Favorite PS2 RPG's?

[retrozombieslayer]

Dragon Quest VIII! Just make sure you pick up a strategy guide, too.

[Godot102]

My favorites are Persona 3, Xenosaga 3 and Tales of the Abyss(also my favorite tales). I really want to try out .Hack//GU(since it looks so much better than regular .hack//) but its incredibly hard to find where I live and last time I checked prices for it were pretty high online.

[Nintendork666]

This thread kicks ass.

[Retrogamer0001]

I know there have been a few topics recently on the affordability of PS2/GC/oXbox games, and I've lately been on a buying spree to grab as many PS2 RPG's as I can, specifically from Ebay (I like to buy new, sealed games when the prices aren't hideously inflated, and I figure my best chance to do that is now with most of these ones) and I can say from experience, the time to buy is definitely now. I personally can't buy these games new (or used) locally for decent prices, and the big stores have obviously stopped stocking them long ago. I picked up the following brand new games, and am pretty happy with the purchases:

Digital Devil Saga - 20$
Digital Devil Saga 2 - 20$
SMT: Nocturne - 20$
Mana Khemia: Fall of Alchemy - 25$
Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia - 30$
Ar Tonelico: Melody of Metafalica - 30$
Eternal Poison - 20$

My PS2 collection already has over 120 quality games, most of which are RPGs, and these are some of the last I'll be needing, with maybe twenty more games to go. I find it very sad that the PS2 was such a powerhouse for RPGs, and that no modern console today even comes anywhere close to it in that department - it is truly a night-and-day difference. To end on a crazy note, I went into my local EB Games today to browse, and discovered that all of their previous stock of brand new PS2 games were selling for .99 cents! Granted, they were almost all sports games, but I picked up four sealed copies of Warriors of Orochi 2, a copy of Gundam Battle Assault 2, and a few other weird games. Not too shabby.

[Nutty]

The smaller niche game stores in my area will have a hidden gem every once in a while and I like to support them when I can, but it's way too hit or miss.
That being said, I definitely stick with eBay for the hard to find PS2 games. I just picked up both La Pucelle Tactics and Makai Kingdom for 19 bucks and I'm on the lookout for Soul Nomad (hopefully for less than $20).

[Metal Jesus]

I really love the Shadow Hearts games on the PS2. They are weird and fun and have a great real-time combat system.

I also loved Final Fantasy X when it first came out. Played it twice, which is something I never do...

Also the original Xenosaga is a classic. The story is out of control and the combat system is one of my favorites.

[AppleQueso]

I really love the Shadow Hearts games on the PS2. They are weird and fun and have a great real-time combat system.

Having only really played the second game, I don't think you could call that 'real-time'.

It's got a timing mechanic that makes it more engaging than most turn based games, but it's still turn based.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Give La Pucelle a shot. I liked it and I normally can't stand NIS titles.

[Retrogamer0001]

Give La Pucelle a shot. I liked it and I normally can't stand NIS titles.

I actually really like NIS - they seem to have taken over where Atlus left off the last few generations. No one else seems to be doing straight JRPGs anymore, so any company that keeps trying to keep the genre alive is ok by me

[BoneSnapDeez]

Grandia II is one of the best, though if you own a Dreamcast I would recommend that version instead.

Dragon Quest VIII could be the best DQ game ever, absolutely addictive gameplay and combat. Fantastic cel-shaded graphics.

Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Destiny 2 (Japan only) are both solid titles. If you've played any Tales games you know exactly what to expect. Tales of Legendia was also released on PS2, but is rather mediocre compared to the other two. That said, the best 6th gen Tales game is Tales of Symphonia (only on PS2 in Japan, but released in NA on GameCube).

Ys VI is lots of fun if you like action-RPGs. The jumping controls are a little iffy though.

Final Fantasy X has great gameplay and a fun battle system, but the story and characters are awful. I'd rather just play the PS1 titles.

One game I regret missing out on is the original Shadow Hearts. It seems to be a bit pricey these days and I don't see myself picking it up any time soon.