Getting a PS2...

[Fappy]

So I realized the other day, due to my lack of a PS2, that there are a lot of games I missed out on over the last decade that I'd like to catch up on. I have a retro game store near where I live and have decided to stop by there sometime today or tomorrow to pick up a PS2 and possibly some games. I have a lot of friends that can lend me their libraries, but I will likely buy a few myself.

So yeah, I suppose this is a kind of suggestion thread. Lay out which titles are your favorite for the PS2 or any other recommendations for it. I'll be starting off playing Persona 4, but I will consider plenty of genres when making my picks. Games I'd likely enjoy on the platform:

- Good JRPGs, fun combat mechanics/good story/non-bitchy manchild protagonist

- Really good platformers! I realize that there are plenty of good platformers for the PS2, but I have enough 1st party Nintendo games. If you suggest a platformer it had better be fucking phenomenal

- Fighting games, this is a weird one I'll admit. If there are any classic fighting games a fan of the genre must have lay it on me

- Action/Adventure, there are plenty of these so feel free

- Misc., I'll be open to anything else that's worth playing

 

[Fappy]

A few JRPG recommendations.

Persona 3 and 4
Rogue Galaxy
Suikoden V

Unfortunately I already know how Persona 3 ends so I will likely skip over it. I may go back to it eventually however.

 

[Sangnz]

Shadow Hearts (JRPG)
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (JRPG)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (JRPG, but real time battles)
Guilty Gear X2 (Fighting)
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (action adventure)

Never big on platformers

 

[Scrustle]

Ever heard of a little action adventure game called Okami? Yeah, that's pretty good.

I-Ninja is a pretty cool little game too. Not the best game in the world but it's a really cool action platformer with a lot of personality.

And of course there's the obvious Ico and Shadow of the Colossus to mention as well.

 

[Tallim]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (or Lucifer's Call if EU)

Odin Sphere <- This is an astoundingly beautiful action rpg "type" game.

Soul Nomad and the World Eaters <- looks a bit shoddy even for ps2 but amazing game.

Suikoden 5 <- It's the best one after 2, do not play 4 it's awful.

Okami if you haven't played it, or wait for the HD remake

Godhand

 

[Fappy]

Okami, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are already on my list. I'll be borrowing the latter two from a friend.

 

[Baralak]

JRPG:

Rogue Galaxy
Grandia II
Grandia III
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Persona 4
Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (SRPG)
Most people love the Xenosaga trilogy, but I hate the combat. Still, great story (just be prepared for 30 minute + cutscenes. I'm not exaggerating.)
.hack series (also, watch the anime .hack//SIGN. It's just really good.)
.hack//G.U. series
Final Fantasy X/X-2/XII (Ignore the haters for X-2, it's got some of the series best combat, and a fun, upbeat story, while XII gives you 100% control over how each character develops, mechanically)

Fighter:
Mortal Kombat Deception
Guilty Gear X2
Barbarian (it's a really, REALLY good Power Stone clone)
Dragonball Z Budokai 3 (generally considered the best in the series, I personally prefer Budokai Tenkaichi 3, which is also on PS2)
Bloody Roar 3

General recommendations
Oni (action game)
The Bard's Tale (top down RPG, makes fun of a bunch of RPG cliches)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance I & II (amazing Diablo-style games)
Champions: Return to Arms (see BGA)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (hack n slash)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Musashi Samurai Legend (sequel to Brave Fencer Musashi on PS2)
The Matrix: Path of Neo (Best. Matrix Game. Ever.)
The Summoner (Launch PS2 RPG. Surprisingly well done, with archaic, yet really charming graphics. Didn't care for the Sequel, though.)
Bujingai: The Forsaken City (really fun hack n slash, inspired by Wuxia films, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, starring j-pop star Gackt)
Way of the Samurai 2 (authentic Samurai sim, with each death/playthough potentially unlocking new things for your next playthrough)

There ya go. For my general recommendations, I tried to avoid the big names like God of War or GTA, give ya something a bit more obscure. PS2 has such a HUGE library, that there are countless numbers of gems that were overlooked. If you see something with a cool boxart or name, and it's cheap, like the rest of the library for the system, GRAB IT!

 

[Fappy]

There ya go. For my general recommendations, I tried to avoid the big names like God of War or GTA, give ya something a bit more obscure. PS2 has such a HUGE library, that there are countless numbers of gems that were overlooked. If you see something with a cool boxart or name, and it's cheap, like the rest of the library for the system, GRAB IT!

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I am looking for. Thanks for reminding me of Oni, I was intending to find that one.

 

[Ryotknife]

i know a lot of these have been mentioned but:

-rogue galaxy
-persona 3 and 4
-dark cloud 2
-suikoden 3 and 5 (for the love of god dont play 4). Although 5 is kinda a pain to find for a decent price (you can find cheaper PS3 AAA games that have been released this year)
-star ocean till the end of time (combat is pretty fun)

-xenosaga series (it is very heavy on the story section, be warned. Plus the story gets really complicated towards the end)

-the Jak series. a platformer, but a very good one. Jak 3 in particular was kinda unique as it blended platformers with a GTA style openworld.

- devil may cry 1 and 3 (skip 2). action. dmc 3 is probably the better of the 3 (and it is a prequel, so no prior experience neccessary for the story).

-final fantasy 12. This one is an odd duck. Whether it is odd in a good way or bad way is opinion. I have played many FF games, but 12 is by far the strangest.

i would recommend the disgaea series but:

A: it is a strategy RPG
B: it requires a specific taste. It is a game that very much likes to break the 4th wall and be funny. The begining of the games are silly, but towards the end the story becomes sad, tragic, and emotional.

Although the series is a min/maxer's wet dream. The amount of customization available is mind boggling, but you dont need to know any of it to beat the game.

 

[Tallim]

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (SRPG)

Weeeee someone else like Soul Nomad Was so hard to get here in the UK thanks to a very VERY limited run on copies. So worth it though.

 

[Ryotknife]

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (SRPG)

Weeeee someone else like Soul Nomad Was so hard to get here in the UK thanks to a very VERY limited run on copies. So worth it though.

i would also like to recommend soul nomad. Gig is one of the best characters of all time. Hell your main motivation to continue the game is to hear gig talk more, that is how awesome he is.

but once again, the game requires a very specific taste.

I really need to buy that game again, lent it to a friend and then a schism occured in our group of friends, so now we are on opposite sides.

 

[Fappy]

snip

Seeing as it works with PS1 games you should buy the MGS trilogy. MGS1 is for the PS1 and MGS2 and 3 are for the PS2. Some of the best games I have ever played.

Don't they have updated versions of a lot of the old ones on another platform? I could swear I remember reading they did an HD release of at least one of them at some point.

But yeah, in any case I actually have never played through the entirety of a MGS game.

 

[hoboman29]

A few from my list
Timesplitters 2: (future perfect if you find it) to me this is the greatest fps ever made and is unique compared to other shooters. (Its made by the same guys who made goldeneye if you're a fan of that)

Guilty Gear (any of them): one of the best fighters I've ever played its smooth and rewards playing with skill and is very anti spam (I can never win that way)

Devil May Cry 3: cool soundtrack, fast action, unlockable stuff to keep playing for, and is just a fun game.

Crash Bandicoot the Wrath of Cortex: a great platformer and the last good game in the series if you can put up with the loading times then its definitely worth checking out

Tekken Tag Tournament: Really good 3d fighter with a huge roster (comparable to nowadays when you need a double decker busload of characters)a lot of features and doesn't have convoluted stories to keep track of.

 

[Fappy]

Another question for all of you PS2 owners: How's the memory card capacity? The store near my house has a deal going where you can get a PS2-slim + cords + 1 controller for $40 and all peripherals are 50% off with the purchase (this includes extra controllers, memory cards, etc.). I imagine the memory cards will be pretty cheap so do you think I should get two or is one enough?

 

[Samsa]

For platformers I would suggest the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time series, good mixture of action, story and platforming in those games. Also as mentioned above: Oni. That was a good game for its time.

Some other general recommendations for good PS2 games would be Second Sight which is a third-person shooter where you get psi powers, and have to use stealth in order to succeed.

Ico/Shadow of The Colossus - Rather expensive to get a hold of these games, but they are worth getting just to experience them alone.

That is all I know, I mainly just use my PS2 for survival-horror games.

 

[Zoe Castillo]

--

 

[Fappy]

One question, why not emulate a PS2? Last week I saw an almost brand new PS2 for sale at around 50$ . I almost bought it but then I realized that these days you can emulate all but the most obscure PS2 games on a 3 yearold laptop .

Anyway :

Persona 3 / 4 ( if you happen to have a PSP there a more complete edition Persona 3 on it)
Ico
Shadow of The Colossus
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Okami
.hack ( the series as a whole is quite good)
Xenosaga ( I haven?t actually played any of the games, but I hear they are amazing)
Devil May Cry 3

I'm a bit of a collector and I like the authenticity of playing old games in their original format. Playing emulators isn't the same experience in my eyes.