Best unknown/underrated PS2 games?

[rattboi]

I just got a PS2, and I'm really familiar with the "good" games (the ones everyone know about) like the MGS games, Devil May Cry series, the Final Fantasies, but I'm looking to find some of the rarer, unknown, or underrated games. I already found a few that I liked, such as ICO and Gitaroo Man. I was just hoping to find the lesser known games of ALL genres. I've been looking into some of the nippon ichi games, like Disgaea, Pucelle Tactics, etc. Anyways, any ideas would be helpful.

[racketboy]

Adventures of Cookies and Cream and Beyond Good and Evil.
Featured in my first major list article:
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2005/12/ ... d-but.html

[Mozgus]

Breath of Fire 5 was one that always caught my interest. It's the only RPG I know of where your character's life has a timer throughout the whole game, and he is pretty much required to die at some point. It has a formula where you get to replay the game, once he dies, while still gaining progress in ways. Also, all cutscenes are skippable on the replays.

[durkada]

Bombastic is worth the search. Its the sequel to PS1's Devil Dice (although, there was a Xi Jumbo produced for Japan). Its a good puzzler, but is really at its best as a party game -- get a multi-tap and drag four friends in for a match. I'm not wholly fond of the new way its played, wherein the dice explode -- but if you play the puzzle game for awhile, you will unlock the classic Devil Dice gameplay.

If you didn't pick it up for Dreamcast, Rez for PS2 is a good bet. Its basically a rail shooter, but the shots you fire become part of the techno soundscape. Good stuff.

[Indy_aka_Rex]

Gundam: Zeonic Front is a great Gundam strategy game along the lines of Brothers in Arms and Full Spectrum Warrior.
Spike's Samurai series (Way of the Samurai 1-2 and Samurai Western) is tons of fun.
Irem's Bumpy Trot (Steambot Chronicles in the U.S.) is a great, albeit technically flawed game.

And of course, there's the usual stuff: Ico, Rez, etc.

[SegaVega]

The most overlooked gem on the PS2 has to be RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive. It's a mech game, but it's nothing like Armored Core or those others. It's unique in that you switch control on the fly between a human and a giant, city-crunching robot while battling another mech. You use the human to run around on the ground an get a better "view" of the action, and the R1 and L1 buttons are pressed in sequence to make the Robot walk or run. It's got a very epic feel to it. And no one bought it (at least not when it came out, it's going for $40 used now [but worth it]).

War of the Monsters is another awesome infrequently mentioned game. It's like a more open Power Stone with Rampage characters, and fully destructable arenas.

Then there's Blood Will Tell, Tokobot Plus and I-Ninja (<-multi-platform).

[Indy_aka_Rex]

I loved Blood Will Tell... until that final fucking boss that would NEVER DIE. AUGH. I lost a controller to that bastard.

[rattboi]

Adventures of Cookies and Cream and Beyond Good and Evil.

Cookies and Cream looks good to me.
I have Beyond Good and Evil on xbox though.

Breath of Fire 5 was one that always caught my interest.

I may check this one out. The last BOF I played was BOF2, and it was annoying becaues I never knew what to do next.

Bombastic is worth the search. Its the sequel to PS1's Devil Dice (although, there was a Xi Jumbo produced for Japan). Its a good puzzler, but is really at its best as a party game -- get a multi-tap and drag four friends in for a match. I'm not wholly fond of the new way its played, wherein the dice explode -- but if you play the puzzle game for awhile, you will unlock the classic Devil Dice gameplay.

If you didn't pick it up for Dreamcast, Rez for PS2 is a good bet. Its basically a rail shooter, but the shots you fire become part of the techno soundscape. Good stuff.

Never heard of either Bombastic or Devil Dice, so I'll be sure to check them out. As for Rez, I have it on the DC, although I never beat it. I love that game though.

Gundam: Zeonic Front is a great Gundam strategy game along the lines of Brothers in Arms and Full Spectrum Warrior.
Spike's Samurai series (Way of the Samurai 1-2 and Samurai Western) is tons of fun.
Irem's Bumpy Trot (Steambot Chronicles in the U.S.) is a great, albeit technically flawed game.

I never played Gundam, BIA or FSW. Actually, I never heard of any of those, except Steambot Chronicles, which just came out recently, right?

The most overlooked gem on the PS2 has to be RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive. It's a mech game, but it's nothing like Armored Core or those others. It's unique in that you switch control on the fly between a human and a giant, city-crunching robot while battling another mech. You use the human to run around on the ground an get a better "view" of the action, and the R1 and L1 buttons are pressed in sequence to make the Robot walk or run. It's got a very epic feel to it. And no one bought it (at least not when it came out, it's going for $40 used now [but worth it]).

War of the Monsters is another awesome infrequently mentioned game. It's like a more open Power Stone with Rampage characters, and fully destructable arenas.

Then there's Blood Will Tell, Tokobot Plus and I-Ninja (<-multi-platform).

RAD sounds...rad. I'm gonna go look it up. WOTM is awesome! I really love that game, and I'm gonna grab it as soon as I can. As for those last 3, I'll have to check them out cause I never heard of any of them.

[bawitback]

Adventures of Cookies and Cream and Beyond Good and Evil.
Featured in my first major list article:
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2005/12/ ... d-but.html

haha that was the first game to come to my mind as well (The Adventures of Cookie and Cream) I also recommaned buying it. Besides that, if your into music games like PaRapa The Rapper, ect you should check out Gitaroo man.

[CurulleanCat]

You guys forgot Shadow of the Colossus(sp?). Its directly related to ICO.