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Filling in the gaps of my PS2 library
RainbowDespair
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Okay, I figured with the PS2 on its way out for the newer systems, I'd start a thread like this.
I'm a huge RPG fan. From Dragon Quest to Megaten, if it's good, I've probably played it (or have it on my to-buy list). I purchased a Sega CD and Genesis just for Phantasy Star & Lunar, imported various RPGs through the years (starting with Saturn Grandia) wrote a walkthrough for a Japanese only game (Soul Hackers), etc, etc.
The point being that I know the PS2 has a great RPG lineup. However, I do like games from most other genres (excluding sports). My question is what games from other genres on the system am I missing out on? Some series that I'm interested in and haven't tried yet include Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, Kessen, and Romance of the 3 Kingdoms (my favorite Chinese story). Are these games still worth playing? Should I start with the 1st and move my way up or just start with the best game in the series (whichever that is)? Any other games you'd recommend? For reference, here are some of the non-RPGs I've enjoyed on the PS2:
Klonoa 2
Devil May Cry 1&3
Resident Evil 4 (possibly my favorite game)
Katamari Damacy & We Love Katamari
Sly Cooper 1
Psychonauts
Beyond Good & Evil
Siren 1&2
Fatal Frame 1
Gradius V
R-Type Final
Silent Hill 2-4
Sega Genesis Collection (any other good retro collections you'd recommend?)
And some of my favorite PC games include Civilization 2, Magic the Gathering Online (well, until I decided it was way too expensive), Half-life 2, and Titan Quest.
As you can see from my list, I'm more of a 1 player sort of guy. Oh and I also own an XBox 360 so I'm not too interested in PS2 racing games since the 360 has a nice library in that regard or Guitar Hero 2 for the PS2 (really looking forward to the 360 version).
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I enjoyed ICO & Shadow of the Colossus. I think they're a bit overrated, but still good games. No need to recommend them to me.
PS: Note, this thread is for non-RPG suggestions. I love Megaten games as much as the next guy, but this is not the place.
PS2: Sorry for not making it clearer, but I'm mostly looking for games that I may have missed in my otherwise vigilant perusal of gaming news sites. Jclast's suggestion of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a good example of this - I'm not sure if the game is any good, but it's a game I remember completely disregarding when I saw the case, because I assumed it was shovelware garbage. Now that it's been brought to my attention, I can do a little research into it and see if it's something that I might like. Also, any comments on the 4 series I listed above (Jak, Ratchet, Kessen, and Rot3K would be highly appreciated) would be highly appreciated since they're all multi-game series that interest me that I have never played before. Rot3K has me particularly confused since I know there are a million different versions and I've heard that the gameplay style changes from sequel to sequel.
I'm a huge RPG fan. From Dragon Quest to Megaten, if it's good, I've probably played it (or have it on my to-buy list). I purchased a Sega CD and Genesis just for Phantasy Star & Lunar, imported various RPGs through the years (starting with Saturn Grandia) wrote a walkthrough for a Japanese only game (Soul Hackers), etc, etc.
The point being that I know the PS2 has a great RPG lineup. However, I do like games from most other genres (excluding sports). My question is what games from other genres on the system am I missing out on? Some series that I'm interested in and haven't tried yet include Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, Kessen, and Romance of the 3 Kingdoms (my favorite Chinese story). Are these games still worth playing? Should I start with the 1st and move my way up or just start with the best game in the series (whichever that is)? Any other games you'd recommend? For reference, here are some of the non-RPGs I've enjoyed on the PS2:
Klonoa 2
Devil May Cry 1&3
Resident Evil 4 (possibly my favorite game)
Katamari Damacy & We Love Katamari
Sly Cooper 1
Psychonauts
Beyond Good & Evil
Siren 1&2
Fatal Frame 1
Gradius V
R-Type Final
Silent Hill 2-4
Sega Genesis Collection (any other good retro collections you'd recommend?)
And some of my favorite PC games include Civilization 2, Magic the Gathering Online (well, until I decided it was way too expensive), Half-life 2, and Titan Quest.
As you can see from my list, I'm more of a 1 player sort of guy. Oh and I also own an XBox 360 so I'm not too interested in PS2 racing games since the 360 has a nice library in that regard or Guitar Hero 2 for the PS2 (really looking forward to the 360 version).
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I enjoyed ICO & Shadow of the Colossus. I think they're a bit overrated, but still good games. No need to recommend them to me.
PS: Note, this thread is for non-RPG suggestions. I love Megaten games as much as the next guy, but this is not the place.
PS2: Sorry for not making it clearer, but I'm mostly looking for games that I may have missed in my otherwise vigilant perusal of gaming news sites. Jclast's suggestion of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a good example of this - I'm not sure if the game is any good, but it's a game I remember completely disregarding when I saw the case, because I assumed it was shovelware garbage. Now that it's been brought to my attention, I can do a little research into it and see if it's something that I might like. Also, any comments on the 4 series I listed above (Jak, Ratchet, Kessen, and Rot3K would be highly appreciated) would be highly appreciated since they're all multi-game series that interest me that I have never played before. Rot3K has me particularly confused since I know there are a million different versions and I've heard that the gameplay style changes from sequel to sequel.
RainbowDespair on
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Also Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI just came out two weeks ago.
Rez is totally unstoppable. You can get it brand new for $39.99 from GameQuest Direct.
http://www.gamequestdirect.com/010086630008.html
Although a bit too easy for my tastes, Okami is also a must play.
What I'd like are suggestions for good games that are NOT RPGs.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Personally, I like the second one best, and it's (for some reason) the cheapest/easiest to find.
Ironically, I've been a fan of all genres besides RPGs, and so now I've been going back and looking for all the good RPGs I missed.
This was difficult for me to reconcile in my post. I wanted to steer clear of RPGs, and yet you also seem to be going for solid single player experiences. Most of the single player games on the system that aren't RPGs either suck horribly or aren't too easy to track down. My lust of the Megami Tensei franchise combined to produce a post that was completely useless.
If you can find it, Sky Gunner is totally rad. Sort of game you'll rarely see but when you do it'll be in the $7 area if you bump into it at a Gamestop or something.
http://www.atlus.com/sg/index.html
The controls felt really awkward to me at first but it clicked pretty quickly.
In addition, if you still like shmups, RAIDEN III is coming out in the US in March. Gamestop/EB is definitely carrying it but I'm not sure if Game Crazy/anyone else is going to actually get it in yet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raiden_III
I've played the first Onimusha and thought it was decent and I rather enjoyed the fourth one (Dawn of Dreams), but I haven't played the second or the third. Why is the second one your favorite?
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Even if you did, buy these anyway.
Because it's an improvement over the original, and I feel it had a better story than the third (time-traveling Jean Reno irks me). I haven't played the fourth game yet, though.
Also in the realm of cheap games, if you like puzzle games, pick up Bombastic. The mode made for the new game is good, and the two unlockables are classic mode (previously only available on the hard to find PSX game before it, Devil Dice) and advanced mode (a tweaked-out version of classic mode that was only available in Japan before). A hell of a lot of good puzzle gameplay for $10 or so.
Jak & Dexter 1 is really good but way too easy (I beat it in 2 days and got 100% in a week) but it should be cheap now, so get it. The rest of the sersis is not as good, but may be worth getting for cheap.
Also, GOD HAND IMO, it is one of the best games ever (thou I am a fan of action games)
Ratchet and Clank is good for cartoon gunplay, and Jak and Daxter is good for story and platforming (1), or gunplay (2), or gunplay and driving (3).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIhguaHzspY
I also reccomend Rez and Sly Cooper 3 (never played 1 or 2)
A few questions.
Gitaroo Man, tell me more. I saw it the other day and it looked fun, though it was rather expensive ($40 Used). Does it play like Um Jammer Lammy (one of my favorite PS1 games) or is it more advanced than that?
Is Culdcept worth bothering with for the PS2 when the 360 sequel is coming out in just a couple months? I would think the 360 version would be noticeably better if only for the ability to play online with others (sounds ideal for this sort of game).
God Hand seems to be a really love it or hate it game. Any good way to guess which category I would fall under short of playing it? EDIT: Thanks Hotlead, you answered my question. Looks like I'll add it to the top of my to-get list.
Oh and I have the Silent Hill games already as well as Killer 7. Love Silent Hill, didn't care for Killer 7 though I intend to give it another try sometime and see if it grows on me.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Metal Gear Solid 2:Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 3:Subsistence
Rez
Zone of the Enders:The Second Runner
And Symphony of the Night is a must if you've never played it before.
And I've tried all 3 games, but I've decided that the Metal Gear Solid series just isn't for me.
I actually just bought the first Zone of the Enders since it was $5. It's sort of fun, but I started to get bored after the first couple hours and haven't played it again since. How much better is the sequel?
Oh and I'm not really a fan of hardcore fighting games. Something you can just pick up and play like Smash Bros. or the Gamecube Naruto games is more my style.
Oh and it's perfectly okay to not like SMT: Nocturne Johannen. What it does, it does exceptionally well, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
The difference between ZoE1 and ZoE2 is like night and day from what I've heard. While I've heard good things about the original, ZoE2 is one of the most amazing games you'll ever play. It's mindblowing, really.
And the OP is a little lacking, you've played far more games than it lets on, and the fact that you've shot down more than half the games suggested shows that.
Ace Combat 4 is required, it's amazing. After that, Ace Combat 5 is a nice way to get your fix because the gameplay is basically the same, and it's longer than AC4.
Ace Combat Zero is probably the one game in the series that wouldn't have hooked me if I played it first. It's just not as much fun, IMO.
Actually, most of the game was the best game I ever played, but any time I wasn't in a battle or a cutscene, it was goddamn painful. I love the art style and the wickedly awesome plot, but walking anywhere was like a punishment. On top of that, they have nonsensical labyrinths. The Diet Building totally makes up for the others, though.
I can totally agree with this.
And damn, Hotlead. I kinda want to play God Hand now. I didn't think of it from a "DMC, but crazier" perspective. And beating up on stuff is always fun.
Sorry if it was a little vague, I've updated the OP. And half of the games I've shot down were RPGs or Action/RPGs (Megaten, Shadow Hearts, Castlevania) when the OP specifically requested non-RPGs. And I tried to be comprehensive with my list, but I will admit that I just plain forgot to mention some series like Silent Hill (which is surprising since SH2 is one of my all time favorites).
I'm mostly looking for games that I may have missed in my otherwise vigilant perusal of gaming news sites. Jclast's suggestion of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a good example of this - I'm not sure if the game is any good, but it's a game I remember completely disregarding when I saw the case, because I assumed it was shovelware garbage. Now that it's been brought to my attention, I can do a little research into it and see if it's something that I might like.
Also, any comments on the 4 series I listed above (Jak, Ratchet, Kessen, and Rot3K would be highly appreciated) would be highly appreciated since they're all multi-game series that interest me that I have never played before. Rot3K has me particularly confused since I know there are a million different versions and I've heard that the gameplay style changes from sequel to sequel.
On another note, I must admit that I had completely overlooked the Ace Combat series. I really like rails shooters like Panzer Dragoon & Star Fox; I assume Ace Combat is a more free flying series?
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
1 was a solid platformer. Run, jump, giant bosses, and a couple interesting "vehicle" (one is bird, the other a rocket thingie) segments.
2 tried very hard to be GTA, and it worked, to an extent. The focus shifted from platforming to gunplay, and the guns work well, but the difficulty spikes drastically from mission to mission. Vehicle segments (races, etc.) are difficult, and on-foot segments feel about right. Bosses are still good.
3 realized it shouldn't be GTA, but couldn't disregard the environment from the second game. Things are more spread out, due to a new locale and events of the second game. There's a heavier focus on racing and vehicles, and they're actually done well. Shorter than 2, longer than 1, and probably the best of the series unless you really just wanted a shiny happy platformer. If that's the case, play 1 and forget the second 2 were ever made.
Ratchet series:
1 is by far the easiest. Lots of weapons are available, and they're interesting to boot. Gold weapons can be purchased, but some are only available on a second playthrough. Sadly, this second playthrough is exactly the same as the first except you have better weapons.
2 introduces armor and light RPG elements. Ratchet levels up and so do his weapons. Giant Clank returns, and his segment is fun, but a little harder than most other portions of the game. Weapons, this time around, seem to have a finite time in which they're useful. This wasn't the case in the first game (for me, at least). Introduces strafing.
3 is a tighter version of 2. There's still armor and level-ups, but the further you move in the series it feels more like a third-person shooter than a platformer. I spend the majority of my time in strafe mode. The Space Ranger missions are awesome. So are the Qwark minigames.
My favorite of both series is 3 (although I haven't played Ratchet: Deadlocked, and Jak X is a fun arcade racer so I figured it didn't count). Also, the Ratchet series gets a thumbs up for making use of old save data as a bonus in the second 2 games.
As soon as I saw Gene spanking the ladies as an attack and saw him kicking guys into low orbit I knew this was the game for me. Just a word of warning though, the game is tough, but Hard mode is Ninja Gaiden Black hard. I'v gotten my ass kicked on the first boss on hard mode at least 35 times today, still totally worth it when I managed to dragon kick two guys at once out of a window and send them into the stratosphere after they had repetadley beaten me up in previous attempts. The combat is a little like Tekken's strafing around the enemies, but the fancy moves are very simple to pull off, just tap the button you assigned to it and Gene unleashes it. You are super-uber powerful, but the tradeoff is that the enemies will hand your ass to you if you mess up even once, plus, the better you get at fighting and dodging attacks, the higher your level raises and the tougher and smarter the enemy gets. It's a very well done difficulty system.
There is now. The theme song is burned into my brain, I tells ya.
Twitter
A complete list would eliminate any recommendations to games you've already played (and perhaps, didn't enjoy), which is what Muse was getting at.
Check the OP.
No, I mean I love it. :winky:
Ratchet 2- Going Commando: Longest game in series; best level and enemy design (some of the later planets are just unbeatable); most inspired weapons and most rewarding challenge mode; best arenas; fun space-shooter minigame - best plot/writing.
Ratchet 3 - Up Your Arsenal: Shooter-heavy; best control scheme; most/best weapons (and cleans up some of the best weapons from the old game), tighter difficulty level, incredibly fun 2-D platforming minigame, best character (you guys know what I'm talking about).
Deadlocked is kinda crappy, though it's Co-Op gameplay can make it worth picking up for $15 or so, and Ratchet 1, while fun, isn't really like the later games in the series; it's much heavier on platformer.
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As has been said before, Jak II is a great platformer with some decent (light) racing/minigame elements; Jak III is even better but is far shorter and not as tightly designed. They're worth picking up if you're a bigger fan of platformer than shooter [Ratchet is a little more shooter-heavy].
Jak X is an awesome racing game, I don't care if it's a tie-in.
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Even if you don't want RPG suggestions, if you haven't played Dark Cloud II, you must. It's an action RPG that's showing it's age in mechanics, but it's mini-games [ever tried to play golf in the middle of a level?] and invention system are absolutely incredible. It's also incredibly "oh-my-god you're not kidding, are you" long, so it's one of the best $20 deals you can find.
It also still looks beautiful - it's well-done cell-shading.
DP Code - 3050 4223 5906