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

Howcome nobody mentioned FFX-2? Sure, it's not the best FF out there, but if you're a fan of FFX, I guess you'll like it for the "continuation" story and the shitload of stuff you can do in the game. Basically it's like Final Fantasy combined with Dress-Up Barbie and a lot of mini-games. It has it's good points, and it can be fun if you ignore everyone saying how bad it is.

The Onimusha games are rather fun too. If you're looking for some slashing action without the stylish polish of Devil May Cry (which is mentioned above), this should suit you. And in Onimusha 2, you get to play as Jean Reno! Cool, huh?

Need for Speed: Most Wanted, probably the only racing game I liked on the PS2. It's not as realistic as Gran Turismo, but it's a lot of fun. It has spinnaz too.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, a must for Valkyrie Profile fans. If the beautiful 3d rendered sidescrolling action won't get you, at least the beautiful music would. Or the pretty computer rendered females.

I guess that's it for now.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
I still think this is one of the most underrated games on the PS2 ever. It's basically a third person action game, with either Motoko or Batou as the protagonist (depending on the level). Apart from shooting enemies, you jump around to dodge bullets, unleash kicks and various combos and do some nice platformer jumping and climbing. You can also Ghost Hack into enemies, giving you total control over them. It's a very well made game with solid controls.

The Red Star
This game takes place in some kind of alternate history russia. It's a side scrolling beat em up and shoot em up, with bosses dishing out bullet patterns which require you to do some nice dodging, Ikaruga style. Some enemies only take damage from ranged weapons and some only from melee, which gives some variety. Sometimes, the camera shifts to top-down action where you have to dodge crazy bullet patterns again. It's intense, and sometimes extremely fun. It does multiplayer too if I remember correctly. It's supposedly based on some novel, but I haven't read that.

Games other mentioned that I'd like to agree on:
Gradius V - Visual and audial orgasm. Shoot em up goodness.
Shinobi - Freaking hard. Has its flaws bot overall cool, should be dirt cheap.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Shin

Hahaha, what? The voice acting in FFX is some of the worst I've ever heard in a game. The only I can think of as bad as FFX is Suikoden Tactics.

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

If by "above average" he means HOLY FUCK THEY'RE ALL SO FUCKING ANNOYING/<insert derogatory adjective of choice here> then . . . yes, above average indeed.

I am aware that some of the character's performances were not as good as they should have been, but over-all, I think the cast did well enough for itself, and its above-average. I never said it was the best thing since sliced cake, which is how you seem to be reacting. Anyway, If you feel otherwise, that's your prerogative

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Oh shi~ In some form or another this thread has appeared numerous times in the past. Still it's nice to get everyone's opinions (not that they can't be found everywhere else on the internet).

Gonna throw in some already-mentioned recommendations:

Okami - Adventure - It just got re-released as a PS2 Greatest Hits title. Go buy it, now. By this post you've heard it all, awesome artwork, an incredible story, excellent combat system, etc. etc. Also, pervert humor <3. Unless you're a Madden faggot, this game should be on your shelf at home, sitting proudly.

Zone of the Enders - Mech Action - To truly, truly appreciate the second game (aptly named the "Second Runner"), you must experience the first. The second game is incredibly awesome, the first game was a great experience in its own right when it first came out. The combat was still quite refined and fully embraced 3D; Second Runner was a mix of 3D environments and character models wrapped in cel-shaded clothing. The original was all 3D and held up really well. Go check it out.

Dark Cloud - Dungeon-crawling/adventure/action-RPG/construction - The better majority of GFF vets know how I feel about Dark Cloud 2. Every opportunity I get I promote the Dark Cloud games, and for good reason; they're good. Dark Cloud had some minor issues, but ended up being a well-balanced game blending numerous gameplay elements (dungeon romping, RPG, create-a-city, etc.) into one decent package.

The second game really took off, using cel-shading as a nice visual element amongst dungeon landscapes and a broad range of characters. It's really a big positive change from the first game and absolutely deserved two or three playthroughs.

Rogue Galaxy - Action-RPG/Adventure - Absolutely fuck the haters. Rogue Galaxy is another awesome experience. Vibrant landscapes, characters filled with personality and a great combat system that is leaps and bounds better than FF12's Gambit system. It's a long game too, easily over 100 hours to see and do everything, much like Dark Cloud 2.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria - RPG - I really liked the first Valkyrie Profile and if you did too, then there's no reason for anyone to explain why you should pick this up. It's awesome and it's gorgeous.

Jak & Daxter - Platformer - With the exception of Jak X, the first three Jak games are all awesome. In the first he's a mute protagonist, but in the second and third games he gets this badass "I'ma fuck you up" attitude, but he's not too over-the-top with it and it works, especially mixed with his mascot Daxter who's constantly lightening the mood around Jak. Solid gameplay elements combined with a surprising great cast of characters and a brilliantly twisting story should make at least the first three games a must-have set.

So now for some new ones.

Ratchet & Clank - Platformer - What? No one's said anything about these? Ratchet and Clank define "platformer" to its core, mixing platforming with gunplay and a little puzzle-solving for some really incredible gameplay. Unlike Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank have five PS2 iterations (the fifth being a PSP port). The first three were very similar with standard "edition upgrades" like new weapons, characters, and a level-up system for both. The fourth game still contained those elements, but placed them in a gladiatorial combat setting. The fifth game went back to its roots though, but the port to the PS2 wasn't so hot. Even still, all five Ratchet games should be picked up and played.

Sly Cooper - Stealth platformer- The Sly Cooper games have sadly seen only three releases while Sucker Punch works on Infamous, but hopefully they'll have a new Sly game coming out. These three games were a ton of fun though. GTA-style map and checkpoint system combined with stealthy movements of a thieving raccoon, a turtle and a pink hippo. Fun, solid gameplay, humorous dialogue and a really great set of characters between all three games provide more than enough reason to play these games.

Soul Calibur II - Fighting - Most people agree that SC2 was better than 3, though 3 did have customizable characters the gameplay in SC3 was pretty broken. Soul Calibur 2 is a well-balanced weapons-based fighter that was simply good. As far as the bonus fighters go, personally I thought Heihachi wasn't the best choice, but he wasn't a horrible one either; he certainly was broken like Link.

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution - Fighter - There's no real reason to pick up the first edition of VF4 since Evolution adds two more characters and more content. You can customize the existing characters, participate in arcade-style matches or play through a story mode. VF4 though is also well-balanced, so much so that you can never really blame the AI for being cheap. If you lose, you suck.

Wild Arms 3 - RPG - In my opinion, this was the last Wild Arms to really capture the Wild West feel without being silly and overtly childish. Wild Arms 4 and 5, both developed by XSEED, changed the gameplay so much that they should've just called it something else entirely. But Wild Arms 3 remained true to the gameplay of the first two and that's a damn good thing to say. The combat was refined to a greater degree and was excellent to participate in, the characters all remained interesting throughout (although I never liked Gallows that much) and WA3 had a cool labyrinth dungeon called the Abyss that was available during the first playthrough. Good stuff.

I was speaking idiomatically.

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus - Made from the same team and probably the most unique adventure games in the ps2. Can't describe it as good as Quarky so read his post.

Zone of the enders 1 and 2 - I know a lot say they got zone of the enders at first for the sweet mgs2 demo but I got it because it was a kojima game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Soundtrack was full of trance themes and jpop for those who want to feel japaneezy and it was the best and only mecha game I've played. And of course part 2 improves on all aspects from the first part, even turns up the difficulty in the ending fights.

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection - If you have to get a 2d fighting game then this one would be it. Have to make sure you have a buddy in your house in order to fully enjoy the competitive side since it doesn't have online play. Comes with street fighter 2 and thrid strike, plus it has the street fighter 2 movie but that isn't the main reason to buy it since it can't be seen in normal any DVD players.

Metal gear Solid Series - I know there are a few people who actually don't like these stealth games but these can be quite fun when you know how to use stealth actions to their fullest. Awesome soundtrack, voice acting, and a fucked up storyline. It's a Hideo alright.

Final Fantasy X - I actually ignore that there was ever a FFX-2 because I enjoyed the way the first one ended. I spent tons of hours on this game, probably the last rpg which I actually enjoyed to its fullest. Voice acting really wasn't the best by any means but hey, still beats the legend of dragoon voices.

Devil may cry - More specifically part 3. I say this because I felt like playing part 3 won't leave you felt out from playing part one. The cutscenes alone are reason enough to play through the game if your a fan of non logical fight scenes accompanied with hard metal.

Radiatta stories - I haven't fully played this game but it was so colorful and entertaining that I would recommend it to people that have time to play another rpg with countless(around 80) characters to draft into your party.

OKAMI - Another colorful game with a wolf that brings life to everything she touches. I honestly thought this was going to be a 20 hr game but it just kept going and going, not only with the main quest but lots of side quests. Seriously this game is a drug of colors.

Robot alchemic drive aka R.A.D. - I played the demo and it became a guilty pleasure. The game is probably awful but controlling a mech has never felt like this. (Oh I guess I did play another mech game other than ZOE =D)

EDIT: Other games for a quick mention that are definite plays,

kingdom hearts - Like disney, rpgs, too manly for your own good? Then play this.
god of war - You play this after kingdom hearts in order to get your manhood pumping again
Wild Arms 3 - its the only Wild arms game that I ever played and I really enjoyed it. The heroic western music was my favorite part.
Silent Hill 2 - If you want to see some freaky horror shit.
Burnout 2 - Fast and the furious with fancy crashes and none of that cheap "knock those fucking cars out of my way" bullshit you see in part three. In here, you drive good and fast or GTFO!
Guitar hero series - You play this after everything else as a victory of rocking out in a game

How ya doing, buddy?

This is a continuation from my first post, so I'll try and cover some games not already mentioned by others.

Burnout 3: Takedown - Arcade Racing - While most Racing games nowdays have a focus on either Street Racing & modification or 'Real World' Simulation and Circuit Track performances, Burnout 3 is in a niche class of its own. The game rewards and promotes crashes, bumps, bruises, and high-flying calamity. The bigger the crash into your opponent, the more boost you get, the faster you can speed, and the quicker you can take-down the opposition. The game is not without its share of flaws however: The announcer is (Unlike my opinon of Final Fantasy X) aggravating and annoying to the point where you might as well hit the "mute" button whenever you're in a menu. The loading times are inconsistent in places, the tracks are more restrictive in path choice then most games (Even if the game hides it well), and the music ranges from generic rock to popish eurodance. However, the core gameplay is solid, so if you want a pure "Crash and Dash" experience, Burnout 3 definitely delivers.

Second Option: Burnout is solidly in its own class for crashing and destruction, but a few other racing games like Midnight Club or Need for Speed share that same aptitude for 'light on realism', so you could check those out to see what suits you best.

Soul Calibur 2 - Fighting - The first title debuted on the Dreamcast and received nearly unanimous praise. The second game, the first on the PS2, does a very good job in the follow-up. The fighting game places an emphasis on Weapons, but does not dominate. The 'historical' setting of the game allows the character design to broaden farther then in some other contemporary fighters, and the score of Weapons are not only interesting to look at, but they affect the fighter's performance to varying degrees. High Risk weapons with unusual penalties can be brutal in the right hands for the High Reward payoffs. The game's play modes are decently moderate, from the standard Practice and Arcade modes, to a Team Battle, all the way to a psuedo-RPG Dungeon Crawler (Not as bad as it sounds) which unlocks more characters, weapons, artwork, stages, and other surprises. If you enjoy fighting games at all, this game will be of the right 'calibur'.

Second Option: The sequel added more characters, but felt underpolished by comparison, while other fighting games featuring weapons are few and far between. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance surprisingly follows in that same tradition, however featuring a different focus on multiple fighting styles per character.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - "Character-based action/platformer" - What do you get when you combine the 'Run and Gun' mechanics of Max Payne with the graphical likeness & platforming of Jak & Daxter & Crash Bandicoot? A Very Fun time. The Ratchet & Clank series seemingly came out of nowhere, but by the third outing, it had matured and had the full-package of options. The basic premise is Platforming with REALLY big Guns, and it works out very well. The Guns are varied in design and can be upgraded to hit harder, faster, and even weirder, and Up Your Arsenal in particular adds a missing feature of the previous games: Online Multiplayer Deathmatches (if you're so inclined). So, If you're looking for a light-hearted action game with some serious teeth, look no further. Plus, R&C is packaged in the value-priced Greatest Hits line, and well worth the 20 buck asking price.

Second Option: The two previous games in the series are also worth looking at, (Going Commando is also available for $20), and if you want more of the platforming, then the JaK & Daxter Series is a worthwhile alternative.

As before, I'll stop here.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Syndrome

The Red Star
...
It's supposedly based on some novel, but I haven't read that.

A comic book series, actually. Props for mentioning it, a very overlooked little gem.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Sure, only the EXACT OPPOSITE. This series gets worse as it goes along. It loses the dark feel and just gets stupid. Play the first two, absolutely, but you can leave the third.

Man, what's it feel like to be completely backwards like that? I mean... what's is like?

Am I the only person in the universe who thinks that the 3rd game is just as dark as the second? I mean, CHRIST there's some fucked up shit in there. Plus the tweaked battle system improves (IMHO) over some of the things that made the Covenant occasionally overly frustrating.

Oh, and I second the one mention of FF X-2. Holy god, the fights can be so fast, and the ability to change jobs on the fly (lol dressup) makes it very enjoyable. Completely different from the fabulous FFX turn-based system? Yeah. Worse? Not at all.

I also really enjoyed Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit for the EU folks). It's like playing a movie, sorta, and, while certain aspects of the story are stupid, I felt the game was very enjoyable.

Nobody's mentioned Xenosaga Series yet. Yes. I know. But I really enjoyed the interplay of the characters throughout all 3 games, even if it's intentionally obtuse at times. Sad for KOS-MOS.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

Second Option: The two previous games in the series are also worth looking at, (Going Commando is also available for $20), and if you want more of the platforming, then the JaK & Daxter Series is a worthwhile alternative.

Maybe the first J&D game, but the second and third games are nowhere near as platform heavy as the R&C games. They added guns and vehicles, basically making them GTA clones. They still have some platforming, and overall they're very good games, but I wouldn't recommend them as an alternative to R&C as far as platforming goes (again, except for the first one).

As for my own recommendations:

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - I never played the PC series this game is based on, but it really doesn't matter since the gameplay isn't really similar to it. This is a fun action-RPG that becomes even more enthralling if you have a friend to play it with. This is definitely one of the best co-op experiences I've had on the PS2.

Mercenaries - Yes, it's a GTA-style sandbox game, but as far as gameplay goes I think it's far better than any GTA game on the PS2. Like GTA you can steal any vehicle you see and take missions from different groups, but unlike GTA you can play these groups against each other and fully destroy the environment. And blowing shit up is fun in this game. The sequel (on the current gen systems anyway, haven't played the PS2 version) is a little disappointing in comparison, but you definitely can't go wrong with this one.

XIII - At first glance a cel-shaded FPS might seem kinda weird, but this game is one of the best FPS games on the PS2. The game is based on a comic series, which is why it not only has such a unique graphical style for an FPS, but it's also why it has an excellent story that keeps you compelled the whole time as well. Definitely worth a play for any FPS fan.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by RockgamerXIII

Maybe the first J&D game, but the second and third games are nowhere near as platform heavy as the R&C games. They added guns and vehicles, basically making them GTA clones. They still have some platforming, and overall they're very good games, but I wouldn't recommend them as an alternative to R&C as far as platforming goes (again, except for the first one).

My fault for not mentioning this, but I was gearing towards the second and third J&D game in complimenting R&C's Gunplay, and the first (As you said) for the Platforming. I guess I should have elaborated. *Shrug*

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Vemp

Howcome nobody mentioned FFX-2? Sure, it's not the best FF out there, but if you're a fan of FFX, I guess you'll like it for the "continuation" story and the shitload of stuff you can do in the game. Basically it's like Final Fantasy combined with Dress-Up Barbie and a lot of mini-games. It has it's good points, and it can be fun if you ignore everyone saying how bad it is.

I gotta play that and Final Fantasy X one of these days. PS2 RPGs were bad timing for me. I was super addicted to MMOs and didn't get around to playing anything else. I beat Disgaea and I got about halfway through Valkyrie Profile 2 before deciding I hate the combat system. That was about it for PS2 rpgs for me. I got FFX, FFX-2, Odin Sphere, Kingdom Hearts, and the Wild Arms remake over there looking at me shouting "Play Me!" but I just have piled up so many games I have to finish.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Even if a lot of people have already said it..
Shadow of Colossus - I bought this game a looooong time ago but, I am still playing it! Proabably just on my 6th round though. It is a great stress reliever, specially when you get the hang of the colossus.

.hack\\G.U. - better than the first series!! The battles in the first series seemed so... still. It was like you were waiting to be hit by the enemy lols. At least in this game there is a freekin BLOCK!!

SMT: Nocturne - this game and the Digital Devil games are the only games I know where you can be very strong (without the ultimate magatama!), yet still die of a some random encounter. ^^'

(I'd you end up liking the SMT series.. you should also go check out the Digital Devil Saga.. but the first game is soooo slow)

About the Shadow Hearts Series, I liked the first one better ^^'. The graphics are baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad but, I really liked the grit of the first game. The 2nd and the 3rd was more slapstick-ish to me. Judgement ring rocks!! lol. I was sooo used to the turn based games that there were times I forgot about the ring.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Dark Cloud - Dungeon-crawling/adventure/action-RPG/construction - The better majority of GFF vets know how I feel about Dark Cloud 2. Every opportunity I get I promote the Dark Cloud games, and for good reason; they're good. Dark Cloud had some minor issues, but ended up being a well-balanced game blending numerous gameplay elements (dungeon romping, RPG, create-a-city, etc.) into one decent package.

The second game really took off, using cel-shading as a nice visual element amongst dungeon landscapes and a broad range of characters. It's really a big positive change from the first game and absolutely deserved two or three playthroughs.

The second game is fantastic. The first game is a fucking train wreck.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Vemp

Howcome nobody mentioned FFX-2? Sure, it's not the best FF out there, but if you're a fan of FFX, I guess you'll like it for the "continuation" story and the shitload of stuff you can do in the game. Basically it's like Final Fantasy combined with Dress-Up Barbie and a lot of mini-games. It has it's good points, and it can be fun if you ignore everyone saying how bad it is.

I think the best way to describe FFX-2 is a really good battle system wasted on an absolute shitheap of a story. If you're willing to ignore the fact that the main characters are fanservice, the story takes FFX's continuity and throws it out the back door for something even more confusing, and the music is incredibly bouncy then there's a good game to be found in there.

(Personally I didn't mind the music, but some people seem to throw fits nowadays if an FF soundtrack doesn't have 50 violins per minute.)

FELIPE NO

There are quite a few games that I believe are games that are a necessity to have with your PS2 but since a lot of the ones I'm thinking about are already spoken for by various members, I'll take time to mention one I believe is a must own game for the PS2 that hasn't been mentioned yet.

That game is:

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King

I haven't necessarily played a lot of various rpgs since I spend way too much time trying to fully complete them. I would like to think that I can summarize this game in just one word: EPIC. I haven't played an rpg where I actually enjoy travelling on the world map as much as this rpg. It basically takes the fundamental basics of an rpg and it literally puts a beautiful coat of polish all over it. The environments are just beautiful, there is good amount of difficulty in the game since you can only save at churches. There are plenty of mini-games and side quests to do and I find with a game such as this you can lose time fairly easily.

This might be debated but in my eyes it has one of my favourite voice casts I've ever heard in an rpg. I find a lot of the voices fit many of the characters. I think it is a fairly balanced rpg even though I'm sure there are plenty of things you can possibly abuse.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by wvlfpvp

I also really enjoyed Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit for the EU folks). It's like playing a movie, sorta, and, while certain aspects of the story are stupid, I felt the game was very enjoyable.

"Like playing a movie, sorta" is a good way to describe this game, it's fantastic. It's an adventure game with a bit of action, it used quick-time events BEFORE they were a gaming cliche, and it actually tells a mature story (at least, until the last hour or so). If you can find this one, GREAT game. Kinda on the short side, though.

God dammit this is why I should not rely on double post automerging

If anyone's thinking of Dragon Quest VIII, be warned. When Angel of Light says it takes traditional JRPGs and puts a polish on it, he's not kidding. This isn't your Final "Here's Fifty Potions In A Chest" Fantasy. Dragon Quest VIII is VICIOUS if you go into a new area without preparing (read: Grinding) first. This makes the game quite long, but also slows the pace of progression down. Do not play this game if you don't like having an hour or so between significant story events at minimum.

Quote:

Radiatta stories - I haven't fully played this game but it was so colorful and entertaining that I would recommend it to people that have time to play another rpg with countless(around 80) characters to draft into your party.

If you hate Star Ocean-style gameplay, avoid this game, since that's what this is. Also, I have to say that its humor is refreshing, but falls flat a bit too often for my taste. Still, the fact that it at least tries for it is more than a lot of RPGs can say.

I'd also like to put in my two cents about FFXII. This game has received a LOT of criticism for... well, pretty much everything, but I think a lot of it is unwarranted. Sure, the gameplay lets "the game play itself." If you're fighting enemies 15 levels lower than you. Anyone who's actually played the game knows that once you're about 5 to 10 hours in, relying entirely on gambits is suicide. That's not to say that feature isn't useful. It's nice to be able to have someone set up to heal without you repeatedly mashing on the heal spell. It's just not the "autoplay button" everyone says it is.

The story is well-written, mostly well-acted, and surprisingly, does not feature a main cast of characters that are the fucking Messiah and save the world single-handedly. The story is epic in scope without ever forgetting (for the most part) that 7 people running around together typically don't win every fight they're in and aren't always greeted with "Sure you can take <sacred item>! Go ahead!" I will admit it kind of loses itself in depth at times, but at least it doesn't lose itself in transparency like FFX's plot did.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by OmagnusPrime

Also, for racing fun, the Burnout games were always good, and Burnout Revenge in particular was pretty damn awesome.

Correction. Burnout 3 was pretty damn good. Burnout Revenge was just a rehash of the exact same formula, only if you bought it on either Xbox console it offered online play via Xbox Live and that made it pretty awesome.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

[b]Road Troip Advnrutre:[/] Thius is a vide game you can plauy on PS2 it's like an REPG excet its not shitty becauise it hs CARS and fuck they talk about THINGs. you can drive underwater, not even daytona usa doot doot lets you do tjhat

[b]Ribiut King: its like $2 so you cna buy eight cipies if you want prertty fun.
IT:S GOLF WIT RABBITS
Disastr report: fuuuuccccccccccccck milhouese

taiot legends 2 It's got ELVEATOR ACTION RETURNS and thats the best PS2 game or all

Haha holy shit, golf with rabbits?. I think I'll expand upon this post, but with actual words this time.

Activision Anthology
I always thought this would be the Mario 64 of retro collections. Others would try and match its awesomeness etc. But they didn't. As a result, this is still one of the greatest compilations ever. You get every Activision game from the Atari 2600 (minus the licensed stuff like Ghostbusters and Double Dragon) along with an amazingly perfect soundtrack to play to (SAFETY DANCE!) The presentation is what really sets this apart from anything else though, with a typical 1980's NERD ROOM with the glorious wood panel TV, tape deck and cans of cola. You can view the box art and instruction manual for all 50 or so games, along with TV adverts and other mystery stuff. Best.

Flipnic: Ultimate Pinball
Another one of those first party Sony Japanapapanapan developed titles that Sony America and Europe were too ashamed of because it lacked tits and guns (one day I hope they make a game about a big boob that fires nipple bullets). It's a pretty weird take on pinball, with trippy environments and omg how zany objectives. Each screen is essentially a new table, but the levels have about eighty billion screens. There's also a level that looks like something from the NES, pushes the Emotion Engine to its limits.

Gungrave
Mindless shit. It's very arcade-ish in that you just shoot/bash everything until it either dies or blows up. Or blows up and dies at once because explosions are not good for the skin. The game's pretty dated now, but it's still fun. You can destroy the levels and cause lots of hilarious frame rate chaos. The sequel's good too!

SEGA Classics Collection
There's so much hate for this. So much. I can understand why, I mean, the Golden Axe remake it contains is HORRIFIC, but the rest of it is pretty solid. It's basically a whole bunch of ultra budget 3D SEGA game remakes. OutRun (though this one is pretty much a whole new game), Space Harrier, Alien Syndrome, Fantasy Zone etc. FANTASY ZONE. ETC.

Fatal Frame / Project Zero
It's a relaxing game like Kirby. The third game's kinda pants though.

Shadow of Destiny / Memories
Reaaaally old PS2 game, I believe it was developed in 1962, back when Munch's Odyssey was PS2-bound. It's sort of an adventure game thing that deals with time travel and whoooooa how'd that happen. How yo gooonnnaaa fix daaat problem. Very good story. All these years later they went on to make Time Hollow for DS. It lacks shadows.

King of Fighters XI
It's King of Fighters, but this time it's per-King of Fighters 11.

Yakuza
Run around Tokyo hitting people with park benches and bikes. This is the main objective, the story starts off with the main character (his name is main character) trapped in a shed with park benches and bikes, this is where he finds love. Now they team up to be heroes and take the pollution down to zee-rooh.

Sky Odyssey
Hurf ba durf, it's the PS2 launch game nobody bought. =( This games looks DREADFUL in this magical world of 2008 (it looked really bad back in 2000, too) but it has gameplay crammed up its arse. All the way. If Sky Odyssey wanted to sit down it'd have a very difficult and potentially deadly time.

I could shit on about a billion PAL games, but I don't think you'd be able to pick up a mod chip at Gamestop's buy 2 for get 1 free sale.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

To echo a few choices mentioned already:

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
Jak & Daxter series
Katamari Damacy
God of War
Dragon Quest VIII
FFX
Also, the anthology collections


And to add a few which haven't been mentioned:

Gran Turismo 3 & 4 - Racing - Finds that ever-so-nice blend between balls-to-the-wall arcade style racing (i.e.: use the AI cars for cornering) and in-depth, customizable simulation. The graphics are gorgeous, the controls are extremely fine-tuned, the amount of things to do and cars to win (hundreds) are almost daunting, and the music is great. Even if you aren't into cars the in-game documentation is pretty rounded out and it's hard not to get caught up in the selection when purchasing new stock for your garage.

Guilty Gear X2 - Fighting - The same game as GGX2:#Reload for Xbox but without the Live service. I feel the PS2 controller's easier to work with and this one looks and sounds just as good. Character animation is fantastic as is the warped character design (and so-called "story" to go with them).

Marvel vs Capcom 2 - Fighting - As crazy as it ever was. Perhaps the pre-eminant fighter mashup for that generation of consoles, time has seen it lose nothing of its ridiculous energy and frenetic multiplayer action. Take your trilogy of licenced characters and throw 'em against each other over and over ... the resulting fireworks never get old. Great fun for tacticians and button-mashers alike.

SSX - Racing - One of the better launch titles for a system -- it holds up remarkably well. The style and use of color are still worth a look and the outrageous stunts pretty much opened the floodgates of "big action" games for half a decade (and maybe it's still going on?). Hard to believe this one's eight years old...

Midnight Club - Racing - A rather expansive racer which I say you can largely ignore save for the multiplayer mode of Capture the Flag.

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Originally Posted by BlindMonk

Midnight Club - Racing - A rather expansive racer which I say you can largely ignore save for the multiplayer mode of Capture the Flag.

A game that is shit except for one multiplayer mode must have a really fucking amazing multiplayer mode for it to qualify as "must own".

I was speaking idiomatically.

Almost forgot to mention:
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory - Action/Platform Difficult game is difficult, and sometimes frustrating (The sequel improves a lot in this matter). Basically a perfect implementation in 3D of Ghouls and Ghosts (and alike).

Beyond Good & Evil - Action/Adventure. Also on PC, XBOX and Gamecube. Without doubt, one of the best games of the last generation.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Tafer

Beyond Good & Evil - Action/Adventure. Also on PC, XBOX and Gamecube. Without doubt, one of the best games of the last generation.

ALSO THIS. OH GOD, THIS.

Please forgive the inherent hypocrisy of the fact that I own it on Xbox.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Encephalon

Please forgive the inherent hypocrisy of the fact that I own it on Xbox.

I have it on PS2, and I find it pretty much unplayable with the frame rate being so incredibly shitty.

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Oh I totally agree with the Fatal Frame series. I think it's a lot scarier than Silent Hill. Though Silent Hill has it's scary moments, it's a bit more on the creepy atmosphere side. Best played at night with lights out.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I have it on PS2, and I find it pretty much unplayable with the frame rate being so incredibly shitty.

I have it on GC, like Spartan and Sands of Time. But they're all games worth owning on PS2 if you don't have anything else. So long as you have ze game.

There's nowhere I can't reach.