[PS2] Must Own PS2 Games, or how many middling JRPGs can you suggest?

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse - A "Gauntlet" styled hack-n-slash game that doesn't require deep levels of concentration to enjoy. The game pays excellent fanservice between playables and cameos, while presenting a plotline that isn't too far-fetched, even for a comic book. There are RPG elements, mostly involving skill point allocations and selecting how each character's powers will develop as the game progresses. The imbalance problems from the first game are mostly solved, and the difficulty level has been increased. There's also a lot of sidequests for the purpose of collecting items to unlock alternate costumes, scenes, characters, etc. It won't take you forever to beat and the replay value is high because there's often a nagging curiosity as to how the game would've been had one better focused upon so-and-so instead. Also, Patrick Stewart and John DiMaggio lend their voice talents as Charles Xavier and Juggernaut, respectively. That alone is worth hearing at least once.

Rogue Galaxy - Screw the haters, I loved this game. It was gorgeous to behold, especially on the water planet and on the information planet. The characters had personality and weren't superimposed upon the storyline in ways that other games have been known to do (Amarant? Precis? 75% of you Suikoden guys? COUGH COUGH.) Critics said that the story's progression was too slow but that's only because there was so much to do if you felt up to the challenge. Rogue Galaxy is a sidequester's dream and fulfilling them can take days, even weeks. The voice acting was far better than average and the subtle artistic nuances made big differences (when you switched weapons, it was visibly and clearly reflected in battle) If you plow through, you can finish the game in a few days. Otherwise, you can smell the roses all you like and not get punished. The characters even remind you of your current objective while idling, just in case you forgot. I think it was one of the best RPGs I played in years.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I meant to add another game to this list, but was sidetracked by surgery. I'll toss the recommendation up in case anyone still reads this thread.

SSX Tricky - Seriously, this game kicks stupendous ass and I'm honestly shocked nobody mentioned it. It's got crazy action, excellent celebrity cameo voiceovers, super-tight controls, beautious graphics and is an absolute blast in multiplayer. The characters are vibrant and their different personalities shine through due to EA's lengthy recording sessions. The levels are vast and full of tiny little side-trails that can clip seconds off your time if you find them. The stunts are ludicrously over-the-top but also an absolute treat to behold if you can build your meter high enough. Even the soundtrack is smooth and funky. I've had the game since it came out and have never once considered trading it in. If you like snowboarding action, SSX Tricky will not let you down. Psymon is the man, btw.

For what it's worth, SSX 3 was a quality successor to Tricky, but a tiny bit of the original charm was lost somewhere. The characters were still pretty rad, and the open level exploration was a nice change, but it seemed like they were trying to pack in just a bit too much. Still, if you cannot find Tricky, SSX3 will do in a pinch, as it delivers the same core action and expansive sceneries.

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