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Dasquian Belargic
Jun 29th, 2007, 04:23:05 PM
Not the PS3, the PS2.

Now that we've moved house, one of my flatmates has stuck his PlayStation in the living room... meaning that I can now play it, whenever I want, too! Just wondering what the 'must have' PS2 games are, in everyones eyes. I figure I can probably pick a lot of them up for cheap now, since the Next Gen of consoles are here.

I prefer RPGs/adventure titles, and definitely don't want any FPS/sports games.

Tidus Marzullo
Jun 29th, 2007, 05:01:49 PM
"Shadow of the Colossus"!! Absolute belter of a game. I spent many hours addicted to it. And I hear you can get a pre-owned copy for a tenner in Game now :D

Yog
Jun 29th, 2007, 05:03:48 PM
I will be boring and say what will be on a lot of people's "Must Have" lists (including mine)

- Metal Gear Solid 2
- Final Fantasy X
- Gran Tourismo 3

Those are like the core of every respectable PS2 game owners collection.

Although, you could do a lot worse than just looking at this list:
http://playstation.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/TopTenPS2Games.htm

Regan Valdis
Jun 29th, 2007, 06:33:06 PM
MGS 2 was really bad in my opinion. It astounds me that it's on that 'best ever' list you linked, Yog. I loathed the protagonist/player character (Raiden). The original PSX game had a better storyline and better characters, and consequently the remake on the Gamecube is far superior. I really like Snake Eater too, but thats a whole different kettle of fish.

If you like sci-fi and action/adventure games, I highly recommend Predator: Concrete Jungle. Though it could be branded a FPS, it's more 3rd person like Tomb Raider and involves a lot of sneaking arund as you can imagine with a Predator-type game. It's a lot of fun running around a futuristic L.A.-ish city in stealth, climbing up the side of buildings and using your different vision modes to seek out your prey. There's a cool part where you have to use the predators vocal mimicry to obtain a password and then play it back to gain entry into a locked room.

For RPG's, I'd say to avoid the PS2 Final Fantasy titles - namely 10 and 12. They just don't seem that great at all based on what I've seen and played in my mates. They're just not as good as 7 and 8 from the PSX. I got a few hours into Final Fantasy X and I have no desire to play any further - I found it boring.

I bought my sister Kingdom Hearts 2 for Christmas and I'd have to say I've played it more than her. It's soooooo cool playing as Donald and Goofy with the protagonist. You also team up with the likes of Mulan and hercules as you journey to the different worlds. I laughed so much out of joy when the party paid Merlin a visit. KH2 (and the original too, I suppose) is pure magic - if you like RPG's and Disney this literally is a must-have game.

Yog
Jun 29th, 2007, 06:45:21 PM
MGS 2 was really bad in my opinion. It astounds me that it's on that 'best ever' list you linked, Yog. I loathed the protagonist/player character (Raiden). The original PSX game had a better storyline and better characters, and consequently the remake on the Gamecube is far superior. I really like Snake Eater too, but thats a whole different kettle of fish.

I will agree with you that Raiden as a character cannot measure up to Solid Snake, and I will also agree with you that the original game had a better story. That does not make MSG2 a bad game though, far, FAR from it. The gameplay was innovative, entertaining and great. Heck, people bought playstation 2's just to play THAT game. For anyone who is not hardcore fanatic MSG fan being emo about Raiden or the long voice dialogues, this is absolutely one of the top must have entries on any PS2 owners list, IMO.

Edit: In fact, just to emphasise the point I am not a raving lunatic MSG2 fanboy talking hot air, here some quotes about the critical reception:

Wikipedia: As a result of promising trailers and the huge commercial success of its predecessor Metal Gear Solid, there was a high level of anticipation in the gaming community surrounding the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'.[67] Metal Gear Solid 2 received a large amount of critical and fan praise, maintaining a critical average of 95%, marking it the 4th highest game on the PlayStation 2 and the 14th highest overall at Game Rankings,[68] while having sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[69]


If we check out Meta Critic, we find this absolutely astounding result, an average of 96%!
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/metalgearsolid2?q=metal%20gear%20solid%202

Further edit...


I got a few hours into Final Fantasy X and I have no desire to play any further - I found it boring.

:whaa

It is widely regarded one of the best RPGs released on any system, EVER.

Morgan Evanar
Jun 29th, 2007, 07:17:39 PM
I think most FF RPGs are hideously overrated, and frankly I find the characters on the PS2 Square RPGs boring. I ran into the same problem as Dru. Then again, I'm pretty firmly slanted against JRPGs with a few exceptions because of both the combat systems they tend to use and because I don't enjoy the methods of story telling. I much much prefer western RPGs like KOTOR or Vampire: Bloodlines.

I'm generally not much of a console gamer, especially for the PS2/GC/Xbox generation.

Yog
Jun 29th, 2007, 07:37:25 PM
I think most FF RPGs are hideously overrated, and frankly I find the characters on the PS2 Square RPGs boring. I ran into the same problem as Dru. Then again, I'm pretty firmly slanted against JRPGs with a few exceptions because of both the combat systems they tend to use and because I don't enjoy the methods of story telling. I much much prefer western RPGs like KOTOR or Vampire: Bloodlines.

I'm generally not much of a console gamer, especially for the PS2/GC/Xbox generation.

FFX is definitely not overrated though. You gotta play through it to understand it. My point is, if you never played any FF game (why?), and want to give the series a try, it is your best bet. While I may agree with you slightly on point of the sterotypical Japanese turn based combat system in the FF series, FFX is really about the fun story, presented in a visually appealing way. It's a piece of classic gaming history she should not miss.

This is not the "what games would be best to get for my PC thread". FFX defined PS2 as a console. Saying you should stay away from MSG2 and FFX on the PS2 is a bit like saying you should never play Zelda or Mario on a nintendo system, "because they all suck compared to my PC games!". It is not really helpful, and will just confuse poor Dasq. :cry

Dasquian Belargic
Jun 29th, 2007, 07:50:48 PM
We have all of the Final Fantasy games already, of course. I'm not sure what else he has, besides Dynasty Warriors and Tekken, so thanks for all the suggestions. With regards to FFX... I am going to play it, just because its Final Fantasy and I have a boner for VII/VIII. I don't have high-hopes, though.

Shadow of the Colossus - I definitely remember hearing good things about this. I want to check out God of War too, I think.

Kingdom Hearts - I... don't know. I think I'd have to smuggle it into the house. Tom (who owns the PS2) thinks it's an abomination :lol

Regan Valdis
Jun 29th, 2007, 08:23:46 PM
This Tom - such a silly name - is toying with the very fabric of the continuum. Take no notice of him and play Kingdom Hearts - any flak he gives you will be well worth it :)

And Yog, personally I think MGS on the PSX set a very high bar that Sons of Liberty did not meet. So while I think it was a good game and a lot fun, I can still say that I was disappointed. I honestly think MGS4 will disappoint me as well. The concept sounds a bit silly, though I have heard very little about it.

Shawn
Jun 29th, 2007, 08:46:59 PM
I actually just got around to finishing Snake Eater the other day. It was really fantastic, but it has a steep learning curve. I didn't start getting good at it until the very end. Try picking up the re-release, Subsistence (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/928437.asp), which has a much improved camera as well as other goodies.

Katamari Damacy (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/918766.asp)/We Love Katamari (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/921111.asp). Play these games. Now. Don't even question it. Donate plasma if you need the money. But play these games.

Rez (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/517868.asp). I can't really describe Rez, so here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLroyq-PdN0

I'd also try out Okami (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920500.asp). It's like Zelda for the PS2. The graphics are gorgeous and highly stylized, the gameplay is fairly unique, and it's quite lengthy, too.

God of War (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/919864.asp)/God of War II (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/932295.asp): These are pretty much the pinnacle of action gaming. Here's a more lengthy review (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=1752085#post305435806) I wrote for the first game.

Ico (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/367472.asp)/Shadow of the Colossus (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/924364.asp): Overrated and highly pretentious, but worth checking out. I just wish they focused more on making the gameplay not suck instead of trying to get people to laud them as "art".

Resident Evil 4 (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/925156.asp) is worth checking out, if you haven't played the Gamecube version. I'm planning on picking up the Wii-make, personally.

Dasquian Belargic
Jun 29th, 2007, 08:53:56 PM
I can't believe I forgot Katamari. That is going to the top of the list, right now.

Nathanial K'cansce
Jun 29th, 2007, 09:12:47 PM
KH2 = awesome.

Also, for what it's worth, DragonQuest 8 is decent. As well as Devil Digiatl Saga.

Dasquian Belargic
Jun 29th, 2007, 09:17:15 PM
I want GuitarHero but it's too much. It doesn't look like they released a European version of Katamari Damacy :( but hopefully We ♥ Katamari will be available.

Nathanial K'cansce
Jun 29th, 2007, 09:23:40 PM
I've been toying with the idea of getting Guitar Hero 1 or 2... just to pass the time away. But I found buying the album "Cowboys From Hell" by Pantera satiates me just as well.

Addictive games, though.

Shawn
Jun 29th, 2007, 10:14:07 PM
I want GuitarHero but it's too much. It doesn't look like they released a European version of Katamari Damacy :( but hopefully We ♥ Katamari will be available.Oh, that's right. I forgot. :( The music in the first game is much better.

Parsideon Denix
Jul 1st, 2007, 02:49:48 AM
You will certainly want to play Gladius, it is one of my favorite games on the PS2.

Yog
Jul 1st, 2007, 05:28:43 AM
God of War has been mentioned before, and it is a good suggestion :)

Lucilla Marzullo
Jul 1st, 2007, 09:03:30 AM
Oooh ooh! Um...PS2 games...

I have a lot of Dynasty Warriors/Samurai Warriors games. If you're into anything survival horror I'd suggest the Silent Hill series...Fatal Frame series is also totally creepy!

RPG's...I really like FFXII...Kingdom Hearts 1-2, Devil May Cry, I also have all the Onimusha games...I really love that series.

AND YES! KATAMARI!!! At first I HATED that game, but I got the darn music stuck in my head and decided to borrow it from a friend, now I cant. stop. playing!

Morgan Evanar
Jul 1st, 2007, 09:17:10 AM
I think most FF RPGs are hideously overrated, and frankly I find the characters on the PS2 Square RPGs boring. I ran into the same problem as Dru. Then again, I'm pretty firmly slanted against JRPGs with a few exceptions because of both the combat systems they tend to use and because I don't enjoy the methods of story telling. I much much prefer western RPGs like KOTOR or Vampire: Bloodlines.

I'm generally not much of a console gamer, especially for the PS2/GC/Xbox generation.

FFX is definitely not overrated though. You gotta play through it to understand it. My point is, if you never played any FF game (why?), and want to give the series a try, it is your best bet. While I may agree with you slightly on point of the sterotypical Japanese turn based combat system in the FF series, FFX is really about the fun story, presented in a visually appealing way. It's a piece of classic gaming history she should not miss.

This is not the "what games would be best to get for my PC thread". FFX defined PS2 as a console. Saying you should stay away from MSG2 and FFX on the PS2 is a bit like saying you should never play Zelda or Mario on a nintendo system, "because they all suck compared to my PC games!". It is not really helpful, and will just confuse poor Dasq. :cryI played through 1-7. I didn't like X. I'm just not fond of unsubtle totally over the top any more.

Katamari is awesome go get it now.

Regan Valdis
Jul 1st, 2007, 09:44:20 AM
I was disappointed with the Silent Hill sequels. While they are still playable and enjoyable, the original is just so much better. I'm mainly referring to 2 and 3 here. But Silent Hill: The Room is at the very least almost on par with the first game. I haven't played all the way through, but there are some frightful concepts in that game, just search for screenshots and check out some of the enemies.

And while Yog does kinda have a point about FFX defining the PS2 and whatnot - Metal Gear and Final Fantasy are nintendo-babies anyway :-P

I've heard people mention Beyond Good and Evil as a great RPG game, but I've never gotten round to playing it.

On the whole I'm with Morg - western rpg's are more my cup of tea - I adore Vampire: Bloodlines and KOTOR and the Bioware D&D games (Baldur's Gate etc) and of course Diablo 2. Maybe the japanese style just works better on a joypad - I know it's initially frustrating trying to play FF7 and 8 on my PC with a keyboard, but you can get used to it and it's NEVER as comfortable as using a joypad.

I never had a PS2 until very recently - my sister got one a few Christmases ago and it's ended up in my room as she doesn't play it anymore. I have more PSX games for it than PS2: Alien Trilogy, Die hard Trilogy, In Cold Blood, Space Hulk 2, X-Men Mutant Academy are my PSX games, while the only PS2 game I own is Predator: Concrete Jungle. I did have Alien vs Predator: Extinction but it had to go back to Gamestation as it kept freezing up (second-hand ftw!).

Oh, and I have Droo's Dragonball Z game that I still haven't given back to him yet, lol. I guess that means it shall remain mine for all eternity, bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

One of my favourite PS2 games (that I have on PC) is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I haven't spoken to a single person who said they didn't enjoy this game. And it was Gamespy's pick for the number one PS2 game ever. Check it out at the very least if you don't buy it.

Blade Bacquin
Jul 3rd, 2007, 11:41:44 AM
I don't have PS2 I have a xbox though and there are few games that are pretty much the same on ps2.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

X-men Legends 1 & 2 I got so addicted to these two games I didn't sleep much until I got to the end.

Predator: Concrete Jungle is alright I haven't played it much since at the moment oblivion the pc has me hooked.

Mitch
Jul 3rd, 2007, 08:43:30 PM
Hot Shots Golf: Fore! is a great game, especially to play against friends. I know most golf games are boring, but this one is really a hoot.

The Red Star is an awesome game that really flew below the radar, too.

Loklorien s'Ilancy
Jul 4th, 2007, 12:05:12 AM
Holy Soviets, Batman! I know what game I'm getting next :D

Mr. Feint
Jul 4th, 2007, 01:14:34 AM
Sorry, but I think FFX has to be one my least favorite games of all time. It's not that the game sucked or was poorly made, it just didn't seem to appeal to me at all, and I have many friends who equally disliked the way the game was structured. The battle system and "orb" system just do not appeal to anyone that I know, and I have a lot of RPG lovin' friends. I found Final Fantasy XII much more enjoyable. The Gambit system I find a bit iffy, but the license system is fine and the live battle system is wonderful. Pity I stopped playing it when I played...

Rogue Galaxy. I'm sure many of you have either heard nothing or very little of this game. It kind of came in underdog style with very little publicity. I've been following it because it's created by the same people who created the Dark Cloud games, which I completely adore even if they did get repetative at the end. If any of you have played Dark Cloud, and any of you who have not I strongly suggest Dark Cloud 2, Rogue Galaxy is very similar, has the same style of cel-shading, which looks very nice IMO. The battle system is live, you fight with three characters at one time, with you controlling one and able to switch on the fly. The battles are random. Yes I know. Groan right? Wrong. The switch to battle is seemless. Your just walking and then the enemies just appear in front of you. No switching to a whole new plane of existence in order to fight your enemy, ala most RPG random encounter games. Weapons work on a leveling basis, where you use a weapon untill you've "Mastered" it, and then the weapon's elemental properties slowly incease as you continue to fight with a mastered weapon. Now here's the catch. The mastered weapons can be "bred" together to create new, better weapons. Your "breeding" list is recorded so you can remember how you got what and so forth. That alone is a lot of fun. When I play I hardly buy any weapons, I just find them, upgrade them, and then "breed" 'em with what I have. Due to it's cartoonish appearence with the cel-shading, the game is very light hearted and humorous at times. Beautiful cut-scene, although not nearly as grand as Final Fantasy, but still quite clean and flesh, and cel-shaded.

So, my suggestions are Dark Cloud 2 (Which is an older game) and Rogue Galaxy. Both are highly interactive RPGs that strongly support the on-the-side gimicks. I would only suggest Final Fantasy 12 if you are a fan of the franchise, and even more so if you have ever played the Final Fantasy Tactics games.

That is all.

Goodnight.

Loklorien s'Ilancy
Jul 4th, 2007, 01:22:22 AM
My old roommates back in Seattle used to make all-day affairs out of playing Tactics. I could never really get into it, but I know that it's a bit of a popular title with FF fans.

I do like the opening FMV and I have the theme song on my computer, but that's about it.