Suggestion for PS2 RPG

[captain_decadence]

So, I've been trying to figure out what Playstation 2 RPG I want to buy next and I can't get any good feedback. Sure, I look at reviews but that doesn't really help me so much, so I'm asking you people.

For Playstation 2, I have played Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, FFX, The game where you kill the giant statues (I'm getting old, that's really sad that I can't remember), Resident Evil, Grandia II and I've started Xenosaga but it just never really caught me. So, if you guys don't give me suggestions, I'm delving back into my playstation 1 collection. So please, tell me what Playstation games you recomend.

Don't recomend that I buy another system, because that isn't actually a helpful suggestion, really.

[TheOtherMC]

Anything with "Shin Megami Tensei" in the title. Doesnt really matter what but I suggest the "Digital Devil Saga" series of it. BRILIANT storytelling.

[Toastkart]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was incredibly good. I didn't get the chance to play Shadow Hearts first, but I've been told it's also very good.

I also have Valkyrie Profile 2, which was good to start out with, but after a while I just couldn't get into it very well.

[Icewalker]

Considering it's popularity, I'm guessing you already have an opinion on it, but I found the Kingdom Hearts games quite good.

Although it's a bit different, the Ratchet and Clank games are excellent, and each next game is better than the last.

Dark Cloud 2 is an old game, which I got, played, got stuck in, and the disk has stopped working. It's a very cool game, although it can get a little tedious, and is VERY long.

[Ranis]

Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits is very good.

Also, give Star Ocean a whirl.

[banjo1985]

I agree with Digital Devil Saga and Shadow Hearts.

My only new point is that Digital Devil Saga is very hard, and you will spend a lot of time restarting from previous saves, but the actual storytelling is great, probably slightly better than in Shadowhearts, which to me has a better combat system and is a little easier.

[Alex Kidd]

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

It's the best game of the SMT series. Blows the Digital Devil Saga out of the water. If you want something cheaper(seeing as Persona 3 is new) go for SMT: Nocturne(Lucifer's Call if you're out of the US). They're both awesome, deep, long and very challenging(especially Nocturne, man if you thought DDS was hard, Nocturne will hit you so hard your great grandfather will be it's bitch, though it's fair hard, as in with preparation, some brains and paying attention you can get through without being too badly punished. Persona 3's a lot easier though if that sounds intimidating) RPGs. I'd even call these the best RPGs on the PS2.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Disgaea, Odin Sphere(it's in the words of Penny Arcade "a 2d side scrolling RPG/brawler hybrid set in a book") and Dragon Quest 8 are all also worth a look.

[Drascin]

I echo most of what's been said above. Also, if you like RPGs with tactical battles, go for Disgaea, stat. It's probably the best of the TRPG genre in terms of mechanic depth. And it's damn funny to boot.

[Shikton]

Suikoden 3 and Suikoden 5 =)

[JabberwockySupafly]

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

It's the best game of the SMT series. Blows the Digital Devil Saga out of the water. If you want something cheaper(seeing as Persona 3 is new) go for SMT: Nocturne(Lucifer's Call if you're out of the US). They're both awesome, deep, long and very challenging(especially Nocturne, man if you thought DDS was hard, Nocturne will hit you so hard your great grandfather will be it's bitch, though it's fair hard, as in with preparation, some brains and paying attention you can get through without being too badly punished. Persona 3's a lot easier though if that sounds intimidating) RPGs. I'd even call these the best RPGs on the PS2.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Disgaea, Odin Sphere(it's in the words of Penny Arcade "a 2d side scrolling RPG/brawler hybrid set in a book") and Dragon Quest 8 are all also worth a look.



ROFLMAO! You're joking, right? Nocturne tends to run anywhere from 50-100 USD Pre-Played. Nocturne is an amazing game, though INCREDIBLY difficult.

Also, the game where you kill giant statue-like creatures is Shadow of the Colossus. One of the best game soundtracks. Ever.


Also, good PS2 Rpgs...hmmm... I own a few PS2 games, so I will sift through what I have right now:


the original .hack// series is really good stuff and has a decent storyline. If you're a fan of anime and/or .hack//SIGN at all, that makes the game even moreso enjoyable.

I completely agree with everyone regarding Disgaea, the Shin Megami Tensei & Persona games, Suikoden, and Shadow Hearts. DQVIII is excellent as well, but again, incredibly difficult at times. FFXII is heaps of fun, someone already mentioned Kingdom Hearts, Radiata Stories is great fun if you need a good laugh and liked Star Ocean in terms of game mechanics, and lastly Wild ARMS 3 & 4 are neat if you want a change of pace from typical RPG fare as they are set in a Wild West kind of world. If you want an RPGish Action game that isn't incredibly story-deep but involves killing lots of creatures and making weapons and armour from their bits then I suggest Monster Hunter :D I'm playing Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for the PSP right now and let me tell you, i've sunk 72 hours in, in less than a week. I did the same with the original Monster Hunter for the PS2, they are highly addictive games.

[Ganon11]

Ditch the PS2, grab a Gamecube, and play Baten Kaitos.

[Afraidofsharpie]

I'm kinda surprised no one has mentioned Rogue Galaxy, La Pucelle Tactics, Makai Kingdom or Grimgrimorie yet. They are all fun games though Rogue Galaxy gets a good deal easier once you make the Earthbreaker and get Desert Wind/Illusion Blade.

[Alex Kidd]

ROFLMAO! You're joking, right? Nocturne tends to run anywhere from 50-100 USD Pre-Played.

Really? I saw a new copy going for around $60AUD a week or so ago. And I've seen a few used ones going for under $50AUD. Guess this is one case where it sucks to be a yank I guess. Then again trying to find any Suikoden down here is like trying to find natural astatine, it ain't gonna happen.

[Drascin]

I'm kinda surprised no one has mentioned Rogue Galaxy, La Pucelle Tactics, Makai Kingdom or Grimgrimorie yet. They are all fun games though Rogue Galaxy gets a good deal easier once you make the Earthbreaker and get Desert Wind/Illusion Blade.

I thought of most of them, but as the post asks for one single game, and out of the Nippon Ichi TRPG games I thought Disgaea was the best, I limited myself to it. If you have extra money, Makai Kingdom and La Pucelle are certainly good games.

Though I have never heard of GrimGrimoire, to be honest. What's it about?

[captain_decadence]

Ditch the PS2, grab a Gamecube, and play Baten Kaitos.

See, that's exactly what i asked people not to suggest. If you are being sarcastic, I apologize but still man.

Are all of the games you've guys suggested easy to find or not? I don't have a ton of cash (enough to buy a normal game, not to hunt down a really really rare one) nor do I have a ton of time to scrounge through buckets of used games or the length and breadth of the internet.

[banjo1985]

Shadowhearts, Disgaea, La Pucelle all aren't that easy to get hold of anymore, at least not here in the UK. I'd suggest Amazon might be a good bet where to find them though, and La Pucelle & Disgaea can be picked up pretty cheap (I'd guess about 15-20 dollars), though Shadowhearts will cost you, I had to pay £26 for my copy.

[Alex Kidd]

See, that's exactly what i asked people not to suggest. If you are being sarcastic, I apologize but still man.

Are all of the games you've guys suggested easy to find or not? I don't have a ton of cash (enough to buy a normal game, not to hunt down a really really rare one) nor do I have a ton of time to scrounge through buckets of used games or the length and breadth of the internet.

Persona 3's new and shouldn't be too difficult, though it is an ATLUS game so you'll probably need to go to a game store to find it. DQ8 is a platinum seller and was made by Square-Enix so it should be very easy to find even at a department store. And as the guy who replied to me said, Nocturne seems to be very rare in the US.

[Afraidofsharpie]

I thought of most of them, but as the post asks for one single game, and out of the Nippon Ichi TRPG games I thought Disgaea was the best, I limited myself to it. If you have extra money, Makai Kingdom and La Pucelle are certainly good games.

Oh I understand, its the same for me I just like to give more options in case he's one of those rare few who didn't like Disgaea.


Though I have never heard of GrimGrimoire, to be honest. What's it about?

Its kinda similer to Disgaea in that its a Tactic's type of game and its one of those wacky fun games. I'm not really good at describing a game without giving some things away about the story but its in my opinion that if you liked Disgaea then you should pick up Grimgrimorie (sp?). Also someone else mentioned Odin Sphere which I whole heartedly agree with.

Edit: Ebay/Amazon are going to be your friend then

[Terumitsu]

Ah SMT, good times
Disgea
Kh
Shadowhearts
FF(Number here)
All great buys

But I am surprised not one person has suggested the Tales series... Try Tales of the Abyss. Very nice combat system.

OH! Xenosaga! That one is also good. The second bit is kindof a let down but the third pretty much makes up for it.
Xenogears is also good...PS1 though.

[JabberwockySupafly]

Really? I saw a new copy going for around $60AUD a week or so ago. And I've seen a few used ones going for under $50AUD. Guess this is one case where it sucks to be a yank I guess. Then again trying to find any Suikoden down here is like trying to find natural astatine, it ain't gonna happen.

Didn't realise you were a fellow walker of the land of Bundaberg Rum :D
Yeah, I'm originally a Yank but I live in Australia with my Wife. She's an Aussie. You guys have it lucky in terms of SMT:Nocturne. I bought Nocturne back in the states because my PS2 is US and it was before Chipping became legal, and it cost me 50 USD used.

[Alex Kidd]

Didn't realise you were a fellow walker of the land of Bundaberg Rum :D
Yeah, I'm originally a Yank but I live in Australia with my Wife. She's an Aussie. You guys have it lucky in terms of SMT:Nocturne. I bought Nocturne back in the states because my PS2 is US and it was before Chipping became legal, and it cost me 50 USD used.

There seem to be more of us here than you'd think proportionally, at least compared to the other webcomic forums I go to. And yeah for some reason there's a lot of SMT games around here, though that's partly because the nearest EBs to me are both run by big ole RPG nerds, hell one even sells import games under the counter.

[Korias]

Odin Sphere is pretty good, as is Alterier Iris II. If your looking for more traditional RPG, go for Shin Megami Tensei. If your into the RPG Flavor but more real time action, FFXIII is supposed to deliver on that.

[captain_decadence]

Okay, so Shin Megami Tensei seems to be a game maker or what? I searched for it and it looks like a group of games (but not a game series...) rather than one game. Also, all of them are ridiculously expensive, like whoa.

Also, since a few people have recomended it, does Xenosaga get any more engaging than it is in the beginning. Because right now, I just don't care about any of them, and the ship is being attacked. Maybe it gets better, but is it worth it to push through if the characters are just making me feel apathy right now.

[ElfLad]

But I am surprised not one person has suggested the Tales series... Try Tales of the Abyss. Very nice combat system.

This. It was $40 at launch, so it should be even less now.

But avoid Tales of Legendia.

[Korias]

As far as Xenosaga goes, its very confusing. If you want to get into it, You can find many things related to it that will help you understand. These are, but not limited to, the Xenosaga Anime, Xenosaga Manga, Toys, Novels, and even a movie on the subject. As far as the game goes, If you like extremely complicated storylines and a fairly lengthy game, its a good get. I prefer my action rpgs though.

[Vonriel]

Since you had mentioned availability, I walked into an EB Games and found Dragon Quest 8 used for $15. I don't recall all the other games, but I imagine FFXII will be available too, although for a bit higher price. I don't know how everyone else feels about Front Mission 4, but I really enjoyed it, and I think it should also be rather easily-found (another Square game)

If you're interested in platformer/adventure type games, such as what I believe Ratchet and Clank is, look into the Jak and Daxter series. It is a trilogy, but only if you actually care about things like storyline. :smallwink:

Also, since tactics-style RPGs were brought up, I have to mention it. Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of my favorite games, but it is for the PS1. For those of you with PSPs, they're re-releasing it on that with a few extras, and a bit of polishing done.

[Alex Kidd]

Okay, so Shin Megami Tensei seems to be a game maker or what? I searched for it and it looks like a group of games (but not a game series...) rather than one game. Also, all of them are ridiculously expensive, like whoa.

Actually it's more like Final Fantasy you have a main series then several spinoffs and spinoff series.

You've got the main SMT series which is SMT 1 and 2 for the NES and SNES and SMT : Nocturne for the PS2.

You have the Persona series which has only had number 3 released in the US, for the PS2.

The Digital Devil Saga Series for the PS2.

As well as several spinoffs like Devil Summoner and the Jack Bros' games.

And yeah they're all expensive cause they're indie and produced in limited quantities, Persona 3 should be the cheapest as it's new and was made in much larger numbers than usual due to it actually getting some hype behind it.

[Elliot Kane]

I don't have many games for my PS2, but I gotta say I love FF12. Looks great and has a fantastic system.

The plot is weak, but if it's gameplay you're after, I'd thoroughly recommend it.

[TheOtherMC]

Actually it's more like Final Fantasy you have a main series then several spinoffs and spinoff series.

You've got the main SMT series which is SMT 1 and 2 for the NES and SNES and SMT : Nocturne for the PS2.

You have the Persona series which has only had number 3 released in the US, for the PS2.

The Digital Devil Saga Series for the PS2.

As well as several spinoffs like Devil Summoner and the Jack Bros' games.

And yeah they're all expensive cause they're indie and produced in limited quantities, Persona 3 should be the cheapest as it's new and was made in much larger numbers than usual due to it actually getting some hype behind it.

I would've sworn Persona 2 was released in the U.S. back on the PSX :smallconfused:

[captain_decadence]

Persona 2 was definitely on the Playstation 1, I own it. So if it isn't, I have a magic game that doesn't really exist.

[banjo1985]

Persona 2 was definitely on the Playstation 1, I own it. So if it isn't, I have a magic game that doesn't really exist.

On the upside, if you have a magic game, think of the money someone would pay you for it, Shim Megami Tensei games would easily be within your reach! :smallbiggrin:

[DeathQuaker]

The whole Suikoden series. 1 and 2 (which are PS1 games, but yay for backwards compatibility) may be hard to find, but if you can, it's good to start with them to get the full history. If not I would start with 3 or 4--doesn't really matter which; 3 is a better story, but 4 has easier gameplay and I find it was easier to grasp on to general Suikoden concepts in 4, so it's a good intro to the series.

3 and 5 are the best, but all of them are worth it, IMO. A lot of people don't like 4 (and there are some frustrating aspects to it... R1 button, just remember the R1 button when you travel) but it has its merits (and there are some references to it in 5 which you will then appreciate).

Suikoden Tactics is meh, and only worth it if you play 4, but if you like Tactical games, consider it.

Beyond that... I second or third "Shadow Hearts: Covenant"... it has a bizarre ending but was still worth playing.