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Recommendations...
...for video games for the PS2? I've got a week coming in which I promised myself that I'd do NOTHING PRACTICAL and thus may spend most of it sitting around and playing video games. And I therefore need to think about what games. I liked Kingdom Hearts a lot, despite it making me seasick. I like KHII, although not as much as KHI, but there's way too much plot (i.e., too many cutscenes). (Only halfway through so far, but hey.)
I like games with plot and interesting characters. I can't do an arena-fighting one like SOul Calibur becausethe misspelling of 'calibre' annoys me the RSI in my wrists flares up: 20 minutes of SCII took me out of commission for two days. The arrangement of buttons in Kingdom Hearts' fighting is much better, though, and the rest periods (for my wrist) are great. Katamari Damacy is fun, but I suck at it and can't get past the 4th level. Good writing and humor is a plus: I've got The Bard's Tale, which makes me laugh, although the camera position drives me insane so I can't play it for too long at a time. Anything that takes a lot of skill and coordination isn't good - I can't even get past the stupid tutorial in Crazy Taxi, and while I find SSX Tricky fun, I suck horribly at it because I lack coordination and timing and I finish most of the snowboarding courses on my face.
So: recommendations? Something I can get used is good, but I've gotten paid this week and am feeling vaguely flush, so new is OK also.
A-Kon con report and cosplay photos to come later, when I'm, like, awake.
I like games with plot and interesting characters. I can't do an arena-fighting one like SOul Calibur because
So: recommendations? Something I can get used is good, but I've gotten paid this week and am feeling vaguely flush, so new is OK also.
A-Kon con report and cosplay photos to come later, when I'm, like, awake.
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I say "Okami (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/okami/)." Not only is it a really interesting premise (you're the goddess Amaterasu reincarnated as a giant wolf) and it has the most breathtakingly gorgeous gameplay I have ever, ever seen.
Also, "Okage: Shadow King (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/okageshadowking/index.html)" is fun--you're a boy who is a totally loser that gets possessed by "Evil King Stan." It's fun.
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I picked up Odin Sphere this week, and it's fun. Nice plot akin to fairy tales, interesting characters, easy-to-get-into gameplay.
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i've also been enjoying fatal frame 3, but i think it takes skill and cordination that i don't have either.
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In other suggestions, Final Fantasy XII is meant to be very good (haven't played it myself yet), and you could even count it as "research". *grin* If you haven't played it already, Final Fantasy X is also worth a look, and you should be able to pick it up used.
Disgaea is a strategic RPG/wargame hybrid that's meant to have funny, entertaining and well-written characters; it's also meant to be a good balance between easy-to-pick-up and -oh-my-god-the-strategic-depth-is-ENDLESS. Unfortunately I haven't played it myself, it being a rare game over here, but friends who've tried it have given it the thumbs-up.
In terms of things to avoid, do not be tempted by the revamped, anniversary-edition Tomb Raider - yes, it _is_ meant to be very good, but it also has a difficulty curve that would make an obsessive-compulsive cry into their controller.
I was about to suggest Guitar Hero, then your "RSI" managed to make its way from my eyes to register in my brain. Er. Not that one, then. Or God of War 2, which is great fun but a complete button-masher.
After that, I'm drawin' a blank on PS2 games - most of my gaming recently has been courtesy of my beloved DS Lite (Puzzle Quest = PURE CRACK IN GAME FORM) and Wii. :-)
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I am also madly enjoying the Final Fantasy Anthology version of Final Fantasy VI, which has wit, humor, character and endlessly innovative plot and gameplay twists.
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Are you allergic to Squaresoft games / giant RPGs? If not, FF7 - 10 appeal to almost everyone.
Other RPGs I'd recommend:
Chrono Cross - giant cast, crisscrossing parallel worlds plot, and a different style from the usual future tech/post-apocalypse/gingerbread fantasy looks. Pretty music.
Vagrant Story - this one does have real-time combat, though I didn't find it particularly difficult. Interesting politics/magic plot, and gothic ruins that still look beautiful even though the graphics are ancient.
Final Fantasy Tactics - Lots and lots of plot, interspersed with strategic battles. Instead of the usual 1 or 3 person team, you have a regiment and nigh-infinite flexibility in training each member.
(Hm, does your local video chain / game store rent PS2 games? Might be best to try things out first.)
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The Suikoden rec is good too. I (barely) prefer the fifth to the third in the series, but I'm pretty sure you can get #3 for $20 used now, so you might want to go for that one. You get to play as three different leads in 3: Hugo, the naive chief's son from the grassland (aka the typical RPG lead), Chris, the female captain of the knights (and who is in my icon), and Geddoe, the leader of a mercenary group. Hugo and Chris are on opposite sides of a rapidly escalating conflict, and Geddoe works for the huge empire that's waiting to swoop in and conquer them both. It's great fun.
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FFXII is also excellent and Marith's recommendations of Vagrant Story and FF Tactics are also good, though Vagrant Story has a high learning curve for the battle system for some. (Still, VS has HANDS DOWN the best plot I have ever seen in a videogame. Period.) All three of those slide into the political fantasy genre and have good narratives. FFXII is also very very shiny and has many Hot Men that Actually Look Like Men. Gasp!
If you want to try out the platforming genre, I highly recommend Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It's not very long, maybe 8-10 hours max? But it has a cool story, some very neat gameplay features (do you like rewinding time so you can save yourself from enemies, traps, and your own fuckups? I sure do!) and an amusingly dorky main character. It's lots of fun and has a neat sort of charm to it.
Um... lessee. Oh! Shadow of the Colossus is another one you might like. It's a very zen sort of game; while the plots are nothing alike, it has a similar sort of... FEEL to what Mushishi has. This makes very little sense until you've actually played the game, but it's a gorgeous game visually and it's very... very different, in a good way, from any other game I've played.
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*is morally required to mention Planescape:Torment now. PC only, but Best. Plot. Ever.*
Destroy All Wolves
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(repost for weirdness)
Literally one of the funniest and most fun games I've ever played. It's a story about Raz(putin), a kid acrobat/psychic who goes to a summer camp for psychics that's not all it seems. The game story is brilliant, the dialogue is hilarious, the graphics fantastic, and Invader Zim does Raz's voice. I've played it through two and a half times already because it's just that awesome.
I may be, uh, slightly prejudiced because one of my best friends did the sound effects for the game (and also did music for Bard's Tale, as a side note), but in fact all the talent behind the game is stellar. If you ever played old LucasArts games like Grim Fandango, the same guy behind those did this thing. Seriously, get it ASAP.
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If you don't mind 2D graphics I recommend Atelier Iris Eternal Mana
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/atelieriris/index2.html
Other brilliant turn-based rpg
- Skies of Arcadia, originally Dreamcast but came out on PS2, too
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/skiesofarcadia/Skies_of_Arcadia-3.html
- Wild Arms 2 (great plot) and 3 (another great plot and great cel-shading)
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/wildarms3/Wild_Arms_3.html
- Grandia (http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/grandia/Grandia-3.html) and Grandia II (http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/grandia2/Grandia_2_PS2.html)
- Dark Cloud 2
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/darkcloud2/dc2.html
Extremely old skool and hard to get: Rhapsody (SRPG) and Thousand Arms.
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Valkyrie Profile 2 has some great plot, great casting, and great graphics. If you can find a copy of VP1 for the PS1, I'd recommend that two. The series is one of my favorites.
Just got done with Star Ocean 3, and that's a fun game as well. As a plus, it's easy to find a used copy of it for cheap since it's somewhat old.
Right now, I'm working my way through Shining Force Ex, and it's really fun. It won't win any awards, but the artwork is fantastic and it has a very fun 'old-skool' appeal. As a plus, the American VA are fantastic; when things become rocky, the VA actors really get into their roles.
If you can find them, I also recommend anything from the 'Megaten' line: Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1&2, and then there's Devil Summoner Raidou. The last one will probably be the easiest to get, since it's the newest, and DDS 2 is somewhat easy to get as well. However, the latter two games can be nigh impossible unless you look on ebay, from what I heard.
Nippon Ichi games are cotton candy fun. There's La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, Disgaea 1 & 2, Makai Kingdom... I can't remember if there's any I've forgotten.
Persona 2 is hard-to-find PS1 game, but it's excellent in terms of gameplay and character development. In July, they'll be releasing Persona 3, though the two aren't related in terms of plot. P3 seems to be looking awesome as well.
That's all I can think of right this minute. I also give another vote for Suikoden as a whole.
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MISTAAAAAKE.
I don't like it nearly as much as I like KHI. Instead of just allowing you to run around killing things, the story team is leading you around by the nose and treating the player like an idiot.
Still, it's damnably addictive.
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I hear Shadow of the Colossus is good too. I bought it, but I've been far too distracted by Okami and that stupid real life thing to play it yet. Someday.
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I personally loved Drakengard 2 and Phantom Brave. Disgaea is great fun as well, plus, it's full of the snarky funny.
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