What are some good Playstation 2 games? (preferably action, but any genre is fine) - by io organic industrialism
io organic industrialism on 25/9/2008 at 21:46
There were some pretty good responses with the 2d platformers thread... Let's try out PS2. I just recently got one only this year. I thought there would be a massive amount of games I would really like and be interested in, but unfortunately I have really only found a couple of games that I have enjoyed, and they are mainly the games that I bought the system for - Cave bullet hell games, i.e. Mushihimesama, etc
Inline Image:
http://www.stickfreaks.com/games_ps2/mushihimesama.jpgAside from those few shooters, the only things I have really enjoyed have been: Klonoa 2, Contra: Shattered Soldier, and the Japanese Adventure Island Remake
I'm sure there's lots of good games out there, but unfortunately I don't have time to wade through thousands of reviews to find the gems. I have been disappointed with a lot of the things I've tried. I have little interest in devil may cry clones or similar "hack and slash" games, which seem to be the rage right now. These essentially seem like the modern incarnation of 2d sidescrolling beat-em-ups like final fight, a genre to which the extent of my enjoyment never roamed very far past Teenage mutant ninja turtles 2
So.. Bring it on... What are your favourites for PS2? (any genre)
Edit: I just noticed all the games I listed have 2d gameplay. I think I'm going through a major 2d kick right now but I want to get back into some 3d games, they just have to be the right games I guess..
june gloom on 26/9/2008 at 00:56
Devil May Cry was only good the first time. What you really want is the Warriors. The Warriors is the culmination of 20 years of beat-em-ups and is one of my favourite PS2 games of all time.
I would recommend MGS3, the Subsistence version if you can get it. Silent Hill 2 as well.
Rogue Trooper is kickass, too- I've played the PC version and it's brill.
ignatios on 26/9/2008 at 04:07
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are obligatory mentions, as is Katamari Damacy.
I also heartily second MGS3, especially Subsistence because it avoids the icky camera issues people seem to have with it. In fact, the whole (
http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Gear-Solid-Collection-Playstation-2/dp/B001383L36) Metal Gear Solid collection would be well worth it.
Oh, also God of War I and II.
Basically the PS2 has tonnes of great games.
Sulphur on 26/9/2008 at 04:34
Since you get a kick out of platformers, the Ratchet & Clank games should provide you with the fix you need, especially Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. The games have a good mix of platforming and combat. The platforming's generally excellent, and the combat's hugely enjoyable thanks to the variety of creative weapons you get to use.
You've also got Gradius V for the PS2, which is supposedly the shmup par excellence. I haven't played it, and it's not a cave bullet hell game, but given the amount of positive coverage it's garnered, it should be a safe bet. (Also note: high difficulty level, though I guess that sort of thing doesn't scare you away.)
And I second The Warriors if you're looking for a good beat-'em-up. Also, if you're into masochism, there's God Hand, which is sickeningly difficult but so completely unhinged that it can make a whole room of people burst into giggles. I recommend playing it with friends just for the entertainment value.
EDIT: AND seconding Shadow of the Colossus. The thing's phenomenal. Can't believe I forgot about it.
Aja on 26/9/2008 at 06:32
The best platforming game on the PS2, bar none, is the original Jak and Daxter. If you aren't having fun within two seconds of pressing the joystick, you probably don't like the genre.
But the best game on the PS2 is OKAMI, more of a Zelda-type adventure, and absolutely positively essential. I can't think of any other games in recent memory which I regularly played for nine hours at a time.
The most original game on the PS2 is Katamari Damacy, though the sequel refined the gameplay in many subtle and important ways.
And Metal Gear Solids 2 and 3 are required reading for any gamer/gaming culture enthusiast.
Vraptor7 on 26/9/2008 at 08:17
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are must-plays. A game I'm nearing the end of, Odin Sphere, is also pretty fantastic. It's a 2D side-scrolling action-RPG, and is probably the best looking 2D game for the system.
Inline Image:
http://cyberarts.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/odin-sphere-ps2-ss1.jpg Inline Image:
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/140/odinspherenh6.jpgYou play as a number of characters throughout the game, and gameplay comprises of a series of areas that you fight through, each a kind of closed loop (you can travel all the way round if you keep running in one direction). You can level up your health and weapon, and have a large variety of items to manage and use - which you most certainly will need to do to survive, this game is challenging even on Easy. While the progression is linear - you play one character after another - the story is not; each character has their own story relating to a sequence of events and they all interweave with each other's, and you can only get a complete picture at the end when everyone's side of the story has been revealed.
There's a great strategy RPG I'm playing, Disgaea, but it's quite hardcore. It's got a lot of depth and requires a lot of grinding so it may not be your thing. Other recommendations are pretty much the same as everyone else's - Metal Gear Solid 3, Okami, God of War 2.
icemann on 26/9/2008 at 11:52
The Onimusha series is definately one I`d HIGHLY recommend. Excellent excellent games. Also the Medal of Honor + Red Faction games are good as well.
june gloom on 26/9/2008 at 12:12
No, not Red Faction. Horrible.
gunsmoke on 26/9/2008 at 13:29
I can't stand the kind of games you like, but I have over 150 PS2 games and there's something to like about all of them. Some faves of mine:
Destroy All Humans
GTA series
Silent Hill series
GUN
Manhunt
Bard's Tale
Tenchu:Wrath of Heaven
Koki on 26/9/2008 at 13:31
The only game I could honestly say nothing bad about would be ICO, but I won't go and write psalms about it, because it's not that great either. SOTC is a lot of boredom and nothing happening combined with short, fun moments of actually fighting the Colossi(sp?), and the ratio was so unfavourable that I gave up exactly in the middle and never cared to come back to it.
Okami, other than having so high-pitched music it can drive you insane, is a typical 3D platformer, you played one you played all of them. And no, interesting graphics style does not make it any better.
Man I'm on a (hate)roll, let me dig out my other PS2 games...
Jak and Daxter, another 3D platformer, see above.
Devil May Cry... ok, I'll grant you that, it's a second game which isn't bad. Of course the story is so silly it's almost pathetic(in before "It does not take itself seriously!" arguments, they seem to be a fad as of late), but it's so in the background that it doesn't matter.
Burnout 3, that's a funny story because I got utterly bored with it in exactly one weekend(That's about 20 hours of playing).
God of War is like a very cheap version of Devil May Cry. Sure the kill animations are nice, but everything else - level design, animations, invisible walls - are just really bad.
Chaos Legion - It's like DMC, just with more story(Which is even MORE retarded) but also more grinding(You can pimp your stats in various forms) and more enemies(a lot). If you like to +1, it might be better than DMC, if you want to jump and hit stuff with a sword, stay away. If you like to kill a lot of same-looking mobs over and over, get Dynasty Warriors.
MGS2 - It's MGS. If you thought LOST was awesome, this is a game for you.
Oh, and I don't know why you picked PS2 to play bullet hell games, I'm pretty sure they're spread evenly on all (japanese)systems, few emulators would probably grant you more than what PS2 alone can. Of course now you can play both the PS2 ones and the emu ones.
