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PS2 Hidden gems
- Thread starter bomblord1
- Start date
NoFaceNico
Member
Ohhhh man!!! How could we forget Oni!
It was released in North America. You'll know when you find it because it's one of the few PS2 games that has a shiny foil cover. Hard to find but surprisingly not too expensive.
It was released in North America. You'll know when you find it because it's one of the few PS2 games that has a shiny foil cover. Hard to find but surprisingly not too expensive.
Bandersnatch1
Member
I wonder how much the version of Xenosaga 3 with the lenticular cover goes for nowadays. It's damn sexy.
Remembrance
Member
I saw a complete used copy in a local store for $3.99 just a couple of days ago. A reasonably stocked used game store is likely to have a copy lying around.
keisuke999
Member
Been mentioned already, but I played Suikoden 5 about a year or so ago and it holds up beautifully. The story is awesome. Graphics are so-so, but I whole heartedly recommend it.
I got my copy for 1 from CEX about 2 years ago.
And... does it have 60Hz?
I won't mind getting an American copy, but the prices to send it across the Atlantic are often outrageous, I don't really want to pay three times the price of the game in shipping
Raptomex
Member
This game is a shit ton of fun.Before Batman came:
Such an awesome and different FPS game.
I beat this on XBOX. Amazing game.
Yeah, I saw that he was in the game, but was trying to figure out which character he was, for a while. When did his voice get all deep and scratchy? Doesn't sound anything like "Luke" (though, obviously, he was much younger).
He's a good voice actor. He also did the voice for The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.
TheContact
Member
Alundra 2. Anyone play this ?
Oops ps1 nvm
Oops ps1 nvm
RadarScope1
Member
Wrong system but not a good choice either way. This game is infamously maligned by retro RPG fans!Alundra 2. Anyone play this ?
Oops ps1 nvm
The Yo Tornado
Member
Before Batman came:
Such an awesome and different FPS game.
You know, if I were to make a list of my 10 favorite games ever Urban Chaos probably wouldn't be on there. But I end up going back to that game at least once a year because there is nothing else like it, and it's a blast once you get going. I'm glad Rocksteady hit it big because Urban Chaos shows they deserved it. I never realize how much I love that game until I play it again.
T-Zero for life.
Bandersnatch1
Member
Baroque. In all the hidden gem threads this one never gets mentioned and that's sad because this is totally an underrated and overlooked gem. Unfortunately this game had a lot going against it. It was Sting's first game on the Playstation 2 and coming from a developer used to making games for portables, it looked pretty dated when it came out. It also came out in 2008 when the 360/PS3/Wii generation had already been going on a couple years. Another reason is that like The Nightmare of Druaga, Baroque is a rogue-like. However, unlike most of Chunsoft's rogue-likes that are turn-based, Baroque is real-time hack and slash. Being a rogue-like didn't help reviews at all and the amount of ignorance towards the genre in them was astounding. I saw a review for the Wii version that criticized it for its lack of motion controls. Nintendo Power gave it a 3/10. I remember reading comments by people thinking this game was supposed to be like Final Fantasy or Persona. It seemed that the most prevalent criticism besides the graphics, was how harsh death was in the game and how you lost all your levels and items. I wonder if any of them ever read the back of the box:
Yeah, this game is a bit different when it comes to death. It wants you to die. You are supposed to die. Your character is meant to be atoning for his sins. You never get a game over, and every time you die you can enter the tower and see a small cutscene which helps progress the story. Even when you reach the end of the tower you are stripped of all your items and levels just as if you had died. This would be pretty harsh if not for one thing: Consciousness Orbs. These are spheres scattered throughout the dungeon that let you transport an item out of the dungeon to the collector. When you learn where these are located you can start to prepare for your impending death, throwing your favorite sword/armor/etc into them so you can use them again next time.
The main character having amnesia is a pretty common trope, but I don't think amnesia has been felt more than here. You have no idea what the hell is going on at first. This game doesn't hold your hand at all and it really is up to you to pay attention, learn the world and its terminology, and figure out what to do in order to expand the tower. I loved this aspect and it led to a great sense of accomplishment when I advanced. It can feel like trial and error at times, but just keep trying to do things differently. You get something that looks important? Show it to everyone.
There is a constant tension when you are in the tower. You have an HP bar and a vitality bar. The vitality bar is always going down from the moment you start the game. When it runs out completely it starts to lower your HP instead. You restore it by defeating enemies and eating hearts, but it's always going down which keeps things tense. As long as you have vitality, you will regenerate your health slowly. Learning when to fight and when to run is key to being successful at this game and leads to some butt clenching moments =).
While the graphics aren't great on a technical level, I love the character and monster designs. They fit so well into the atmosphere of the world. The diverse amount of interesting items keep the game fresh in the dungeon as well. The game also has my favorite status effect ever: Lust. Play the game and see it for yourself.
I was pretty new to rogue-likes when this was coming out. I thought this game would chew me up and spit me out from how hardcore it sounded in the previews. When I got my copy I decided to play on Hard difficulty and never reload a save to undo a death to see how far I could get before I got frustrated. I was so engrossed I forgot I set it to hard and completed the game this way. Been playing this again recently through emulation to see how it held up, it hooked me again right away and I was up way too late telling myself I'd just do one more floor. It looks pretty good to me with PCSX2 playing an undub of it (though I do like the dub).
All in all, if you are open-minded and enjoy rogue-likes and a dark atmosphere, check this one out. It's pretty cheap and available for PS2 and Wii. If you are going to play it on a console go with the Wii version. If you are going to emulate it for the higher res sexiness, go with the PS2 version and use a widescreen patch.
MagnoSauce
Member
Wow that box art might be one of my favorites of all time. That's cooool.
Red Liquorice
Member
I've thought about picking up Baroque for the Wii. It looks ugly as hell but something about it appeals, it reminds me of King's Field's roughness visually.
Sure does count. The game got a sequel, but I don't think either Mark of Kri nor Rise of the Kisai sold all that well. RotK wasn't that great, but everyone should give MoK a try for sure.
Baroque. In all the hidden gem threads this one never gets mentioned and that's sad because this is totally an underrated and overlooked gem. Unfortunately this game had a lot going against it. It was Sting's first game on the Playstation 2 and coming from a developer used to making games for portables, it looked pretty dated when it came out. It also came out in 2008 when the 360/PS3/Wii generation had already been going on a couple years. Another reason is that like The Nightmare of Druaga, Baroque is a rogue-like. However, unlike most of Chunsoft's rogue-likes that are turn-based, Baroque is real-time hack and slash. Being a rogue-like didn't help reviews at all and the amount of ignorance towards the genre in them was astounding. I saw a review for the Wii version that criticized it for its lack of motion controls. Nintendo Power gave it a 3/10. I remember reading comments by people thinking this game was supposed to be like Final Fantasy or Persona. It seemed that the most prevalent criticism besides the graphics, was how harsh death was in the game and how you lost all your levels and items. I wonder if any of them ever read the back of the box:
Yeah, this game is a bit different when it comes to death. It wants you to die. You are supposed to die. Your character is meant to be atoning for his sins. You never get a game over, and every time you die you can enter the tower and see a small cutscene which helps progress the story. Even when you reach the end of the tower you are stripped of all your items and levels just as if you had died. This would be pretty harsh if not for one thing: Consciousness Orbs. These are spheres scattered throughout the dungeon that let you transport an item out of the dungeon to the collector. When you learn where these are located you can start to prepare for your impending death, throwing your favorite sword/armor/etc into them so you can use them again next time.
The main character having amnesia is a pretty common trope, but I don't think amnesia has been felt more than here. You have no idea what the hell is going on at first. This game doesn't hold your hand at all and it really is up to you to pay attention, learn the world and its terminology, and figure out what to do in order to expand the tower. I loved this aspect and it led to a great sense of accomplishment when I advanced. It can feel like trial and error at times, but just keep trying to do things differently. You get something that looks important? Show it to everyone.
There is a constant tension when you are in the tower. You have an HP bar and a vitality bar. The vitality bar is always going down from the moment you start the game. When it runs out completely it starts to lower your HP instead. You restore it by defeating enemies and eating hearts, but it's always going down which keeps things tense. As long as you have vitality, you will regenerate your health slowly. Learning when to fight and when to run is key to being successful at this game and leads to some butt clenching moments =).
While the graphics aren't great on a technical level, I love the character and monster designs. They fit so well into the atmosphere of the world. The diverse amount of interesting items keep the game fresh in the dungeon as well. The game also has my favorite status effect ever: Lust. Play the game and see it for yourself.
I was pretty new to rogue-likes when this was coming out. I thought this game would chew me up and spit me out from how hardcore it sounded in the previews. When I got my copy I decided to play on Hard difficulty and never reload a save to undo a death to see how far I could get before I got frustrated. I was so engrossed I forgot I set it to hard and completed the game this way. Been playing this again recently through emulation to see how it held up, it hooked me again right away and I was up way too late telling myself I'd just do one more floor. It looks pretty good to me with PCSX2 playing an undub of it (though I do like the dub).
All in all, if you are open-minded and enjoy rogue-likes and a dark atmosphere, check this one out. It's pretty cheap and available for PS2 and Wii. If you are going to play it on a console go with the Wii version. If you are going to emulate it for the higher res sexiness, go with the PS2 version and use a widescreen patch.
This game looks interesting. Definitely checking it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mayor_McCheeze
Member
Easily one of my favorites from the days of PS2. You can download it from the PS store too!
I had a roommate that played this game all the time once it came out on PS2 Classics, looked awesome.
Easily one of my favorites from the days of PS2. You can download it from the PS store too!
I know I rented Mark of Kri multiple times and also bought copies on more than one occasion. Such a great game.
drtomoe123
Member
Baroque. In all the hidden gem threads this one never gets mentioned and that's sad because this is totally an underrated and overlooked gem. Unfortunately this game had a lot going against it. It was Sting's first game on the Playstation 2 and coming from a developer used to making games for portables, it looked pretty dated when it came out. It also came out in 2008 when the 360/PS3/Wii generation had already been going on a couple years. Another reason is that like The Nightmare of Druaga, Baroque is a rogue-like. However, unlike most of Chunsoft's rogue-likes that are turn-based, Baroque is real-time hack and slash. Being a rogue-like didn't help reviews at all and the amount of ignorance towards the genre in them was astounding. I saw a review for the Wii version that criticized it for its lack of motion controls. Nintendo Power gave it a 3/10. I remember reading comments by people thinking this game was supposed to be like Final Fantasy or Persona. It seemed that the most prevalent criticism besides the graphics, was how harsh death was in the game and how you lost all your levels and items. I wonder if any of them ever read the back of the box:
Yeah, this game is a bit different when it comes to death. It wants you to die. You are supposed to die. Your character is meant to be atoning for his sins. You never get a game over, and every time you die you can enter the tower and see a small cutscene which helps progress the story. Even when you reach the end of the tower you are stripped of all your items and levels just as if you had died. This would be pretty harsh if not for one thing: Consciousness Orbs. These are spheres scattered throughout the dungeon that let you transport an item out of the dungeon to the collector. When you learn where these are located you can start to prepare for your impending death, throwing your favorite sword/armor/etc into them so you can use them again next time.
The main character having amnesia is a pretty common trope, but I don't think amnesia has been felt more than here. You have no idea what the hell is going on at first. This game doesn't hold your hand at all and it really is up to you to pay attention, learn the world and its terminology, and figure out what to do in order to expand the tower. I loved this aspect and it led to a great sense of accomplishment when I advanced. It can feel like trial and error at times, but just keep trying to do things differently. You get something that looks important? Show it to everyone.
There is a constant tension when you are in the tower. You have an HP bar and a vitality bar. The vitality bar is always going down from the moment you start the game. When it runs out completely it starts to lower your HP instead. You restore it by defeating enemies and eating hearts, but it's always going down which keeps things tense. As long as you have vitality, you will regenerate your health slowly. Learning when to fight and when to run is key to being successful at this game and leads to some butt clenching moments =).
While the graphics aren't great on a technical level, I love the character and monster designs. They fit so well into the atmosphere of the world. The diverse amount of interesting items keep the game fresh in the dungeon as well. The game also has my favorite status effect ever: Lust. Play the game and see it for yourself.
I was pretty new to rogue-likes when this was coming out. I thought this game would chew me up and spit me out from how hardcore it sounded in the previews. When I got my copy I decided to play on Hard difficulty and never reload a save to undo a death to see how far I could get before I got frustrated. I was so engrossed I forgot I set it to hard and completed the game this way. Been playing this again recently through emulation to see how it held up, it hooked me again right away and I was up way too late telling myself I'd just do one more floor. It looks pretty good to me with PCSX2 playing an undub of it (though I do like the dub).
All in all, if you are open-minded and enjoy rogue-likes and a dark atmosphere, check this one out. It's pretty cheap and available for PS2 and Wii. If you are going to play it on a console go with the Wii version. If you are going to emulate it for the higher res sexiness, go with the PS2 version and use a widescreen patch.
I bought the PS2 version when it came out (mainly because it was Atlus) and while I was a little thrown off at first, I was captivated by the game's atmosphere and difficulty. Haven't played it since '08 -- I feel like I need to go back and revisit it.
Were you able to complete it? I'd like to play it, but I hate starting something only to later lose the desire to finish it.
Taito Legends 2, vastly superior to the much more common original Taito Legends.
It was released in 2007 so it was a late release that didn't get a whole lot of attention. It's one of my favorites because of all the shmups it features, including Darius Gaiden, G-Darius, Metal Black, Ray Force and Gekirindan and more. Also a bunch of non-shmup arcade games of varying interest to me, I remember Kiki Kaikai being fun, and the aptly named Violence Fight haha.
Taito Legends 2, vastly superior to the much more common original Taito Legends.
It was released in 2007 so it was a late release that didn't get a whole lot of attention. It's one of my favorites because of all the shmups it features, including Darius Gaiden, G-Darius, Metal Black, Ray Force and Gekirindan and more. Also a bunch of non-shmup arcade games of varying interest to me, I remember Kiki Kaikai being fun, and the aptly named Violence Fight haha.
My favourite collection disc right there. So many great games.
Necrobumping, but I need to bring up one of the best RPGs on the system.
If you're a fan of any of NIS' games, Fire Emblem, or Tactics Ogre, you need to play this. It's one of the best games they've made and has the best writing of any of their games, with a story that takes some seriously dark turns. It also comes with a new game plus option called the Demon Path, which is bar none the most vicious Villain campaign in any game out there.
If you're a fan of any of NIS' games, Fire Emblem, or Tactics Ogre, you need to play this. It's one of the best games they've made and has the best writing of any of their games, with a story that takes some seriously dark turns. It also comes with a new game plus option called the Demon Path, which is bar none the most vicious Villain campaign in any game out there.
Was just playing this collection over the weekend. I found thr emulation to be superb. Even nailing the audio.
Taito Legends 2, vastly superior to the much more common original Taito Legends.
It was released in 2007 so it was a late release that didn't get a whole lot of attention. It's one of my favorites because of all the shmups it features, including Darius Gaiden, G-Darius, Metal Black, Ray Force and Gekirindan and more. Also a bunch of non-shmup arcade games of varying interest to me, I remember Kiki Kaikai being fun, and the aptly named Violence Fight haha.