Late to the PS2 - your game recommendations?

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Johnny Postman

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After years of avoiding the PS2, a combo of God of War, Guitar Hero plus a hankering for some more good lightgun games has forced me to finally give in and buy one.

Found a good deal on a bundle from Dell and just ordered it today - so now I need to start getting the best system specific games and could use some ideas from CAGs. I like most genres but feel that for fighting, racing and sports, what I already have on Xbox/GC covers those pretty well. Really interested in those oddball Japanese games that stand out (ala Mr. Mosquito and Katamari Damacy.)

With some help from the friendly neighborhood EB, here's a list of what I'm considering. If there's anything I've missed that you think is a must-own or something on the list that you feel really sucks, please chime in. Thanks!

Adventures of Cookies & Cream
Amplitude
Armored Core series (are there a lot of these?)
Champions of Norrath
Culdcept
Disgaea
Fantavision
Graffitti Kingdom
God of War
Gradius III & IV / V
Guitar Hero
Ico
Jak series
Katamari Damacy (which is better 1 or 2?)
Klonoa 2
Makai Kingdom
Mark of Kri
Maximo series
Metal Gear Solid 3
Mister Mosquito
Rachet series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (there are 10 of these?)
Rez
R-Type Final
Shadow of the Colossus
Sly Cooper series
Star Ocean: 'til the end of time
SOCOM 3
Zone of the Enders series

Also, sorry if this kinda post has been done to death - I checked through the PS2 forum about it and didn't see anything.
 
off the top of my head,

Metal Gear Solid 2
Kingdom hearts
eyetoy games are fun
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2006 (love it or hate it game I guess)
I've actually heard better things about Socom 2 than 3. Haven't played 3 and very little of 2. Problem is, there will be more people playing 3 online than 2.
Killer 7

You have a really good list there though. I am probably missing some RPG's since I am not a huge fan of them. Also there are plenty of PS1 games you can pick up too.
 
Uhh..

1. Dragonquest VIII
2. Grandia II
3. Contra: Shattered Soldier
4. Dark Cloud 1 & 2
5. Suikoden III
6. Growlanser Generations
7. Shadow Hearts
8. Shadow Hearts: Covenant
9. Metal Slug 4/5
10. Taiko Drum Master

*The Maximo games are cool, but the camera angles become the real challenge.
 
From own experience, I say skip:

-Grafitti Kingdom (unless you really like the ability to create your own characters)
-Culdcept (the game is really slow - it takes like an hour to beat a character)
-Armored Core ain't that great; it's not like it's a must own. Zone of the enders should be enough to satisfy your appetite for giant robots.
-Rtype final is kind of boring. Gradius is probably the better series.
-I wasn't a big fan of ico. If you haven't played the Prince of Persia series then get them rather than ico; much better experience.
-Grandia 2 is not a must play. Except for the battle system, everything about that game screams mediocre. Wait for Grandia 3.
-Suikoden 3 - I didn't see what was so special.

You've got to get:
FFX
Devil May Cry (slower paced) or Devil May Cry 3 (action's a lot faster so it's a workout)
I love the Maximo series - even though they aren't half as long as the Jak games, the action and platforming is great.
Viewtiful Joe (although they're not exclusive)
Onimusha
 
my favorite ps2 games...

devil may cry 1 and 3 (not 2)
jak series
kingdom hearts
ffx
guitar hero
suikoden 3
onimusha (all 3. dont bother with the horrible fighting game)
XENOSAGA (why has this not been mentioned?)
 
[quote name='jngx80']From own experience, I say skip:

-Grafitti Kingdom (unless you really like the ability to create your own characters)
-Culdcept (the game is really slow - it takes like an hour to beat a character)
-Armored Core ain't that great; it's not like it's a must own. Zone of the enders should be enough to satisfy your appetite for giant robots.
-Rtype final is kind of boring. Gradius is probably the better series.
-I wasn't a big fan of ico. If you haven't played the Prince of Persia series then get them rather than ico; much better experience.
-Grandia 2 is not a must play. Except for the battle system, everything about that game screams mediocre. Wait for Grandia 3.
-Suikoden 3 - I didn't see what was so special.

You've got to get:
FFX
Devil May Cry (slower paced) or Devil May Cry 3 (action's a lot faster so it's a workout)
I love the Maximo series - even though they aren't half as long as the Jak games, the action and platforming is great.
Viewtiful Joe (although they're not exclusive)
Onimusha[/QUOTE]


I agree with Suikoden 3. Of course I didn't have the patience to get too deep in it. I disagree with Culdcept. I love the game. Easily my most played game. Have about 200 hours into it and still have about 20 medals left and about 80 cards to unlock. It helps to have friends to play with.
 
i was kind of late to the ps2 party, too.
1) maximo is kind of a hard game because you have lives/coins/continues, unlike jak/ratchet series, which is a lot more fun.
2) get We Love Katamari, Multiplayer is MUCH better in the second game.
 
In addition to many suggested here, I'd add Hitman: Silent Assassin, the Fatal Frame games (at least, the first two: I still haven't played the third) and Silent Hill 2.

And to simultaneously agree and disagree with one above poster, I strongly recommend both Ico AND the Prince of Persia trilogy. I found both deeply satisfying.

Also, though it's CERTAINLY not for everyone, I greatly enjoyed Siren.
 
ICO and Katamari are both great. I prefered the first one, but that's probably because it's also the first one I played so the concept was fresh.

I prefer the Ratchet Series to the Jak series, but they are both good. And the Sly Cooper series is also sweet.

Klonoa 2 is REALLY short, the story makes about 0 sense, but it's fun.

I've never played it, but isn't Fantavision a launch title and not really that good?

Best thing about the PS2 is there must be about 50 great exclusives you can pick up for $20 or less.

Based on the OP and his initial list, I'm guessing he has one of the other consoles, so the PoP series and some others mentioned would already be there.
 
Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur. Also there is usually like 4000 - 5000 people on socom2 most nights, so if its cheap its worth it. Red Faction 1&2 kick ass too.
 
Onimusha was great, 2 and 3 had some funky storylines. Onimusha 4 looks good, but I don't like how they changed the main character - is it Onimusha if the guy isn't Japanese? And supposedly it has some street fighter characters as unlockables - that could be interesting and boost the replay value (definitely more interesting than the past unlockable costumes).

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3147660
 
[quote name='Johnny Postman']After years of avoiding the PS2, a combo of God of War, Guitar Hero plus a hankering for some more good lightgun games has forced me to finally give in and buy one.

Found a good deal on a bundle from Dell and just ordered it today - so now I need to start getting the best system specific games and could use some ideas from CAGs. I like most genres but feel that for fighting, racing and sports, what I already have on Xbox/GC covers those pretty well. Really interested in those oddball Japanese games that stand out (ala Mr. Mosquito and Katamari Damacy.)

With some help from the friendly neighborhood EB, here's a list of what I'm considering. If there's anything I've missed that you think is a must-own or something on the list that you feel really sucks, please chime in. Thanks!

Adventures of Cookies & Cream
Amplitude
Armored Core series (are there a lot of these?)
Champions of Norrath
Culdcept
Disgaea
Fantavision
Graffitti Kingdom
God of War
Gradius III & IV / V
Guitar Hero
Ico
Jak series
Katamari Damacy (which is better 1 or 2?)
Klonoa 2
Makai Kingdom
Mark of Kri
Maximo series
Metal Gear Solid 3
Mister Mosquito
Rachet series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (there are 10 of these?)
Rez
R-Type Final
Shadow of the Colossus
Sly Cooper series
Star Ocean: 'til the end of time
SOCOM 3
Zone of the Enders series

Also, sorry if this kinda post has been done to death - I checked through the PS2 forum about it and didn't see anything.[/QUOTE]

I have crossed through the ones I think you should NOT be wasting your money on at first. Get the best titles out of the way first, then if you feel up to it, move on down.

Of course this is just my opinion, but also saves you alot of money.

Some others to consider:

Final Fantasy X, only get X-2 if you can get it dirt cheap. You'll either hate it, really hate it, or like it. I doubt you'll come out saying it's great.

Kingdom Hearts

Gran Turismo 4 and/or 3

If you like(d) Disgaea and/or Makai get La Pucelle for sure and perhaps Phantom Brave

I know someone will rip me for crossing out Ico, but it was just way to short. Rent it. There is a reason it is a budget title, even at Wal-Mart, and they never lower the prices of games it seems unless they have a big red label that says "Greatest Hits". I have not played Shadow, but if it is like Ico, I'd rent it.

If you want a fighter, try and be on the look out for Marvel vs Capcom or pick up Street Fighter Anniversary. Stay away from Street Fighter Evolution. I hated Virtua Fighter.

For platformers, I did not like Jack & Daxter or Ratchet and Clank or even Sly. Stick with Nintendo for most platformer titles, at least that is my opinion.

Don't forget Metal Gear Solid 2, as bad/queer as it was, it's still a keeper. The gameplay is fun and really like nothing else, but story at the end gets kind of crazy. Like the writers were on acid.

If you are going to get Guitar Hero (I have not played it, but seems to be the latest rage), you might want to consider a DDR also. Even my mom plays DDR and loves it.

Also for some fun addicting, not sure what I'm in the mood for gaming, pick up Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 or 4 used/cheap. Good for those times you don't feel like getting deep in to something or can't decide what to play.

Another good one, according to my brother is the latest Burnout if you don't have it already on Xbox.


Again, this is just my opinion. Everyone seems to have their priorities and preferences.
 
If you can get your hands on Culdcept, you must pick it up. It's one of the best games for PS2 and definitely the best game no one is playing.

If you like fighting games, you can't go wrong with Tekken Tag, Tekken 5 and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution.

Killzone is a vastly underrated game, I personally think it's a great FPS, love the atmosphere which more that makes up for it's shortcomings, but that's just me.

Some other great games: Ace Combat 4 and 5 (I liked 4 better), Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (nice coop hack n' slash), Onimusha series (2 is best in my opinion out of the first 3); maybe Romance of the Three Kingdoms if the idea of a Chinese bureaucracy RPG interests you (I'm serious; it's definitely not for the the twitch gamer).
 
[quote name='xrickyb86x']
XENOSAGA (why has this not been mentioned?)[/QUOTE]

Because it had incredibly long, boring cutscenes, a storyline with plot holes you could drive a bus through, and a sub-par fighting system. OVERRATED.
 
Thanks for all the input guys... it helped this weekend when I went a little crazy using the CC B2G1 glitch to stock up on games. Then used the cheap filler games from there for credit at GC to get even more with their B2G1 free sale. Finally, CompUSA had a couple on clearance and I had some that were just trade fodder previously but decided to perhaps keep.

Anyway.. here's what I have now

Ace Combat 4
Ace Combat 5
Amplitude
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Champions of Norrath
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition
Dino Stalker
Disgaea
Downhill Domination
Final Fantasy X & X-2
Front Mission 4
Getaway: Black Monday
Gradius V
Gungrave Overdose
Jak II & 3
Katamari Damacy
Killzone
Kingdom Hearts
Mark of Kri/Rise of the Kasai
Maximo: Army of Zin
Onimusha 1, 2 & 3
Primal
Rachet & Clank 1, 2 & 3
Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Sly Cooper 1 & 2
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild
Star Ocean: Til the End of Time
Time Crisis: Crisis Zone w/ guncon2
Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land
Xenosage I & II

A lot of these weren't on my original list but at $3-5 a pop (or .01) I couldn't resist.

Yes, I have a problem. :)

couple quick questions about games I'm not sure about -

Armored Core series... they seem to make a ton of them but is it any good? How does it play- arcadey like Mechassault or more ponderous like the Mechwarrior PC games? Had thought this was turn-based strategy game at first but was thinking of Front Mission, I think.

Dog's Life - a Dog Sim? pass on it or no?

Frequency - is this just a prequel to Amplitude?
 
That is an excellent list of titles so far, but I have two recoomendations for you as well.

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai ($20 at Best Buy, $15 with GGC) - I bought this, expecting another Onimusha type game and was pleasantly surprised, since it's alot of fun. The combat is very good.

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner ($18 used at Gamestop) - It's rare to see a sequel that is totally better than the original, but ZOE: The 2nd runner is such a game. Fast action, excellent story and beatiful to boot, this one far out classes the original ZOE.
 
Requency was OK when it came out, but since you already got amplitude I'd pass on it. I'd pass on Dog's life as well. Youve got more than anough game to hold you over for a while, plus there are way better games to get than those two.
 
[quote name='BIG5']Wait for MGS3 Subsistence (March 14, only $30), rent Shadow of the Colossus, avoid Star Ocean 3.[/QUOTE]

Pre-ordered the collector's edition of MGS3: Subsistence already - Seems weird that I'll have MGS1 on GC, 2 on Xbox and 3 on PS2.

What's Star Ocean III - are there 2 more after Til the End of Time?

Zone of the Enders 2 seems cool.. I actually liked the GBA version so will look around for this. People say the first one isn't so hot but it's dirt cheap at GC - should I snag it for the backstory?
 
Culdcept is great.
Psychonauts is the best platform game for ps2 imo.
Summoner 1 and 2 I enjoyed.
I think everything else has been covered.
 
I would also get:
Devil May Cry Special Edition
Tekken 5
Virtual Fighter 4 Evolution
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 (or any of the previous titles)
Kingdom Hearts
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
Soul Calibur 3
R-Type Final
 
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