suggest Okami. I haven't had time to play it all that much yet, but I can already tell it's a keeper.

[WRX]

[ QUOTE ]
ZenAmako said:
If an innovative action/adventure game that's deeply rooted in Japanese mythology sounds interesting, I'd suggest Okami. I haven't had time to play it all that much yet, but I can already tell it's a keeper.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can't believe I forgot that one... must be because I was thinking of older games.

Okami is awesome. It's got the scale of a Zelda game with an interesting blend of Japanese mythology with great boss battles, NPCs and lots of side quests. The "celestial brush" makes for some really novel gameplay.

[Chacranajxy]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

The storyline was good as were the characters, but the gameplay was some of the worst I've ever seen in an RPG.

[gpn]

Dragon Quest VIII is a very fun RPG that it seems like people have forgotten already. /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

I'd also recommend Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Two beautiful games with engaging game-play.

[ADC]

[ QUOTE ]
gpn said:
Dragon Quest VIII is a very fun RPG that it seems like people have forgotten already. /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Great choice, that. One of the best PS2 games I've played, regardless of genre. I'd also recommend FFs X-2 and XII, but the game you really want (if it's even possible to find anymore) is Space Channel 5 Special Edition (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/spacechannel5specialedition/index.html?q=space%20channel%205). Pure fun!

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
ADC said:
I'd also recommend FFs X-2 and XII, but the game you really want (if it's even possible to find anymore) is Space Channel 5 Special Edition (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/spacechannel5specialedition/index.html?q=space%20channel%205). Pure fun!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think of Space Channel 5 Part 2 everytime I play Guitar Hero multiplayer. Dueling guitars! /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[Collectonian]

Oh wow, I actually thought of you today while I was at GameStop. Great timing for this post. If I remember correctly, you're a Civil War buff...I spotted a Civil War game done by the History Channel for the PS2 at GameStop. Might be right up your alley :-)

Kingdom Hearts is a great choice, and an awesome game! If you like it, Kingdom Hearts II will be a next choice /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

For my other RPG recommendations:
<ul type="square"> Xenosaga Episode I - another series you might like (with two sequels if you do)
Shadow Hearts - insanely good...must must try! Sequel is even more awesome, and three is supposed to be good as well (I just got it so can't say for sure). May be hard to find, but worth it
Magna Carta: Tears of Blood - very good with some interesting story twists
[/list]

[battra92]

[ QUOTE ]
Collectonian said:
Oh wow, I actually thought of you today while I was at GameStop. Great timing for this post. If I remember correctly, you're a Civil War buff...I spotted a Civil War game done by the History Channel for the PS2 at GameStop. Might be right up your alley :-)


[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting that people think of me off the boards. I don't know how to feel about that. /images/graemlins/wink.gif /images/graemlins/shy00000.gif /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif /images/graemlins/tongue.gif /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

Anyway, sounds interesting but I will have to check out some reviews. And yes, I do like to study the Civil War quite a bit. I don't reenact or anything but I do enjoy a good book on it now and then.

[Kevinroc]

Definitely get Kingdom Hearts 2 after you finish up KH 1. Although playing Chain of Memories for the Gameboy Advance is pretty much required since KH 2 picks up immediately after the end of CoM. I think they are making a PS2 remake of CoM. So there's always waiting for that.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. VP2 serves as a prequel but also is a true sequel to the first VP. It's full of spoilers to explain. You really don't need to play VP 1 to understand VP 2. The production company played very loose with Norse mythology.

Metal Gear Solid 3.

And other people have mentioned some other great games.

[Magus427]

[ QUOTE ]
WRX said:
[ QUOTE ]
ZenAmako said:
If an innovative action/adventure game that's deeply rooted in Japanese mythology sounds interesting, I'd suggest Okami. I haven't had time to play it all that much yet, but I can already tell it's a keeper.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can't believe I forgot that one... must be because I was thinking of older games.

Okami is awesome. It's got the scale of a Zelda game with an interesting blend of Japanese mythology with great boss battles, NPCs and lots of side quests. The "celestial brush" makes for some really novel gameplay.

[/ QUOTE ]

It better have the scale of a Zelda game considering some of the same programmers worked on Zelda games for Nintendo. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

-Magus

[Magus427]

[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Toka-chan said:
I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn... I wanted to avoid a Star Ocean rant, but apparently....

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of the worst RPGs on the PS2. The combat system had potential to be interesting, but the game features some of the worst AI ever... the AI is broken to the point where any positive aspects of the battle system are negated. This is the only game where your teammates will repeatedly kill themselves over and over and over by using their MP. Sure, there's AI commands you can set, but c'mon... why should your teammates actually follow orders? They either refuse to use any MP or spam magic like no other. And it's ridiculous. The storyline started out dull, but as the game progressed, it continually got worse and worse... that fairly significant plot twist towards the end completely killed the storyline. And then there's the fact that the game is simply an uninteresting dungeon crawler. The dungeons, towns, characters, etc. -- everything feels derivative. The game doesn't stand out in any meaningful way apart from it's unbelievable failure in the combat system.

[/ QUOTE ]

*shrug* You really didn't have to post a rant, but fair enough. I personally never had a problem with the MP (still don't; I'm on my second playthrough), so I think it's all in how you play the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

I specialize in going overboard /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

No need to apologize, you just gave me a reason to kick Star Ocean 3 down to one of the last PS2 games I play. Thanks! /images/graemlins/happy.gif

-Magus

[Magus427]

[ QUOTE ]
Kevinroc said:
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. VP2 serves as a prequel but also is a true sequel to the first VP. It's full of spoilers to explain. You really don't need to play VP 1 to understand VP 2. The production company played very loose with Norse mythology.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention VP2 is something of a prequel to VP1 anyway. The complexity of the battle system in VP2 annoys me to no end though (even though it's not that different from VP1's, but I had the same complaint about that game).

-Magus

[Kevinroc]

[ QUOTE ]
Magus427 said:
[ QUOTE ]
Kevinroc said:
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. VP2 serves as a prequel but also is a true sequel to the first VP. It's full of spoilers to explain. You really don't need to play VP 1 to understand VP 2. The production company played very loose with Norse mythology.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention VP2 is something of a prequel to VP1 anyway. The complexity of the battle system in VP2 annoys me to no end though (even though it's not that different from VP1's, but I had the same complaint about that game).

-Magus

[/ QUOTE ]

Uumm... I said VP 2 was a prequel AND a sequel.

It's difficult to explain without using spoilers.

[Magus427]

Tales of the Abyss is better than Tales of Legendia, although I recommend playing both. Legendia has a good story and a nice cast, but the battle system is awful, I absolutely hated it after putting in a good amount of time with the game. What also sucks is that the 2nd part of Legendia was never dubbed because the company who did the dubbing thought the quests at the end were optional, not the actual second part of the game. So enjoy the dub in the beginning because it's a lot of fun. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

FFXII is a must-play, no question since it's the only FF Famitsu gave a perfect score to.

Dragon Quest VIII is a lot of fun with a great story and cast. The only bad part is all the leveling up you have to do, but that comes with the DQ territory. Leveling up to continue the story is well worth it because it's so damn good.

STAY AWAY from Grandia III. The battle system is phenomonal, but the story goes off the deep end after the first disc. I don't care how pretty it looks, how good the music is, or the battle system (like I mentioned above), STAY AWAY from this game.

God of War, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus are all must-plays.

-Magus

[Magus427]

[ QUOTE ]
Kevinroc said:
[ QUOTE ]
Magus427 said:
[ QUOTE ]
Kevinroc said:
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. VP2 serves as a prequel but also is a true sequel to the first VP. It's full of spoilers to explain. You really don't need to play VP 1 to understand VP 2. The production company played very loose with Norse mythology.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention VP2 is something of a prequel to VP1 anyway. The complexity of the battle system in VP2 annoys me to no end though (even though it's not that different from VP1's, but I had the same complaint about that game).

-Magus

[/ QUOTE ]

Uumm... I said VP 2 was a prequel AND a sequel.

It's difficult to explain without using spoilers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, I missed that, it's late and my eyes are tired. You're right though, you can't go into explaining why without spoiling it.

-Magus

[Suwako Moriya]

The titles I mention may not be considered essential by some. Especially Unlimited SaGa which while I love it is considered a high risk title as it were. I think that's the best way to describe it without making a huge debate about it. Either way these are the RPGs that I like or love. In short they did what truly matters most, they motivated me to complete them and made me glad I did.

In any case on to the rest of the titles I enjoyed. Not including Tales of Legendia and Unlimited SaGa. Both falling under the "love" category. Although Tales of Legendia barely makes it in sense while it's good and the second half is interesting. Part of the second half sadly falls into a sort of pattern which kind of makes it the low end of the high. If that makes any sense.


Love
Romancing SaGa
Wild Arms 4
La Pucelle Tactics
Suikoden V
Phantom Brave


Like
Star Ocean: Till The End of Time
Radiata Stories
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Xenosaga 1
Final Fantasy X
Disgaea

Love is for the titles I truly enjoyed a lot. While like is for those tiles that were rather nice, but needed more. It's also for titles I need a definite refresher course on sooner or later. Which is why for example Star Ocean till the end of time is there.

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

It definitely turned out to be a rather nice RPG over all. Which is a good thing. As ultimately you're the one who had to ask me why I wasn't playing the game. If it turned out to be terrible, I could blame you for everything. Still at least because of it, I finally completed Suikoden 1 itself. Plus I also got to play Suikoden V. I wasn't even thinking of the series until the whole conversation started. So I guess instead of blaming you, I have to thank you for the question/suggestion. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[AbeChinchilla]

Must buy:
- Shadow Hearts
- Shadow Hearts II: Covenant (this sequel is the best of the series, but it is NOT as emotionally powerful without playing the first!)
- Shadow Hearts: From the New World (the innovative battle system is at its BEST here)
- .hack//G.U., Vol. 1 // Rebirth

Worth playing:
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy X-2

Skip:
- Final Fantasy XII
- Kingdom Hearts II (HORRIBLE sequel)

[prismic]

Depends on your taste on games that have a violent bent, I would also recommend Yakuza. I have been immersed in it lately, and while the game has a few flaws with its fighting engine, the story always keeps me coming back for more. As you can imagine, the game focuses on a tough, stand up kind of Yakuza member, and his role in a scandal that involves the underworld of Japan, around a city designed after Kabukicho. It takes a little bit of GTA, a little bit of RPG leveling and mission/quest structure, elements from the brawler genre, and some Shen Mue-ness for a pretty unique experience.

[juliant59]

Wow no one mentioned to you Shadow of the Colossus. That is probably one of the best games to come out for the PS2. Action /Adventure game that your gonna love playing every second of it /images/graemlins/happy.gif Get this game.

I also recommend the Onimusha series. Think of RE but with swords and demons and that sort of stuff /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

For fighters, the Dragonball games are pretty good, Soul Calibur III, Capcom vs SNK 2, I'll whoop your butt with Kim btw Jecca! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
juliant59 said:
Wow no one mentioned to you Shadow of the Colossus.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
gpn said:
I'd also recommend Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Two beautiful games with engaging game-play.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Magus427 said:
God of War, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus are all must-plays.

[/ QUOTE ]

In other words the young student of the PS2 way, must learn the ancient art of reading the thread. Now go forth and continue your training. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[rainking187]

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Chacranajxy said:
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Toka-chan said:
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Chacranajxy said:
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Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't played the first two of your mentioned three (yet), but I must disagree with the last one. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it's personally one of my favorites. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn... I wanted to avoid a Star Ocean rant, but apparently....

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of the worst RPGs on the PS2. The combat system had potential to be interesting, but the game features some of the worst AI ever... the AI is broken to the point where any positive aspects of the battle system are negated. This is the only game where your teammates will repeatedly kill themselves over and over and over by using their MP. Sure, there's AI commands you can set, but c'mon... why should your teammates actually follow orders? They either refuse to use any MP or spam magic like no other. And it's ridiculous. The storyline started out dull, but as the game progressed, it continually got worse and worse... that fairly significant plot twist towards the end completely killed the storyline. And then there's the fact that the game is simply an uninteresting dungeon crawler. The dungeons, towns, characters, etc. -- everything feels derivative. The game doesn't stand out in any meaningful way apart from it's unbelievable failure in the combat system.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to agree with all this. I loved Star Ocean 2, but Till the End of Time, man...that's got to be one of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Avoid it at all costs. They took alot of the stuff I loved from Star Ocean 2 and just trashed it.

[ QUOTE ]
juliant59 said:
Wow no one mentioned to you Shadow of the Colossus. That is probably one of the best games to come out for the PS2. Action /Adventure game that your gonna love playing every second of it /images/graemlins/happy.gif Get this game.

[/ QUOTE ]

A couple of people mentioned it, but it seems to get lost amongst all the RPG recommendations. You should definitely get this game, it's awesome.

I also second the Silent Hill recommendations, and you should look into the Katamari games as well. They're always fun regardless of your tastes.

[juliant59]

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Yuzu Hieda said:
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juliant59 said:
Wow no one mentioned to you Shadow of the Colossus.

[/ QUOTE ]

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gpn said:
I'd also recommend Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Two beautiful games with engaging game-play.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Magus427 said:
God of War, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus are all must-plays.

[/ QUOTE ]

In other words the young student of the PS2 way, must learn the ancient art of reading the thread. Now go forth and continue your training. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


I have a excuse for this /images/graemlins/tongue.gif and it's um I'm blind. Yea, that's it /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
juliant59 said:
I have a excuse for this /images/graemlins/tongue.gif and it's um I'm blind. Yea, that's it /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah you need a more interesting excuse. Such as "My net connection was slow as heck and by the time I posted there were new posts". /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[WRX]

[ QUOTE ]
Magus427 said:
It better have the scale of a Zelda game considering some of the same programmers worked on Zelda games for Nintendo. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
True, it's not surprising but getting a 50hours+ of single player in a game these days is sadly rare. Even more sad is that Studio Clover disolved after the game's release so it doesn't look like there will be a PS3 sequel. /images/graemlins/cry00000.gif

[Johnny]

Sorry Battra, absolutely no offense intended but there's no way I'm even going to attempt a list. You know how many amazing PS2 games there are out there? Besides, I'd just end up bankrupting you or something.

I'll work on a "johnnys top 10 ultra special must have PS2 games" if I get a minute though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
I presume they all have to be US releases?

[battra92]

[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:
I'll work on a "johnnys top 10 ultra special must have PS2 games" if I get a minute though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
I presume they all have to be US releases?

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty much. I don't really want to mod the console for Japanese game play.

[Ty]

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Chacranajxy said:
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Xcalibur said:
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Chacranajxy said:
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Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

The storyline was good as were the characters, but the gameplay was some of the worst I've ever seen in an RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the combat system was great. Very...... traditional perhaps, but they put a lot of customizable elements in there without making the system complicated or micro-management necessary. I've always liked the combat style in Suikoden with the strike-backs, simultaneous attacks, co-op attacks, etc. It's a traditional RPG and it isn't pretending otherwise but it has a lot of unique and creative elements within that style that make the game refreshing. Compared to FFXII yes the combat is old-school and even lame, but that's not what Suik V is competing against. It's satsifying people who still want a very traditional RPG that plays the way it does. With a good story and fun characters there it's a perfect game for those looking for what it offers. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

I put down FFXII to pick Suik V back up last week. Not because I'm not enjoying FFXII (it's amazing), but because I just had this strange urge to continue playing it and it overruled my urge to play FF at the time. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>The fact that I desparately wish Lyon could be my little sister might have something to do with it. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif </span>

[Ty]

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Yuzu Hieda said:
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Xcalibur said:
Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

It definitely turned out to be a rather nice RPG over all. Which is a good thing. As ultimately you're the one who had to ask me why I wasn't playing the game. If it turned out to be terrible, I could blame you for everything. Still at least because of it, I finally completed Suikoden 1 itself. Plus I also got to play Suikoden V. I wasn't even thinking of the series until the whole conversation started. So I guess instead of blaming you, I have to thank you for the question/suggestion. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Just doing the good work. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[jecca-neko]

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juliant59 said:
For fighters, the Dragonball games are pretty good, Soul Calibur III, Capcom vs SNK 2, I'll whoop your butt with Kim btw Jecca! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not much effort. While I like Capcom vs SNK 2 more than most other Capcom fighters, I still suck at it. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Now if this was any game in the Tekken series, that may be an entirely different story. I &lt;3 Tekken.

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:
I'll work on a "johnnys top 10 ultra special must have PS2 games" if I get a minute though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
I presume they all have to be US releases?

[/ QUOTE ]

You can send that list my way. Feel free to include PS1 games. Oh, and of course, Japanese games are fair game for me. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Johnny]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:
I'll work on a "johnnys top 10 ultra special must have PS2 games" if I get a minute though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
I presume they all have to be US releases?

[/ QUOTE ]

You can send that list my way. Feel free to include PS1 games. Oh, and of course, Japanese games are fair game for me. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I had a look and I'd consider the following games, all of which are freely available in the US, are worth considering when the words 'essential' and 'PS2' are used (no particular order):

Silent Hill 2
GTA: San Andreas
Metal Gear Solid 3
Gran Turismo 4
Onimusha 3
Devil May Cry 3 SE
Tekken 5
Katamari Damacy
Dragon Quest VIII
God of War
Shadow of the Colossus
Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Yakuza
Okami

I'll do an import one later /images/graemlins/happy.gif

Here's a few:

Okami
Devil May Cry (1-3, even though the 2nd game is just ok)
Tekken 5
Soul Calibur 2
Shadow of the Colossus
Tenchu Wrath of Heaven
Burnout Revenge(one of the few good EA games)

[mike.motaku]

Definitely Dragon Quest VIII! Most purely fun this year.
Okami (excellent retro gameplay with dazzling graphics)
The Ratchet and Clank series (Sheep-inator ho!)
Psychonauts (hilarious)
Bully
Final Fantasy X
Yuna's Hotpants Adventure (aka Final Fantasy X-2)
And Final Fantasy XII is just gorgeous fun.
Katamari Damacy for the pure mindlessness of it.

[Isuzu Inugami]

People have been mentioning Xenosaga--I like it, but the combat system of the second game, while interesting in concept, is extremely obnoxious, especially late in the game. Also, the Xenosaga games are awash with quasi-gnostic pseudo-Christian elements, which may annoy or amuse you.

I like the Suikoden games, for classic RPG fun. IV is quite bland, but III and V are good. Rather than just three or seven playable characters out to save the world, you recruit an army with sixty or seventy playable characters, and for the most part you're trying to overthrow an empire or fight off a neigboring empire. It gets away from some of the cliches. Also, you can claim it's educational since it's loosely (very, very loosely) based on a classic Chinese novel. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

I second the recommendations for Shadow of the Colossus and Ico. Ico appeals to one's chivalrous impulses, as you lead a (blind? or just spacey?) girl around trying to get out of a huge, dilapidated castle. Terrific immersive gameplay for both titles.

Megaman Anniversary Collection
Megaman X Collection
Gundam: Federation vs Zeon
Gundam vs Zeta Gundam
Soul Calibur III

[ QUOTE ]
Shimauma said:
Also, you can claim it's educational since it's loosely (very, very loosely) based on a classic Chinese novel. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's some dangerous logic. It implies Dragonball Z is also educational. /images/graemlins/depresse.gif

[Isuzu Inugami]

[ QUOTE ]
Drakonis said:
[ QUOTE ]
Shimauma said:
Also, you can claim it's educational since it's loosely (very, very loosely) based on a classic Chinese novel. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's some dangerous logic. It implies Dragonball Z is also educational. /images/graemlins/depresse.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Hee hee! Not to mention Ikkitousen!

[Fudce]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chacranajxy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fudce said:
From the looks of things, you're an RPG fan, so be sure to check out:
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden V
.hack//G.U. (not played it myself, but there's someone who'll kill me if I dont mention it)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

[/ QUOTE ]

Good list, but scratch the last 3. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Suikoden V most certainly deserves to be there. It's an excellent well-rounded RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

The storyline was good as were the characters, but the gameplay was some of the worst I've ever seen in an RPG.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the combat system was great. Very...... traditional perhaps, but they put a lot of customizable elements in there without making the system complicated or micro-management necessary. I've always liked the combat style in Suikoden with the strike-backs, simultaneous attacks, co-op attacks, etc. It's a traditional RPG and it isn't pretending otherwise but it has a lot of unique and creative elements within that style that make the game refreshing. Compared to FFXII yes the combat is old-school and even lame, but that's not what Suik V is competing against. It's satsifying people who still want a very traditional RPG that plays the way it does. With a good story and fun characters there it's a perfect game for those looking for what it offers. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

I put down FFXII to pick Suik V back up last week. Not because I'm not enjoying FFXII (it's amazing), but because I just had this strange urge to continue playing it and it overruled my urge to play FF at the time. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>The fact that I desparately wish Lyon could be my little sister might have something to do with it. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif </span>

[/ QUOTE ]

Suikoden V has a retro feel to it, because the Suikoden series tends to have a way of thinking "We did it that way, that way works, why change it?". They do change parts of systems, the big battles have had a large overhaul in Suikoden V, but the small fights are essentially the same (minus the formations) to the tried and tested Suikden II system.

Personally, I'd put Suikoden V on the same pedestal as Final Fantasy XII (and Suikoden I), with Final Fantasy VII (cliched choice, so sue me) and Suikoden II the only better RPGs.

[ QUOTE ]
AbeChinchilla said:
Skip:
- Final Fantasy XII
- Kingdom Hearts II (HORRIBLE sequel)

[/ QUOTE ]

Still on your FFXII hate campaign I see Abe /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif I even included .hack//G.U. on my list for you!

[Azumangaman]

Kingdom Hearts 2 is horrible...How could you, monsieur Abe?

Anyway, the best original series for the PS2 is Ratchet and Clank. Don't miss out.

[AbeChinchilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Azumangaman said:
Kingdom Hearts 2 is horrible...How could you, monsieur Abe?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, but it was! It had me hooked and reeled 3 years before it came out, and then it just tossed me back into the lake. It negates everything KH had built for itself, and had totally killed the build up developed in Chain of Memories.

It's a very bad sequel.
*smacks KH2*

[AbeChinchilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Collectonian said:
Shadow Hearts - insanely good...must must try! Sequel is even more awesome, and three is supposed to be good as well (I just got it so can't say for sure). May be hard to find, but worth it

[/ QUOTE ]

The story/characters are an acquired taste (I love them!) but the third game (Shadow Hearts: From the New World) definitely improves on any elements that WEREN'T improved on from the previous games (many elements are touched up on in each sequel).

"From the New World" improves on balance issues (Combos have been limited, so they aren't abused) and the difficulty (Very brutal monsters and bosses in this one, compared to the other). The battle system itself is simply at its best. Which says a lot since the Judgement Ring rocks!

[RZetlin]

[ QUOTE ]
Battra92 said:

Kingdom Hearts 1
Tales of Legendia


[/ QUOTE ]

I heard that Tales of Legendia isn't so good.

Get Tales of the Abyss instead.