It’s been in the planning for over a year, but everytime I had enough money, I ended up buying something else. First an MP3 player, then a PDA, then a cellphone… finally, PS2 time has come! Now I need to know which games need adding to my small library.
I have bought a few games already - I don’t remember the exact names, but here’s the list: the newest Prince of Persia, 2 James Bond games (Nightfire, and one with a Dr. Nadanova character in it), Worms 3D, and Colin McRae WRC 2005, none of which I have played as yet.
I will be buying NFS Hot Pursuit, as well as GTA Vice City.
I don’t much like RPGs, but I’m willing to experiment. I love first-person shoot-out PC games, but I’m not so sure how well that’ll work without a mouse-keyboard combo.
We haven’t played the PS2 version of Call of Duty here yet, but some of my WoW guildies loved it and my hubby absolutely loved the PC versions.
Other than that I couldn’t really say, not much of a console gamer these days, I’ve transferred all my gaming to the online and PC kind, and what the kids play on the PS2 probably wouldn’t interest an adult. =)
The Metal Gear Solid series is highly regarded - you can get number 2 for really cheap (even cheaper used), and number 3 has gotten mixed reactions among fans. This is the game that really kicked off the “stealth” genre - where the key is to sneak around and do killings without getting caught.
I’m a big fan of the recently released Mercenaries. It’s basically like the Grand Theft Auto series, but in a military/war context. It’s big, big fun.
Also - try Katamari Damacy. It’s a deceptively simple game that’s become a sort of cult hit among gamers recently.
Gran Turismo 4 should be out soon, finally - never played GT3, having defected to XBox, but GT2 for the PS1 is still the best driving sim ever released on any platform ever, and that was only 32 bit: great things are expected of GT4…
Silent Hill 2 and 3 are good games if you like creepy atmosphere and light puzzle solving and chopping up zombie nurses with a chainsaw. And Silent Hill 3 will let you put on a goofy pink Sailor Moon knock-off costume and shoot laser beams from your eyes if you beat the game the right way.
SSX3. Snowboarding game. One of the greatest racers ever. Superb controls. You basically have a mountain that you get to play on. When you unlock the entire mountain, you will be able to race from the top to the bottom, and it takes around 25 minutes.
Katamari Damacy. Weird, wacky and if I tried to explain it in text you’d be turned off. It has a great soundtrack.
If you are going to get Metal Gear Solid 2 (3 is better, but 2 sets up the questions), try to find the “Substance” edition, which packs a few dozen minigames in with it.
Do you like fighting games? If so, I highly recommend the three latest WWE SmackDown! games, even if you’re not a fan of pro-wrestling. The game engine is top notch, the create-a-wrestler system is superb, and the roster for each is very deep.
I don’t see myself getting into the sport any time soon but the games themselves are stellar for their genre.
If you’re willing to give RPGs a try, Final Fantasy X is probably a good place to start. You should be able to get it for $20, which makes experimenting a lot easier.
The Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter trilogies are most excellent, and you should be able to pick the first two games in each series up for $20.
Hm, I second FFX if you like RPG games. Probably get flamed for this, but FFX-2 is another good game.
Silent Hill 2 and 3 are good, but Silent Hill 4 is the strongest imho. It has a good balance between style, story, and game play. The control system is great also.
Spider Man 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. The gameplay is flat out perfect.
LOTR Two Towers and Return of the King are good if you liked the movies, but avoid the Fellowship of the Ring game. Devil May Cry is a lot of fun, but the sequel stinks.
Another controller, preferably with turbo/rapid fire. You won’t need that feature often, but you will be glad to have it. Also, you MUST have an honest-to-goodness joystick for a number of games, particularly fighting games, preferably new (the older models age badly).
At least one fun, cathartic, pedal-to-the-metal racing game. CART Fury is okay if you don’t mind all the loading times. I’ve heard good things about the Tokyo Extreme Racer series; might want to look into that.
At least one relatively nonserious sports title like Swing Away Golf. For my money, nothing in the PS2’s sports lineup will have you coming back again and again longer.
At least one fighting game that you can jump into right away and has a wide range of difficulties. Anything by Capcom is fine, with the best one being Capcom vs. SNK 2.
As many games as you can get your hands on where the point is just to have fun, move around a bit, and feel good. Recommended: all the Eyetoy games, the Dance Dance Revolution series, Pac-Man Fever.
A Codebreaker. (Trust me, you’ll thank me later. )
And information, of course, the more the better. Start with www.gamefaqs.com. I advise against posting anything on any of the message boards, as “rules” and “terms of service” became oudated concepts a long time ago, but the rest of the site is a great resource.
I actually like the first game best of the series. The sequels have better graphics and more tricks and stuff, but they really lost the funky flavor of the original, especially 3. DJ Atomica, the commentator, is only slightly less bland than distilled water. The playable characters hardly talk anymore, they all have the same stats, and most of them have different voice actors that aren’t as good.
If you have a buddy to play with, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 and 2, and Champions of Norrath are fun.
Don’t get a Codebreaker or any of those type of products. Sony doesn’t license any of them and they have been known to damage the system.
Personally, I could never get the hang of FPS on consoles - I hate aiming with the sticks. Oh, and Call of Duty is completely different to the PC version. Avoid direct comparision. If you want a great party FPS game, Timesplitters 2 is great.
Singstar 1&2 is surprisingly fun with a group.
RPGs on the PS2 tend towards the plot-on-rails Japanese style - still good games, just don’t expect to drastically change the plot on your second play through.
Kingdom Hearts is good for anyone who’s a fan of Disney, and although the plot is pretty straightforward for a Square RPG, the game itself is pretty expansive. There are some intensely difficult bosses and challenges for those who seek them. If you like Disney movies and characters, I say go for it.
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