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[Off-Kilter]

I found my PS2 slim when I was cleaning out my closet. Godly piece of technology. I hooked it up with all the cables and it still works. So now I'm in the mood to hunt down some good PS2 games that I missed out on, but I have two conditions:

1) No super popular games, simply because chances are high that I already played them. So no GTA or SOCOM and such

2) If I can find the game remastered on a different platform (including iOS) then I probably won't bother, unless the remaster is objectively bad and considerably inferior to the PS2 version

Also yes I have Freedom Fighters. I'm the guy that still sends Eidos and Square Enix an email every year bugging them about a sequel

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

SMT3: Nocturne

 

[Earthpainting]

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil used to be my favourite PS2 game, though I can't vouch for how it held up. I haven't touched it in many many years, and I've probably got some rose-tinted glasses for it as it was one of the first games I had ever played. Maybe someone else can chime in and correct me if needed.

 

[5taquitos]

Nocturne

Probably the best answer you'll get.

What are your tastes? The PS2 library is massive.

 

[Warxard]

THE greatest character action game of all time, and it's bratty sister counterpart.

 

[Acquiescence]

An awesome platformer by any standards. Can't go wrong with this.

 

[LewieP]

Henshin-a-go-go, baby!

Viewtiful Joe.

 

[Remembrance]

The Red Star. One of the best beat-em-ups of the PS2 gen.

 

[Ludger Kresnik]

Ape Escape 3, Viewtiful Joe, Shadow Hearts,

Spoiler

Drakengard

.

 

[sixteen-bit]

god hand

 

[Japanmanx3]

Final Fantasy XII

 

[Sub_Level]

Go crazy and find what you're looking for OP

All this plus PS1 backwards compatibility. It is the very finest console ever made.

 

[kurahador]

Rogue Galaxy - awesome visual, loads of contents, high production value.

Suikoden Tactics - criminally underrated as it's one of the stronger entry in the series.

 

[MrDoctor]

nocturne and shinobi before i could even enter thread. very pleased

i'll throw in a rec for king's field iv

 

[Parakeetman]

For a "strategy" title and if you want to throw your controller at the fucking wall hunt down Ring of Red.

Though there might be digital versions available too?

If you have not played this, try it out. Was a pretty good entry in the Front Mission series.

 

[Eolz]

god hand

A thousand times this.
I'd say Viewtiful Joe and Killer 7 too, but like many multiplat games, they're better on GC/Xbox.

 

[N30RYU]

Gungrave
Gungrave Overdose

 

[h0tp0ck3t]

Extermination is a pretty underrated horror game. I only even found out about it because of some really bad voice acting but it ended up being a pretty enjoyable game

 

[Human_me]

Cold Winter.

Also Black deserves a mention

Final Fantasy XII

I wouldn't count that as "low-key" Its a pretty big title on the PS2.
However I am surprised it hasn't got the remastered treatment yet.

Spoiler

However they only finished FFX on ps4 only a couple of months ago.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Great thread. I got a ps2 last week and looking for gems.

 

[BadWolf]

Breathe of Fire 5: Dragon Quarter
God Hand
Chaos Legion
Sword of Etheria
Shadow of Destiny (aka Shadow of Memories)
Rule of Rose
Haunting Ground

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Would dark cloud 2 and ape escape 3 be considered "low key"?

 

[Weiss]

Okage: Shadow King is a relentlessly quirky and charming RPG in a time where most of the genre was falling into routine.

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil used to be my favourite PS2 game, though I can't vouch for how it held up. I haven't touched it in many many years, and I've probably got some rose-tinted glasses for it as it was one of the first games I had ever played. Maybe someone else can chime in and correct me if needed.

It's still that good. It's the best platformer on the system.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

any good Atlus RPG

 

[Caronte]

Digital Devil Saga.

 

[TokiDoki]

Been iterating this again and again

Shadow Hearts Covenant

 

[Dunkley]

Really depends on what you mean with if you could find it on any other platforms.

If PS2 games you can also download onto PS3 in form of emulated classics are fair game, then the definite answer is

SMT3: Nocturne

 

[Bear_King]

Any of the PS2 SMT games.

Also, Shadow Hearts if you like JRPGs.

 

[Parakeetman]

One of the most unique DRPGs that we will most likely never see again in this day and age check out the first game of the 2 that was localized in the West. Game isnt easy though so be warned lol

wizardry tales of the forsaken land

 

[bjork]

Disaster Report and Raw Danger! are both good fun.

Kya: Dark Lineage is a pretty good 3d adventure/platformer.

 

[zoodoo]

Bujingai: over the top hack and slash/action

shadow of rome: action/stealth

 

[Sephzilla]

 

[Jimnymebob]

TimeSplitters trilogy (the original was an exclusive, but the others were on the other two consoles): Not super obscure, but the first one often gets over looked, and that's always been my favourite, even though I played 2 first.

Kya Dark Lineage: A fun/one of the best 3rd party PS2 platform/adventure games. Up there with Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.

The Mark of Kri: I never beat it because I started to get a bit bored of it, but it's an interesting game with a gorgeous art style.

Jade Cocoon 2: RPG from early on in the consoles life. If you've ever played the original and liked the idea behind it, give the sequel a go. It's completely different than the first game, and is probably one of my favourite examples of a sequel that changes almost everything to but is still just as enter fun/recognisable as an entry in the franchise.

 

[Parakeetman]

While a "fixed" version with more features came out on the PSP

Colosseum: Road to Freedom

Is a fantastic (yet buggy) melee combat title. Really unique stuff and the combat does get addicting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDiDXZMuxEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L9EPh3o-o0

 

[Off-Kilter]

Probably the best answer you'll get.

What are your tastes? The PS2 library is massive.

I like them all man. I suppose the few genres that I don't like are RTS and SRPG but I'm open to those too if enough people vouch for them :V

Everything else is fair game.

 

[Mista Koo]

Disaster Report and Raw Danger! are both good fun.

Yep.

 

[DeadlyBunny]

Gitaroo man is a fun and fantastic rhythm game. My brother and I enjoyed countless hours with it, though we could never beat the expert mode

 

[Andodalf]

Pretty popular, but I'll still suggest persona 3:fes.

 

[Tizoc]

An awesome platformer by any standards. Can't go wrong with this.

Speaking of Klonoa 2 what graphics engine was used to make it? I hear that's why it hasn't been put up on digital services like PSN?

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

After LOVING Ace Combat AH Legacy (remake of AC2 for 3DS) I decided to look for AC4, AC5 and ACZero, as Ive read they are the best from the series (I only knew the series for its fantatsic mucis of Ace Combat Zero before playing the 3DS game).

Found them all three second hand two weeks ago on trip to Madrid and now Im beating them.

Ace Combat 4 was a little meh in comparison with Legacy (gameplay is slower, production values are really low, is really repetitive with the types of missions...), but just started yesterday Ace Combat 5 and holy moly, its fantastic. This is what I wanted to see fom a console Ace Combat after the 3DS version. Huge production values, nice story, the radio chat with your wingmen, the menus are well done (they were ass in AC4), gameplay is more snappy, and the music has lots of orchestral tracks (AC4 only has the ending mission). It even has a "sequel" in arcade form to AC4 that is super fun to play, if not a bit hard.

Im still not really accostumed with the press really hard the button to thrust slower or faster, or the same thing with the radar zoom (the 3ds version did this much better, using multiple presses), but the rest is perfect.

Really glad I bought them, I know im going to also enjoy Ace Combat Zero a lot.

 

[Skikkiks]

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is a fantastic game.

What other game lets you cruise down city streets in your personalized bus skateboard?

 

[Mifec]

Rogue Galaxy - awesome visual, loads of contents, high production value.

amazing taste right there

 

[Ludger Kresnik]

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is a fantastic game.

What other game lets you cruise down city streets in your personalized bus skateboard?

Definitely one of the best superhero games out there, and easily the best Hulk game ever.

 

[HYDE]

THE greatest character action game of all time, and it's bratty sister counterpart.

Sorry that's Ninja Gaiden: Black.

It's not even the best character action game on PS2, thats DMC 3: SE.

 

[Camjo-Z]

Parappa the Rapper 2. I think it's better than the first game and Lammy, although I'm probably in the minority with that opinion.

 

[MrDoctor]

One of the most unique DRPGs that we will most likely never see again in this day and age check out the first game of the 2 that was localized in the West. Game isnt easy though so be warned lol

wizardry tales of the forsaken land

Oh shit, I didn't know TOTFL had a sequel! Tell me more. The first is one the most badass RPGs I've played.

 

[Z3M0G]

Been iterating this again and again

Shadow Hearts Covenant

SO GOOD One of the best JRPGs on the platform, easily.

I'll throw in Xenosaga as my personal wish.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Robot Alchemic Drive (Gigantic Drive in Japanese). It would benefit immensely from 60 FPS and 1080p; the former because it was overambitious and framerate often went to shit, the latter because the two-tiered environments' detail was lost most of the time to low resolution. Also would need a new English dub or simply allow to use the Japanese one, as it got a criminally bad one for its western release.

 

[llehuty]

The GOAT level 5 RPGs: Dark Cloud, Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Galaxy.

Those games were so charming and full of content ;_;

 

[Rezae]

I've seen it mentioned once already.. but I'll go with King's Field IV by FROM Software.

This is the series that IMO eventually evolved into the Souls series. Similar atmosphere (dark, lonely), solid RPG mechanics, 1st person view, but also much slower paced (but sped up from the PS1 entries).