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[ULTROS!]

Since we know the PS2 has a huge library, we might have missed a lot of games that can be considered as classics or cult hits. I plan on picking up a good number of them.

Here's what I plan on getting:
- Dual Hearts
- Echonight: Beyond
- Exterminator

Are these any good?

I have...
- Raw Danger and Disaster Report
- ObsCure
- Rule of Rose

Oh and my preferred genres are JRPGs, adventure games, and horror games, but I'm open to anything.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Samurai Western is the most niche game I have, and also my favorite action game ever.

 

[walking fiend]

Primal

Genji

 

[rjc571]

The Adventures of Cookie and Cream, if you have someone to play co-op with.
Mister Mosquito
Shadow of Destiny

 

[darkside31337]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was the best JRPG on the PS2.

 

[Thoraxes]

Rhythm games, I would say Gitaroo Man is great and rather obscure as far as people i've met in real life knowing the game anyways. It's a rhythm game played with the controller.

 

[Viewtify]

Kings Field: The Ancient City

 

[walking fiend]

Shadow of Destiny

Very nice adventure game, with novelties here and there too.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was the best JRPG on the PS2.

It is still one of the only three jRPGs that I have ever finished, and one of the best games I have played.


---
I don't know if it counts as a jRPG, but you may want to look into Soul Nomad too

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Steambot Chronicles.

Open-World RPG that's like a mix between Grand Theft Auto and Megaman Legends. Really funny game too.

EDIT: Only problems is it's a bit slow loading-wise, despite being open-game has return to the last save GAME OVERS, and the mecha controls are a bit odd.

 

[jackal27]

Ring of Red is great if you like tactical turn-based strategy and giant robots in World War 2!

Nightmare of Druaga is fantastic If you enjoy roguelikes.

I always enjoyed Gungrave as well.

 

[Hours Left]

Chulip

 

[Host Samurai]

Where do I begin here?

Crimson Tears
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns
Simple 2000 Series (JPN only)
Rumble Fish (JPN only)
Finny the Fish
Blood + (The Grasshopper one)
Flower, Sun and Rain (JPN only)

I need to look at my collection for more answers.

 

[Tigel]

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Glass rose

Remember Cing? They made some of the best adventure games on the DS and Wii and, tragically, died some time ago.

Before they where recognized by their DS games, they created this little jewel of game. Glass Rose is a quite traditional adventure game with some interesting mechanics (like the conversation system) and a decent plot and characters. Is not Cing best work by any means, but is quite enjoyable and atmospheric adventure game.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Samurai Western is the most niche game I have, and also my favorite action game ever.

My man, right here! Super fun game.

On topic: It may not be that obscure but Bujingai doesn't get talked about much. I had a ton of fun with it and was actually wondering if I should bust it out again. I guess I pretty much have to.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

Haunting Ground from Capcom. It's a horror game. Try to google image search it. Yummy

 

[BomberMouse]

Steamboat Chronicles
Raw Danger
Disaster Report

RIP Irem

EDIT: Sorry didn't realize you already had the last two.

Other good games:
- Okage
- Way of the Samurai games

 

[zkylon]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was the best JRPG on the PS2.

I'm hoping to play the first Shadow Hearts soon. I hear nothing but great things about it.

Drakengard can be really good if you get into the mood, but it's one of the most mindnumbingly boring games I can think of were I not so in love with its weirdness.

 

[Archon473]

Not all that unknown, but good.

 

[antitrop]

Kill.switch

I feel like this game never really got the attention it deserved when it came out, I thought it was fantastic. It did get good reviews, but I don't really know if it sold well and nobody ever talked about it, except when Gears of War was coming out, then people remembered it.

But anyway, it's notable for being the game that influenced basically every Gears of War-style third person shooter this generation (like Spec Ops), it's a generic military shooter that had the first notable cover mechanic. It's still fun, as fun as a PS2 game that's not a timeless classic holds up. Come on, this was 2003. 3 years and a console prior to Gears, it's pretty ground breaking.

Hard to find YouTube footage of this game that isn't Killswitch Engage... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh0Q57J9EH4
Dem graphics

Actually, it reminds me a lot of Spec Ops: The Line (desert themed, cover-based third person shooter) minus all the stuff that makes Spec Ops cool and interesting, like a plot. But whatever, the gameplay is good.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

STEAMBOTCHRONICLES

 

[chronos4590]

Rhythm games, I would say Gitaroo Man is great and rather obscure as far as people i've met in real life knowing the game anyways. It's a rhythm game played with the controller.

Listen to that post. Seriously

one of my Favorite Rhythm Games and certainly Obscure to a lot of people. Also Best song!

 

[DidntKnowJack]

Downhill Domination

Extreme G 3

Drakan The Ancient Gates

Splashdown Rides Gone Wild

Shadow of Destiny (Shadow of Memories)

Star Wars Racer Revenge

Sky Odyssey

Sled Storm

 

[Smashing Drive]

 

[LuuKyK]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was the best JRPG on the PS2.

Wow, I feel ashamed for completely forgetting about this game. I love it and used to play it nonstop back in the days. Good memories.

 

[Dereck]

Not all that unknown, but good.

Whoa, very good post here.

 

[Tigel]

I'm hoping to play the first Shadow Hearts soon. I hear nothing but great things about it.


Drakengard can be really good if you get into the mood, but it's one of the most mindnumbingly boring games I can think of were I not so in love with its weirdness.

Yeah, the setting/story made it for me. The gameplay in 2 is better and collecting and leveling-up weapons is fun.

 

[DJMicLuv]

Dark Cloud & Dark Chronicle are pretty good RPGs with town-building elements and real time action oriented battles. Not massively obscure though but good.

 

[antitrop]

Not all that unknown, but good.

They're cult. Psi-ops was totally the shit. I still hold hope that one day that franchise will come back, or a clone.

 

[Finaika]

 

[DJMicLuv]

one of my Favorite Rhythm Games and certainly Obscure to a lot of people. Also Best song!

Mr Maestro is another good PS2 music game, similar to Nodame Cantabile (sp?) it's a classical music conductor game. Overlooked and really enjoyable.

 

[DJMicLuv]

They're cult. Psi-ops was totally the shit. I still hold hope that one day that franchise will come back, or a clone.

I think Psi-Ops and 'The Suffering' came out very close together and iirc Psi-Ops got overlooked at the time due to the similarities of the two titles. Shame as Psi-ops was thoroughly enjoyable.

 

[antitrop]

I think Psi-Ops and 'The Suffering' came out very close together and iirc Psi-Ops got overlooked at the time due to the similarities of the two titles. Shame as Psi-ops was thoroughly enjoyable.

Or did you mean Second Sight?

 

[RedAssedApe]

Dunno if its considered cult but SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 were some great JRPGs by Atlus that came out before the whole Persona craze.

 

[antitrop]

Dunno if its considered cult but SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 were some great JRPGs by Atlus that came out before the whole Persona craze.

I think SMT anything is cult.

 

[Kazerei]

Culdcept

I have a copy of it, somehow.

 

[Heart of Black]

Quite possibly my favorite PS2 game, one of the best action games out there.

Also GodHand. And Killer7 if you don't have a Wii/GameCube.

 

[djcatskratch]

These were two of my favorite PS2 games that I would consider cult games. Maybe not as obsure:

RIP Michael Clarke Duncan. You made these games amazing!

 

[DJMicLuv]

Or did you mean Second Sight?

I think you're right. For some reason there was a 'slew' of psychic based video games at that time, I seem to remember it following on a bit from HL2's gravity gun when suddenly a bunch of games came out that featured telekenesis in some way or other.

PS2 was great.

 

[DidntKnowJack]

I was going to say something along the lines of "I'm glad I picked up Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 and SMT: Nocturne when I had the chance," but a quick search on Amazon has all 3 listed at only 20 bucks. Remember when these games were rare?

(You should pick these up)

 

[Ra1den]

Genji. Really awesome game, some similarities to the Onimusha series, but some key differences which give it a unique feel.

Never played the PS3 one so I dunno if it's good, but the first one on PS2 is excellent.

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Operation Winback bitches! It only went and made cover shooting relevant years before Gears of War. Frankly, Koei should sue for plagarism! But seriously, this is one of the most satisfying arcade third person shooters I remember playing. The mechanics are simplistic, but need to be mastered due to the rather high difficulty curve. The game has decent co-op and local multiplayer modes too (with bots). The story is fun in a "so bad its good" way - the enemies are called SCAT, which is pretty hilarious in itself, but it's the voice acting that elevates it to levels of campy awesomeness.

 

[antitrop]

I think you're right. For some reason there was a 'slew' of psychic based video games at that time, I seem to remember it following on a bit from HL2's gravity gun when suddenly a bunch of games came out that featured telekenesis in some way or other.

PS2 was great.

The difference between Second Sight and Psi-Ops was SS focused on using the psionic powers for puzzle solving and inventive means, while Psi-Ops used the psionic power for popping dude's heads and throwing them across the room and ragdoll physics and all sorts of magical awesomeness.

Psi-Ops was way better.

Operation Winback bitches! It only went and made cover shooting relevant years before Gears of War. Frankly, Koei should sue for plagarism! But seriously, this is one of the most satisfying arcade third person shooters I remember playing. The mechanics are simplistic, but need to be mastered due to the rather high difficulty curve. The game has decent co-op and local multiplayer modes too (with bots). The story is fun in a "so bad its good" way - the enemies are called SCAT, which is pretty hilarious in itself, but it's the voice acting that elevates it to levels of campy awesomeness.

Between this and Kill.switch, I'm firmly in the KS camp. =/

 

[Retro_]

The Sega WoW-Overworks games are really good.

Shinobi

Nightshade (Kunoichi)

Blood Will Tell (Dororo)

Then there's Chaos Legion, which is probably Capcom's most overlooked effort on the platform despite also being one of their best. Which is saying alot. Capcom was my favorite developer on PS2.

Sword of Etheria is a pretty decent game. Only released in japanese and EU territories but worth it if you can play it.

and probably not that obscure, but one of the few JRPGs I actually enjoy. Valkyrie Profile 2

 

[antitrop]

I missed VP2 when it was released, I was in a transitional period in my life that did not afford me the time to play video games. I did like the first one and I remember that game being of interest to me at the time. Shame. It was good then, I take it?

 

[ronito]

Sakura wars so long my love was...a fun diversion I eventually got tired of the cheese factor but it was fun while it lasted.

Also wizardry the forsaken land is great

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

From what I've seen on HG101, won't buying this basically put him on an FBI list?

 

[AlexBasch]

Not sure if obscure but:

Riot shield is your primary weapon, taser the shit out of people to incapacitate them or burn them to death, the fuckers are throwing cleaves at you? Grab some and hack them in their skulls. A bit dated for FPS standards, but I stumbled into this game and couldn't let go of it.

 

[batfax]

I really liked Metal Saga when I played it a while back. It's a JRPG that takes in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that primarily focuses on gathering and using tanks to hunt outlaws and explore the world. The story's kinda minimal, since you basically just kinda start out and can go wherever you like so long as you can avoid getting killed, but it's okay enough with lots and lots of hidden scenes that can be interesting to hunt around for.

 

[Deified Data]

Tokyo Jungle.