My First Dozen PS2 Games

[Rogmeister]

Well, I finally broke down and bought a PlayStation 2 this week. I had a GameCube but got a bit tired of a number of games being made available for the PS2 and XBox...but not the Cube. So, over the weekend I weighed the pros and cons of PS2 vs. XBox and just decided the PS2 had more games I really wanted so I went with that one. Maybe I'll buy an XBox for myself on my next birthday but that wouldn't be until next summer.

As far as games go, I bought 3 the day I bought it (Monday), came home and ordered 4 more online and then bought 2 new games via eBay and finally went out yesterday and got two more. Once the ones I ordered come in, that will give me 11 games...I'll wait for those to arrive and then I'll go out and decide what to make the twelfth game and probably hold at that for awhile. Here, then, is the first dozen PS 2 (minus one) games of my collection...

1. DOA 2 Hardcore
2. Grand Theft Auto III
3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
4. Haven: Call of the King (cheapest so far for me, $14.95)
5. Ico
6. Jak and Daxter
7. Maximo
8. Max Payne
9. Tekken 4
10. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
11. World Series Baseball
12. ?

As to what the 12th game will be, I haven't decided yet. I'm not a big sports gaming fan though I do like baseball games so WSB covers that. I have Madden 2003 for the GC and have hardly played that so that will hold me for awhile. I'm not big on RPGs but I do like straight adventure games. I also like platformers and fighting games. I notice I don't have an FPS yet and would like to get one in that category but which one to get? I already have the GameCube versions of Red Faction II, TimeSplitters 2 and Medal of Honor: Frontline and wouldn't want to get those again...any suggestions? I was thinking of getting the PS2 version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein but have been warned against that...

[davidbrit2]

Activision Anthology! Duh! :-D

Or check Target and see if you can still get Amplitude for $18.88. It's tons of fun. You play tracks of the song as you fly through a weird CG environment. Multiplayer is insane, and it's pretty much the only thing I use with my network adapter.

Oh, and if you see Rez for a good price, get it. It's like playing Panzer Dragoon on lots and lots of LSD.

[bargora]

I agree that Rez is very cool, and should be picked up if seen for a reasonable price.

As far as FPS, I enjoyed Unreal Tournament, which should be dirt cheap these days. As a launch title, though, it's looking a bit dated by now (if that matters to you). Plus, it's more fun against a human player, as there's no "story" mode per se; the single player mode instead gives you a series of tournament arenas to conquer (deathmatch, domination, CTF, assault). And unfortunately, to unlock the single player arenas in two-player mode, you need to do the i-link thing (2 discs, 2 linked PS2s, 2 TVs)--I guess they were too large for one PS2 to handle by itself, as all of the single-machine multiplayer maps are comparatively small. All that aside, I liked it and played the hell out of the single-player mode.

If you have any aspirations toward mech geekiness, Armored Core 2 is also dirt cheap these days, and is the Gran Turismo of mech combat. If spending nearly as much time in the shop tweaking designs as (or more time than) you spend fighting with them sounds like fun, well, that's Armored Core mech geek bliss for you.

And for your Japanese ultra-cute cooperative multiplayer 2.5D platforming needs, consider The Adventures of Cookie and Cream. Also...dirt cheap!

I would recommend Gradius III and IV, but I think that you have to be a Gradius fan already, because they will hand you your hat pretty quickly otherwise.

[lendelin]

Two suggestions: 1) REZ, fantastic game, starts rather harmless, and becomes as good as it gets. (Tron-like graphics, challenging if you unlock everything, great replay value, and at the end almost artistic unique graphics. 2) Gran Turismo 3. I always found racers boring and prefer adventure and RPGs; but GT3 is a programming masterpiece, an instant classic. the controls so good. it delivers the depth of a RPG. It's awesome, and the graphics are fantastic.

[Drexel923]

Sly Cooper is a really fun platformer.

[Rogmeister]

Sly Cooper is one of two platformers that are very high on my want list and a likely pick-up for my 12th game. I will mark down your other suggestions, guys, and check them out. Thanks! :)

[WiseSalesman]

You like adventure games? You might like Kingdom Hearts. So far, my favorite game I own for the system.

[Rogmeister]

That's another on my list of games to give serious consideration to. Perhaps I'll put that on my Buy It Once The Price Comes Down To $20 list... :D

[Arcade Antics]

No brainer: Amplitude (or Frequency).

Amplitude can be had new for about $25; Frequency is $20 or less new. You definitely need one of 'em. :)

[evilmess]

I just hit a dozen too, here's my list

Grand theft Auto: Vice city
War of the Monsters
Guilty Gear X2
NFS: Hot Pursuit 2
Midnight Club 2
Jak and Daxter
Gun Grave
State of Emergency
Twisted Metal: Black
Auto Modellista
Devil may Cry
Burnout 2

[petewhitley]

Mark of Kri is IMO the most underrated game on the system. Should be dirt cheap as well, bag some of the more expensive suggestions for now and get a few cheap ones.

[Rogmeister]

I'll look for Frequency or Amplitude. Of the ones you list, evilmess, I have Vice City, Jak and Daxter's on the way, and two others I have on GameCube. Of the other's, I may be interested in Devil May Cry. I'll check out Mark of Kri also. I have indeed been looking for the cheaper games...of the 11 I've bought so far, I've only paid full price for two of them (WSB and Vice City). 8-)

[SoulBlazer]

I'm VERY picky about the console games I own, so these are the 15 which have made the cut and are keepers for my PS2. Please note, though, I'm a big fan of Koei and RPG's. :D

Final Fantasy X
Legaia II
Wild Arms 3
Xenosaga
Suikoden III
Kessen II
Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII
Dyntasy Warriors 4
Gradius 3 + 4
Ring of Red
Shadow of Destiny
Activision Anthology
Deus Ex
Grandia II
Metal Gear Solid II: Substance

In addition, my roomie has GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City, as well as SNK vs Capcom II so I play those a lot as well.

[Rogmeister]

I think I'll mark some of these down in a notebook (the ones I think I may like anyway) and check some sites for reviews as well as checking around for prices. The games that are still full-priced will be put to the back of the list until I get the cheaper ones first.

In the meantime, 3 of the games I ordered arrived today...Max Payne, Jak and Daxter, and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. That may be it for this week...unless Maximo arrives tomorrow. :-D

[SoulBlazer]

Reviews are fine, but always take them with a grain of salt. If the game is still pricey (over $30) and you're not sure, rent it first. There's a reason Blockbusters sued Nintendo over 10 years ago for the right to do that. :-D

[Rogmeister]

So does this mean there's a chance Aquaman isn't as bad as everyone is saying? :D

[SoulBlazer]

I've never tried that one, so I can't say. :) Just do rentals smartly. :)

The sorry part is that I have more GC games on my 'must buy for the rest of the year' list then the PS2. The only PS2 games I'm waiting for are FF X-2 and MGS 3.

[Half Japanese]

Here's a few ps2 games I really enjoyed and you might like:


Sly Cooper & the Thievious Raccoonus
Mark of Kri ($10 at Best Buy, GOGOGO!)
Gungrave
Mr. Mosquito
Gitaroo Man

[XpOsUrE]

You made some great choices there mainly the GTA games, and vf 4 evoultion, also if your into survival horror games, then you mite want to pick up the excellent recently released silent hill 3.

P.S. Make sure you stay away from the horrible buggy none makeing sense new Tomb Raider recently released :angry: .

[jaydubnb]

I would suggest giving War of the Monsters a try. Part King of the Monsters, part Rampage, it'sincredibly fun, especially w/ 2 players. Its one of the few PS2 games (besides MGS2) that has kept my attention.

[jaybird]

To give you something totally different to play, I'll suggest Silent Hill 3. You can get it for $39.99 & it comes with a bonus CD soundtrack of the game music.

Awesome game if you're into the horror genre.

[Rogmeister]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I may not check out all those games but will keep many of them in mind. I saw Mr. Mosquito reviewed on Judgment Day and it just seems weird. I'll check out Gitaroo Man and Mark of Kri and Silent Hill and Sly Cooper are already near the top of my want list. :-D

[Arkan]

straight adventure games ???
Final Fantasy X
:-D

[Dirty Tiger]

Rygar!

This is a very cool game. They did a great job of remaking the NES classic. Stylish Backdrops & Cool Weapons.

It is a fun "adventure" game with some "platformer" and weapon uprgrades thrown in.

[Dirty Tiger]

MSG2 is also a good find for around 10-12$ used or 19$ new.

[Sothy]

if max payne at all interested you then you will far better appreciate the PC version.

[kainemaxwell]

I'm gonna agree with most mentioned already, especially Activision Anthology and add in:

Dynasty Warriors 3/4
Devil May Cry
Guantlet: Dark Legacy

[Funk Buddy]

Come on! Nobody's going to suggest these great games?!?

Britney's Dance Beat
Escape From Monkey Island
IHRA Drag Racing 2
Portal Runner
State of Emergency

:P

[Rogmeister]

Britney's Dance Beat? Only if there's a nude code.

Regarding Max Payne's PC version vs. the PS2 one, I don't have a particularly powerful PC and I can't really play any of the big games on it. I'll play You Don't Know Jack on my PC...but that's about it.

[SoulBlazer]

Since you like adventure games, I REALLY suggest one game that's on my list -- Shadow of Destiny by Konami. It's on the PC also, but I don't know how that version is. It's a launch game and it has a really unique idea -- preventing your own death!

You play a young man visting a old European town who is killed mysteriously. Someone gives him the chance to prevent your death, saying it helps him as well, and the power to move through time. Through the game's chapters, you hop back and forth between time periods, interacting with charcters, and trying to keep going. There are six different endings, good music, and the voice acting is decent as well.

The game got almost no attention -- which is really too bad, as it's a great game. You can get it cheap these days also.

[RJ]

Yeah, Shadows of Destiny was great! I rented it & saw only 1 ending before returning it. Would like to play more, but I cant seem to find it anywhere (maybe Im not looking hard enough. I'd buy it if I saw it!)

main character: Eiki Kusch...
antagonist: Homunculus...

Cool names!

[Rogmeister]

Okay, I'll keep that in mind.

By the way, has anyone any opinion on Headhunter? Tommy Tallarico recommended it on "Judgment Day" as a "Buried Treasure" and I found a copy on Ebay for just $3.99 so I've put a bid on that. If it sucks I'll only be out about $7 (including shipping).

That makes me think of a possible poll question...Would you overbid a buddy on an Ebay auction? :D

[SoulBlazer]

I see Shadow of Destiny used copies at EB and the like for $15-20. Or you can get it from Amazon.

[Rogmeister]

Since this thread was about my first 12 games for the PS2, I thought i'd end it here by saying I have now actually gotten my first 12 games for the system. I got two today, getting my 11th and 12th games on my 12th day of owning the system. Hmmm, that means I'm getting an average of a game a day! No, that pace won't keep going...in fact, I will now concentrate on what I have and only get further games once I finish some of these and/or some must-haves come along. There are definitely still some I want that are out now but I'll now wait for most of those to come down in price. For now, here's the list of my first 12 games for the PS2 in alphabetical order...

1. DOA 2: Hardcore
2. Grand Theft Auto III
3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
4. Haven: Call of the King
5. Headhunter
6. Ico
7. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
8. Max Payne
9. Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
10. Tekken 4
11. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
12. World Series Baseball 2K3

Oh, and in case you're surprised Soul Calibur II isn't there, I bought the GameCube version...

[Sniderman]

Damn good list you got Rog. You gots many many months of playing ahead of you. Get to work!
:D

[Rogmeister]

Thanks...as I hinted at, I decided to get a dozen fairly quickly and then work on those for the forseeable future. I don't see myself getting another game for awhile (PS2 game anyway) unless I come across a really good deal. There are still a number of games I really want but most of those are still full-priced so I can wait on those.