What are “platformers?”
Are there any good flight simulation games for PS2?
“Platformers” are games like the Mario games, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rayman, and the like. They consist of lots of running around, jumping onto platforms, and collecting items, like stars or coins or rings or musical notes or voodoo dust or whatever.
I don’t know whether the name comes from the platforms that the character usually jumps around on, or if it comes from the fact that such a game is traditionally among the first, if not THE first, to be released on a new gaming platform (Super Mario 64 was the flagship game for the N64, Sonic was the flagship for the Sega Genesis, and so forth). My guess is, it’s about the jumping. Jumping is key. Platformers are all about the jumping. Boing boing boing.
Another recommendation for Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari.
My tastes are very similar to yours and I love them.
If you want something different, try Gallop Racer 2004 (a new version - Gallop Racer 8 - was just released in Japan). No dexterity needed here, just good hand-eye coordination and timing.
You’re an up & coming jockey who rides on fictional tracks in Japan and North America. At first, you only work with a favorite trainer but if you do well you’ll soon get offers from other trainers. You do well by meeting the goal for each horse, these goals can be finishing first, in the top 2, in the top 5, or simply at or above where the handicappers expect you to finish.
You need to use your wits in order for your mount to run a good race, it’s not simply “push button X to go”. You have to keep your mount comfortable; different horses have different needs. Some do better near the front of the pack, others somewhere in the middle, still others near the back. Most importantly, you have to push button X at exactly the right time to get your mount psyched up for the home stretch. Too early or too late and your mount will tire out before it gets to the line.
I’m going to throw out the fact that if you don’t have good dexterity, stay away from Dance Dance Revolution. Because you are actually dancing and using your feet very quickly, it needs quite a bit of dexterity - I have friends who have taken formal dance classes that have trouble on normal difficulty.
I’d suggest I-Ninja as another platform game to try - it runs used in the ~$20 CAD range, so it’d be mighty cheap in USD.
If you don’t mind playing PS1 games on your PS2, I recommend Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2. Whenever you fire a weapon/use a power, the game pauses. Fast reflexes aren’t necessary.
Ace Combat