The title says it all. I saw one of the last PS2 threads and followed a suggestion for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus and was more than pleasantly surprised. I am looking to expand my gaming library and want something a bit more off color and generally goofy to play. I have never really been into the dance/music games because I have never quite found one I liked. I also don’t really want anything that is just a shooter game with a goofy disguise.
Suggestions?
-Abe’s Oddyssey (the first 1, a 2D ps1 game, and a masterpiece)
-Parappa the Rapper (you might not like this if you’re not into music games, but it’s sure as heck offbeat)
-Buster Brothers Collection
I’m a big fan of the Spyro trilogy. Check it out.
Mr. Mosquito. You play a mosquito attempting to suck the blood (yeah, I know that mr. mosquito shouldn’t be sucking blood) of a Japanese family. If they detect you, you have to avoid being swatted.
Weird enough?
Ape Escape. 2D platform action comes to life in full 3D as you run around chasing monkeys with a net.
Intelligent Qube. In this rare puzzle game, you must make tumbling blocks disappear before they crush you. Quirky sounds (“PERRRRRRRFECT!”) and thought-provoking classical music.
Harvest Moon. An rpg that’s completely honest about farming. In fact, you have to do it to get ahead. The new version for the PS2 has cell-shaded cows. 
Not one PS1 game, a whole host of mini-games. Can you bail the boat out and reach the shore, despite the boots that keep getting thrown at your head? Can you outrun the giant iron ball chasing you down the hall of your office building? And then can you get the elevator down to the ground floor without being crushed by falling debris? Can you successfully seduce your seductive dance instructor? And oddly enough, there is a plot. Kinda.
A friend of mine gave me the game a couple of years ago, and I’ve never laughed so hard playing a video game. Great music, too, by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I really urge you to find it, and let me know what you think.
Not one PS1 game, a whole host of mini-games. Can you bail the boat out and reach the shore, despite the boots that keep getting thrown at your head? Can you outrun the giant iron ball chasing you down the hall of your office building? And then can you get the elevator down to the ground floor without being crushed by falling debris? Can you successfully seduce your seductive dance instructor? And oddly enough, there is a plot. Kinda.
A friend of mine gave me the game a couple of years ago, and I’ve never laughed so hard playing a video game. Great music, too, by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I really urge you to find it, and let me know what you think.
“Abe’s Oddysey” is also commonly known as “Oddworld.” (although that is actually the name of the series, Abe’s O was the first in the series). It is one of the oldest PS1 games – if you can find it at all it will be quite cheap. It is a beautifully rendered and fantastically silly game. Oddspeak – the small vocabulary by which you interact with NPCs in the game, is probably my favorite element of the game.
Rez for the PS2. It’s an offbeat music/shooter game. How can you go wrong?
Gitaroo Man
Nerdish boy is transformed into intergalactic hero Gitaroo Man with the help of his dog (who is actually a robot dog and guardian). This is the coolest music game I’ve ever played, and is everything Parappa the Rapper 2 SHOULD have been. You do battle with guitars, and unlike games like Parappa or Space Channel 5, it isn’t just repetition but requires you to follow the guitar track with the control stick.
Oh yeah, and BUY SUIKODEN III. I can’t describe how much I’m enjoying this game. It’s a pretty standard RPG for the most part, but the whole thing is just designed to be fun instead of “epic” like Square thinks they have to be. I’ve heard rumors that the US version of the strategy guide for this game was cancelled because of lack of interest, which is a damn shame because this game should be a best-seller.
I guess technically it’s not all that “offbeat,” but it does have rabbits who attack with giant axes, a gymnast character who fights monsters with jumping jacks, a talking duck named Sgt. Joe, a ship-board bath house with different animations based on the items and characters you bring into it, the ability to cast each one of your 108 characters in plays performed at your castle, a murder mystery in Duck Village that you have to solve, a barrel-shaped robot that transforms into a giant fighting mech, and a dim-witted dog-man with what I swear is a lobotomy scar.
I’ll second the Oddworld nominations, and then second, third and fourth the Suikoden II suggestion. When I was working a night job, I’d get together with a couple of friends a few nights a week and play that game, passing the controller back and forth, until we were too punchy to stay awake. The most fun, of course, was making up lyrics to the all-too-familiar MIDI tunes.
Great game.
Another good offbeat RPG game for the Playstation 2 is Okage: The Shadow King (its title in Japan makes more sense: “The Devil and I”). Basically, you get possesed by an evil shadow called Stan and spend the game trying to get rid of him (lovable though he is). Wierd enemies abound (evil trees, rats, elephants…) We got a used copy for less than 20 bucks at the local game store. Only trouble is that its pretty darn difficult to get through some of the dungeons.
Oh, and second the recommendation for Rez and Suikoden.