PS2 hidden gems...

[Goodwill Hunter]

R.A.D. (Robot Alchemic Drive) - Got the heads up on this game right here at DP. Unlike any other robot/monster game I've played, and I had a great time all the way through. Unique control setup and gameplay creates a the illusion that you are directly controlling the movements of a 200-ft. tall robot and destroying a city to save it from alien 200-ft. tall robots. Enjoy!

Rich

[Fear The Turtle]

I've always felt Legaia 2 went under the radar as far as RPGs go.

[Nirvana]

Haha, I see you listed WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It! That game is seriously damn fun. I used to be in this phase where'd I'd play WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role religiously. When Just Bring It came out, I had no PS2 so I'd play it at a friend's house. I tell ya, that game is defintiely a sleeper hit. Nice fast paced wrestling.

Also, I want to play Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. I was a huge fan of Tenchu 1 and 2.

[josekortez]

Yeah, at this point, I would probably add Spy Hunter, Metal Slug Anthology/ 4&5, Alien Hominid, Puzzle Quest and Ys: The Ark of Napishtham. I'm on the fence about Chulip and River King so far...

Does anybody think I should update the original post with everybody's suggestions? We're looking at almost 100 hidden gems for the PS2, which is pretty good considering how large its library is...

If anybody has any others, please keep em coming...

[slip81]

what about Ring of Red?

[Damaramu]

I'm looking forward to Heavenly Guardian. The game reminds me of Pocky & Rocky for SNES.

Nice find!

Look good indeed. I think I am pick it up upon release.

Heads up on Heavenly Guardian: MSRP at the Official site is $29.99- You can pre-order it at Amazon.com for $19.99 with free shipping (ships Feb. 26).

Amazon link

[DigitalSpace]

Spy Hunter

Spy Hunter was one of the first PS2 games I owned. I would like to say I enjoyed it all the way through, but I was never able to beat the final level. Pretty good game though, and I liked the unlockable bonus stuff. It's also easy to find on the cheap.

It was also released on my 19th birthday (Sept. 24th, 2001).

[josekortez]

Spy Hunter was one of the first PS2 games I owned. I would like to say I enjoyed it all the way through, but I was never able to beat the final level. Pretty good game though, and I liked the unlockable bonus stuff. It's also easy to find on the cheap.

It was also released on my 19th birthday (Sept. 24th, 2001).

Yeah, I just bought it at Gamestop the other day for $2.99 pre-owned and it was in good condition too. I am a little annoyed with the way that you have to reply the stages multiple times to satisfy all of the conditions. I think it's made by Paradigm, the company that made Stuntman if I'm not mistaken, but it never gets as frustrating as Stuntman.

[diskoboy]

Is it okay to say Rygar can join this list? I sort of liked this 3D Rygar.

Seconded.




I also thought Sega's rebranding of Shinobi was pretty good, too - call me masochistic.... But I happen to love games that kick your ass while you beg for more. I'm the same way with Ninja Gaiden Black.

[8bitgamer]

A few years ago, there was a thread for PS1 hidden gems, which is one of my all-time favorite threads because I got into the Playstation one really late but I loved it because there were so many cheap quality games to purchase.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show...ht=hidden+gems

Anyway, since the PS2 is finally coming into its prime, I thought I would start a PS2 hidden gems thread since there are so many really good games that people missed because they were under the radar.

Amplitude
Ape Escape 2 & 3
Armored Core (series)
Asterix & Obelix Kick Buttix
Beyond Good & Evil
Blood Will Tell
Bloody Roar (series)
Brunswick Pro Bowling
Castle Shikigami 2
Choro Q
Cold Fear
Conflict Zone
Dai Senryaku VII Exceed
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns
Flipnic
Frequency
Gadget Racers
Genji
God Hand
Gradius V
Gungrave
Gungrave Overdose
Gungriffon Blaze
High Rollers Casino
Killer 7
Killswitch
King of the Fighters (series)
Mad Maestro
Mark of Kri
Maximo (series)
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Mobile Light Force 2
Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks
Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum
One Piece Pirates’ Carnival
Onimusha Blade Warriors
Pinball Hall of Fame
Puzzle Challenge Crosswords and More
Raiden III
Red Faction
Road Trip
R-Type Final
Rumble Racing
Seek and Destroy
Shadow of Rome
Sky Odyssey
S. L. A. I.
Star Trek Encounters
Swing Away Golf
Sub-Rebellion
Technic Beat
Tenchu Wrath of Heaven
Theme Park Rollercoaster
Trapt
24: The Game
Victorious Boxers 1 & 2
V-Rally 3
Winback
Wipeout Fusion
WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It
Zatchbell (series)

Feel free to discuss your favorites, add any to this list or even argue why certain ones don't belong on this list if you feel so inclined...

I'm definitely with you on Maximo, R-Type Final , Raiden III, and Gradius V.

[CreamSoda]

I'm looking forward to Heavenly Guardian. The game reminds me of Pocky & Rocky for SNES.

Very nice, that game looks great. I probably would have never known about it, if not for this thread.

[DJ Daishi]

lol, I was just thinking about starting a thread like this!...what do you know it already exist.

Bujingai on the ps2 was a great game in terms of gameplay. imagine Crouching Tiger Hidden if it were a good game....pretty light on story though.

[DJ Daishi]

R.A.D. (Robot Alchemic Drive) - Got the heads up on this game right here at DP. Unlike any other robot/monster game I've played, and I had a great time all the way through. Unique control setup and gameplay creates a the illusion that you are directly controlling the movements of a 200-ft. tall robot and destroying a city to save it from alien 200-ft. tall robots. Enjoy!

Rich

this game would be perfect as a next-gen sequel! I really enjoyed the players point of view in the game!

Mad Maestro was also a pretty fun gem!

[josekortez]

this game would be perfect as a next-gen sequel! I really enjoyed the players point of view in the game!

The game engine in RAD is also used in Earth Defense Force, which was on the Japanese PS2 and the third one did make it here for the 360. Think playing as one of the people on the ground instead of the robot.

I wish more games from the Simple 2000 Japanese PS2 series came here. This hidden gems list would be longer!

[yok-dfa]

The game engine in RAD is also used in Earth Defense Force, which was on the Japanese PS2 and the third one did make it here for the 360. Think playing as one of the people on the ground instead of the robot.

I wish more games from the Simple 2000 Japanese PS2 series came here. This hidden gems list would be longer!

Earth Defense Force (named: Global Defense Force (part 2)), Global Defense Force Tactics and Monster Attack (part 1) were also released in Europe.

[The_4th_Survivor]

Now these titles may not be available to everyone here in the USA, but they're available almost anyone located in Europe or the UK:

Jackie Chan Adventures (think Prince Of Persia mixed in with the fighting action of Rise To Honor)
Demolition Girl (The Daibajin)
Fitness Fun
Fighting Angels
Zombie Hunters (Oneechanbara Remix)
Zombie Zone (Oneechanbara)
Masters Of The Universe: The Power Of Grayskull
Conan (TDK)
Altered Beast (aka Project Altered Beast)
Dragon Blaze
10,000 Bullets
Michigan: Report From Hell
Glass Rose (an excellent 'point & click' adventure from Capcom)
7 Sins
Garfield


For those with a Japanese craving, the following was also 'under the radar':

DreamMix TV: World Fighters - Think Super Smash Bros., but with characters from the Hudson Game Universe (Bomberman, Master Higgins, etc.) as well as ones from Takara (Transformers, Micro Man, BeyBlade, etc.) and Konami (Simon Belmont and Solid Snake)

Hokuto No Ken (Fist Of The Northstar) Arcade - Now THIS is what a FoTNS fighting game should have been! Based on the Japanese arcade release, this title was designed by the same minds that designed the Guilty Gear series)

Appleseed EX - Not as bad as reviewers said it was, although you have to get used to the control scheme. Based on the -remixed- CG animated movie, also titled "Appleseed".


As for American releases, you've all pretty much covered a lot of what I was going to mention, so I'll add what I can of those releases;

Air Force Delta Storm
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Neo Contra

[darkhades]

Disaster Report
Raw Danger

These are two often over looked Gems for the system.

[DJ Daishi]

Hokuto No Ken (Fist Of The Northstar) Arcade - Now THIS is what a FoTNS fighting game should have been! Based on the Japanese arcade release, this title was designed by the same minds that designed the Guilty Gear series)

I love this game! another great game from the guys that gave us Guilty Gear!

[josekortez]

Is this list turning Japanese? If we are doing imports too, I would add Sexy Mahjong Party, but it is a hidden gem for sooo many reasons other than the fact that it is a respectable game of mahjong...

[RickHarrisMaine]

How about Primal? I picked this up today at Gamestop for $4.99. Looks like kind of an interesting game, and the price was right!