PS2 games for the first time Playstation owner?

CZroe

I bought a PSone when it was so old that the LCD bundle was only $30. I never bought any games for it that I didn't own elsewhere (PC versions of Megaman X4 & X5, Final Fantasy VII). I also never bought a PS2.

With this in mind, I've got a lot of catching up to do with the PS3. I'm frothing at the mouth for Guitar Hero, though I think I'm going to go all out with an HDMI-equipped XBOX 360 and the XBOX 360 version if not simply for the USB guitar (Frets of Fire?). With that set aside, I've begun hunting for the games I've longed to play but couldn't (in other words, PS2 exclusives). I already owned Taiko with two drums and Megaman X8 (someone borrowed and lost X7 before I could really play it). I now own both Katamari games (totaling $17 new ), Shadow of the Collossus, Devil May Cry Collection, Jak 3, Jak X Combat Racing, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet: Deadlocked, Megaman X Collection (which I intended to get for GC), Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistance, and Resident Evil 4 (which I will also own for PC and Gamecube). I already intend to get God of War, God Hand, Okami, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy XII and I'm attempting to acquire ICO (the only one I'll settle for used). I've owned Disgea Hour of Darkness but I don't wanna get near that or Disgaea 2 with a 10-foot pole (TIME SINK). Same goes for Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2. Also, just about any game you can get for PC or on another platform, I already have on another platform (I have Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance, Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition, Onimusha 3 Demon Seige, complete Grand Theft Auto series, etc for the PC). This is due to never owning a PS2.

So, the games I have, have had, or intend to get (in other words, don't need recommended to me) are:
[Redubbed as "the have/want list"]
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition
Dragonwarrior VIII - Thanks Xagatath
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy XII
Genji - Thanks Unco-Ordinated
God Hand
God of War
God of War II
ICO
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - Thanks Xagatath
Jak II
Jak 3
Jak X Combat Racing
Katamari Damacy
I Katamari
Kingdom Hearts - Thanks Xagatath
Kingdom Hearts II - Thanks Xagatath
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Maximo vs. Army of Zin (once owned but never played) - Thanks Xagatath
Megaman X Collection
Megaman X7 (HA!)
Megaman X8
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistance
Okami
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet: Deadlocked
Resident Evil 4
Sega Genesis Collection - Thanks Unco-Ordinated
Shadow of the Collossus
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus - Thanks unco-ordinated! I couldn't remember the names of these.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves - Thanks Unco-Ordinated
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves - Thanks Unco-Ordinated
Taiko Drum Master

New "look into" list because I know too little but they were recommended:
Amplitude - Thanks AlphaTwo
Farenheit (never heard of it) - Thanks Xagarath
Frequency - Thanks AlphaTwo
Gradius 5 - Thanks Xagarath
Gregory Horror Show (never heard of it) - Thanks Xagarath
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (is this available on PC?) - Thanks Xagarath
Klonoa 2 - Thanks Xagarath
Kuri Kuri Mix / Cookie and Cream (never heard of either) - Thanks Xagarath
Onimusha series - Thanks Unco-Ordinated
Rez (I owned this for $5 and sold it new) - Thanks Xagarath
Shadow Heats series (seen but totally unfamiliar with) - Thanks Xagarath
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven - Thanks Disruptor X
Freak Out/Stretch Panic (never heard of it) - Thanks Xagarath
Gitaroo Man (Hard to find? I LOVE INIS' Elite Beat Agents!) - Thanks Xagarath


While these games don't appeal to me (if not simply because I consider it too late to get into them with so little time):
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
Disgea Hour of Darkness
Disgea 2
Grand Turismo series
Arc the Lad series
Wild Arms series
"Tales of" series
Tekken series
Street Fighter series
Soul Calibur series
Crash Bandicoot series
Zone of the Enders series
.hack series
Megami Tensi Digital Devil Saga

And I already/will soon have these for another platform:
Beyond Good and Evil PC
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition PS2 & PC (which should I play?)
Grand Theft Auto III PC (and the predecessors/expansions)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PC
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PC
Guitar Hero planned to get by way of Guitar Hero 2 on XBOX 360
Guitar Hero 2 planned to get by way of 360 (USB!!!)
Killer 7 GC
Max Payne PC
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne PC
Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance PC (and the predecessors for PC/NES)
Prince of Persia 3D PC
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time PC
Prince of Persia: Warior Within PC
Prince of Persia: the Two Thrones PC
Psychonauts PC
Shadow of Destiny PC
Silent Hill 2 PC
Silent Hill 3 PC
Silent Hill 4: The Room PC
Soul Calibur 2 GC
Viewtiful Joe GC
Viewtiful Joe 2 GC & sealed for PS2 (any difference?)

[Remember: If it's available on any other platform, I probably bought it long ago to avoid buying a PS2.]

I'm so clueless that I don't even know which Jak or Ratchet games in the series I am missing (or which order they go in ) [Figuring it out now. Thanks!]. With that in mind, what am I really, truely missing that I should have? As you can tell, I'm looking for mostly "one shot" 1-player titles that I can finish and be done with. Like the Sly Cooper: Thievius Raccoonus games. I'd add them to the have/want list if I even knew the names.

Edit: Bolds are added entries.

Xagarath

My usual list for these, amended:

Oddball:

Gitaroo Man
Freak Out/Stretch Panic

Beat-em-up:

Soul Calibur 2

Shooter:

Gradius 5
Rez
Killer 7

Brawler:

Devil May Cry 1 and 3
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Maximo vs. Army of Zin
Viewtiful Joe

Platformer:

Klonoa 2
Kuri Kuri Mix / Cookie and Cream (depending on country)
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Jak and Daxter
Psychonauts

Action-Adventure:

Beyond Good and Evil
Gregory Horror Show
Farenheit
Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4

RPG:

Kingdom Heart 1 and 2
Dragon Quest 8
Shadow Hearts 1 and 2
Disgaea 1 and 2

DisruptorX2

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. One of my favourite PS2 games. Its all about performing stealth kills.

AlphaTwo

Frequency/Amplitude?

CZroe

Xagarath wrote: »

My usual list for these, amended:

Oddball:
Gitaroo Man
Freak Out/Stretch Panic

Beat-em-up:
Soul Calibur 2

Shooter:
Gradius 5
Rez
Killer 7

Brawler:
Devil May Cry 1 and 3
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Maximo vs. Army of Zin
Viewtiful Joe

Platformer:
Klonoa 2
Kuri Kuri Mix / Cookie and Cream (depending on country)
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Jak and Daxter
Psychonauts

Action-Adventure:
Beyond Good and Evil
Gregory Horror Show
Farenheit
Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4

RPG:
Kingdom Heart 1 and 2
Dragon Quest 8
Shadow Hearts 1 and 2
Disgaea 1 and 2

DisruptorX2 wrote: »

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. One of my favourite PS2 games. Its all about performing stealth kills.

AlphaTwo wrote: »

Frequency/Amplitude?

I've had and sold, lost or traded-in (without opening or playing) many of these from clearances past. When I got finished banging my head on the table, I ammended the list to include...

Have/Want:
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak II
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando (I did my Jak and Ratchet Wiki research )
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Dragonwarrior VIII (I forgot that this was on my radar)
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Maximo vs. Army of Zin (I once owned this with $50 trade in credit and never opened it)

Look into:
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Frequency (I owned this once from a clearance and ditched it sealed without playing it)
Amplitude (same deal as Frequency)
Gradius 5
Rez (I owned this once for $5 and sold it new)
Shadow Heats series (totally unfamiliar)
Gregory Horror Show
Farenheit
Kuri Kuri Mix / Cookie and Cream
Klonoa 2
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (is this available on PC?)
Gitaroo Man (Hard to find? I LOVE INIS' Elite Beat Agents!)
Freak Out/Stretch Panic

Already have on other platforms:
Silent Hill 2 PC
Silent Hill 3 PC
Silent Hill 4: The Room PC
Beyond Good and Evil PC
Prince of Persia 3D PC
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time PC
Prince of Persia: Warior Within PC
Prince of Persia: the Two Thrones PC
Psychonauts PC
Viewtiful Joe GC
Viewtiful Joe 2 GC (I may also have the PS2 game sealed lying around... anything different?)
Devil May Cry PS2
Devil May Cry 2 PS2
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition PS2 & PC
Killer 7 GC
Sould Calibur 2 GC

Remember: If it's available on any other platform, I probably bought it long ago to avoid buying a PS2. That especially goes for the PS2-to-PC ports and almost always for the popular ones that go the other way (for instance, the Max Payne series)

Unco-ordinated

I would recommend:

Genji
SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Collection
Shadow of Destiny/Memories (developed by the Silent Hill team)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Also, play the PS2 version of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. There's no extra features in it and I really could not imagine playing it on PC.

And while I know you said you own Onimusha 3 on the PC, I'd still recommend getting the entire series for the PS2. You can't get 2 or 4 on any other platform.

CZroe

Unco-ordinated wrote: »

I would recommend:

Genji
SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Collection
Shadow of Destiny/Memories (developed by the Silent Hill team)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Also, play the PS2 version of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. There's no extra features in it and I really could not imagine playing it on PC.

And while I know you said you own Onimusha 3 on the PC, I'd still recommend getting the entire series for the PS2. You can't get 2 or 4 on any other platform.

Thanks! I saw Genji at a couple places for $10. I passed over it because I hadn't heard anything but the name until the PS3 game so I didn't think the original (is it?) was well accepted. I'll look into picking it up. I actually already own Shadow of Destiny for PC (the PC collection is pretty thorough ). Is Shadow of Memories a sequel or an alternate title?

SNES

No interest at all in .hack?

I believe GU to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious games ever. It's utterly ridiculous. It's like the devs couldn't decide between parody and serious work, and thought it would work to blend the two.

So you have them making Soul Calibur references one second then screaming in pain after being hit for massive damage on the internet the next (then gasping and asking philosophical questions).

I seriously recommend GU volume 1 as a rental, at least. See if you can get a taste for it. Some people are bored by its repetetive gameplay, while others go absolutely crazy over the style. It's certainly different from the first series.

Unco-ordinated

CZroe wrote: »

Unco-ordinated wrote: »

I would recommend:

Genji
SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Collection
Shadow of Destiny/Memories (developed by the Silent Hill team)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Also, play the PS2 version of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. There's no extra features in it and I really could not imagine playing it on PC.

And while I know you said you own Onimusha 3 on the PC, I'd still recommend getting the entire series for the PS2. You can't get 2 or 4 on any other platform.

Thanks! I saw Genji at a couple places for $10. I passed over it because I hadn't heard anything but the name until the PS3 game so I didn't think the original (is it?) was well accepted. I'll look into picking it up. I actually already own Shadow of Destiny for PC (the PC collection is pretty thorough ). Is Shadow of Memories a sequel or an alternate title?

The funny thing about Genji 2 is that it seemed to fix Genji 1's main problem (game length) but then proceeded to screw up other parts (the camera I've heard a lot of bad things about). Genji 1 is a pretty good game (very similar to Onimusha except it's faster and has jumping) with its only problem being the length. I'd say it's well worth $10 though.

Also, Shadow of Memories is the PAL name for Shadow of Destiny.

Renzo

SNES wrote: »

No interest at all in .hack?

I believe GU to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious games ever. It's utterly ridiculous. It's like the devs couldn't decide between parody and serious work, and thought it would work to blend the two.

So you have them making Soul Calibur references one second then screaming in pain after being hit for massive damage on the internet the next (then gasping and asking philosophical questions).

I seriously recommend GU volume 1 as a rental, at least. See if you can get a taste for it. Some people are bored by its repetetive gameplay, while others go absolutely crazy over the style. It's certainly different from the first series.

There's also the perspective that GU is actually a good game, and not parody. And if you've played the previous games, the tone shouldn't surprise you. That's how the whole franchise IS. And what game doesn't have repetitive gameplay?

And yeah, Genji 1 is good, especially for $10. Easy, but good.

SNES

Renzo wrote: »

SNES wrote: »

No interest at all in .hack?

I believe GU to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious games ever. It's utterly ridiculous. It's like the devs couldn't decide between parody and serious work, and thought it would work to blend the two.

So you have them making Soul Calibur references one second then screaming in pain after being hit for massive damage on the internet the next (then gasping and asking philosophical questions).

I seriously recommend GU volume 1 as a rental, at least. See if you can get a taste for it. Some people are bored by its repetetive gameplay, while others go absolutely crazy over the style. It's certainly different from the first series.

There's also the perspective that GU is actually a good game, and not parody. And if you've played the previous games, the tone shouldn't surprise you. That's how the whole franchise IS. And what game doesn't have repetitive gameplay?

And yeah, Genji 1 is good, especially for $10. Easy, but good.

Yes, and then there's my perspective that GU's parody. To each their own, and all that.

I found the tone of GU radically different from .hack//GAMES because of Haseo. He's no Kite, and I found Kite extremely endearing. Essential to the feel of the first games. Then you have Tri-Edge or whatever, no Aura, playing as Skeith... it's cool, I'll admit, but some of the situations border on insanity. Suspension of disbelief? Sure, I can buy people falling into comas due to an online game in a video game. Haseo screaming 'come on' into his mic until he triggers a super-secret transformation sequence? I'm sorry, but I find that funny.

EDIT: But being able to destroy the internet via Data Drain in the first games was gold. I guess I can't take video games seriously or something.

Ramen Noodle

GUITAR HERO.

Flesh Into Gear

Prepare to be bombarded with fantastic titles!

ArugulaZ

If you liked playing Monopoly as a kid, and like playing RPGs now, definitely consider Culdcept. It somehow finds a way to blend the territorial tug-of-war of America's favorite board game with the outstanding artwork and fantasy setting of a quality role-playing game. Just be warned... a typical game of Culdcept will stretch out to an hour or more, especially if you're competing against multiple opponents. If you're an impatient gamer with an itchy trigger finger, this one might not be for you.

Hashy

I know Zone of the Enders is in your "can't be bothered" category but the sequel is widely considered one of the best titles on the PS2, and the story is pretty far removed from the first title, though you can watch a recap of it on the seconds' title screen. If you like action games with great boss fights and varied gameplay, ridiculous anime cliches and/or Kojima you owe it to yourself.

Xagarath

Just a couple of things I forgot to add:
Farenheit is known as Indigo Prophecy in the US, but the latter version is all horribly censored.

Gregory Horror Show can't be got in the US at all (but can in the UK), making it rather unusual. However. the US got Okage: Shadow King instead, which generally annoys me.

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is also avalible on gamecube, but not pc.

Viewtiful Joe 1 (but not 2) on the PS2 has an extra character (Dante) and (apparantly) a slightly lower difficulty.

Apparantly Gitaroo Man isn't hard to find, though tends to go for less in the UK than the US.

I should also add that the special edition of DMC3 is actually inferior to the original, as it dramatically lowered the difficulty. The game is far better suited to PS2 controls than PC.

Ginsane

You need more Megami Tensei.

Renzo

Xagarath wrote: »

I should also add that the special edition of DMC3 is actually inferior to the original, as it dramatically lowered the difficulty. The game is far better suited to PS2 controls than PC.

He can't just set the difficulty to Hard?

CripTonic

FFXII... ugh, has a terrible plot, and the programmable teammates really ruined it for me (and will ruin for you too if you're a fan of the turn base style RPG).

We Katamari is just a rehash game, you can skip it if you get the original.


The rest of your list seems solid. I would recommend picking up a Wild Arms game (assuming it's in the too late pile), they're quite good.

Xagarath

Renzo wrote: »

Xagarath wrote: »

I should also add that the special edition of DMC3 is actually inferior to the original, as it dramatically lowered the difficulty. The game is far better suited to PS2 controls than PC.

He can't just set the difficulty to Hard?

It's a principle thing.

LewieP

Xagarath wrote: »

Gregory Horror Show can't be got in the US at all (but can in the UK), making it rather unusual. However. the US got Okage: Shadow King instead, which generally annoys me.

This has gone down to £10 now. How is it?

CZroe

SNES wrote: »

No interest at all in .hack?

I believe GU to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious games ever. It's utterly ridiculous. It's like the devs couldn't decide between parody and serious work, and thought it would work to blend the two.

I just can't appreciate that kinda story when it directly conflicts with what I know about technology and such. I can't just ignore the absurdity to enjoy the game like most of my coworkers and friends that love the series. It's really just my OCD and is the same reason why I hate Megaman Battle Network/Network Transmission. It's just like people who don't know just how ridiculous Swordfish is may actually enjoy that BS movie.

So you have them making Soul Calibur references one second then screaming in pain after being hit for massive damage on the internet the next (then gasping and asking philosophical questions).

I didn't realize that it had that "wacky" appeal. but Katamari is enough of that for me. I guess the main reason why I'm avoiding them is because it's another extensive series I don't have time for and it's further complicated by the new "double-dip DVD" style re-releases (unless I'm totally misinterpreting what I see in the advertisements). Games like that should be sold in collections instead of Devil May Cry and Need for Speed. Perhaps then I'd be able to get into it instead of going through tremendous work just to identify and obtain each.

I seriously recommend GU volume 1 as a rental, at least. See if you can get a taste for it. Some people are bored by its repetetive gameplay, while others go absolutely crazy over the style. It's certainly different from the first series.

So it is the kinda game series that you can pick up from the middle? I was thinking otherwise which was yet another reason I was ignoring it.

ArugulaZ wrote: »

If you liked playing Monopoly as a kid, and like playing RPGs now, definitely consider Culdcept. It somehow finds a way to blend the territorial tug-of-war of America's favorite board game with the outstanding artwork and fantasy setting of a quality role-playing game. Just be warned... a typical game of Culdcept will stretch out to an hour or more, especially if you're competing against multiple opponents. If you're an impatient gamer with an itchy trigger finger, this one might not be for you.

Sounds interresting, but I guess I'm looking for games I can "finish" instead of arbitrarily deciding when to stop playing to move on to other games... though I am considering Lumines Plus.

Hashy wrote: »

I know Zone of the Enders is in your "can't be bothered" category but the sequel is widely considered one of the best titles on the PS2, and the story is pretty far removed from the first title, though you can watch a recap of it on the seconds' title screen. If you like action games with great boss fights and varied gameplay, ridiculous anime cliches and/or Kojima you owe it to yourself.

Well, ridiculous anime cliches are another reason why I was avoiding the .hack series, but you make Zone of the Enders sound more like the straight-shot kinda games I'm looking for. Pretty much the only epic 80+ hour games I'm going for are the ones I'd be criticized for not playing. That'd be Final Fantasy X, XII, and Dragon Warrior VIII and the like.

Xagarath wrote: »

Just a couple of things I forgot to add:
Farenheit is known as Indigo Prophecy in the US, but the latter version is all horribly censored.

Now that, I've heard of. I've actually been waiting to nab that on clearance for PC. Was it just the PS2 version that got the censor treatment?

Gregory Horror Show can't be got in the US at all (but can in the UK), making it rather unusual. However. the US got Okage: Shadow King instead, which generally annoys me.

I guess that means no GH Show for me then. The PS3 is only region-free for PS3 titles, right? It damn sure isn't for DVD/Blu-Ray. So is Okage any good? I remember the box art but can't remember if it was that or Herdy Gerdy that people were recommending back then.

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is also avalible on gamecube, but not pc.

Viewtiful Joe 1 (but not 2) on the PS2 has an extra character (Dante) and (apparantly) a slightly lower difficulty.

Apparantly Gitaroo Man isn't hard to find, though tends to go for less in the UK than the US.

I remembered something about the extra character in VJ. Also, varying difficulty. are the graphics largely the same? In that case, I'll try to exchange or trade my extra VJ2 for PS2.

I should also add that the special edition of DMC3 is actually inferior to the original, as it dramatically lowered the difficulty. The game is far better suited to PS2 controls than PC.

Well, the DMC Collection for PS2 (three-game pack) and the PC version only include Special Edition. It was either that or pay much more.

CripTonic wrote: »

FFXII... ugh, has a terrible plot, and the programmable teammates really ruined it for me (and will ruin for you too if you're a fan of the turn base style RPG).

We Katamari is just a rehash game, you can skip it if you get the original.


The rest of your list seems solid. I would recommend picking up a Wild Arms game (assuming it's in the too late pile), they're quite good.

Well, the Gambit system sounds a lot like the other SRPGs I've played but from a different perspective so I think I'll be OK with it. Besides, I'm mostly playing it to silence the "WHAT?! You haven't played FFXII? Your opinion doesn't matter!" crowd. The same reason I've played all the other FF games so far.

Oh, an We Katamari was $2 so I picked up two copies. I bought it for a friend long ago for $25 after coupon and he enjoyed it (I convinced him to buy Katamari Damacy before that on this forum's recommendation). Funny you should mention Wild Arms. I was mostly avoiding it because I have no intentions to go back and play the original PSone games, but I have Wild Arms 4 sitting on my shelf sealed. I picked it up last week for $5 because a friend said he wanted it from the Best Buy clearance but I haven't been able to contact him since. It is the kind of series I'd regret jumping in the middle of?

Xagarath

LewieP wrote: »

Xagarath wrote: »

Gregory Horror Show can't be got in the US at all (but can in the UK), making it rather unusual. However. the US got Okage: Shadow King instead, which generally annoys me.

This has gone down to £10 now. How is it?

I've yet to finish it, but it's a charming little oddity.
Frankly, you should be able to find it for £5.

Was it just the PS2 version that got the censor treatment?

Unsure, to be honest, but the pc version'd be easily importable anyway.

Anyways, VJ has pretty much the exact same graphics on both consoles, and Okage: Shadow King is apparantly fairly good. I mainly covet it due to the graphical style.

DouglasDanger

Maximo and the sequel are two great games.

mekman 2

I don't think I saw it on the lists so far, but Burnout 3 and up is definitely something to remind one why the PS2 was the most popular system of the last generation (..trickling even into this one a bit). I just saw an ad for Burnout Dominator coming for the PS2 and I'm really so (SO VERY) mad at EA for not getting this title on the Wii.... I fell like calling them on the phone about it.

EDIT: I forgot it's also available for X-box and the 360... but still..

cjeris

Not interested in the two Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga games -- why?

They're not terribly long, maybe 40 hours apiece, and in my opinion they're two of the best-executed traditional JRPGs on the PS2. They're even moderately challenging, though nowhere near as hard as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Nocturne is great art (in the video game sense), but I'm not sure I'll ever finish it.

I agree with the recommendation for the Shadow Hearts games, although they are much lighter in tone and difficulty. Skip the third unless you are completely in love with the universe after the second.

I wish more good JRPGs would come out with interesting variations on turn-based systems (like the above two series, and FFXII) instead of this Tales/Star Ocean-style "mash buttons, and have the rest of the party use up all their MP" nonsense that seems to be standard now. (Yes, I'm exaggerating something that irritates me.)

ArugulaZ

While I can appreciate game developers moving away from boring turn-based battles in RPGs, they're going to have a find a better alternative than the one offered in Star Ocean: Till The End of Time. I just can't wrap my head around Tri-Ace battle systems... they're so awkward and confusing that I find myself desperately scrambling for my Playstation's eject button with one hand, and a different game with the other.

Ooh, I've got a recommendation for you! How about Bombastic? It's the sequel to Devil Dice, and a puzzle game that's fun for five minutes, or fifteen, or fifty. It's addicting, but at the same time you never feel OBLIGATED to play it. The play mechanics are a little tricky at first- you've got to match up <I>n</I> number of <I>n</I>-sided dice by rolling them into place- but once you get the hang of it you'll keep coming back for more. Here's the best part... it's cheap! I got my copy for less than ten bucks.

CZroe

Checked off Jak II at Best Buy yesterday ($5) when picking up Jak 3 ($2), Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 ($5), and X-Men Legends ($5) for a friend (the same one who's getting that $5 Wild Arms 4 I snagged a couple days earlier).

Xagarath wrote: »

CZroe wrote:

Was it just the PS2 version that got the censor treatment?

Unsure, to be honest, but the pc version'd be easily importable anyway.

Anyways, VJ has pretty much the exact same graphics on both consoles, and Okage: Shadow King is apparantly fairly good. I mainly covet it due to the graphical style.

Awesome! I'll look into it.

cjeris wrote: »

Not interested in the two Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga games -- why?

They're not terribly long, maybe 40 hours apiece, and in my opinion they're two of the best-executed traditional JRPGs on the PS2. They're even moderately challenging, though nowhere near as hard as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Nocturne is great art (in the video game sense), but I'm not sure I'll ever finish it.

I agree with the recommendation for the Shadow Hearts games, although they are much lighter in tone and difficulty. Skip the third unless you are completely in love with the universe after the second.

I wish more good JRPGs would come out with interesting variations on turn-based systems (like the above two series, and FFXII) instead of this Tales/Star Ocean-style "mash buttons, and have the rest of the party use up all their MP" nonsense that seems to be standard now. (Yes, I'm exaggerating something that irritates me.)

Well, it probably appears that I'm more interested in JRPGs than I am because I agreed to look into games like Shadow Hearts before knowing that it's another 40 hours I don't have time for.

If I had unlimited time and funds, I'd definitely look into it. Unfortunately, I feel that only the most major entries are enough to justify the time. If I don't have time to play through a single Final Fantasy game, how will I find the time for the others? I feel obligated to play FF X and FF XII at least. If anything, I'd be going back to the SNES and playing Chrono Trigger for the first time and then trying to get other ending before I moved on to the more "indie" PS2 JRPGs.

ArugulaZ wrote: »

Ooh, I've got a recommendation for you! How about Bombastic? It's the sequel to Devil Dice, and a puzzle game that's fun for five minutes, or fifteen, or fifty. It's addicting, but at the same time you never feel OBLIGATED to play it. The play mechanics are a little tricky at first- you've got to match up <I>n</I> number of <I>n</I>-sided dice by rolling them into place- but once you get the hang of it you'll keep coming back for more. Here's the best part... it's cheap! I got my copy for less than ten bucks.

I actually had a few copies of Bombastic ($5 Toys R Us clearance). People just keep suggesting games that I should have kept and didn't know.

I traded them toward PS2 games at a store offering 3-for-1 ($50 credit) trade-ins. I nabbed him a copy of Time Crisis 3 with GunCon2 (mispriced at $40) and myself Front Mission 4, and Maximo vs Army of Zin (both still $50 then). Having no PS2, I got them to increase the value of other things but eBay screwed me over (they kept pulling my Super Famicom Front Mission + PSone Front Mission 3 + PS2 Front Mission 4 + Front Mission 4 mini-guide + Front Mission 4 demo disc auction, claiming piracy, until FM4 was only worth $20).