PS2 Rarity, Hidden Gem, Recommendations Thread

ZxT Vendetta

ZxT Vendetta

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So I recently glanced over my PS2 library and seeing as how Gamestop has just started to clearance out GC games, I figure the PS2 is next. Just wanted to hear your guys' recommendations on games. I would love to completely fill out the rest of my PS2 library before they start going up in price like certain PS1 games did.

Still kicking myself for passing on so many gems in the PSX library.

So lets see some lists of ones you guys think might become harder to find/rare and some games you think are hidden gems on the system. :bouncy:

EDIT: I guess i should specify, I have a majority of the rare RPGs (Both .hack Series, all 3 Suikoden games) etc... You can actually see my most up to date PS2 collection here:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10398202&postcount=3715

A few games on my to buy list are:

Chaos Legion
Dokapon Kingdom
Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires
Echo Night Beyond
Falling Stars
MS Saga
Shadow of Destiny
 
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I suspect PS2 will have a lot fewer rarities and high priced titles than most other consoles. Seems to me as though PS2 era games for the most part had higher print runs, and there's a lot of overlap with the same games appearing on both X-Box and Gamecube as well. I also sense that there's a lot less nostalgia for that stuff, and the quality of game is lower as well. I could probably name at least a dozen or more PS1 games that I would easily place on a list of the greatest games of all time. I can probably name maybe 5 PS2 games tops that I'd put on such a list.
 
Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Galaxy. They are somewhat unknown, but well beloved by the RPG community, I would say. DC 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, in fact.

MS Saga: A New Dawn (Gundam RPG) was amazing. The story was pretty shit, and the graphics were iffy, but the gameplay was fantastic, and I got really obsessed with this game when I played it recently.

Chaos Legion: This is a character action game (DMC/Ninja Gaiden/etc) from Capcom. I haven't played this one myself yet, but it has a fair following; it's supposed to be hard as balls, though, and is certainly overlooked.

One Piece: Grand Adventure Not sure if you're a One Piece fan, but this game is great. It's got a lot of content, a great look, and the combat is criminally fun.

Honestly, though, don't buy Gamestop copies. I don't care how much you 'clean' the cases, the inserts are always beat up, creased, or damaged. Don't collect those! lol :3
 
[quote name='Zaku77']Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Galaxy. They are somewhat unknown, but well beloved by the RPG community, I would say. DC 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, in fact.

MS Saga: A New Dawn (Gundam RPG) was amazing. The story was pretty shit, and the graphics were iffy, but the gameplay was fantastic, and I got really obsessed with this game when I played it recently.

Chaos Legion: This is a character action game (DMC/Ninja Gaiden/etc) from Capcom. I haven't played this one myself yet, but it has a fair following; it's supposed to be hard as balls, though, and is certainly overlooked.

One Piece: Grand Adventure Not sure if you're a One Piece fan, but this game is great. It's got a lot of content, a great look, and the combat is criminally fun.

Honestly, though, don't buy Gamestop copies. I don't care how much you 'clean' the cases, the inserts are always beat up, creased, or damaged. Don't collect those! lol :3[/QUOTE]

I've honestly had pretty good luck with Gamestop copies myself *knocks on wood*. Like I just got a mint God Hand today to replace my scratched one (damn friends, I don't loan to certain people now) and will be going tomorrow to get a copy of the 3rd Shadow Hearts game.

But yeah for the more collectable ones I try to avoid gamestop due to disc condition and missing book. I hate paying eBay price for stuff. Thankfully I have a couple awesome mom and pop stores that don't jack up the prices on their PS2 games. I got Gitaroo Man from them for $5, same with Kuon, $10 for my Blood Will Tell and a couple of other of the more obscure Atlus, Age Tec, and NIS games.
 
Maybe I'm just too fussy. I've just never seen a used ps2 game (at any video game shop) that I would buy. The case is always beat up--to some degree at least--and the insert always has some creases. Some common ones are around the disc holder in the back and where the two little prongs for holding the instructions are on the front. Many people don't even pay attention to the inserts, but it just drives me nuts. lol
 
[quote name='Zaku77']Maybe I'm just too fussy. I've just never seen a used ps2 game (at any video game shop) that I would buy. The case is always beat up--to some degree at least--and the insert always has some creases. Some common ones are around the disc holder in the back and where the two little prongs for holding the instructions are on the front. Many people don't even pay attention to the inserts, but it just drives me nuts. lol[/QUOTE]

Nah that isn't too fussy. I guess maybe I'm just lucky with my finds on PS2. Condition isn't the issue I face I usually will buy a Near Mint Disc. It seems whenever I find something I want, 50% of the time it is missing the booklet. This is why I still don't own MS Saga, Falling Stars, and Dokapon Kingdom. :bomb:

A few of my favorite under the radar ones are: Ring of Red, Rule of Rose, Skygunner, and Ghosthunter. Not the best games out there but they were fun to play. Then there are the ones that have a sort of cult following like Odin Sphere, Haunting Ground, and God Hand.
 
Ring of Red is awesome. That was one of the first PS 2 games I played, actually. I wonder how it would hold up now? :whistle2:s lol
 
[quote name='Zaku77']Ring of Red is awesome. That was one of the first PS 2 games I played, actually. I wonder how it would hold up now? :whistle2:s lol[/QUOTE]

I just came in here to post that. I remember seeing it for $0.99 before Gamestop got rid of it, now of course its going up in value.

I have fond memories of Ephemeral Fantasia but I don't know if that was just because it was one of the first Turn Based RPGs on the PS2. I must have played through that game 3 or 4 times though..

Shadow of Destiny was another great one.
 
Ring of Red was the first game that made me really want a PS2. Alternate history + mechs are like chocolate and peanut butter for me. This is a great thread for me, although it's reminding me of all the titles I missed when I tried to round out my collection awhile back (Wizardry and King's Field IV are two that come to mind). I know I passed on a few titles in this thread because they were missing the manual.

Now Gamestops near me are pretty wiped out of hard-to-find titles. Standard eBay BIN listings seem to be around $30 for complete games.
 
Chaos Legion has a following? Really? I Got that game awhile back (and still have it complete) and didn't have the patience for it. The character moved slow as fuck and it didn't helped that I was timed to kill all enemies in a level. I Know later in the game you get a faster character, but goddammit I didn't have the patience for it.

Also looking through my collection and here are my recommendations for you...

Personally one of my favorite gems was The Red Star. It was a shoot em up, but in the exact same vein as Cannon Spike on Dreamcast (if you ever played it). Difficult, but really fun.

Adventure of Cookie & Cream. Fantastic co-op game. It's basically two players trying to race across to the finish line, but they have to help each other out and are on opposite screens.

River King. It's going to be one of those love it or hate it kinda games. Basically it's a fishing RPG. If you like the Harvest Moon kinda games, then I think you'd enjoy it.

Ape Escape 3. Mostly because it's my favorite of the series with all the mini games and it has the Metal Gear Solid 3 bonus game (with cameos and everything) called Mesal Gear Solid.

King of Fighters XI. Full disclosure, haven't played XIII, but XI is my favorite in the series. Huge roster and has a tag in and tag out feature, which is awesome. So basically no longer stuck with the one person dies and next one comes in.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Fantastically well done Mortal Kombat spin off ever. Fun beat em up with so many easter eggs, but stays totally faithful to the over the top violence. Biggest downside is some of the bosses require you to button mash hard and it got super tiring. So tiring that back in the day I had to pass the controller to my then girlfriend because she was super awesome at it.

Amplitude/Frequency. Before there was Rock Band or Guitar Hero, this was one of the first rhythm games from Harmonix. Basically plays like Rock Band: Unplugged on PSP, but a bit more chaotic I want to say.

Mark of Kri. Such a difficult and weird action game. Mostly because the combat system was so...original. Basically you scan the terrain with the right stick and each enemy is mapped to a face button. So you attack enemies that are mapped to a face button, but alot of the missions are also stealth based so you have to take note of any twigs you step on that can lead to either restarting a mission or hell coming down on you. It's fun, but it's so...different. There was also a sequel on PS2 called Rise of the Kasai, but I preferred the first one more.

Mister Mosquito. You play as a mosquito who flies around and tries sucking the blood of a family. If you like offbeat games like Katamari, then you'll probably enjoy it.

Victorious Boxers 1 & 2. If you're a fan of the anime/manga Hajime no Ippo then it's going to be a big bonus since it's the American translated version of the Japanese game. Insanely deep boxing game in how you level your boxer and everything. Fun when you get the basics nailed down, but it's nothing like Fight Night. If anything more simulation.

Shinobi/Nightshade. Not a bad action game by any means. It's definetly one of those quick reflexes, but harsh difficulty kinda games. It's sequel Nightshade though was much more forgiving. Though I sorta thought of it as XBox has Ninja Gaiden and PS2 has Shinobi, though not as super polished as NG on XBox it still has it's moments.

Klonoa 2. I'm surprised you don't have this. If you enjoy platformers then BUY THIS GAME.

The Warriors. My favorite Rockstar game and one of the best movie to game adaptations ever. It's basically a beat em up, but with so many extra things that make it awesome. Like every weapon has a brutal finishing move or environments can be used to slam people against. You can steal car stereos for cash and mug people. Plus there are so many extras like a Double Dragon inspired beat em up and goddamn wheel chair racing. WHEEL CHAIR RACING! LOVE THIS GAME!

The Thing. The gameplay will be dated when you play it I'm sure, but goddamn it's a fantastic survivor horror game in not knowing who to trust and being overwhelmed by paranoia. Also even at the time it was a difficult game simply because you didn't know what to expect.

Psi Ops. Basically you play as a telepathic and toss things around. I Describe it simply so because it is a simple concept, but I found it to have solid mechanics on par with the Gravity Gun in Half Life 2.

Oh and Shadow of Rome. Stupidly gory for a Capcom game as in half the game is spent in Gladiator battles where limbs go flying and the other is spent playing as a different character doing stealth based levels where you hide behind crates and knock out guards with vases.

Ugh, I think that's it for now. Hope that's some help in you finding things.
 
The most expensive games I see missing from your collection are Digimon Rumble Arena 2, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, King of Fighters 2002/2003, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Monster Rancher 4, Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle, and Obscure.

Other uncommon games include Champions of Norrath, Champions: Return to Arms, Colosseum: Road to Freedom, DBZ: Budokai 3, DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, DBZ: Infinite World, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus, Mega Man X8, Monster Rancher 3, PTO IV, Taito Legends, and Yugioh GX: The Beginning of Destiny.

Seeing all these games I'm missing makes me kind of sad, especially since it'll be a lot of work trying to find most of them in complete condition.
 
Looking at this thread has reminded how many obscure games there are that I passed on in the past and now, am regretting it.
 
I can't recommend Klonoa 2 enough...FANTASTIC GAME.

Others I like: The Ape Escape series, Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2, Bombastic, Okage: Shadow King, The Shadow Heart series, Parappa the Rapper 2, and another one of my all time favorites...GITAROO MAN!!!! (oh yeah!)
 
Racketboy has a good list. I should at least try to play Killer 7/RAD and with the GS b2g1 ps2 sale or is b2g2? I'll try to build up my ps2 library.
 
Not exactly rare but I thoroughly enjoyed Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. Not many people tend to know about it when I bring it up as one of my personal favorites.
 
Seek and Destroy is a good early PS2 game that costs almost nothing now. It's an arcadey style tank combat game with a lot of customization options. It's not the best thing ever, but a good example of a quirky, unusual game.

Also Raw Danger/Disaster Report. Those games are very good in some ways and horrible in others.
 
[quote name='Rollobobo']I can't recommend Klonoa 2 enough...FANTASTIC GAME.[/QUOTE]

I picked up Klonoa 2 in a clearance bin for like $4. Fantastic find.

I'll second the Shadow Hearts series. I've been trying to collect the whole series for years, but am still having trouble finding the second game, Shadow Hearts: Covenant. (ironically, this is usually regarded as the best game of the trilogy)

A much less obscure choice would be the Viewtiful Joe games. Their colorful aesthetic made them an easy port from the GameCube. The PS2 versions are quite capable. (and have exclusive content missing from the GameCube originals)

The Persona game area also fairly well-documented choices. They were very recent/late release PS2 titles, so they had a nice empty playing field.
 
I have Shadow Hearts.. It's pretty expensive on Ebay so I'm guessing it's really good. Too bad i dont have a PS2 console to play it.
 
[quote name='Barney']I have Shadow Hearts.. It's pretty expensive on Ebay so I'm guessing it's really good. Too bad i dont have a PS2 console to play it.[/QUOTE]

Shadow Hearts 1 & 2 were probably my favorite RPGs on the PS2. Yes, more than KH or the SMTs. I love the first two games' dark themes and the battle system. The 3rd was good but the humor in that game felt kinda... over-the-top in that game.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Shadow Hearts 1 & 2 were probably my favorite RPGs on the PS2. Yes, more than KH or the SMTs. I love the first two games' dark themes and the battle system. The 3rd was good but the humor in that game felt kinda... over-the-top in that game.[/QUOTE]

More than Xenosaga III? :whistle2:#
 
[quote name='ZxT Vendetta']More than Xenosaga III? :whistle2:#[/QUOTE]

Yup. Don't get me wrong, Xenosaga III was fantastic but given that they had to fit the story from rest of the arcs into III, some things about that game felt rushed and/or unsatisfying (especially the ending). And I didn't care much for Xenosaga 1 & 2 either.:p
 
If you're into wrestling, or 16-bit style games, customization, or just quirky Japanese games, definetly check out Fire Pro Wrestling Returns! That's one of my favorite gems on the ps2 and is very cheap
 
[quote name='KtMack23']If you're into wrestling, or 16-bit style games, customization, or just quirky Japanese games, definetly check out Fire Pro Wrestling Returns! That's one of my favorite gems on the ps2 and is very cheap[/QUOTE]
thanks i'll look into that game ;)
 
seeing this thread figured it would be appropriate to ask here

is there a website like nintendoage and segaage to find rarity for playstation games?
 
[quote name='slainviper']Other uncommon games include Champions of Norrath, Champions: Return to Arms... [/QUOTE]

After giving is some more though, going through your collection, and then reading this post, I'd have to second this, especially since you have both of the Dark Alliance games. Champions and RTA were probably the best reasons to own a PS2 multitap, I had so much fun playing those four player co-op.
 
Saw Gradius III & IV on PS2 for $15 at local used game store. Recommended for a shmup fan? Still need to play Gradius 3 on SNES. Is the arcade version (which I recall is the version included on the PS2 version) much different from the SNES port?
 
I found a devil summoner 1 with original case (unfortunately no manual) at a GameStop last year. They sell it for $20 and its worth a lot more than that. That would be something worth looking out for, if you can find it.
 
I just got Devil Summoner 1 from Gamestop. 8.00 with a 10.00 off coupon and power up rewards. Disc only but ya, still glad to get it.
 
[quote name='HydroX']Not exactly rare but I thoroughly enjoyed Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. Not many people tend to know about it when I bring it up as one of my personal favorites.[/QUOTE]

I'll second that. Be of the best games of the last generation. Game is awesome!
 
[quote name='slainviper']Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis[/QUOTE]
I had this in my hands 2 weeks ago at Gamestop. A guy was trading it in and the dude would not sell it to me for $5 instead of trading it for a dime or whatever. The worst part was the dude at Gamestop was like "This guy loves PS2 man, and he;ll give you more for most of this than I can trade you." It was tore up, but it did have the case and manual.

I was pissed. I still haven't seen the damn game on the shelf, either because it was in bad shape or because someone else took it.
 
[quote name='burritoman']I had this in my hands 2 weeks ago at Gamestop. A guy was trading it in and the dude would not sell it to me for $5 instead of trading it for a dime or whatever. The worst part was the dude at Gamestop was like "This guy loves PS2 man, and he;ll give you more for most of this than I can trade you." It was tore up, but it did have the case and manual.

I was pissed. I still haven't seen the damn game on the shelf, either because it was in bad shape or because someone else took it.[/QUOTE]

I don't get why you didn't up the offer... I mean, I get that you wanna get a good deal but you should have slowly gone up. Even if you got it for $20, it would have been a good deal.
 
[quote name='burritoman']I had this in my hands 2 weeks ago at Gamestop. A guy was trading it in and the dude would not sell it to me for $5 instead of trading it for a dime or whatever. The worst part was the dude at Gamestop was like "This guy loves PS2 man, and he;ll give you more for most of this than I can trade you." It was tore up, but it did have the case and manual.

I was pissed. I still haven't seen the damn game on the shelf, either because it was in bad shape or because someone else took it.[/QUOTE]

That sucks. My gamestop has one right now but it has rental stickers all over it and the manual looks like someone took scissors to the top of it. :cry:

And a quick scan of eBay shows no manual only. It is what $30 before PUR at GS? I think I am better off buying a BIN copy on eBay of that.


Also took some recommendations and today during lunch stopped by all the pawn shops in town to see what they had and man I scored a nice lot at a nice price I think :D
 
[quote name='ZxT Vendetta']
Also took some recommendations and today during lunch stopped by all the pawn shops in town to see what they had and man I scored a nice lot at a nice price I think :D[/QUOTE]

So, you're not gonna tell us about what you got?:lol:

Speaking of luck and Jurassic Park Operation Darkness, after a crappy start to my day (both of my computers got the Java virus), I headed out to return my fucked up GC games that I got from my online orders. After that, I stopped by a local mom & pop used game store and looked around... saw nothing. I decided to look again and then I notice a weird looking copy Arkham Asylum GotY. It was the 3D cover, and only marked $15. Then I found a near mint/complete copy of Operation Genesis for $25. I picked up both, of course.:)
 
[quote name='Vinny']So, you're not gonna tell us about what you got?:lol:

Speaking of luck and Jurassic Park Operation Darkness, after a crappy start to my day (both of my computers got the Java virus), I headed out to return my fucked up GC games that I got from my online orders. After that, I stopped by a local mom & pop used game store and looked around... saw nothing. I decided to look again and then I notice a weird looking copy Arkham Asylum GotY. It was the 3D cover, and only marked $15. Then I found a near mint/complete copy of Operation Genesis for $25. I picked up both, of course.:)[/QUOTE]

Nice pick ups man. Your first copy of Genesis?

Also here:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10402584&postcount=111

:razz: Unbelievable find for me. I needed a lot of those. Definitely need to hit up the pawns a lot more. :D
 
Several months ago I had gotten a copy of Operation Genesis for PS2 and Xbox within like 2 weeks of each other for $5 apiece, one from the flea market and one from Craigslist. I ended up just selling the PS2 copy since the Xbox version is a bit rarer. Plus the ps2 copy was a bit beat up, but the Xbox one was minty.
 
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