PlayStation 2 RPGs (and hidden gems) for me.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I think it's pretty well known here that I am mostly a modern gamer and that I'm not super big on RPGs. Well, the last year or so I have really been wanting to dive more into the genre. I played through Fire Emblem Awakening and I have The Witcher 2 and Tales of Vesperia on the back burner. I may finally finish SMT: Strange Journey on DS as well but it seems so long.

So I ended up buying a PlayStation 2 again almost purely due to nostalgia and a desire to play some of my most memorable childhood games. It's well known the PS2 is one of the best consoles for RPGs but frankly I have no clue where I should start on this thing. The library is so expansive.

Anyways, I really like action games and strategy games. So naturally I would want more of that in an RPG than traditional turn based combat of like Final Fantasy. The PS2 I bought came with Xenosaga which I understand is pretty well liked. I should note that anything with a real engaging story is a huge bonus to me; especially in longer games where the mechanics might become a bit tired.

Beyond that, I had a PS2 and 30 or so games before I sold it in 2005 or 6. I had a lot of major titles, Gran Turismo, that sort of stuff. What hidden gems might you guys recommend on top of the RPGs? I'm especially unfamiliar with late-life PS2 games. Seems like there was a steady stream of games all the way into 2007-2008.

[BoringSupreez]

I can think of a few late-life PS2 games you may want to check out. Bully, Yakuza 2, Rogue Galaxy, Odin Sphere. As for other late-gen PS2 games there's also the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games, but I imagine you're already aware of them. Gitaroo Man is another one, though it came out rather early in the PS2's lifespan.

[Stark]

I'd recommend Primal as a good 3rd-person, action, environmental puzzler.

[CavZee]

Dragon Quest VIII

Probably the best RPG on the system IMO. The story isn't the driving force but still quite good. What makes it great is everything else that makes a great RPG is here, and is extremely well done.

[Xeogred]

Back when Capcom was good. Check out just about anything from them for good action stuff. I still have so much to hit up though, all the Clover stuff like Viewtiful Joe, God Hand, Okami, etc, Killer 7, Chaos Legion, Crimson Tears, etc. Onimusha is solid, but Devil May Cry blows them out of the water.

There's also the really late PS2 game, Genji Dawn of the Samurai. I think I'm going to play that one soon myself. The visuals look outstanding and the music seems pretty awesome:


I stumble upon some stuff through amazon when I keep piling up my wishlist. This game, Bujingai: The Forsaken City, looks insanely cool:


Drakengard sounds like one of the weirdest games ever. Still need to check that one out myself.

Suikoden V is just a tiny bit under 1-2 for me... IE, it's damn good. I still haven't tried IV but always heard terrible things, and I couldn't get into III because of the slow battle system. But V was very much in line with the first two and was amazing stuff, despite some weird budget crisis in some areas (the environments were often very bare and bland). There's also Suikoden Tactics, not sure how that one is.

People talk up Shadow Hearts. I dabbled into the first game and it seemed interesting, but got sidetracked. I think it's the second one that gets the most praise.

I'm a Xeno fanboy and have loved every single installment, but Xenosaga especially is the craziest mixed back of a series you will ever encounter. So if you don't like 1, don't pass off on 2 or 3 yet... and same for the rest. 3 is when things were finally pretty much perfected. But in replaying the first two last year, I have to say the first game has aged horribly. There is literally almost no BGM whatsoever and the combat is insanely boring later on when you have to constantly rely on the long combos. It's bare bones and doesn't hold up well. 2 takes things up a huge notch with the story focusing more on better characters, brings in Jin (think Citan from Xenogears), but this is the one that throws most people off. It took me 3 times to finally get through the whole game and understand the battle system, it's weird as hell. Let me know if you get to it and need tips. 3 on the other hand is very traditional in every aspect, but not in a boring way either. Best combat and mecha combat systems for sure.

It's frustrating because I love Tetsuya Takahashi's storytelling so much, but it's damn hard to really recommend the Xenosaga series or expect much. Still have only met one other person in my travels that liked them as much as I did. In ways I think Xenosaga definitely surpasses Xenogears (the final stretch in Xenosaga III is just beyond words), but it's hard to put it above Xenogears when that one is more of a full package in comparison, despite being cut short with the second disc getting rushed. Xenoblade's story while good enough to me, was child's play in comparison to Gears/Saga... so I hope the next X game delivers a deeper crazier story.

The Fatal Frame games are among the few I'd truly label as horror games. Highly recommended if you want some REAL scares that'll get you thinking and keep you up at night.

Rygar isn't bad if you like God of War. It's like a prototype for God of War pretty much. Not sure if it's aged well though.

Maximo is fantastic, can be balls hard though. In a way they're a spiritual successor to Ghouls n' Ghosts.

Shinobi and Nightshade, Shinobi was a lot of fun. Amazing music that sounds like beefed up Genesis stuff, and yeah. The combat was really weird and different, worth a look. Insanely hard though.

[Ack]

Some RPGs for you to look into, Ryan. This will mostly be covering Japanese RPGs, as I only know of a few from Western companies on the console. I should note that I'm just giving you titles, I can't vouch for quality. I'm sure other folks here can give opinions on some of these though.

First, there are quite a few big name series which had releases on the console:

Final Fantasy series
Breath of Fire series
Wild Arms series
Shining series
Star Ocean series
Mana series
Front Mission series
Arc the Lad series
Druaga series
SaGa series
Tales series
Phantasy Star series
Dragon Quest series
Grandia series
Magna Carta series

And here are a few games and series that were only on the PS2 or started there:

Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
La Pucelle: Tactics
Disgaea series
Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia series
Xenosaga
Ar Tonelico series
And more .hack than you can shake a stick at.

The Sega Genesis Collection includes Phantasy Star 2-4.

And this is only a starting point. There's a lot of titles I didn't mention. Ephemeral Fantasia. Baroque. Mega Man X: Command Mission. Going for RPGs on the PS2, you've got your work cut out for you.

[brunoafh]

The Yakuza games are among the best sandbox games period if you are into that. Great gameplay, great music, great characters, mature and complex story-telling, massive amount of content in every game. Good times all around. I would consider these kind of borderline hidden gems, as they are seemingly rarely talked about, but at the same time they have a fairly large and devout hardcore fan base. I think the only reason they don't have as much popularity as they deserve in the West is because the setting and themes would be considered pretty niche. But really, I think anyone could get into this stuff and not have to be into or understand Japanese culture. They are just great games in general.

Kuon is very interesting. Definitely a survival horror hidden gem on the platform. Although not up there with the greats, it will likely please fans of these games. Very creepy with a unique atmosphere. Gameplay is pretty solid and at times challenging as well, and there's some solid replay value with unraveling the story/mystery. I would put it above the lesser Silent Hill games on the console really, but there's a big gap between this and Silent Hill 2. An above average game of the genre.

[Jmustang1968]

You missed the Suikoden series. 3 is excellent, and I hear 5 is excellent as well.

Also, you may want to pass on the Shining Force PS2 entries. They are nothing like the Strategy RPGs of previous entries and are generally crap.

[BoneSnapDeez]

RPGs.............

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a fantastic hack 'n slash, fun as hell.

The Dark Cloud games are excellent, but both are a huge time commitment.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is one the best in the series and the cell-shaded graphics are charming and adorable.

Grandia II is decent, though I'd stick with the Dreamcast version if you have a DC.

Tales of the Abyss is one of the better Tales games, Legendia is a little weaker though it certainly isn't a bad game.

And finally, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is a great action-RPG. If you've never played an Ys game now is the time to start.

[Jmustang1968]

RPGs.............

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a fantastic hack 'n slash, fun as hell.

The Dark Cloud games are excellent, but both are a huge time commitment.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is one the best in the series and the cell-shaded graphics are charming and adorable.

Grandia II is decent, though I'd stick with the Dreamcast version if you have a DC.

Tales of the Abyss is one of the better Tales games, Legendia is a little weaker though it certainly isn't a bad game.

And finally, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is a great action-RPG. If you've never played an Ys game now is the time to start.

Both Dark Alliance games are fun, I think they are a bit better on the oXbox though