Recommend an obscure RPG (for PS2)

[djninjah]

I'm looking for a fairly traditional, preferably turn-based RPG on the Playstation 2. It'd be nice if I've never heard of it, but that's not a huge factor. (I.e., don't recommend Final Fantasy XII, please.)

To give you an idea of my tastes... I really liked these games:
-----------------------------------------
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
Etrian Odyssey (DS)
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2)
Oblivion (X360) [only played ~20 hours]
Champions of Norrath (PS2)
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy III (SNES)
Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES)
Secret of Mana (SNES)
Ultima VI (PC)
Dragon Warrior [Dragon Quest 1] (NES)

I thought these were SO-SO:
---------------------------
Okami [still playing this; ~10 hours in]
Suikoden III (PS2) [only played ~20 hours]
Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2) [only played <10 hours]
Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)
Rune Factory (DS)

I did NOT like:
---------------
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (PS2)
The World Ends With You (DS)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (DS)
God of War (PS2)


Games already under consideration include:
----------------------------------------
Suikoden V
Star Ocean: 'Til the End of Time
Odin Sphere
Baroque [although people really seem to hate this game]
Grandia III
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
(Feel free to comment on these too)



What RPG do you recommend, based on the above?

(You can recommend anything -- it doesn't have to be on my "under consideration" list.)

It'd be helpful to explain WHY you recommend a certain game... if you don't mind.

Thanks.

 

[Zombie_King]

I haven't played many of those, but I've heard the Dragon Quest series was good. The series was also the best-selling PS2 game series in Japan (but comparing Japanese to Americans is like comparing Mac to Windows).

 

[Jak The Great]

I personally would recommend Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

Story is a bit slow paced at times, but the combat is fun as hell once you get the hang of it. I found it an interesting take on sci fi and one that has a fairly strange and intriguing plot line

 

[unholy vagrant]

Star Ocean: 'Til the End of Time is a good game, but it's not turn based. It's closer to the Tales series. Quick warning, the big spoiler in the game is a love it or hate it one. Grandia 3 was okay at best, and I tried Odin Sphere but wasn't really digging it. I do recommend any game in the Tales series except for Tales of Legendia.

 

[Ripshot]

well if you want a good PS1 RPG, go with Legend of the Dragoon, but don't ask me where to get one. But it's a good and fun game because the story is a bit different than most, and the turn based combat includes combos to go along with it, adding some skill instead of just hitting attack.

 

[Sub_par]

i believe nocturne is the best game on the ps2. The pacing is good, the story is good, there are funny parts, its very dark, and its huge. There are so many attacks you can learn, so many demons you can kill and so many alternate endings, i don't want to ruin it for you so i cant go into to much detail, but i will say that you get to fight Thor. THOR! yes, that Thor.

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

Shadow Hearts series? Not very obscure but entertaining imo. The characters and settings are different to most other JRPGs (1900's europe and asia in the first game) and is much darker than the standard fantasy fare. Combat is mostly traditional turn based but the execution of actions depends on a 'Judgement Ring' (Look it up, I cannot describe it adequetly but it means the players interaction directly effects the success of actions.)

Its linear and very plot driven but in a very involving way, not particularly difficult so doesn't require much grinding or elaborate character customisation. Very entertaining and I enjoyed it, the battle system isn't quite up there with the likes of Grandia imo but it makes the random encounters much more bearable.

 

[BiscuitsJoe]

Okage The Shadow King. It's really fun, it's well written and has a fun cartoonish art style, but is definitely not childish. I remember having a lot of fun playing it.

 

[TheKbob]

Grandia 2 is the best, it's a Dreamcast port on the PS2, so it's not perfect, but still playable and AWESOME. Much better than 3.

If you don't like Persona 3, don't touch any more of Shin Magumi Tensai's games.

Baroque is more like Buh-roke. Do not buy.

Tales of the Abyss is the best Tales on the PS2, in my opinion. Most like the PSone series.

If you want great PSone games:

Lunar SSSC
Lunar 2 EB
Tales of Destiny 2 (in the states, Eternia elsewhere)
Parasite Eve 1
Final Fantasy Tactics
Ogre Tactics
Vandal Hearts
Xenogears


Any Suikoden after 2 sucks, to me. Valkyrie Profile 1 and 2 are pretty good, but hard. GrimGrimoire and Odin Sphere are excellent.

Edit: Dark Cloud 1 & 2, more like Zelda, but made my Level 5, great RPG makers. Recommend Rogue Galaxy along with those.

 

[gim73]

You may enjoy:
Wild arms 3 and 4
Wild arms: Alter code F (a remake of the original wild arms, only better)
Shadow Hearts I and II (don't really reccomend From the new world)
Radiata Stories
Grandia II (I just find II to be a better story than III)
Metal Saga

I would add things like xenosaga but you probably want to play the game, not just watch the hours of cinematics between fights.

Oh, Judgement ring feels kinda like the hit system in Legend of the Dragoon, if you played that game. Just press the button when the pointer is in the right position to hit.

 

[t0mme]

I might be stretching your preferences a bit, but I rather liked Rogue Galaxy (NOT turn-based). And I heard people about Dark Cloud I and II. Though these suggestions might not be obscure enough...

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Ultima VII is better than VI. But people can get into serious pissing matches over those games so I dunno...Hell, I liked VIII and that's blasphemy to a lot of people.

 

[tow34587@hotmail.com]

well i have a really obscure one but it's for ps1,have you ever heard of legend of dragoon?

 

[tks_ftw]

I have a great suggestion for anyone looking for a good game. And it's called Front Mission.

 

[ZacOfTheZombies]

You might want to look into Phantasy Star Universe. Its not turn-based but its quite fun.
Also, Star Ocean and Odin Spere are a must.

 

[SuicideAngel]

It has to be Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia. Best unknown rpg ever ^_^
It has an excelent and amazingly original turnbased battle system, and a really involving storyline.
Plus everything related to the Reyvateils (girls that cast magic through song) early on is a sexual innuendo
It's a great game with a decent amount of choice in it, and it's one of the longest RPGs I've ever played. Except for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, but most of that I attribute to getting lost cuz of a bad mapping system.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I've played A LOT of JRPG's in my time, everything from Illusion of Gaia on the SNES to Lost Odyssey on the 360. Here's my opinions.

Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 are very funny and interesting RPG's that play sort of like a "better" version of Legend of Dragoon in the battles. 1 has a fairly standard battle system with few tricks but 2 REALLY changes it up, adding in a CTB Battle system VERY similar to that found in FFX and a neat combo system as well as the standard Timed Hit system found in the first one. As well both games are hilarious, but the second one has a better plot and is easier to find.

You may have disliked SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1, but give part 2 a try if you can find it, I rented 1, hated it, but then I tried 2 and REALLY liked it. It has a much more intensive story and better pacing.

Radiata Stories is VERY EASY but it has a very pretty world, an honestly funny story, great character designs and offers some pretty good replay value. I had a lot of fun with it.

I know it's been reccomended but Suikoden V plays VERY differently from Suikoden III and offers a very plot intensive, very emotional story and some entertaining battles and events.

Steambot Chronicles is a neat little gem from Atlus, it's sort of a non-linear, light and fluffy Miyazaki-esque title that has to do with mecha. One of the most original games I have ever played and that's saying something, definately not for everyone though. Must like Mechs and Miyazaki movies like Porco Rosso and Kiki's Delivery Service. Story takes a dark turn towards the end however.

Xenosaga 3, hear me out, read a detailed plot synopsis of 1 and 2 online FIRST, then, if you find that intersting, pick up Xenosaga 3 and enjoy. It managed to pack the excitement of 3 games into a single package, with some of the best boss battles I've EVER seen. It also provides a VERY satisfying finale to the whole series. Play Xenosaga 1 if you don't mind lots of Cutscenes but AVOID Xenosaga 2 like the fucking PLAGUE!

Tales of the Abyss easily offers the best story of the Tales series of games, with interesting characters and some very unforseen twists in a very interesting and unique plot. Has classic Tales' series style battles and plays a lot like Tales of Symphonia (or so I hear, I didn't like Symphonia myself).

Now, being a self-proclaimed JRPG Expert, I shall comment on other peoples reccomendations.

If you're a fan of Turn Based and you've played alot of RPG's in the past AVOID Star Ocean: Till The End of Time, the battles are repetative, and the story is VERY inane. I found the first 10 hours interesting and then it just went through the floor with annoying addition after annoying addition.

SMT: Nocturne is VERY GOOD, but it is also VERY VERY VERY HARD. Case and Point, you must exploit the Press-Turn-System by ensuring that EVERY attack from some enemies will give you an extra turn, or you will lose. It can get controller throwing frustrating at times. But the rewards are very worthwhile if you can manage to get through it.

Odin Sphere, while artistically gorgeous and posessing a superior plot is VERY repetative, you WILL fight the same enemies, in the same areas and even the same bosses for most chapters. There are a few variations in how different Characters Play, but it is minimal.

Grandia III has the BEST action-turn-based battles ever, the story just sucks massive balls with a truly stupid Female Lead and some VERY repetative environments. I can't really reccomend this one.

 

[MattClassic]

Suikoden V is arguably the best of the 3 Suikoden games available for the PS2. It's not terribly impressive presentation-wise (I found the aesthetic to be very bland) but it's a solid game overall. Good for the OCD types that HAVE to collect every little bauble/playable character.

Valkyrie Profile 2 might be my favorite game on the PS2, if not at least in my personal top 3. Awesome combat system, challenging without being frustrating, decent voice work (sadly, one of the only characters that doesn't apply to is the protagonist, Alicia; to call her delivery "wooden" would be doing a disservice to trees everywhere), smart puzzles, and one of the best looking games on the system.

Radiata Stories is decent. It can get a little tedious (there's a day/night cycle that plays HEAVILY into recruiting friends, and it can be a real time-consuming pain in the ass to learn everyone's schedule) and the combat isn't turn-based, but it's worth a look. Another game that's good for the obsessive collector RPG player. It has a very light overall aesthetic, though; if you didn't like the colorful "kiddy" visual style of something like, say, Zelda: Wind Waker, you might not be able to stomach how overbearingly cute everything in Radiata Stories is. The characters seriously look like 'Precious Moments' figurines... with swords.

Odin Sphere is awesome. It can be painfully hard and more than a little fruity at times (the cast of characters you control include a talking bunny... thing... with a sword bigger than his torso, and a FAIRY QUEEN) but combat is a blast and it's perfect for short bursts of play (I think the longest it took me to get through any of the main character's stories was roughly 10 hours). It's also a fucking GORGEOUS game.

If you enjoyed Disgaea, you'd probably like LaPucelle Tactics and Phantom Brave. All three are made by the same dev (Nippon Ichi) and share a very similar overall design. They can be pretty hard to find, though.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I forgot to recommend Dark Cloud 2, deep, interesting and very, very fun, that and the graphics are really pretty.

If you have a strong stomach, I can reccomend Wild Arms 4 and 5, really good Turn Based Battles, fun action-based dungeons but the stories are not the shining point.

Wild Arms 3 has boring, traditional battles but a much more interesting story, it's also got some really cool Western sensibilities.

Lastly, Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter is a Dark, Difficult and Tactical RPG that is one of the most unique gaming experiences out there. But you REALLY have to learn to like it.

 

[unholy vagrant]

Where did you see DQ 8 as the best selling PS2 game ever. As far as I know, that distiction goes to Grand Turismo 3.