Yoshi said:
Thanks for a huge uncommented list of games that are available for the PS2. Ring of Red, La Pucelle, RAD, Okage, Raw Danger, Kuon and Chullp are the only ones of the list I don't know at all though. If you wanted to help me deciding what to buy for a PS2 this is really usefull, especially as the list is totally random, includes games I already have (for example PoP:SoT, Okami), ones I called uninteresting to me in this Thread (MGS series, SotC) or which are just not all too great (Dirge of Cerberus, Dawn of Mana? Really?).
Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.
The PS2, across the vast majority of genres, has the widest breadth and deepest depth of games, exclusive and multiplatform, of any console in history. If you can't find anything worth buying it for, your taste is exceptionally niche. Name a genre, and the PS2 delivers with very very few exceptions.
Why does the list not have any commentary? Because I'm not your mother and I don't care about what you spend your money on. That's a list of games I'd recommend either based on my own taste or if you're a fan of the genre. You are profoundly able to google these games yourself and find out if they're worthwhile, and more to the point you will never, ever, ever play all of them so where you start is of no particular importance.
As for the "not all too great" games--yes, it's true, Dawn of Mana is not particularly good. However the general idea is that when you first buy a console you start with the really outstanding games, and then after a while when you're looking for others to check out, you go a little further down the list and check out some of the flawed gems or even just trashy games. The point isn't to recommend Dawn of Mana unconditionally to anyone, the point is that by the time you're looking at that quartile of the list, you already know whether or not you can get enjoyment out of this particular flawed game.
If you aren't going to buy a PS2, you aren't going to buy a PS2. Suit yourself. But you're missing out.
As an example, you mention that the GameCube was your primary console last generation. Here are what are said to be the top games on the GameCube by critical review...
My Recommendations For Games Like Good Gamecube Games
- Metroid Prime, "first person adventure"; I'd recommend Red Faction to start on PS2. Past that where you go is going to depend on whether you like the FPS aspect or the adventure aspect of MP better, but there are about a dozen options for each.
- Resident Evil 4, it's on PS2. Along with Silent Hill 2, 3, and 4 if you like horror games, Disaster Report and Raw Danger if you like cheese horror in the vein of RE1. If you like the action element, I'd recommend both Maximo games and all the Devil May Cry games. If you like DMC, I'd recommend trying God of War. Clock Tower 3 is also up there for horror. At the horror b/c-tier, you've got stuff like Kuon, Haunting Ground, and others. At the action B/C-tier, you've got stuff like Rygar that's kinda similar. You've also got the Onimusha series, although that's a little different and definitely not B/C-tier. These recommendations also go for "Eternal Darkness" which is further down the list of GCN games--if you like the mental drama of Eternal Darkness primarily, I'd also add Indigo Prophecy and Metal Gear Solid 2 to the recommendation list.
- Zelda: TP and Zelda: WW. I'd recommend Okami for any Zelda fan. Past that it depends if you want to go with actiony stuff or puzzley stuff. Ico has a lot of similarities with Zelda-style puzzle solving although it's a little more environmental. It also has a similar visual style to Twilight Princess (really washed out). If you want the exploration of Zelda but more RPG, you've got DQ8. Maximo has the cartoony friendliness of Zelda but it's an action game. Psychonauts is a sort of exploration platformer that I think most Zelda fans would like despite its dissimilarity to Zelda. I'd also recommend some of the more adventure-like games like Indigo Prophecy and Beyond Good and Evil. The PoP trilogy as well is good. If you want to go further into RPGs, the PS2 has indisputably the best RPG library of any console ever.
- Madden NFL 2004 / Madden NFL 2003. In the extremely unlikely event you were a primarily-GameCube playing sports game lover, you will not have trouble finding sports games on the PS2.
- Soul Calibur II. Not only is Soul Calibur II on PS2, so is Soul Calibur III. You've also got the Street Fighter collections, MvC2, the VF series, Dead or Alive 2. If you want to go technical, you've got Fire Pro. If you want to go stupid, you've got the Smackdown vs. Raw rasslin' games. These recommendations also go for Smash Bros fans.
- Viewtiful Joe. On PS2. Along with about a bazillion other beat-em-ups. God Hand is one that's recommended often. The Bouncer is a good value at $5, which it what it costs now. I'm not a big beat-em-up guy so I wouldn't know where to go past there. I wouldn't recommend Final Fight Streetwise to anyone, but it's there, along with other turds like Death by Degrees. If you want to go towards actiony brawlers, again I'll recommend DMC and Maximo.
- SSX 3. On PS2. Snowboarding is in decline, but PS2 has entries in snowboarding, BMX, skateboarding, and all other associated genres. Again, not my bag, but I'd recommend the other SSX entries as well as the earlier Tony Hawks (THPS 3, THPS 4, maybe Underground 1 if you like that stuff, Downhill Jam if you like the downhill format)
- Super Mario Sunshine. Platforming on the PS2 is great. You've got Klonoa, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, as well as multiplatform stuff like i-Ninja and Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. That's a dozen suggestions right there!
Some whole genres do not exist on the GameCube, like rhythm games. If you like those... well, actually, you wouldn't know because they're not on the GameCube. On the PS2 they vary from the traditional (Space Channel 5 SE, Parappa 2) to rhythm-shooters (Rez) to music rhythm games (GH series got its start here, Frequency, Amplitude).
RPGs are almost non-existent on the Cube and one of the dominant genres on the PS2. I wouldn't even know where to start with recommendations for RPGs. DQ8, FFX, FFXII, Nocturne, Persona 3/4, Dark Cloud 2 and Disgaea 1 would probably give you a good breadth of jRPG types and major game manufacturers, but that's the tip of an iceberg.
What do you like that you find lacking on PS2?
