PS2 Recommendations Plz

Kawika · December 13, 2006

Ok, so after much thought and against a promise to myself never again to own a console, I decided to pick up a PS2 for myself right after the extra Christmas money comes in. Now seems to be the time to get it since it's around $100 and there are SOOOOO many great looking titles for it. First, what is the difference (if any) between the slim version and the original fatty (besides the weight loss, of course) and is it worth the extra $20 or so? Second, what games can you guys recommend? Keep in mind please that I'm starting with some of the older titles to catch up and save a few bucks. Also, I'm 35, so no kiddie games, please (Final Fantasy is about as "kiddie" as I want to get, because I must admit, the more recent FF games look sweet!).

EDIT: I'm interested in any genre but fighting.

Thanks much!

Kawika · December 13, 2006

I just read that the only difference between the PS2 slim and original besides the size is the built in DVD remote and online capability, neither of which I really care about, so I may as well spend that extra money on a few games instead.

booyah_boy · December 14, 2006

Cormac · December 14, 2006

Mark of Kri is a beautiful game, action-adventure with great combat.

booyah_boy · December 14, 2006

Kawika · December 14, 2006

Wow! Nicely done. Thanks booyah_boy.

booyah_boy · December 14, 2006

My pleasure, mate.
There are some games I left off the list which deserve an honorary mention (such as The Mark of Kri, as noted by Cormac, which is actually rather superb), but knowing as little as I do about your tastes in console games, I had to bide on the side of relative popularity.
Again, enjoy.

txa1265 · December 14, 2006

OK ... not a console guy, but get a fair amount of exposure through GamerDad, so a few things missing:
- Okami is definitely great
- FF XII as mentioned
- Resident Evil 4
- Dragon Quest VIII

Also, I have to question Red Faction 2 - it is a 5 hour long game that scored ~50%, and is really pretty crappy. Others I'm not sure - I would just suggest being careful based on that entry alone!

booyah_boy · December 14, 2006

In response to txa1265's post:

I have to chime in on this one.
First, I was incredibly unimpressed with Okami. Stylisticly speaking, Okami takes a new approach, but their "radical concept for display" (quote from Capcom) is often an impediment to the game itself. Furthermore, on a low-resolution screen Okami looks horrid. What's more, the game, like so many others, has been thoroughly over-hyped.

I did not mention Resident Evil 4 as it, like every other RE title released to date, both looks and plays better on the GameCube. I happen to own a copy of RE4 for both systems, and thus, can testify to such, as well as cite reviews noting the same. If you do not have a GC, by all means, get RE4 on the PS2. If a GameCube is in your possession or is something you are planning on obtaining, it will be an unecessary addition to your library of PlayStation 2 titles.

Lastly, where on earth did you drag up that information as regards Red Faction II? Are you certain you're referencing the correct title? Red Faction 2 recieved an 8.2 (Great) from GameSpot, 9.2 from IGN, 87 of 100 from GameRankings, 89 of 100 from GameSpy, and a 9 of 10 from GameZone, Dark Station, Gamers Temple, Gaming Horizon, Gaming Nexus, Gamers Europe, Game Power AU, Play UK, Games Masters UK, PSW Magazine...and the list goes on and on. What's more, I would score the game a solid 8 of 10 myself, hence, "pretty crappy" is a poor and highly inaccurate summation. Lastly, the game is longer than five hours (I'd say a complete run-through would probably take about eight hours)...besides, even were that untrue, quality counts far more than quantity, aye?

txa1265 · December 14, 2006

booyah_boy said:
Lastly, where on earth did you drag up that information as regards Red Faction II?

I played Red Faction II on the PC, which is 'FPS central'. Perhaps on the PS2 it seemed better ... I don't know. I'm not a console gamer.

Red Faction II took me ~5 hours, similar to what I read in some PC reviews. I don't care about the length, since I got it cheap on eBay. But it felt like two games - you complete one in ~3 hours, then it feels like they noticed it was too short and tacked on another mini-plot with end-boss to make it at least acceptable in length. Again, perhaps that works better on the PS2.

I have heard directly from people who love Okami, but can't comment directly - but I do agree on your assessment of RE4, but if you have a PS2 and no 'Cube then it is probably worth looking at.

Sorry to debate the point - I think it is great that you took the time to do such a comprehensive list!

JDR13 · December 14, 2006

I have to add my 2 cents here. Red Faction 2 is crap. Nothing else to say.

Did I hear someone mention Resident Evil? I'm a huge fan of that series, recognize my avatar? In fact, Resident Evil 4 is my all-time favorite game on a console system.
I can't comment on the PS2 version because I haven't played it, but if it's even close to the GC version then it's definitely worth playing.

txa1265 · December 14, 2006

JDR13 said:
I have to add my 2 cents here. Red Faction 2 is crap. Nothing else to say.

Yeah, but booyah_boy is right - check GameRankings, reviewers were drooling all over that game on the PS2!

curious · December 14, 2006

wasn't re4 supposed to be released on pc...

curious · December 14, 2006

yeah my brother liked that game (red faction 2) alot i remember, he mostly plays sports games though, and his idea of a good rpg was dark alliance. which i played with him a few years back-not my idea of a quality game. other than that the most recent console rpg i've played was summoner 2.

txa1265 · December 14, 2006

curious said:
wasn't re4 supposed to be released on pc...

Yep - and still is targeted at March '07. I'm keeping an eye on that one.

JDR13 · December 14, 2006

Should be interesting. I can't imagine playing it with a keyboard and mouse though.

Kawika · December 14, 2006

I like James Bond and WWII themed shooters too. Medal of Honor: Frontline and James Bond: Everything or Nothing look good. Also, Mercenaries got really good reviews. I like looking games up on gamerankings.com because you have many reviews in one place plus an average of all those reviews.

Cormac · December 14, 2006

One game I'd like to try is Way of the Samurai 2. It's apparently fantastic but I cant find it anywhere.

Bartacus · December 15, 2006

If you like racing, you should deffinately get Gran Tourismo 3 (IMO better then GT4). It was the sole reason to get myself a PS2.

Neo · December 16, 2006

I would personally recommend the Jak series, all 3 parts. It's some sort of old platform gaming style, mixed with the free-roaming known from the GTA series. I loved the games, and even did Jak 3 twice!

(part 1 is called Jak & Daxter)

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