PS2 RPG's - Little Help

G

GashPrex

NeoGaf-Gold™ Member
Alright, I need some good recommendations for PS2 RPG's

About the only one I can think that has a good consensus is Dark Cloud 2. And no, I am not playing xenosaga.

I am pretty easy to please, I like the final fantasy series, TOS, KOTOR(1+2), Morrowind, BG1+2, etc... The traditional formula works just fine for me.

I am always hearing what a great rpg system it is, and I can't seem to figure out exactly what to get when i go to the videogame store.

I have considered ffx but i am not sure if i should or not.
 
I'll probably be castrated by GAFers here, but these would be my picks for you:

Star Ocean 2 (PSOne)
Star Ocean 3 (PSTwo)
Suikoden 1,2,3,4 (PSOne - PSTwo)
Arc the Lad (PSTwo)
 
When you say the traditional formula works for you, do you mean that non-traditional doesn't? Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a great but non-traditional RPG (unlike the previous entries in the series which were mediocre and traditional). Dark Cloud 2 is more of a dungeon-crawling ARPG than a traditional RPG.

If you're willing to venture into the world of the SRPG, there's plenty of good pickings. Front Mission 4 isn't bad, Disgaea is great, along with La Pucelle Tactics and Phantom Brave. Growlanser Generations has a lot to offer as well.
 
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is basically the best console RPG ever.

FF X-1 is well made but it just didn't do much for me personally. However, IMO it's worth playing so you can understand FF X-2, which I loved. If you're fond of tradition, you might find FF X-2 too much of a departure, though, since it made a lot of changes (necessary ones, IMO, but YMMV). But since you listed KOTOR and BG, I'm assuming you don't mind RPGs that are more open-ended...

Shin Megami Tensei III is really good, too, especially if you like RPGs where you can customize your party a lot.

Those are definitely my top 3 PS2 RPGs. A lot of people will probably mention Shadow Hearts Covenant, which I thought was only OK - well-made but basically devoid of new ideas. If you're content with that, though, then, yeah, you might want to check out both Shadow Hearts games.
 
FFX or Shadow Hearts Covenant would be good.
Ignore Dark Cloud 2 and Dragon Quarter. They broke my head.

And for the love of god do not play Mega Man X Command Mission.
Unless you want to feel the same pain I do.
 
with shadow hearts, how needed is it to play the first one before playing the sequel? i heard it was a direct sequel so I dunno...
 
Razoric said:
with shadow hearts, how needed is it to play the first one before playing the sequel? i heard it was a direct sequel so I dunno...
Click to expand...

They explain all the parts from Shadow Hearts clearly enough, but I found it personally more gratifiying to have completed the first. But it is by no means necessary.
 
Razoric said:
I'll probably be castrated by GAFers here, but these would be my picks for you:

Star Ocean 2 (PSOne)
Star Ocean 3 (PSTwo)
Suikoden 1,2,3,4 (PSOne - PSTwo)
Arc the Lad (PSTwo)
Click to expand...

LET THE CASTRATION BEGIN!!!

Star Ocean 2? I say if you're going to get a ps2, you should stick to PS2 RPGs

Star Ocean 3? Honestly, it was alright, but I was expecting a lot more out of the Square Enix marriage...instead we get this highly cliched, trashy game, with a boring battle system and crappy voice acting (not all bad, but bad enough)

Suikoden series? I liked part 3, it's not for everyone, but it had an interesting story and a unique way of showing i. Suikoden 4? Oh dear lord! Everytime you're in a ship, literally every 3 seconds or so you run into a goddamned battle :( . Plus there are lots of unexplained storybits...

Arc the Lad...I can't honestly say much about this, I didn't play the PS2 version...

I say...
Disgaea - It's quirky, funny, yet has enough depth to last you well over 100 hours.
Final Fantasy X - Great game, I loved what Square did with the series. I was apprehensive after they mentioned they removed ATB, but the formula worked.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne: An intriguing storyline mixed with frustrating, yet rewarding, battles. You get monsters to join your team and this allows for a ton of possibilities.
Breath of Fire V - Not a bad game, I played through half of it myself before giving up. It has a nice story and you really start getting attached to the characters and rooting for them to reach the surface. Sucks that you really can't use your dragon forms too often though.
Dark Cloud 2 - Great Action RPG! So much depth! You can fish, you can take pictures, you can golf, you can do time trials, you can upgrade weapons, you can turn into monsters...it goes on and on...and I was really surprised by this game considering the crap-fest the first Dark Cloud was...
Shadow Hearts Covenant - I was really surprised by this series. I didn't play part one, but I just may because this game is hilarious! :D
Growlanser Generations - Despite my gripes with Vic over the voice acting, it still remains a solid game. The battles are a little repetitive, but the story has different branches and you'll have to (and want to ) play each game over to see them all.

There is a lot more coming, but I'll just quickly go into stuff to avoid like the plague

Unlimited SaGa - Beautiful graphics, CRAPPY gameplay...
Drakengard - Square + Enix + game + Dynasty Warriors gameplay = BORING!
The Lord of the Rings: Third Age - Watered down rendition of Final Fantasy X...if you're going to rip something off, don't get EA to do it! ;)
 
Personally, I'd go with the FFX/X-2. Because X-2 was such a new step, I actually really liked it. Plus, I think the fighting system is incredibly intense by the time you get to the end of the game, since it removes the whole wait system. You've got 3 characters just flying from hit to hit, and also it's really fun being able to have 2 black mages and 1 white mage just going at it under haste. That's really what I got a kick out of.

You may even want to try the original Shadow Hearts. It's a bit dated, but not too long and a very pleasing storyline.

A game that I really enjoyed, that isn't mentioned here, is Legaia 2. I didn't play the first one, either, yet still really enjoyed the second one.

If you're an amateur, don't go near Shin Megami Tensei... it's pretty difficult. I hear Star Ocean: Til the End of Time is pretty fun, too, though slow to start up.

Actually, just do yourself a favor and go play FFX. It may not be the greatest RPG in the series, but you probably won't leave it hating yourself, either.
 
I personally enjoyed the first Summoner, if you can find it you might want to consider picking it up, since it'd be dirt cheap too. Not for everyone though, very weak (think average dreamcast game) graphics.

Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter is serious one of the most innovative games I've ever played. You can get it for less than $15 bucks, so you can't really go wrong with that. Its a decent challenge too, unlike your normal RPG.

I've just recently started Shadow Hearts: Covenant, and I'd agree with the sentiment that it doesn't do a whole lot of original things. However, it does deliver an overall well done console RPG.

Final Fantasy X is a very linear role playing game. The sphere grid system and combat are both enjoyable, but outside of the main storyline and blitzball (which is ok, but way too easy) there isn't a whole lot more to do. FFX-2 adds onto that, but takes the cheese levels of FFX even further, which after you play FFX you'll find hard to believe. A quality pair of games though, for $20 a pop I'd try at least one out.

I'm also really wanting to play Shin Megami Tensei III, unfortunately no local stores carry it and so I'm stuck having to order. ;P

Suikoden 3 is ok as well but I wouldn't recommend paying collectors prices for it or anything. For $20 it'd probably be worth a shot. However, be warned, the combat system is very simplistic, the character development isn't too deep, many of the 108 characters just suck, and no characters outside of maybe the 10 or 15 most important really get fleshed out at all. Its really pretty much the defenition of an average RPG, not the type of thing a fan of KOTOR, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, etc. will probably enjoy.

As for strategy RPGs, Nippon Ichi has made several, such as Disgaea, that are quite good. They are all pretty quirky, so be forewarned that the storyline isn't going to be a mature, edgy tale. The gameplay is fun though and the storyline is amusing. If you can get them for reasonable prices and you've liked Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, or other SRPGs of that ilk I'd try them out. By reasonable prices I mean not collector prices, so nothing more than $50.

I've also had Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits recommended to me but I haven't myself played it. I'm thinking about giving it a shot this summer, but we'll see.

The PS2 honestly doesn't really have that many great RPGs so far this generation, which is very disapointing after how much good stuff was done on PSone. Thats the price we pay with the mainstreaming of gaming though, everyone wants to make the next bit multi-million seller action title or sports game.
 
iapetus said:
When you say the traditional formula works for you, do you mean that non-traditional doesn't? Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a great but non-traditional RPG (unlike the previous entries in the series which were mediocre and traditional). Dark Cloud 2 is more of a dungeon-crawling ARPG than a traditional RPG.

If you're willing to venture into the world of the SRPG, there's plenty of good pickings. Front Mission 4 isn't bad, Disgaea is great, along with La Pucelle Tactics and Phantom Brave. Growlanser Generations has a lot to offer as well.
Click to expand...

Non-traditional works for me too. I was just saying it dosen't need to be niche or original for me to like it.
 
dark cloud 2 is so unbelievably overrated by GAFfers. awful, awful story, dopey characters, repetivtive random dungeons, infinite micromanagement and bad pacing. a very solid game, but it's hardly without its annoying idiosyncracies.

suikoden 4 = no
star ocean 3 = no

shin megami tensei: nocturne = yes
shadow hearts covenant = yes (and it's only $30 now)

it really depends on what you want. you listed off fairly disparate games. if you want the cinematic square-like experience and have a sense of humor, then definitely go for SHC. if you want something hardcore and off the beaten path, than SMTN.
 
ferricide said:
dark cloud 2 is so unbelievably overrated by GAFfers. awful, awful story, dopey characters, repetivtive random dungeons, infinite micromanagement and bad pacing. a very solid game, but it's hardly without its annoying idiosyncracies.
Click to expand...

Hey, but it had infinite golf courses!

Honestly golf is what got me through that game, though the weapon synth was pretty good.
 
Bebpo said:
Honestly golf is what got me through that game, though the weapon synth was pretty good.
Click to expand...
yeah, i mean, it definitely has a lot of good elements. i just flinch when i read there's a "consensus" because IMO the game has a lot of annoying problems and will only appeal to fastidious obessive micromanaging types. there are way too many dopey/annoying/extraneous things to worry about and i just began to find it very tedious after awhile. plus, like i said, the story is boringpuke.

wait, i just noticed you said you haven't played FFX? fuck all these other recommendations, jesus. just buy FFX. it's cheap as crap right now and IMO it's still the best all-around RPG for PS2.
 
Micromanagement rocks. That said, fishing sucks in games and Dark Cloud 2 is no exception!

I'm also really wanting to play Shin Megami Tensei III, unfortunately no local stores carry it and so I'm stuck having to order. ;P
Click to expand...

I saw it at the south portland TRU :P
 
Demi approves!
1oar9k
 
Does that also mean junkwaffle approves? I am confused. Man, my mouth looks like it just got sucking off a fat one.
 
SMT Nocturne, Dragon Quarter, and FFX are all awesome. Stay away from FFX-2 though- it has little story, no challenge, horrible pacing issues, and the worst dungeon design I've ever seen in a polygon-based RPG.

Xenosaga was good too, but if you don't want to play it...whatever.

Maybe I'm the only one here, but I'd actually recommend the first Shadow Hearts over Covenant. It seemed much more unique, as it has a seriously creepy Lovecraftian vibe to it. "Light-toned" RPGs are commonplace, while there aren't that many scary ones. Also, the music in SH is distinctive and awesome, SH:C's music is just kinda average. The only real problem with SH is that the graphics are rather primitive.

Also, you should play Vagrant Story. It's a PS1 game, but if you use texture smoothing on the PS2 it looks better than many PS2 games. Its writing and cutscene direction are the best the RPG genre has to offer.
 
From experience, ones to buy:

FFX was good for the 45 hours I put in. Great graphics, pacing, and dialogue, ("And that, as they say...is that." :D ). I liked the level-less Sphere Grid system because I'm a visual thinker; you're mileage may vary.

Disgaea: Deep-fried chocolate-chip crack on a stick. Humor + tight gameplay + customization + "Nin! Nin! Nin!" = good times. Laharl could get overpowered, though...

La Pucelle: Tactics: Less expansive than its sequel Disgaea, LP:T won me over with a tougher gameplay and a great one-two punch of characters and plot. Excellent voice acting, too, but a couple lulls ending in ultra-tough bosses could mar it for you, (level every main member, trust me).

Phantom Brave: Disgaea + Growlanser = more SRPG crack. The confinement and protection systems dissuaded the "uber lead character" feel of its prequel, and I loved the music. A lot.

From experience, ones I caution you to buy at your own risk:

Star Ocean 3: Oh, how I wanted this to match SO2. Juggernauting enemies, town-only crafting, lack of MP restoring items in a game where you die if your MP hits 0, Teh Brokened AI for both enemies and teamates, goofy collision detection, wheels coming off the plot near the end, etc.

Front Mission 4: Oh, how I wanted this to match FM3, :D . Not quite as bad as the above letdown, FM4 just gives little or no replay value after beating it. Also, it can take HOURS to beat some battles with you running out of ammo towards the end no matter how much you bring, (rote leveling can avert this, but then you're still taking hours to do it in another fashion, no?)

Xenosaga: Ep. 1: The movies were great...when they had a point. Most everything else was rather good, but towards the end the enemies will blatantly cheat by Boosting 4/5 of the time to create a turn out of thin air and even knock a Boosted player out of queue. Whee. I cannot remember a single track from this game other than the random battle theme and the one from the Tower of the Nephilium. That's not good.

Suikoden 3: Boring dungeons. Lack of music all over. Siamese twin pairing system in battle making strategy pointlessly risky. Etc, etc, etc. At least it had that unmistakable Suikoden feel.
 
I have been looking to pick up SMT: Nocturne for quite some time now. I have heard mixed reactions to the game. What's the general consensus here on the game?
 
chaostrophy said:
Maybe I'm the only one here, but I'd actually recommend the first Shadow Hearts over Covenant. It seemed much more unique, as it has a seriously creepy Lovecraftian vibe to it. "Light-toned" RPGs are commonplace, while there aren't that many scary ones. Also, the music in SH is distinctive and awesome, SH:C's music is just kinda average. The only real problem with SH is that the graphics are rather primitive.
Click to expand...

Nah, I can totally understand this; I was also disappointed that SH:C really toned down the horror elements of the first Shadow Hearts in favor of a more generic RPG plot. I'd rate the games about equal - SH:C is more polished and has more to do, but SH1 has much better atmosphere and story.
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
I have been looking to pick up SMT: Nocturne for quite some time now. I have heard mixed reactions to the game. What's the general consensus here on the game?
Click to expand...

I liked it quite a bit, and my guess is that you'll hear a lot more positive things about it than negative things, at least on this forum. But if you are only interested in plot-centric RPGs where you have a party of pre-defined characters, you won't like SMT - your party members are all customizable monsters (e.g., along the lines of Pokemon) and don't have backstories/personalities. (You recruit them from battles or create them by fusing other monsters.) And while the world design is pretty good (and the art direction is stellar!), the focus is really on combat, not plot.

But the battles are well-done, and there are a lots of opportunities for customization, so if you like those sorts of things, I'd recommend it.
 
If you don't buy Disgaea your soul will die. I mean, it has weapon descriptions that allude to TENTACLE RAPE! :lol
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
I have been looking to pick up SMT: Nocturne for quite some time now. I have heard mixed reactions to the game. What's the general consensus here on the game?
Click to expand...

Other than the killer art direction, the sheer variety of battles makes things fun. It's not "kill...kill...kill...", it could be recruit a new member, one hit kills on each enemy, an enemy offering to join of its own accord, an enemy asking for Macca for useful advise, etc; all to the fazes of the moon/Kagatsuchi.

Then there's the "fight 4..."New Enemies Have Appeared"...kill them..."New Enemies Have Appeared"..." :O
 
SatelliteOfLove said:
Star Ocean 3: Oh, how I wanted this to match SO2. Juggernauting enemies, town-only crafting, lack of MP restoring items in a game where you die if your MP hits 0, Teh Brokened AI for both enemies and teamates, goofy collision detection, wheels coming off the plot near the end, etc.
Click to expand...

Dont believe the above...

Star Ocean 3 is an awesome game. I don't know how satellite could miss the MP restoring items but there are lots of them, and you can invent more. It has THE best battle system of any RPG and the AI only occasionally is a problem. The voice acting does start off quite poor (why do they keep letting americans try to voice act?..) but it gets a little better and you dont notice it after a while. I never noticed any off conision detection and the plot twist at the end.. Well its just a matter of taste.

Oh and the music throught out the game is a thing of beauty.
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
I have been looking to pick up SMT: Nocturne for quite some time now. I have heard mixed reactions to the game. What's the general consensus here on the game?
Click to expand...

I've put 42 hours into it so far, and I think I'm about 60-70% done. Right now I think it's the best RPG I've played on PS2, including FFX.

Like earlier posters said, the focus is on combat, not plot. This doesn't mean there's no plot (there is, and it's very good), but it does mean there are almost no cutscenes. The plot's advanced almost entirely by talking to NPCs, and by changes in the environment in which the game takes place. It's a bit more subtle than watching five minutes of FMV now and again.

It's definitely on the difficult side--I'm playing without a guide, though. The difficulty doesn't come from the encounter rate (which is very high, on the order of some areas in FFI: DoS), so much as from the bosses--powerlevelling is almost completely ineffective against them, so that you have to beat them by exploiting their weaknesses. One boss I've come across could heal itself for 100% of its health every attack round, for example--levelling up won't do much good there.
 
nasanu said:
Dont believe the above...

Star Ocean 3 is an awesome game. I don't know how satellite could miss the MP restoring items but there are lots of them, and you can invent more. It has THE best battle system of any RPG and the AI only occasionally is a problem. The voice acting does start off quite poor (why do they keep letting americans try to voice act?..) but it gets a little better and you dont notice it after a while. I never noticed any off conision detection and the plot twist at the end.. Well its just a matter of taste.

Oh and the music throught out the game is a thing of beauty.
Click to expand...

THE best battle system? hahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahah
 
why the hell is everyone so down on Star Ocean 3? If you like Final Fantasy games you should like this. Is it because it didnt match part 2 with certain things so you decided to just label it "suck" regardless of what other qualities it had?
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
I have been looking to pick up SMT: Nocturne for quite some time now. I have heard mixed reactions to the game. What's the general consensus here on the game?
Click to expand...

Let me put it this way. I don't play RPGs. I'm completely hooked on SMT: Nocturne. I'd say I'm about 3/4 of the way through and am thoroughly enjoying the game. The monster recruitment and fusion systems, the vast numbers of skills, and the sheer overwhelming style really make it an impressive experience. Also, it's like Prospero says - just because there aren't ten minute FMV segments every half-hour doesn't mean there's no plot. The characters all have their motiviations, and they're infinitely superior to Save The World Yet Again. And the worldbuilding aspect is just stunning.

I should also mention that I'm a loser and am playing with the guide, but what the hell - I'm still having a terrific time with SMT: Nocturne. I'm an RPG newbie, but this still comes highly recommended.

FnordChan
 
Razoric said:
why the hell is everyone so down on Star Ocean 3? If you like Final Fantasy games you should like this. Is it because it didnt match part 2 with certain things so you decided to just label it "suck" regardless of what other qualities it had?
Click to expand...

I would never ever ever say it has the best battle system...
 
Blackace said:
I would never ever ever say it has the best battle system...
Click to expand...

Yeah not really in response to you... eventhough you laughed pretty hard at that statement. :O

I dunno, I would suggest to any Final Fantasy fan to get Star Ocean 3.
 
Razoric said:
why the hell is everyone so down on Star Ocean 3? If you like Final Fantasy games you should like this. Is it because it didnt match part 2 with certain things so you decided to just label it "suck" regardless of what other qualities it had?
Click to expand...

I couldn't stand the changes to Star Ocean 3 for the first 10 hours, but after that, I truly fell in love with it. Best crafting system in a console game( much better than 2's clunky, slow, hit-or-miss system), far improved battle system over Star Ocean 2 (which, along with the more strategic Grandia, was my favorite), much better characters than part 2's silly anime stereotypes, and an intelligent hero (which is very rare in Japanese RPGs).

The game also had some real dungeons which were long and challenging. There were plenty of items that restored MP, as well as hundreds of other fascinating items to be crafted. The weapon synthesis could be abused quite a bit, but the game's threw enough spikes in challenge at you that it was fairly necessary.

I loved Xenosaga, Star Ocean 2 and Suikoden 3, and I'm quite enjoying Suikoden 4 right now. All have massive flaws, but are among my favorite RPGs ever.
 
nasanu said:
Dont believe the above...

Star Ocean 3 is an awesome game. I don't know how satellite could miss the MP restoring items but there are lots of them, and you can invent more. It has THE best battle system of any RPG and the AI only occasionally is a problem. The voice acting does start off quite poor (why do they keep letting americans try to voice act?..) but it gets a little better and you dont notice it after a while. I never noticed any off conision detection and the plot twist at the end.. Well its just a matter of taste.

Oh and the music throught out the game is a thing of beauty.
Click to expand...

"Lack of MP restoring items" as in there's not enough of them, and not enough powerful ones, (especially all-group ones). Seriously, do you think anyone could go thru the game without seeing Blackberries? :)
 
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