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Hey buddies, I bought a PS2 just under 2 years ago, So I missed about 6 years of games for that little bastard. I'm finding out about all these weird Gems of games, I wish I had known about in the past. I thought the PS2 was just shitty JRPGS that I didn't care about, boy was a wrong, so my friends, tell me tales of excellent Ps2 games that I absolutely must play.
Games I own:
Guitar Hero 1,2 & 3
God of War(never played)
Kingdom Hearts I & II(Girlfriend kinda like 'em, I didn't)
Ico (Just got it off Ebay)
Shadow of the Collosis
Soul Calabur 3

Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3. Pretty solid and fun gameplay.
Burnout 3 was awesome. Dunno about 4.

Silent

Hill

2

My PS2 experience is pretty limited by virtue of not having one, but have you played the Hitman games? Not exclusive, but since you have a console and all...

Start with Ico, then SOTC if you haven't already : D Cream of the crop. <3

As for games that are worthy of owning... I'm in love with Space Channel 5: Part 2. That, and the assorted obscure Japanese music games for PS2...

We <3 Katamari

Ace Combat 4 and 5 were pretty sweet (assuming you ignored the awful stories).  I'd never been much of a fighter pilot game person, but those are just really really fun!

And dude, if you haven't played it for something else, Rez is an absolute must!

Ah, of course. Rez is worth owning. It's nice to have it with the Trance Vibrator, but that's largely unnecessary. xD

... Funny, I suggested a Tetsuya Mizuguchi game, too. Rez and Space Channel 5, same daddy. Hard to picture, but true. The Trance Vibrator even works for Space Channel 5.

The most fun you can have with your Playstation 2 is God Hand. Buy it.

Once you're done with that there's some other stuff you can get, like SEGA Classics Collection has an absolutely excellent remake of Fantasy Zone on it and the Outrun remake despite looking bot so good is absolutely spot on to play. And it has Virtua Racing which isn't a too bad game. Just save your Virtua Racing data first since there's a really bad bug in the game that prevents you from saving you VR data if you've done so with the other games first. And stay the fuck away from Golden Axe, it's as bad as people say.

Of course, you could just buy Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast instead because it just reeks of love. Yeah, just do that instead though it is nice just to have classic Outrun on hand despite the visuals.

You might want to get both TAITO Legends discs, you should be able to buy them both together still. If you can't though you should go for TAITO Legends 2 for Elevator Action Returns, Cameltry, Cleopatra Fortune and some others, it's really good value for money and the emulation is quite well done.

YES.
Okami and Beyond Good and Evil are also great.
And Mercenaries.

Gitaroo Man, if you like music games or crazy Japanese stuff.

Jak and Daxter, if you like free-roaming platformers.

Psi-Ops, if you can find it.

Okami, if you have a pulse.

Psychonauts, Chulip, Amplitude/FreQuency, LifeLine, Rez, Gitaroo Man, Beyond Good and Evil, Okami, and... Burnout Revenge.

EDIT: Removed the games I didn't realize he already had. My bad.

Way of the Samurai
Disgaea
GTA San Andreas

he says he has ico and kh2

This. I was shocked that it wasn't mentioned earlier.

As much as I try to be a fanboy for Microsoft, I kind of have to admit that the PS2 was better than the XBox. It just has more really cool games.

Wait, are you saying that you OWN the Trance Vibrator!?!

 :o      :D     :beer:

Doesn't it come with the game?Besides make for some interesting night with the gf.

Wowzers this thread exploded since I left to go meet up with some of my buddies.
I thought those were shitty mascot games, so I payed them no mind.

I've always wanted to try the Space channel games. I was a huge fan of Pa Rappa the Rapper back in the day, but I didn't bother with any music rythem games until Guitar Hero. Maybe Ill try to hunt down a copy.
I played a alot of Ace Combat the latest one at Gamestop when I worked there, to close to Independence day style arcade shooter for me, it needs to be closer to Wing Commander.
Ahhhh, God Hand, I remember when that came out, it didn't get the most favourable reviews, so I ignored it, I had the PS2 at the time. The classics are classics, I played them in the Era that they came out. Its rare that I purchase compilations.
I just bought Gitaroo man for 30 bucks off of Ebay, Jack and Daxter fall into the mascot platformer Catagory that I pretty much burned myself out on. Psi-ops I haven't looked into so I'll check it out. Okami I have for the Wii.
Psychonots and Beyond Good and Evil Ill just get off of Steam. Im probably going to buy Chulip next for its weirdness. Ill check out lifeLine it sounds pretty wacky and fun. I also burned out on the Xbox version, I used to play it all the time at my buddies place.
Way of the Samurai looks cool, Ill have to check that out. I always Steared clear of Disgaea because it seems to weird JRPG to me, and that has traditonally been not a favorite genre of mine. I have beaten all GTA games including the first 3 before it went 3d.

Nothing new to suggest - I own/have played most of these, so in general a resounding hell yes.

EDIT: My Opinions. Let me show you them.

Klonoa 2, though... well, I loved the first one, played it when I was 12 or so, very cute, rather fun. Played #2 a few months ago and... I couldn't pick it up. Devastatingly easy, kind of dull. Borrow it? Still cute though. Maybe I'm just a monster, and it's in fact Quality. But, I'd say lower priority.

This goes for Jak & Daxter too, but less so. Aforementioned 12 Year Old Me finished the latter in.... 8 hours? 100%'d in 10. Not Happy. The sequels, however... hell, I liked them. The plot can get way too Serious Business, though.


Disgaea is a rather deep Strategy RPG, actually. And it's funny! Colour me surprised.


God Hand. Yeah, ignore the reviews. All wrong. If you feel like some slapstick, pretty damned awesome game. A generally excellent (and very occasionally abysmal) soundtrack, totally bizarre scenarios, alot of fun. And the combat's deep! Colour me surprised.

Odin Sphere (Just be sure to play through the first campaign, the valkyrie is the lease fun to play as from what I've seen)
Persona 3 is also really good, an excellent RPG, but still, it's an RPG. :P

Also, Klonoa 2 was the first PS2 game I got! I remember it being good, but that was like, atleast 6 years ago... Might just be nostalgia.

Buy the Metal Gear Collection, awesome value, good games. The (Japanese only) Treasure Box (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-r-49-en-15-treasure+box-70-14eo.html), which includes the classic platform shooter Gunstar Heroes. I will also have to second OutRun 2006 --it's one of my favorite games ever,-- Rez, and Silent Hill 2. And I suggest Katamari Damacy, though I haven't played the sequel (which others have suggested).

This is a question I've been wanting to ask for ages. This thread is super helpful as well.

I second the vote for Hitman. The first one was PC only, but the three sequels are all on the PS2 and I highly recommend them all, particularly Blood Money.

As a Rockstar fangirl, I'm gonna throw out Bully and The Warriors as well. Bully is rather easy, really, but it's a charming game, really fun to play. The Warriors is just fan-fucking-tastic. It's easily in my Top 5 Games EVAR List.

I recommend Manhunt as well, but not for any reasons that most gamers would find acceptable. I think it's rather awesome as an atmospheric sort of game, but it gets repetitive and then just boring once they force you into using guns. I definitely think you should borrow it from someone though, just to see it. And play it in the dark. It's much better in the dark.

Oooh, The Warriors! Forgot about that one. It is really rather good - the multiplayer's also excellent, in a simple "throw dudes off buildings" kind of way. We whittled away many hours on that.


Also: Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. The ending is quite possibly the worst I've ever seen, any media, but the rest often veers towards incredible. I'd say it's worth it just for the start of the game, really.

Actually, that game left me so confused - as to how one team could make such a good and such a bad story. I even listened to that 1up Backlog with the producer, and that STILL didn't help.


And another two: If you're willing to spend time on a PS1 game, get yourself Silent Bomber. Particularly good, and rather different. 3rd person action, if you're wondering. Never heard of it before a friend introduced me a few months back, but it plays so very well.

If you have friends willing to spend some time on a PS1 game, get Bushido Blade. Dead simple fighting game, but again, it plays very well. One of my favourite fighters, and not due to nostalgia.

yep Jak series is super great and #Ratchet and Clank series too. Solid entertainment. satisfaction guaranteed.

If you're into (lengthy and hard) RPGs, you might wanna check out Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Also has a bit of a "Gotta catch em all" vibe to it  :D

Be sure to really get Directors Cut (which IS Nocturne) though, since it has some added stuff that makes the game even more lengthier and harder.

It's pretty awesome and totally fucked up though.

JRPG's are a hard sell for me, there are only really 2 that I ever beat/go into: Golden Sun, and Super Mario RPG.

I have played and beaten all the Rockstar games, I really liked their style. I also loved the Hitman games, though I beat them all on the computer. I've been looking around for the Metal Gear Collection, but I haven't seen it much in stores.

Persona 3 is really the cream of the crop as far as jRPG's go. There's a lot of stuff about it that's very well done, including the fact that you actually have to play your character and manage his personal life as well as the combat, which is greatly affected by how you deal with people when you're not killing shit. Plus, it's instantly awesome because the way you summon beasts is by shooting yourself in the head.

Also, SILENT HILL 2.

Klonoa 2 may be pretty easy, and the story is shit in a basket, but the gameplay is still totally solid.

I'm afraid this thread has shown me my ps2 is not being EXPERIENCED by me enough either, yes? But I'll have to second Odin Sphere and Katamari Damacy. They're both brilliant, but be SURE to get Katamari Damacy because it is basically my favorite video game ever. Seriously.

I have Odin Sphere, but I never finished the first chapter because it seemed really boring and repetitive. It does get better?

Katamari Damacy almost got me to buy a PS2 4 years ago. I did end up playing it a whole bunch though.

It's still repetitive, but it does get better. :P

I don't know, but if you're into to fighting games, get Tekken 5.

best to play on a pc, better graphics, higher resolution, no annoying loading times...


same

Killer 7 - top notch visuals, awesome story line, excellent audio and some nice original gameplay ideas (gameplay is not perfect nor for everyone, though).

Yakuza - Shen-Mueish game with gangsters and beat 'em up and RPGish action.

Viewtiful Joe - Awesome action game.

Others: Gradius V, Gradius III/IV, Ys the Ark of Napishtim

TIMESPLITTERS 2222222!!! (2)

But you need to buy a multitap+some controllers. EBAY.

Then make a custom zombie survival map, with 1hold-out-room, flame tag, all zombies, and you all play as calamari. Its brilliant.

You need beer too, and you need the "Anaconda" Music track unlocked, to put it on repeat.

And you need weapon set:

- Remote Mines
- Sniper Rifle
- 12 Guage.

I AM SUCH A GEEK

No thanks, I played Perfect Dark 9 years ago.(HA!)

But Timesplitters 2 is much better than PD.
Also, SSX Tricky is a must get, along with the first Prince of Persia trilogy game and Spider-man 2.

I'm playing through this right now, but Marc Ecko's Getting Up is a surprisingly solid game. You play a rising graffiti artist in a near-future authoritarian city. The production values are top-notch, and the game features a ton of real-life graffiti artists and their work.

No, not TimeSplitters 2!

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect!

It's like 369% better, prettier, and the story mode actually makes sense and is interesting. And funny.

Gotta love FPS's which don't take themselves seriously.

The final boss is disappointing though.

I second piratically all of these and add:
Resident Evil 4
Twisted Metal: Black
Tekken Tag Tournament
Freedom Fighters
Virtua Fighter 4
Final Fantasy X/XII(if your into JPRGs)
Jak II (miles better than one)
Devil May Cry (think it has been mentioned)
Raman 2/3

Oh, IT'S ON.

 :-[

Very yes, to all of the above.  :beer:

This.

"It's time to SPLIT!"

PD is for pussies!

i mean.. ive never played it. but im sure it pales in comparison to TS2.

ALSO YOURE WRONG! TS2 is waaayyy cooler. TS3 added vehicles, and "serious" aiming, trying to be Halo. Only good thing about the sequel is getting Frosty the Tiger shouting LABOTAAMMY everytime you shoot someone. Actually wait.. i think i do like TS3 more. Subway map. Virus. NUFFSAID.

You cruisin' for a bruisin!
TS2 is better for versus, TS:FP is better for co-op. I like 2 better, overall, though. Virus tag loses all it's fun in FP for no discernable reason.

Also, it was awesome making custom levels where every room flickered green really fast :D Caused so much eye pain and was impossible to play!

*e-high fives Inane*

Let it be consented that TimeSplitters is, in general, awesome.

(Get both of them.)

also, has anyone mentioned Odin Sphere yet?

Yeah, apperently the first part is boring, but the rest is worth it, also I'm not hugely down with JRPGS.

ALSO, I was thinking of Getting Dark Cloud.

I totally second Okami and Way of the Samurai. Rygar is also a great game if you like God of War style action. It isn't too long but it is a great looking game and has a pretty good fighting system that isn't too complex but is satisfying nonetheless.

I personally found that the GoldenEye-style aiming of TS2 added nothing but frustration to the game. It was harder to aim and you still had to move the crosshair to the edge of the screen in order to turn. Making the aiming crosshair centered on the screen isn't trying to be Halo, it's just not using an outdated aiming system built for a single-analog controller.

Unless you people can tell me how it improved the game besides making the gun look a bit cooler on the screen as it moves around.

And admittedly I haven't played much multiplayer TS2 or 3 to be able to judge on that part. Not a big fan of multiplayer most of the time. (mostly because I can't get less than 200 milisecond ping)

Ninja edit: I also second RE4 if you can't play the Wii version. The dialogue is ridiculously cheesy, but if you actually like RE dialogue you should love it to bits. Just don't expect scare tactics (thank the heavens).

Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in eu) is superb but very long haul. Seriously great game if you get into it.

Big if there for me. I just couldn't get into the game's repetitive nature and lack of plot. Though Max is like a human version of Tails, and that makes him adorable.

Um, it only aims like that if you hold down a button.

When I was younger my favourite games were Actrazer and SoulBlazer. I loved the "fight monsters to improve your city" mechanic. I played Hinterland for a while, but I found that the monster fighting really had nothing to do with the city building, well, it went one way, you built the city better to fight monsters better. I would've preferred more back and forth.

I played the Gamecube version for about an hour, I wasn't a fan of the gameplay, it felt very stiff and on rails, also I hate collecting useless shit.

:D Good gameplay wise (Plus golfing is the best minigame eva'), but the story in that game is slightly above Powerstone 2's. Pretty much, bottom of the barrel. Utter crap. Really.

Also, FINNNNNY FRENZY!!

Yeah, DC2's plot might as well not be there at all.

However that game gets a few more points of awesome when you install the voice chip on Max's robot. ;D

Also, Odin Sphere has two glaring flaws: ridiculous padding, resulting in unnecessary repetition, and bad coding, resulting in some areas being ridiculously laggy ('final' boss with the first character is the most famous case. The FPS will sometimes reach the double digits), unless you're playing in the PS3 which nullifies that problem with more processing power.

Just slipping in a recommendation for Neo Contra, because there is no PS2 game that is more awesome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZOrYwYgWHA) than it.

I'd also like to add that Odin Sphere was still one of the best experiences I've had in the PS2. It's VERY far from perfect, but the game's story is great (use japanese voice-acting, for the love of all the is good in the world) and kept me going.

It could really use better music though.