Here my contribution, pretty obscure series Metropolismania, both of the first game came out on ps2 in the US. We never got anything else after (3 on psp and 4 on ps3/360)
PS2 hidden gems?
- Thread starter dyelawn91
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Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut is a Japan-only remake of the second Tales game for PS1 with a new story scenario, full voice acting, and it has an updated battle system that closely resembles Tales of Graces' but on a 2D plane.
It recently got a fan-translation patch about a month ago and it is excellent! (English Translation Patch link). There's two versions on PS2 but the Director's Cut is the one to get the patch.
Super Robot Wars: Original Generations is a Japan-only remake of both Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 1 & 2 for the GBA into one game. If you've never played a SRW game before, they are mech strategy games that have a cast comprised of numerous popular mecha from various anime like Gundam, Evangelion, Mazinger, Getter Robo, etc. In past games, there would be original mechs and characters made just for the games and the Original Generations games focus solely on the all-original cast and remake some of the older storylines without the licensed anime mechs.
I love these games to death and while we did get both of the GBA game officially released in the West, the PS2 version is so much better and luckily there's a fan-translation patch (English Translation Patch link)
Also, play Tales of the Abyss. It's one of my favorite games of all time and where my avatar comes from. There is a 3DS version but it's missing a lot of visual and audio effects and suffers from some slowdown so the PS2 version is the way to go.
It recently got a fan-translation patch about a month ago and it is excellent! (English Translation Patch link). There's two versions on PS2 but the Director's Cut is the one to get the patch.
Super Robot Wars: Original Generations is a Japan-only remake of both Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 1 & 2 for the GBA into one game. If you've never played a SRW game before, they are mech strategy games that have a cast comprised of numerous popular mecha from various anime like Gundam, Evangelion, Mazinger, Getter Robo, etc. In past games, there would be original mechs and characters made just for the games and the Original Generations games focus solely on the all-original cast and remake some of the older storylines without the licensed anime mechs.
I love these games to death and while we did get both of the GBA game officially released in the West, the PS2 version is so much better and luckily there's a fan-translation patch (English Translation Patch link)
Also, play Tales of the Abyss. It's one of my favorite games of all time and where my avatar comes from. There is a 3DS version but it's missing a lot of visual and audio effects and suffers from some slowdown so the PS2 version is the way to go.
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Sky Odyssey
Basically a more engaging Pilotwings full of nice ideas, secrets and a wonderful soundtrack.
Basically a more engaging Pilotwings full of nice ideas, secrets and a wonderful soundtrack.
Lots of great games mentioned so far. Here's one I never see ANYONE talk about: Enthusia Professional Racing.
www.youtube.com
It's a legitimately great sim racer from Konami of all companies, and it upscales great on an emulator.
"Why would I play this when GT4 exists?" you ask. Well there's a few reasons. For one, the game is in some ways even more dedicated to realistically recreating the cars with an even more detailed modeling of the driving physics and much more realistic engine noises. And if that's not enough, it also has the most absurd yet earnest 2000s ass intro video ever:
www.youtube.com
The Best Racing Game You've Never Played: Enthusia Professional Racing
If you are into racing games and simracing, you may be familiar with brands such as Forza Motorsport, Assetto Corsa, iRacing and particularly Gran Turismo.Pi...
www.youtube.com
It's a legitimately great sim racer from Konami of all companies, and it upscales great on an emulator.
"Why would I play this when GT4 exists?" you ask. Well there's a few reasons. For one, the game is in some ways even more dedicated to realistically recreating the cars with an even more detailed modeling of the driving physics and much more realistic engine noises. And if that's not enough, it also has the most absurd yet earnest 2000s ass intro video ever:
Enthusia Professional Racing - Remastered Opening - PS2
Please show your support by subscribing to our channel : @PlayscopeTimelineDon't forget to click on the bell icon to get notified when we post new videos ;)F...
www.youtube.com
This is the most underappreciated PS2 game in my eye.
Best Contra game IMO!
Doing away with the weapons as powerups and having a set of 3 permanent weapons (with an alt-fire mode each) was such an incredible design decision that I really love.
The first boss is still one of the most striking and memorable video game moments I've ever experienced.
Lovely! These PAL spikes always throw me for a loop as a North American though, my spot recognition systems no longer workJust showing off what i got.
Man, I recall hearing this name back in the day but never hear it talked about in any way, let alone on the same level as the GT games. Great video too, what a shame Konami never developed it further. Guess the writing was on the wall that GT was a behemothLots of great games mentioned so far. Here's one I never see ANYONE talk about: Enthusia Professional Racing.
The Best Racing Game You've Never Played: Enthusia Professional Racing
If you are into racing games and simracing, you may be familiar with brands such as Forza Motorsport, Assetto Corsa, iRacing and particularly Gran Turismo.Pi...
It's a legitimately great sim racer from Konami of all companies, and it upscales great on an emulator.
"Why would I play this when GT4 exists?" you ask. Well there's a few reasons. For one, the game is in some ways even more dedicated to realistically recreating the cars with an even more detailed modeling of the driving physics and much more realistic engine noises. And if that's not enough, it also has the most absurd yet earnest 2000s ass intro video ever:
Enthusia Professional Racing - Remastered Opening - PS2
Please show your support by subscribing to our channel : @PlayscopeTimelineDon't forget to click on the bell icon to get notified when we post new videos ;)F...
Shadow Hearts if you want a great jrpg.
Downhill Domination if you want a good arcade styled game it's like SSX but with bikes.
The Red Star is a great shooter.
Urban Reign if you want a beat em up.
Might as well, should include all the picks in my earlier post : )
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I'm going to recommend two games that aren't exactly amazing titles, but definitely hidden gems in the sense that they offer great experiences you won't find common elsewhere, have great aesthetics, and are rather underrated or lack awareness.
SkyGunner
This is a very charming 3D shooter that has animation aesthetics and modeled after stuff like Laputa, Tail Concerto, and Skies of Arcadia. Great designs, and quite fun too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp9EUQgPVrE
Blood Will Tell (Dororo)
This is a fantastic action adventure adaptation of the Dororo manga/anime story. Gameplay painstakingly adheres to the story's unique circumstances and offers a progression system that is faithful to that. Very nice production values too, and a Sega lost gem.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY5OKdKbz3c
SkyGunner
This is a very charming 3D shooter that has animation aesthetics and modeled after stuff like Laputa, Tail Concerto, and Skies of Arcadia. Great designs, and quite fun too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp9EUQgPVrE
Blood Will Tell (Dororo)
This is a fantastic action adventure adaptation of the Dororo manga/anime story. Gameplay painstakingly adheres to the story's unique circumstances and offers a progression system that is faithful to that. Very nice production values too, and a Sega lost gem.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY5OKdKbz3c
A question for folks in here.
I was thinking about hunting down a slim PS2 (since I never had one and they're *very* pretty) but someone at work has warned me off them because of an issue lots of models have with the placement of the laser reader which can scratch discs.
Anyone got experience with it?
I was thinking about hunting down a slim PS2 (since I never had one and they're *very* pretty) but someone at work has warned me off them because of an issue lots of models have with the placement of the laser reader which can scratch discs.
Anyone got experience with it?
I have no idea what counts as a hidden gem on the PS2 anymore. I do know there a few games that were lost in the shuffle a bit though because they weren't outright leaders in their genre, but still very good in their own right. Off the top of my head I'd consider
Gladius
FlatOut 2
Black
Scarface: The World is Yours
I-Ninja
and Rocky Legends
in that sort of category. All very, very good, but all probably beaten by something similar in their genres.
Gladius
FlatOut 2
Black
Scarface: The World is Yours
I-Ninja
and Rocky Legends
in that sort of category. All very, very good, but all probably beaten by something similar in their genres.
I have a PS2 Slim that serves me very well, but it's a Japanese model - the FF12 Limited Edition one. Lol.
Good, but repetitive. If you played the Dreamcast game, it's a direct sequel to that by the same developers and pretty much the same gameplay. Only now your sword doesn't clank off everything.
There's a translation patch, but it's flawed. I believe English wasn't the modders first language and there's also translation errors, but it's good enough to get the gist of things.
Mine was very well taken care of and it won't read any ps1 or blue discs (not so much disc-scratching). I bought a phat model recently and it works fine-ish, it still has some trouble reading all discs. Just anecdotal evidence of course, but if at all possible try it out before you buy it.
Ontopic:
Road Trip Adventure is a pretty fun open world adventure racing game (it's part of the Choro Q/Penny Racers series)
Mine's pretty much dead, so I certainly wouldn't buy one without testing it first, not sure about the scratching issue. Still have 3 fat ones that all work fine, though unmodded so they can't read NTSC games and using the region swapper dvd everytime is a drag.
Let me drop this gem right here:
Most others I'd recommend have been mentioned already, but I'll mention the Shinobi/Nightshade duology again as well.
God I loved those games.
I bought my sister a copy of this when she was in middle school. Wanted to play it and realized my folks sold all the PS2 stuff years ago. Sad day.
Right now in my life I am more interested in a good arcade styled game and a beat wn up, thank you. The titles sound familiar to me, but I never tried them back in the day.
Yes, it's a very real problem. I was minutes from scratching my copy of Haunting Ground, I swapped to a different game right before it happened. It isn't the laser, but the ribbon cable connected to it. Sony didn't design it properly and account for the wear and the slimness of the unit. In most Slims the ribbon will loosen in time and eventually grind a circle into your discs.
The only Slim model without this issue is the 79001 - Sony designed the ribbon different in that model (then went backwards again with later models, if you can believe it). You can attempt to glue or tape it back down, but it'll eventually come up again so you're kinda left paranoid.
There's also this kit on Etsy that holds the ribbon down: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1260716684/playstation-2-disk-saver-ribbon-shield
It's stored in the box at the moment, I'll see if I can dig it out on the weekend.
That OG Xbox column is *chef kiss*Just showing off what i got.
I Suggest (if you can) to mod the slim and play your games through SMB, don't need to worry about scratches
What's this?
Also - thanks for all the tips everyone! Maybe I'll stick to a fat
Sub Rebellion, set in an apocalyptic world where most of the world is submerged and you play as a merc submarine in a mission based structure to destroy enemy subs and gather artifacts to upgrade your arsenal. It's fun and very atmospheric, the controls takes a little time to get used to but it's really satisfying when you get the hang of it.
You connect the ps2 to your local network and the games are loaded from your pc.
I keep putting this game on my potential to-play list every October for the last 5 years and every time it doesn't make the full cut, I'm gonna do it this time. I've even unshelved it from the rest of my PS2 library and placed it with the cover facing outward to shame me lol
I'll never stop shilling Extermination
Resident Evil meets the Thing. with cheesy voice acting galore
Such a great hiddem gem recommendation here. I love the unique combat and on hard mode (unlock after finish it first) really push it.
Seeing the outpouring of love for Gitaroo Man warms my heart. iNiS and Keiichi Yano had a hell of a rhythm-music run during the early 2000s between this, the two Ouendans, and Elite Beat Agents.
Pick up that gitaroo and PLAY!
Pick up that gitaroo and PLAY!
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Here's a couple more not PS2 pics since you appreciate good games, also if anyone is wondering "why doesnt he own [X] on PS2?" -- my PS2 library is mostly exclusives and not available on other platforms (some exceptions like Obscure The Aftermath and Manhunt 2 which have Wii versions but pass on the waggle gaming...)
The GOAT Rhythm game
Not just one of the best rhythm games but one of the best games on the platform period. Holds up so well.
Lovely, and I love setting the white spines in a white shelving unit - tasteful!Might as well, should include all the picks in my earlier post : )
That PS1 collection...Here's a couple more not PS2 pics since you appreciate good games, also if anyone is wondering "why doesnt he own [X] on PS2?" -- my PS2 library is mostly exclusives and not available on other platforms (some exceptions like Obscure The Aftermath and Manhunt 2 which have Wii versions but pass on the waggle gaming...)
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Lovely, and I love setting the white spines in a white shelving unit - tasteful!
That Dreamcast collection...
Here you go, its very small and not that impressive, but it's how you use it that matters... I think I use my Dreamcast very well
lol my bad - I mistook the PS1 spines for DC.Here you go, its very small and not that impressive, but it's how you use it that matters... I think I use my Dreamcast very well
DC's still respectable too, some goddamn gems in there
Sweet collection.Here's a couple more not PS2 pics since you appreciate good games, also if anyone is wondering "why doesnt he own [X] on PS2?" -- my PS2 library is mostly exclusives and not available on other platforms (some exceptions like Obscure The Aftermath and Manhunt 2 which have Wii versions but pass on the waggle gaming...)
