PS2 Recommendations??

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Slartibartfast

Supreme [H]ardness
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Hey all, so I finally got a PS2 (it's now my most recent console!), and I am looking for some good game recommendations (no WW2 games please), because I have not been paying too much attention to the world of PS2 over the years. The games I have/am tracking down currently are:

Katamari Damacy (the inspiration for the ps2)
We <3 Katamari
Viewtiful Joe 1 + 2
Shadow Of the Colossus
Ico
Rez
Guilty Gear XX
Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Psychonauts
Burnout 3 + 4
Metal Slug anything
Psi-Ops
Gradius V
Alien Hominid

As you can see, I tend to like offbeat / quirky type games, but also love 2D figthers and scrolling shooters (though it seems the PS2 doesn't have a whole lot of good ones in either genre). Anyone have any suggestions? Also I'm looking for a good ps2-compatible arcade stick (I have ps2 controller adapters for my DC too). Is that street fighter aniversary arcade stick any good?

All input appreciated :D
 
God of War, defiantely....

Final Fantasy's if you like em'...they were good games....

Resident Evil 4....I HATED all the other ones but this one is different...I played it on Gamecube ...10/10 score...
 
Are you into RPGs at all? IF so, the PS2 is by far the best platform for them. I can recommend:

Lunar 1 and 2 (granted, PS1 games, but they play very well on the PS2, and are better than 99% of the newer RPGs anyway)

Xenosaga

.hack series

FFX (though I think IX is better)

Beyond Good and Evil (not a PS2 exclusive, but an awesome adventure/RPG)

Kingdom Hearts (if you like Disney stuff, I didn't like be because I dislike Disney, but anyone who doesn't dislike Disney seems to love it)
 
Devil May Cry 1 and 3
Resident Evil 4
God of War
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (It's a PS1 game but a must have if u don't have it already)
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (Comes in Street Fighter Anniversary)
Capcom vs SNK 2
I recommend this stick:

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-m-70-5w3.html

either that or the Tekken Hori sticks
 
God of War
RE4
Tekken 5
GTA Series
Shadow of the Colossus

Those should keep you busy for awhile...
 
God of War (AWESOME game)
Gran Turismo 4 (excellent racing game)
Tekken 5 (top notch fighter)
R-Type Final (great scrolling shooter)

If you want THE BEST scrolling shooter I've ever played, pick up a Gamecube and get Ikaruga. You'll never put it down.

And Prince of Persia is pretty fun if you're into puzzle type adventure games.
 
Capcom vs. SNK 2 - my favorite 2D fighter on PS2
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (rare)
Metal Slug - I have 1 - 5 spanning PS1 to PS2 :D
Dragon Quest VIII (if you like RPGs)
Espgaluda - top down vertical shooter, pretty sure it's Japan-only
Einhander - best side scrolling shooter I've ever played (PS1, rare)

I do agree with previous poster though - Ikaruga is a better game than most of the vertical shooters I've played. However, Radiant Silvergun is probalby my all time favorite, but it's so expensive.
 
Thanks for the input so far guys, a few comments:

I have MvC2 on my Dreamcast, all set there. Also have MvC, Third Strike, and Alpha 3 on the DC and PS1
Probably going to get the Tekken games, I love Tekken Bowl off of Tekken Tag :D
Had Einhander for awhile but sold it, it's too long IMO. Have Ikaruga on the DC, plan on getting RS eventually...

As for RPG's, I've traditionally liked them but gotten rather tired of them lately. I've beaten most of the FF's (except 2, 3, 8, 10, 10-2). I was planning on picking up 10 cuz it's mad cheap. Also has anybody played Disgaea? That game looked pretty sweet.

I will check out the arcade sticks, keep the suggestions coming!!
 
God of War was insanely good, I even think it made it on the list of the best games of all time.

Also, I haven't played them, but the Ratchet & Clank series.
 
Disgaea is a fun game, and kinda weird. Also expensive for a used game ($40 in-store). I'm currently playing its pseudo-sequel, Phantom Brave, which can be had for cheap.

Disgaea 2 is also in the works.
 
Here are a few suggestions if you are on a budget, these are all $20 or less:
*Burnout 3 instead of Burnout Revenge, many regard the former as equal or better to the sequel and it is only $20 (greatest hits)
*Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, I bought it for $10 after shipping on half.com
*Jak and Daxter (original) is super cheap and great
*Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando, my all time favorite platformer
*Beyond Good and Evil, sleeper hit
*Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
*Soul Calibur 2. Not quite as good as the original, but still awesome. Hopefully you already have the Dreamcast version.
 
Can someone explain the Burnout series to me? I mean from what I've heard and gathered it's basically a game where you get to crash nice vehicles at extremely high speeds. I'm sure there are other modes and features, but I've never played one.
 
Burnout is a racing game that rewards you for making other cars crash, by giving you nitro boosts and such. There is a mode where the goal is to cause as much damage as possible.
 
BillLeeLee said:
Burnout is a racing game that rewards you for making other cars crash, by giving you nitro boosts and such. There is a mode where the goal is to cause as much damage as possible.
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Burnout is awesome, by far my fav racing game, and the crash mode (where you try to create the biggest accident) is incredible. The only problem with it is that the load times such huge hairy herpes-infested donkey dick. Seriously, that game has the longest load time at the most random times of any I have played...
 
My current library:
Dragon Quest VIII (best RPG I've played in a while)
Burnout: Revenge (best driving game I've played in a while)
Shadow of Colossus (weird and beautiful)
God of War (haven't opened yet)
Rez (to induce flashbacks)
Gradius V (awsome throwback)
PS1: WipeoutXL (still got it)

Disgea was neat looking but it was my first foray into strat RPGs. I don't like them all that much. I would HIGHLY reccomend Dragon Quest VIII. It's so awsome. It's the only game that can compete with Civ4 in my house right now.
 
I don't know if you have ever played it, but Final Fantasy Tactics (it was for the PS1) was insanely fun, even for those that are normally turned off to the genre (me).
 
I think that strat RPG games require too much deliberation and kick you in the balls when you mess up. I hate that.

Remeber old Lucasarts games where it was impossible to die? Then again, I have a taste for racing and shooter games, too. I just like my RPGs a certain way: as I get older, I get "pickier" and can honestly say that DQXIII is like the best one I've played since FFVII. I've played through FFVIII-FFX-2 and Star Ocean and the Digital Devil Sagas, some other odds and ends. Dragon Quest will hold you down for a while.
 
sfuller said:
My current library:
Dragon Quest VIII (best RPG I've played in a while)
Burnout: Revenge (best driving game I've played in a while)
Shadow of Colossus (weird and beautiful)
God of War (haven't opened yet)
Rez (to induce flashbacks)
Gradius V (awsome throwback)
PS1: WipeoutXL (still got it)

Disgea was neat looking but it was my first foray into strat RPGs. I don't like them all that much. I would HIGHLY reccomend Dragon Quest VIII. It's so awsome. It's the only game that can compete with Civ4 in my house right now.
Click to expand...

I've been wondering about Gradius V. You like it?

I'm kinda on the fence about rpg's, used to love them (in college my friends and I would have an FF7 race once a semester. We would all sit in one room with our own playstations and TV's for a whole weekend and see who could beat the game with the lowest overall game time. The record is like 14:18) but lately they haven't been my cup of tea. I love action-RPG's like Diablo and the Mana series. Have not played SOTN but got Dawn Of Sorrow and love it.

I love the burnout games, haven't played revenge but played the crap out of 2 and 3 on other people's xboxen. May pick up 3 for ps2, but the custom soundtrack was a big win for me on the xbox.

Thanks for the input so far, keep 'em coming!
 
Gradius is excellent but I still can't get past like the 5th or 6th level, it's insanely hard. I think that you'd love dq8. For real, last time I push it but it is an awsome throwback with great graphics, music, story, and gameplay.
 
sfuller said:
Gradius is excellent but I still can't get past like the 5th or 6th level, it's insanely hard. I think that you'd love dq8. For real, last time I push it but it is an awsome throwback with great graphics, music, story, and gameplay.
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I'm skeptical about dq8 because what I'm sick of in RPG's is the gamplay. I'm tired of the turn-based, press the button, watch your guys attack sort of thing. I tried to play chrono cross over the summer (never played it before but loved chrono trigger) and I just couldn't do it. I mean the battle system was pretty cool with the colors and stuff, but I dunno, that sort of game just doesn't do it for me anymore. I may check out Gradius V because I do have a penchant for shooters.

What, no more arcade stick recommendations??
 
Slartibartfast said:
As you can see, I tend to like offbeat / quirky type games
Click to expand...
Two words: Guitar Hero.

Head out to your local Best Buy and see if they have it setup at the PS2 kiosk. Finding it is a little more work, at least locally, as it's sold out everywhere, but is available from the redoctane.com website. Buy it, get the second controller and rock out with your friends. I have a 360 and can honestly say I've spent more time playing GH than it in the last month.
 
KidzMD said:
Two words: Guitar Hero.

Head out to your local Best Buy and see if they have it setup at the PS2 kiosk. Finding it is a little more work, at least locally, as it's sold out everywhere, but is available from the redoctane.com website. Buy it, get the second controller and rock out with your friends. I have a 360 and can honestly say I've spent more time playing GH than it in the last month.
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Yeah I was curious about that game, seemed pretty entertaining. Isn't it a little steep though because of the controller?

Also, what about Frequency and Amplitude, were those any good?
 
If you like action games, "God of War" is your best bet. I know it has been mentioned a few times, but I had to jump in and mention it again. It is the best game I own for the PS2.
 
Gran Turismo 4: Best racing simulator for the PS2, no question.
Socom 4: Awesome multiplayer capabilities
Katamari Demacy: Either the original or We Love are fun as hell.

BTW, the PS2 was my FIRST game console. I'm 22 so I'm pretty late in the game as far as consoles go.
 
acascianelli said:
Gran Turismo 4: Best racing simulator for the PS2, no question.
Socom 4: Awesome multiplayer capabilities
Katamari Demacy: Either the original or We Love are fun as hell.

BTW, the PS2 was my FIRST game console. I'm 22 so I'm pretty late in the game as far as consoles go.
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I have the two katamari games, as for racing I suck at sim games but like the more arcade-style (burnout and NFS 3 are my faves).

To everybody recommending God of War: That game does look awesome, I'm waiting 'til I can find it a bit cheaper (It will probably end up in greatest hits). I'm a cheapass bastard, that's why I'm only getting a PS2 now :D
 
BillLeeLee said:
Einhander - best side scrolling shooter I've ever played (PS1, rare)
Click to expand...
OMG!!! I have a Jam Pack demo disk thing from back in the day and I still pop it in just to play the demo of that game!!!! I have only seen it once in the last few years at the game stores. And it was being sold for $40 used!!!!!!! I REALLY wanted to get it! OMG I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!
 
Slartibartfast said:
Yeah I was curious about that game, seemed pretty entertaining. Isn't it a little steep though because of the controller?
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Yes and No. The game/guitar bundle can be had for $70 at the redoctane site, $80 at ebgames and other retailers. When I think about the games I have for the 360 at $60 each and then the $10 more I paid for guitar hero (I picked it up before my local gamestop upped the price) I find GH was a much better investment. Even more so once I splurged and got the 2nd guitar. But, I have friends over 3-5 nights a week so I play the multiplayer alot, which made the additional investment worth it. The single player game is still a ton of fun, and worth the price imho, but multiplayer at parties is really where the game shines. So while it is more than the average $40 game, I think it's worth it for the fun factor. Plus, when GH2 is release, you'll already have the controller :)
 
Slartibartfast said:
I have the two katamari games, as for racing I suck at sim games but like the more arcade-style (burnout and NFS 3 are my faves).

To everybody recommending God of War: That game does look awesome, I'm waiting 'til I can find it a bit cheaper (It will probably end up in greatest hits). I'm a cheapass bastard, that's why I'm only getting a PS2 now :D
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You can pick it up for $30 brand new at BB (with coupon)

I would also suggest getting Shadow of the Colossus ($20 with BB coupon).
 
Slartibartfast said:
I'm skeptical about dq8 because what I'm sick of in RPG's is the gamplay.
Click to expand...

Okay. But at least rent it. I'll be a monkey's uncle if you don't like it. ;)
 
devil may cry 1 and 3
guitar hero
beyond good and evil
resident evil 4
metal gear 2 and 3 (regarding 3, just wait for subsistence, it hits reatail in like a month or 2)
sly cooper, sly 2, sly 3
Jak and daxter, Jak 2, Jak 3 (best platformers ever, seriously)
disgaea
gran turismo 4
rogue galaxy (when it comes out, i played the japanese version, its gonna be great)
dragon quest 8
shadow hearts, 1, 2
silent hill 2, 3, and 4
mega man anniversary collection

and i also recommend basically every game that is on your list that you posted.

P.S. to the guys who were talking about einhander, thumbs up. that game is amazing. hurray for squaresoft when they actually made games, and good ones at that....though, they may be making a return, the new saga game looks and sounds really solid.
 
Goran said:
OMG!!! I have a Jam Pack demo disk thing from back in the day and I still pop it in just to play the demo of that game!!!! I have only seen it once in the last few years at the game stores. And it was being sold for $40 used!!!!!!! I REALLY wanted to get it! OMG I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!
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Yah, I rented it back then from a supermarket or something, played it nonstop. I can't find it at all for reasonable prices these days, I regret not having bought it when it was being discounted. :(

Anyway, it's gonna be weird saying this, but Rumble Roses is actually kind of fun (thought repetitive as hell). It cost $15, so I said "What the hell" and bought it.

Now if we talk RPGs - here are all the ones I have bought in the past week/month, all of which are completely unopened and unplayed

Star Ocean Till the End of Time
Magna Carta: Tears of Blood
Xenosaga 2 (haven't beaten first one yet, I have to force myself to)
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2 (just to round out my Final Fantasy collection)
Dragon Quest VIII
Kingdom Hearts

Nothing like $15 games (except DQ VIII and Magna Carta). :D

And now actively waiting for:
Rogue Galaxy
Seiken Densetsu 4 (new Secret of Mana)
The new Valkyrie Profile Silmeria
Tales of the Abyss (hopefully it'll get localized, Namco has been very spotty with releasing Tales games)
 
PS2:

Grab Ico and Shadow of the Colosuss for a great adventure. The others that were mentioned are great too. I have God of War since it came out, but still haven't had time to unwrap and play it.

I was lucky enough to get Einhander when it first came out, and it is a SWEET game, if you collect, it's worth it.
 
Metal Gear 3 (wait for subsistence)
Timesplitters 3 (online sucks with pugs.. since they all use autoaim)
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Socom 1 or 3
God of War
Star Ocean: Till the end of time (gameplay is fun.. story sucks)
 
WaterproofPaper said:
theres Tales of Legendia too
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Yeah, many of the Tales games aren't out here...

Tales of Phantasia (probably my fave!)
Tales of Destiny 2 (the real Tales of Destiny 2, not the USA one which was Tales of Eternia)
Tales of Rebirth
Tales of Legendia
Tales of Symphonia PS2 version (added some new cutscenes I think)
now Tales of Abyss

However, Legendia is coming to the states, so at least we're getting something. :eek:
 
I personally think God of War is a bit overrated gameplay-wise. get Devil May Cry 3 instead, that game has ALL the gameplay.
 
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