The Best PS2 Titles

[Mordecaii]

The Best PS2 Titles (Or the ones every PS2 owner should have)

Well, the PS2 is winding down as developers switch to next-gen platforms, and the number of big name exclusive titles is definately slowing down. I'd like to take a look back at the games of the PS2 and put together a list of the best games released on the system. (I'll be honest, part of the reason for this post is helping me decide what to purchase for Christmas ) So, without further ado, here's my list of the must-have titles for the PS2. (All the following games are on my list because they're excellent examples of what their genre should be about, with a couple of games such as SotC, Okami, Guitar Hero, etc being quite innovative and more than just good examples of a genre.)

Okami
FFX
FFX-2
FFXII
Suikoden III
Suikoden V
Beyond Good and Evil
Xenosaga I
Dragon Quest VIII
Champions of Norrath
Shadow of the Colossus
Jak 3
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Soulcalibur II
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Guitar Hero
Rogue Galaxy (Not out yet, but will be soon and WILL be mine!)


Games that I haven't purchased myself but hear are must haves:

God of War
Devil May Cry 3
Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2
Katamari Damacy
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Grand Theft Auto (3, VC, and SA)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Resident Evil 4
SSX3
ICO
Soulcalibur III
Shadow Hearts: Covenant


Those would be my personal list of the top games for the PS2. I'd like to hear what everyone else's are (you don't have to give as long of a list as me... ) and also which games not in the first list I MUST buy because I'm looking to fully flesh out my PS2 library this Christmas since next Christmas I'll be focusing on Xbox360 and PS3.

Edit: Just wanted to remind everyone that this topic is merely to see what games everyone has enjoyed and would recommend that others own, not necessarily trying to come up with some objective best list because "best" in this case would be entirely subjective anyway.

 

[darkblu]

i can't figure out for the life of me here how you can have soulcalibur2 on your list but not soulcalibur3

 

[Bad_Boy]

Add tourist trophy, VF4, GT4, the warriors, Tekken tag, and Tekken 5 to that list and you pretty much got everything I loved.

And probably bully, but I havent played that yet personally.

 

[rounin]

Dark Cloud series
Shin Megumi Tensei series
All Xenosaga
Soul Calibur 3
Street Fighter
Jak Series
R & C Series
Winning Eleven (get any one of these or just get the latest Japanese version) <--get it or die.

 

[Bobbler]

I'd add the other Jaks and Ratchet games, as well as MGS2.

I'd also add stuff like GT3/4, VF4:Evo and probably GTA (at least one of them is worth having).

Gitaroo Man, SMT: Nocturne and ZOE2 are worth having too, although a bit on the rarer side.

That list (both lists combined + what I listed) is pretty close to what I'd say are the must haves (minus a couple titles from your list, but our lists would seem to have a majority in common).

 

[Deepak]

BLACK (probably the most fun FPS on PS2)
Silent Hill 2/3 (avoid 4)
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Sly Cooper Series
Ace Combat Series
Burnout Series
NFS: HP2
ZOE 2
MGS2

 

[Bobbler]

BLACK (probably the most fun FPS on PS2)
Silent Hill 2/3 (avoid 4)
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Sly Cooper Series
Ace Combat Series
Burnout Series
NFS: HP2
ZOE 2
MGS2

Ooh, I forgot SH and Sly cooper series!

I also enjoyed Black, even if it was short.

Now that I think about it, I'm glad I picked up Killzone and Genji too! (worth the $20 for each)

 

[Npl]

I guess you like platformers - in that case get "Maximo - Army on Zin", great game.
The rest of my favourites are already mentioned.

edit: just realized noone mentioned Onimusha 3&4 yet.

 

[tuna]

Come on, these lists are the most pointless thing ever unless you give some qualification on why the actual games are good. Why a certain game is good, that is what I want to know, and I am sure almost everyone else as well.

(Mordecaii: Sorry to hijack your thread, but please take this as constructive critism and improve it
)

 

[Mordecaii]

Well, in my original post I stated the games that you as a fan would have as a must purchase game. Not everyone's tastes will be the same, and thus there really isn't any way to make a single list and say that it's the definitive best games list. My goal with this topic is merely to get a list of the games that people consider must-haves, games that are so good in your own opinion that it would be a shame not to own them.

Now, as to my response to the posts so far...

darkblu: I've never played SC3, but I do own SC2. If you consider it a game that absolutely needs to be bought, then definately list it. I haven't bought SC3 simply because I own SC2 and I don't know if it would be worth it when there's still a large number of games that are far different from what I already own.

rounin: I've heard a bit about the Shin Megumi Tensei series, but held back on getting it due to the latest one not receiving very good reviews, would you still recommend the series?

Bobbler: The reason I didn't mention the other Jak's and Ratchet's is because I haven't played them, although I do know that the two I mentioned got the best reviews in their respective series, and seemed to improve on their predecessors in every way. Jak 2 wasn't all that fun for me, but I did love Jak 1. I never played the other Ratchet games.

Deepak (and Bobbler): I saw ZOE2 at my local EB yesterday for a cheap price, would it be worth picking this game up? I never really heard much about it.

Npl: I actually am not a huge fan of platform games, I'm a MAJOR fan of RPG's, adventure games with RPG elements, and Zelda-type games. I'm also a huge fan of open-ended games such as Oblivion. However, every once in a while I'll sit down and enjoy playing something like Jak or Ratchet because they are just fun to play.

Hopefully this post gives a little bit better idea of what I was hoping to create with this thread. I'm not looking for people to argue over what games belong and what games don't, I just want to see a list of what people consider the "must have" games for the PS2. And I would consider all the games I listed in my first post VERY worth owning.

 

[cbarcus]

For the latest generation, I mostly played games on the PS2 platform, and the following were among my favorites:

Shadow of the Colossus (wonderful storytelling with amazing environments and animation)
ICO (wonderful mood, graphics, and animation)
Hitman 2: Contracts (great level design)
God of War (great storytelling, great graphics)
Manhunt (awkward controls, yet the story was quite cool)
Jak & Daxter (classic platformer)
Jak II (interesting political themes, though gameplay could be frustrating at times)
Jak 3
Ratchet & Clank (great gameplay with amusing storytelling)
Ratchet & Clank: Going Comando (even more fun)
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (some cultural commentary here)
Killzone (beautiful environments despite the framerate problems, very immersive)
Drakan: The Ancient Gates (great storytelling with expansive environments- lots to explore)
The Bard's Tale (fun gameplay with amusing storytelling)
The Mark of Kri (good storytelling with great animation)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (very fun open environments with great animation)
Psi Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (stupid story, yet the super-hero abilities are awesome)
Project Snowblind (nice FPS with very nice environments, poor story)
SOCOM 2 (online) (online play was incredible with good clans)
Final Fantasy XI (online) (great online social game- I preferred the White Mage job)
Champions of Norath (fun gameplay with great graphics)
Area 51 (enjoyable FPS with an amusing story)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (classic)
Gran Turismo 4 (great driving simulation- not a great racing simulation)
SSX 3 (great graphics and loads of fun)

http://cbarcus.stumbleupon.com/

 

[darkblu]

I've never played SC3, but I do own SC2. If you consider it a game that absolutely needs to be bought, then definately list it.

ok, just remember you asked for it..

sc3 is the game i expected sc2 to be but alas it never did it - to be a truly worthy successor of the original soulcalibur - the game that got me into consoles back in the Y2K.

to this day, after hundreds and hundreds of hours in all soulcaliburs (and a handful of other fighters), sc3 is the only game which i cannot stop being amazed at technically. after having beaten the game in every possible way and having seen all there's to be seen in it gazillion times, i still get the urge to drop my match and go to soul exibitions mode just to let some character do his or her katas while i switch to free camera to observe the amazing stages design - true pieces of art, totally defying the platform limitations and human creativity bounds. it's like observing a Michelangelo's paiting on the walls of a neanderthal's cave - your mind tells you that what your sensors read should not be there - nobody could have put so much effort and created so much visual depth into something as simple as an action videogame on a console past its apogee, but it still is there - a writing on the wall saying 'technology is nothing, human talent and creativity is everything'. and before you take me for somebody easily impressed - i'm a seasoned graphician, i've seen quite some, i know the lengths artists and programmers are likely to go to. well, soulcalibur3 is an impossible creation. it has zero story or scenario, and very little gameplay development appeal, but the dynamics and presentation of the game - especially the latter - well, one word - impossible..

oh, and it's a hell of good fighter too ; )

 

[btdvox]

Ahh there are so many ps2 titles that havent been mentioned that are just amazing- the PS2 really did have its share of titles- Cant beleive how many great titles there were...and I remember the crappiest launch titles it had haha. I bought fantavision and orphen. LOL man orphen was a BAD game. but within 6 months there were tons of games that were great.

 

[cthellis42]

I KNEW I was in the right place! Someone mentioned Gitaroo Man before I saw the thread! :smile: I am just upstairs from playing it, too... Hehe.

I don't have anything to add to the list right now (other than to mention the Armored Core games if you go for anything in that genre), and it's kinda boring to just put my order of preference, so I'll answer Mordecaii's last question and tell him to get the heck out of ZoE2!

 

[Xpuntar]

In terms of "button mashin" Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1 and 2 is missing from the list. And for some people both of these two games are better than Champions of Norath and Bard's Tale.

If you are into RPG-FRP tactics games, there is Disgaea 1 and 2. And there are also some others: LaPucelle, Phantom Brave, ...

For some whacky gaming there si also Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

BGDA1 deserves to be on the list as it was the first in that new genre of dungeon mashers, and appeared with such aplomb. It was a great 2 player co-op title with some fantastic effects and lighting. BGDA2 was just more of the same, but with far less polish. CON could feature as it's the best in the available dungeon mashers with great visuals and loads of long term appeal if you like that sort of game.

I'd say you need BGDA1 if any of those titles, and then if you want a second, CON (perhaps the sequel RTA instead?).

 

[Mordecaii]

I'd say you need BGDA1 if any of those titles, and then if you want a second, CON (perhaps the sequel RTA instead?).

I have CoN. I'll probably end up picking up BGDA 1 and Bard's Tale as well, as I do enjoy those types of games.

What is Gitaroo Man like? I suppose I could just go read a review of it, but what makes it so enjoyable? (For those that have played it. )

I'll definately go pick up Soulcalibur 3 and Zone of Enders 2, since they've gotten so many recommendations!

In terms of Sly 2, how would it rate compared to Jak 3 and R&C3? I'm not a huge platformer fan, but if it's really great then I'd probably pick it up anyway.

 

[Deepak]

In terms of Sly 2, how would it rate compared to Jak 3 and R&C3? I'm not a huge platformer fan, but if it's really great then I'd probably pick it up anyway.

Sly2 is a great game IMO, it involves using Stealth...can't just go on a killing spree. Every stage has a list of objectives which you have to complete.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I have CoN.

As mentioned in your OP. But obviosuly I was just speaking in general terms. Obviously.

I'll probably end up picking up BGDA 1 and Bard's Tale as well, as I do enjoy those types of games.

Bard's Tale is a little odd. Plays quite well and the summons are quite interesting - the first action game I've ever played with cause for magic to be useful in lighting your surroundings. However i finished it yet as there's on area the the normal route takes you away from. I restarted to try and get there (level/area 9 I think) and was moved past it again. I haven't managed to work myself up to trying a third time. I'd wait until it's ten bucks on a download service if I were you

 

[Mordecaii]

I've put together the list of games I'd like to get that are missing from my PS2 library, and unfortunately the cost is around $400... Looks like I'm going to have to spread out the purchases a bit in order to get all the games I'd like to have! Still, I'd rather buy them now than have a situation happen like what happened with me for the PS1. I owned Suikoden 1 and rented Suikoden 2, but was fresh off playing another RPG and it didn't draw me in immediately, so I never bought the game and now that I want it I can't find it.