# What PS2 games can't I afford to miss? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 11, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797 "2009-01-11T13:29:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/41 "2009-07-05T12:11:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > You should buy the third one, which was called The Warrior Within. The second game was “meh”, but the third was really good…as good as the first one, actually. In that case he’d want The Two Thrones. For the PS2/XBox/GC series the order is: The Sands of Time The Warrior Within The Two Thrones Personally I liked the second one in the series though I know some people got annoyed with the chase sections (not to give too much away but you’re being hunted by a giant monster who turns up at various points and you have to run an obstacle course to escape). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/42 "2009-07-05T13:27:25Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Personally I liked the second one in the series though I know some people got annoyed with the chase sections (not to give too much away but you’re being hunted by a giant monster who turns up at various points and you have to run an obstacle course to escape). Yes, it was mainly the chases that annoyed me. Not only does the enemy chase you and it’s “game over” if you get caught, but you don’t know the path that is ahead of you and the camera angles are atrocious during the chases. It was a the only part of the game that was truly trial and error, and where going back in time did little for you. ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sealemon2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/43 "2009-07-07T03:34:07Z")
Don’t know if you’d consider these must haves but Spider-man 2 is a hoot, and I just finished playing X-Men Legends (I could have written the OP, my story is so simular) and enjoyed it, but I’m a super hero fanboy. Am thinking of getting Hulk:Total Destruction, becausethe idea of Hulk wandering through an open ended GTA style city just smashing shit sound like tons of fun to me. I also second GTA, and have found that Devil May Cry 1 is also fun, as well as part 3 (Give DMC2 a miss…a very bland game) Highest recomendation for Resident Evil 4. Fun main mission, with plenty to do after you’ve beaten the main story. With that said though, I really do recommend Spidy 2. No other game can give you the feeling of web-slinging, and nothing else feels quite like it. **goes off to look into this Okami game everyone is talking about** ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/44 "2009-07-07T03:44:29Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > **goes off to look into this Okami game everyone is talking about** You will be well pleased. Just ignore the opening 20 minute “story” segment. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/45 "2009-07-07T13:08:02Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > Am thinking of getting Hulk:Total Destruction, becausethe idea of Hulk wandering through an open ended GTA style city just smashing shit sound like tons of fun to me. That’s the problem. It sounds like it should be a ton of fun. In practice what you can do as the Hulk is so limited and so indistinct that it wears thin pretty quickly. But don’t let that discourage you. You can find the game pretty easily for under $10 these days and you can definitely extract at least that much fun out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/46 "2009-07-07T13:36:57Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > You will be well pleased. Just ignore the opening 20 minute “story” segment. Oh come off it. It’s not that long and it’s important! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/47 "2009-07-07T14:31:39Z")
Any of the Ratchet and Clanks…the second one (Going Commando) was my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/48 "2009-07-07T14:49:06Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Oh come off it. It’s not that long and it’s important! 😛 I know, I know. I actually liked it, but it is about 10 minutes and makes the game look like it’s a long movie. > [@joemama24\_98](#): > > Any of the Ratchet and Clanks…the second one (Going Commando) was my favorite. I hated Ratchet and Clank, so your mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/49 "2009-07-07T17:34:45Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I know, I know. I actually liked it, but it is about 10 minutes and makes the game look like it’s a long movie. It’s pretty funny, actually, because almost all of the (small number of) low rated reviews for Okami on Amazon (aside from the required “This game arrived and the disc was scratched so I’m giving it one star!” ones) are people who couldn’t couldn’t get past the intro cutscene. Baffling. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/50 "2009-07-07T17:36:43Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > It’s pretty funny, actually, because almost all of the (small number of) low rated reviews for Okami on Amazon (aside from the required “This game arrived and the disc was scratched so I’m giving it one star!” ones) are people who couldn’t couldn’t get past the intro cutscene. > > Baffling. Oh, yeesh. If you can’t sit through a little bit of intro. story, where you might actually learn something, then you don’t _deserve_ to play Okami. ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sealemon2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/51 "2009-07-08T01:02:59Z")
Having read a couple of reviews of Okami I’ve gotta say the game looks like something I’d want to have. A couple of questions: What do you guys think of Marvel Age? also, are there any good turn based strategic games out theer for the PS2? I’m thinking of games like Master Of Orion 2 or even old school PC stuff like what SSI used to put out. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/52 "2009-07-08T02:07:07Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > Having read a couple of reviews of Okami I’ve gotta say the game looks like something I’d want to have. > > A couple of questions: What do you guys think of Marvel Age? > also, are there any good turn based strategic games out theer for the PS2? I’m thinking of games like Master Of Orion 2 or even old school PC stuff like what SSI used to put out. Well, if you like Strategy RPGs, there’s Front Mission 4, Disgaea (2) and La Pucelle Tactics. Also possibly Kessen. If you really want your MOO style fix, though, go back to your PC and get the demo for Sword of the Stars. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/53 "2009-07-08T03:01:29Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > A couple of questions: What do you guys think of Marvel Age? What game? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/54 "2009-07-08T13:13:45Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > also, are there any good turn based strategic games out theer for the PS2? I’m thinking of games like Master Of Orion 2 or even old school PC stuff like what SSI used to put out. Tactical combat games (especially fantasy based ones) have become a prominent subgenre with the PS2 after lurking at the fringes of console games for a decade. Airk covered the major ones. And the Koei strategy series (Nobunaga’s Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms) are represented on the platform. Beyond that? Pretty much nothing. No building games, no 4x, I think there were a couple of half-hearted stabs at RTS. Strategy games traditionally have done poorly on consoles which is why they’re so rare though I think the fact that gamers have rapidly embraced tactical games shows that there’s room for people to make some good ones. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/55 "2009-07-08T18:09:43Z")
The tactical RPG formula has been around for a good long time now - while I’m not aware of any from the NES era, as soon as you hit SNES/Genesis, there’s several. Tactics Ogre and Shining Force being the ones that linger in my mind. The former franchise has been in some way or another devoured by Final Fantasy Tactics and the latter has been turned in an action RPG series for no readily good identifiable reason (Bite me, SEGA!) On the other hand, I -loved- La Pucelle Tactics and a lot of people swear by Disgaea, but I found the latter too mechanically heavy. That’s clearly a matter of taste though - there are some people who -really- -like- the fact that there’s so many ways to grind… er… get more powerful. Front Mission 4 is an interestign spin since it’s futuristic with customizable mecha, but in a lot of ways it actually sticks -closer- to the traditional Shining Force formula than many fantasy based tactical RPGs. Sadly, these look like they’re going to remain a niche market, and \*\*Just Some Guy \*\*quite accurately summed up the state of other strategic sorts of offerings on consoles. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/56 "2009-07-08T21:26:20Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > The tactical RPG formula has been around for a good long time now - while I’m not aware of any from the NES era, as soon as you hit SNES/Genesis, there’s several. Tactics Ogre and Shining Force being the ones that linger in my mind. Yep but two or three a generation does not a subgenre make (I can only think of one other on the Genesis and any other ones on the SNES I’m aware of were only released in Japan). It really exploded in the past decade and that’s mainly due to the popularity of Final Fantasy Tactics making executives realize there was a market for strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/57 "2009-07-09T00:17:24Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Yep but two or three a generation does not a subgenre make (I can only think of one other on the Genesis and any other ones on the SNES I’m aware of were only released in Japan). It really exploded in the past decade and that’s mainly due to the popularity of Final Fantasy Tactics making executives realize there was a market for strategy. I dunno. I guess I feel like we don’t really have that many more of them now. Most of them are from tiny niche publishers too. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/58 "2009-07-09T01:42:49Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > I dunno. I guess I feel like we don’t really have that many more of them now. Most of them are from tiny niche publishers too. I can think of around two dozen scattered across all console platforms in the past five years. There’s even a Shin Megami Tensei one that just came out for the DS in the past few weeks. I won’t argue that it’s not large but thanks to players lumping them in with RPG’s the niche has been carved out. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/59 "2009-07-09T02:57:04Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > I can think of around two dozen scattered across all console platforms in the past five years. There’s even a Shin Megami Tensei one that just came out for the DS in the past few weeks. I won’t argue that it’s not large but thanks to players lumping them in with RPG’s the niche has been carved out. I’m curious. What Shin Megami Tensei games for the PS2 do you like? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797/60 "2009-07-09T12:39:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m curious. > > What Shin Megami Tensei games for the PS2 do you like? Well the only ones I’ve played are Persona 3 and 4. I’ve ordered the first Devil Summoner since I want to check out the broader line but it hasn’t arrived yet. And I’m saving the DS game I mentioned for a cross country flight next month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps2-games-cant-i-afford-to-miss/480797.md?page=4)