IGN new list of top 25 Playstation 2 games

[J T]

I rather enjoyed this new list:

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/772/772296p1.html

For once, I actually have everything on one of these lists! (Well, I have MGS3: Snake Eater instead of Subsistence, but close enough).

[MrPopo]

I gotta ask, JT, how is GrimGrimoire? I really enjoyed Odin Sphere and its visual style, but I'm not entirely sold on the gameplay of GG.

[J T]

I gotta ask, JT, how is GrimGrimoire? I really enjoyed Odin Sphere and its visual style, but I'm not entirely sold on the gameplay of GG.

Grim Grimoire was a big surprise on the list. I didn't think they liked it that much, but I was happy to see it make the list (even though it really isn't a top 25 game). I think too many people quickly dismissed the game due to its thematic similarities to Harry Potter and missed out on a great game. It is a real time strategy (RTS) game, and just about the only one on the PS2, which makes it noteworthy to those that don't play these kinds of games on computer. The graphics are lovely and I rather enjoy the story (I think it's more like Groundhog Day than Harry Potter).

The gameplay is really fun once you figure out what you are doing and it is a rare instance in which an RTS works without a mouse. It's incredibly satisfying to unleash an army of different creatures on your opponent and to see all the battles playing out to your command across multiple levels of the tower. I love watching my giant dragons just burn away hordes of enemies. It's very gratifying.

My copy of this game did end up getting shelved though. Here's why: the battles can take awhile (like over an hour) with no way to take a break or save. You're committed once you start to play. The other annoying thing, is that you're often not really quite sure that you are going to lose until the last few minutes. If you lose, you have to start over from the beginning of the battle, which means you just spent an hour and made zero progress. That's frustrating. I got upset with how long any given battle would take and didn't play it for awhile. Now, when I go back, I've forgotten all of my strategy and I don't remember the attributes of all of the creatures you can control. This knowledge is essential if you want to win. It's a very difficult game to break back into after you haven't played for awhile.

There's this existing belief that game developers have that save points should be a reward to keep you playing. This idea works when you're a kid with no responsibilities and time on your hands, but as an adult, videogames are not priority #1 and I sometimes need to shut off a game unexpectedly and leave, so I can't stand not being able to save in a reasonable amount of time.

If you have the time to play it though, it's a really great game.

[Dakinggamer87]

A great list of PS2 titles..

[ejamer]

Oh geez... why go and post something like that?? I've got a huge backlog of games, and you're just making things worse... LOL


Some good games on the list. Definitely worth checking out!

[Flak Beard]

Nice list. Good to see Dragon Quest VIII in there as it is my favorite PS2 game.

Can't believe Persona 3 outranked FFXII. Even thought I don't like Persona, I recognize that it has qualities that attract gamers. Still, I don't think it matches the overall quality of FFXII by a long shot.

Interesting to see Grim Grimoire on there. I thought it received mediocre reviews.

[fox099]

Am I one of the few who thought that the GTA series was terrible? I was never impressed with the story, gameplay or graphics. It was simply a game that catered to the masses of 13-year-old thug wanna-bes.

[ejamer]

Serious question: is Persona 3 FES better than Persona 4?

Am I one of the few who thought that the GTA series was terrible? I was never impressed with the story, gameplay or graphics. It was simply a game that catered to the masses of 13-year-old thug wanna-bes.

I think that GTA can be great fun is not played seriously, but get tired of the game after short bursts. Also, after the evolution they made with the GTA 3 engine the whole series has felt pretty stagnant for me - with Chinatown Wars being probably the most interesting game since (and that's not intended as a compliment).

To each their own, right?

[DaGamingMonkey]

I gotta ask, JT, how is GrimGrimoire? I really enjoyed Odin Sphere and its visual style, but I'm not entirely sold on the gameplay of GG.

Grim Grimoire was a big surprise on the list. I didn't think they liked it that much, but I was happy to see it make the list (even though it really isn't a top 25 game). I think too many people quickly dismissed the game due to its thematic similarities to Harry Potter and missed out on a great game. It is a real time strategy (RTS) game, and just about the only one on the PS2, which makes it noteworthy to those that don't play these kinds of games on computer. The graphics are lovely and I rather enjoy the story (I think it's more like Groundhog Day than Harry Potter).

The gameplay is really fun once you figure out what you are doing and it is a rare instance in which an RTS works without a mouse. It's incredibly satisfying to unleash an army of different creatures on your opponent and to see all the battles playing out to your command across multiple levels of the tower. I love watching my giant dragons just burn away hordes of enemies. It's very gratifying.

My copy of this game did end up getting shelved though. Here's why: the battles can take awhile (like over an hour) with no way to take a break or save. You're committed once you start to play. The other annoying thing, is that you're often not really quite sure that you are going to lose until the last few minutes. If you lose, you have to start over from the beginning of the battle, which means you just spent an hour and made zero progress. That's frustrating. I got upset with how long any given battle would take and didn't play it for awhile. Now, when I go back, I've forgotten all of my strategy and I don't remember the attributes of all of the creatures you can control. This knowledge is essential if you want to win. It's a very difficult game to break back into after you haven't played for awhile.

There's this existing belief that game developers have that save points should be a reward to keep you playing. This idea works when you're a kid with no responsibilities and time on your hands, but as an adult, videogames are not priority #1 and I sometimes need to shut off a game unexpectedly and leave, so I can't stand not being able to save in a reasonable amount of time.

If you have the time to play it though, it's a really great game.

Good review, I've thought about picking up this game. I had no idea it was an RTS. I'm going to have to get it.

[chupon]

I played through both and I enjoyed P3FES more then P4. The only real gripe I had with P3FES is that although you can influence how other party members act in battles, you can not command them. So you can say - take an offensive turn, or go on defence - but you really don't know what they're going to do. P4 fixed this giving you full control of every party member. While this did add some complexity to P3FES I found it frustrating.
Oh - and the characters were just more fun in P3FES. I'd still recommend both if you can make the time.

Also because I think ones age, and gaming experiences effect our views of games - the above is coming from a 29 year old who began playing RPG's with Dragon Warrior and FF1 on NES when I was 10. I'm an RPG fanatic.