Hi ya'll, I was wondering which RPG's are best for PS2 and are worth purchasing? I'm looking mainly for outstanding RPG's, preferably with excellent storylines and fun gameplay. I owned the following:

Final Fantasy 10-12
Disgaea 2
Xenosaga 1
Kingdom Hearts 1

I would appreciate some recommendations for others. Thank you in advance.

Kingdom Hearts 2
Shadow Hearts series
Dragon Quest 8
Persona series
Rogue Galaxy
Atelier Iris 3

Can't really think of any others atm.

Hm...lemme see.

Ring of Red(good mecha SRPG)
Ys Ark of Naphishtim
Tales of Abyss
Front Mission 4(another good mecha SRPG)
Growlanser Generations(it's 2 and 3 in one package, just to give you a heads up...the story for 1 is briefly touched on, though)

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2
Radiata Stories
Metal Saga

Everything else i'd suggest has pretty much already been said.

Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2
Grandia 2
Phantom Brave (also on Wii)

If you don't have a Wii or a PSP, you could try whatever Monster Hunter games were released in the US.

Persona 3 & 4.

Xenosaga I-III, I suggest pretty good if you play Xenogears. But regard less one of my personal favorites RPGS

Star Ocean: The the End of Time, Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (AKA Nocturne) and Final Fantasy 12 (which you already have), were my favourite RPGs on the PS2.


To be honest, I'm shocked that there are so few that I care about now. It always seemed like there were loads.

But other than SMT: Digital Devil Saga (which was okay, but would have been better as a proper big budget JRPG in my opinion - and pt 2 was a bit of a letdown too), this probably is all the PS2 RPGs that I really liked.

You could also try SMT: Persona 3:FES and Persona 4 as well. Very Very good JRPGs

Grandia 2 is a special game. Its storyline isn't groundbreaking, but its character development and battle system are unrivaled from my experience (Grandia 3 adds some nice elements to the battle system, but it's awful in basically every other aspect). The PS2 version apparently has gruelingly long load times. I've only played the Dreamcast version, so I wouldn't know. Still, it gets my highest recommendation.

Shadow Hearts & Shadow Hearts Covenant are two good RPG's imo (Ignore Shadow Hearts From the New World though). Suikoden IV, Suikoden Tactics (Rhapsodia) and Suikoden V are three great titles I'd recommend to anyone wanting a great RPG for the PS2 (Suikoden III as well, if you can get it. I haven't played it as AUS missed out on it.). Star Ocean: Til The End of Time is another title I recommend, as myself I found it one I could get into right from the get go. Rogue Galaxy is ok I guess, I finished it and was left feeling 'Is that it?' Grandia 2 is a good game, with characters you could attach to (except the main character got on my nerves, mainly because that numbnut Cam Clarke voiced him. I HATE that VA.), great battle system and music.

other than the titles already mentioned, La Pucelle: Tactics was a good game. its got some elements that the Disgaea series has.

Was Tales of Symphonia released on PS2 as well?

Was Tales of Symphonia released on PS2 as well?

No. Gamecube only.

actually, accordin to gamefaqs, yes it was also released on ps2.

actually, accordin to gamefaqs, yes it was also released on ps2.

Far as I know, in Australia it was Gamecube only release. Only on PS2 in Japan iirc.

oh, australia. thanks for clearin that up. just checked ps2 release, it was only made in japan.

An RPG for PS2 that it's actually keeping me hooked is

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Souless Army.

A goddamn long & ridiculous name xD

But yeah, the battle system is action based & very simplistic & it's the first MegaTen game that I feel that it actually has a storyline & characters.
You play detective on this game & there's a lot of interaction with the NPC's here (something I missed on jRPG).

Hmm, well personally speaking, I lost interest in Devil Summoner. It's one of the few RPGs I never finished, because I just couldn't be bothered.

I liked the idea of an action detective RPG in a more realistic setting. And the start music is just ace! But the story is very weak, and the game take far too long to bring in the trademark utterly bonkers visuals and situations of the other SMT games.

For ages, you're just wandering around very boring town and warehouse locations, having random encounters every couple of steps. Also, only being able to control the title character might not have been so bad, if he had some more moves with his sword and gun!

t wasn't anywhere near as good as SMT: Lucifer's Call (AKA Nocturne), or Digital Devil Saga (the first part, anyway) IMO.

I got a decent way into the game, before quitting out of abject boredom. If the random battles weren't so tiresomely omnipresent, I may have continued. They really need to sort that out, because it got on my nerves in the other SMT games as well.

But they at least had an interestingly bizarre atmosphere, and that always hooks me in. DS just felt flat and very much a lesser title.

Even so, I wouldn't call it one of the worst RPGs I've played, just one that was more time consuming and bothersome that it was worth to me.

That's my take on it, anyway.

The thing that I like about DS is that the game isn't just about ENDLESS FUCKING DUNGEON CRAWLING.
Also the it hasn't the Unfair stupid Press turn system(Someday I will make my review about how many ways this system is stupid, I need to play the Persona ps2 games before doing this.) & the simple Action gameplay of DS makes it more fluid IMO.

Nocturne storyline is quite good, it deals philosophy & psychological aspects of the human but it's poorly executed & the narration is just bad.

DDS was even MORE DUNGEON CRAWLING than Nocturne, at least in Nocturne there's a few demons that I can talk & get to understand the flavor & the world. DDS was about, GO THERE, 5 floor dungeon, boss battle, story advances a little. Then repeat.
The story of DDS is awesome, but the game is fucking Dungeon Crawling with a turn based battle system.

DS on the other hand I get to talk to people, interact with them, summon my fucking demons & make the motherfuckers spit some more words, Yeah the storyline isn't quite good(I'm in episode 5), but I like the fact that the characters have really something to say to you & it doesn't make you feel lost, plus the game have some decent sub-plots.
The game can pretty much be played without any guide & the game doesn't punish you for trying to do other stuff, for example open the wrong treasure chest in Nocturne & you'll get you ass handed or try using a strategy that isn't based on exploiting the weakness of your oponent & you'll be killed in no time.
Nocturne on the other hand, that game was balls hard even playing it with a guide in front of you.

Surely the Random Battles at DS are annoying & completely ilogical but I can bear with them, as they can be resolved pretty fast & they aren't unfair.

Ay' up there, Top.

Nocturne was only hard in the sense that it's a hell of a lot harder than most games are nowadays. It actually presents a stiff, but generally fair challenge, so long as you learn how to play the game properly.

How many people have tried to create a stable of attractive female demons to form their party, only to find that its a really, really bad idea?

And I love Matador! He has got to be the hardest first boss ever (I guess Forneus is technically the first, but he's just a tutorial boss really). I just couldn't believe how hard he was, and when even grinding for levels didn't work, it forced me to learn the game's mechanics properly to beat him.

Which is the sign of a good quality game, IMO.

So long as you learn how important careful demon fusing is, experiment with demon evolution and take precaution when you know Death/Eject enemies are about, the game still plays with a fairly straight bat.


As for Devil Summoner, well it IS a dungeon crawler though, isn't it? Because with very few exceptions, you have random encounters absolutely everywhere! There's just no respite from those damn battles!

I really don't see much difference. There may be more people around, but hardly any of them have anything to say for themselves. The cast of significant characters is still only about the same as Nocturne had.

Raiden is the only truly important character - and he has basically no storyline!


I enjoyed the story of Nocturne, I must say. It was told rather sparingly, but it was the strange atmosphere, and arresting visuals that got me. I loved the resurrection of The Mantra into the Divine Forces of Yousuga, and I seeing what becomes of your two friends is genuinely harrowing.

The one thing I didn't think worked too well was the inclusion of Dante from Devil May Cry. I was quite interested at first, but then he hardly ever appears and when he does he's a pushover. Not only that, he joins your team later on, is massively levelled (about Lvl 80), yet still manages to be pretty lame.

I reloaded and didn't take him with me. My demons were way better than he was...


As for DDS, I liked the first one, although I would rather it was done in a more traditional. I thought the setting, characters etc would have made an excellent JRPG. But Atlus' sparse approach to storytelling wasted a lot of the potential.

Nevetheless, I did really, really enjoy pt 1 of DDS. One of those games where I was enthused enough to complete everything and defeat all the extra bosses. I wasn't all that fussed with pt 2 though, which I thought was pretty lame, despite the occasional decent bit.

I mean, what was that feeble end boss all about?! Anticlimax of the century! It looked rubbish too.


In the end though, it comes back to my position that I felt DS was a significantly more low key and creatively and narratively less interesting game than the others. I think that it was actually made before the others (which would make sense), but was released in the west after them.

Not sure about that, but I think I remember reading something like that at the time.

Anyway, it's all horses for courses.

Atlus are an interesting company, but I'm still not sure what I think of them. I can't deny that they make by far the most interestingly bizarre RPGs out at the moment, but their games are often very hard work to play, due to steep difficulty and questionable reliance on grinding and dungeon crawling.

Along with Namco and Tri-Ace, they are making some of the most intriguing RPGs storywise at the minute. I'm really hoping that either they or one of the above companies kick on and do something extraordinary.

All 3 of them produce good stories, but are less reliable when it comes to great gameplay.

I like games that are hard and challenging, the early castlevania titles were hard for example. But I completely disagree if someone comes to tell me that Nocturne is a fair challenge.

How can you say that the game is fair, if the battle system takes, CRITICAL HITS AS A FUNDAMENTAL PART IN THE STRATEGY.
There's always only one way to kill the bosses in the game & that's exploiting their weaknesses & that means, grinding & changing your pokemon deck for every single one of them(in an extreme case).
I understand the game mechanics long before fighting Matador, But I don't like when a game forces me to use ONE SOLE METHOD TO BEAT THE ENEMIES. It gets booooring, it doesn't let you be creative.
So make a puzzle based game or an RPG decide, don't come to me with this.
The other thing that make my want to tear the game apart is that the fact, there's a point where you have to DISCARD ABILITIES, not stock them, DISCARD & the game punishes you if you don't have that certain skill for that certain battle. So the Magatama system goes completely against what the game is about. Talk about Customization My ass.
This is the reason you need to play this game with a Guide, If I didn't had a guide I would've dropped the game by the time you reach the Assembly of Nihilo for the first time.
The game pretends that you already know your enemy. The majority of the flaws are contributed by the press turn system, a system that it corners you to use only one method to defeat the bosses.
The only thing that I can give credit for this game, is that it makes wanna say "YOU FUCKING GAME YOU CAN'T WIN ME!" & that didn't happened to me in an RPG since Vagrant Story.
Early MegaTen games weren't like this.

About DS, I still think that it handles better the Narration in comparison to any of the others MegaTen games that I've tried (Except for Persona 2 Innocent Sin that games starts & advances pretty amazing), The Action battle system makes the Dungeon Crawling less obnoxious & the fact that I can actually do something with the NPC around me it's a big relief.
As I said before, yeah I agree that the storyline isn't good, but the setting the sub-plots are pretty fun.

I guess we went a little off-topic. XD

Well, I don't consider myself to be a spectacular gamer, but I completed everything in that game (except for the insane final, final, final, ultra last boss), and I didn't use a guide at all.

All it took was hard work and a determination not to be beaten. Because I felt the game had earned my time and effort. You may have known how the game mechanics work, but how many times do you really have to use that knowledge in games?

Most games teach you the skills the game thinks you will need, but are then so easy that you don't ever need to use them.

How many stealth games can you just blast your way through, how many RPGs with item creation really require you to learn it properly, how many beat em ups do you really need to know how to do the big combos in etc etc?


The press system is nowhere near as severe as you say. By using the Magatama customisation, and sensible skill selection (Void Eject and Void Death being the only essentials), you can give yourself a good chance against all but the toughest bosses.

And changing your demons up for different boss fights isn't a issue, because you get a party limit of about 10 or so. How is that any different from having a regular party, where certain members are more appropriate for certain fights?

You don't need to use Critical Hits to defeat enemies (and indeed some bosses don't have weaknesses at all), but you do need to make sure you're covered from suffering weaknesses yourself.

There's nothing wrong with this, as it encourages you to keep fusing and trying for the better demons, that have no weaknesses. Or it stops you from just finding something that works against everyone.

Because if you could just roll up and use any old demons, people would criticise the game for being too easy, and for it not being worth it to synth the better demons.

You can still use the tried and tested methods of buffing yourself up and debuffing the enemy. It still works just as well as it always does.


Games have suffered tremendously over the last couple of decades, from being made far too easy. All you need to do in most RPGs nowadays is grind, and some don't even require you to do that.

So I'm not going to criticise a game where you actually need to understand how it works to succeed. I had loads of fun with Nocturne, because it required thought, preparation and execution of tactics to beat the big bosses.

But beyond that, it has one of the most interestingly strange worlds and atmosphere that I've encountered in an RPG. It was a stiff challenge, and that's what I like to see in a game.

Although I will admit, it didn't have an android Rasputin floating around a big jar. So I mean, how good can it really be?

The press system is nowhere near as severe as you say. By using the Magatama customisation, and sensible skill selection (Void Eject and Void Death being the only essentials), you can give yourself a good chance against all but the toughest bosses.

And changing your demons up for different boss fights isn't a issue, because you get a party limit of about 10 or so. How is that any different from having a regular party, where certain members are more appropriate for certain fights?


You forgot the fact that you need to grind in order to use better demons, most triumphant example is against matador, you reach to great underpass of ginza at lvl 10 without any issue, but you need to grind yourself 8 more lvls more in order to get Uzume to make the fight more fair.
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GRIND.
In order to know how to get Void Expel & Death, I need to know which magatama gives me that. The game still pretends that the player knows this, That is not a good design. The game only tells you to exploit weaknesses & being immune to the attacks.
In order to learn these skills with the Magatama I need to GRIND UNTIL I LEARN IT.
Of course if the player doesn't know all this & you have to discard skills a certain point of the game. Is that good design? Does that even tell you that it's worth Customizing? I don't know, but you'll feel cornered that's for sure.



You don't need to use Critical Hits to defeat enemies (and indeed some bosses don't have weaknesses at all), but you do need to make sure you're covered from suffering weaknesses yourself.

I didn't said that you need to use Critical Hits to defeat enemies, I've said that Critical Hits are fundamental to any strategy in the game because they let you win one turn & JUST ONE TURN CAN CHANGE THE WHOLE BATTLE. If your enemies hit you with critical hits, there's a large chance of game over.




There's nothing wrong with this, as it encourages you to keep fusing and trying for the better demons, that have no weaknesses. Or it stops you from just finding something that works against everyone.
Because if you could just roll up and use any old demons, people would criticise the game for being too easy, and for it not being worth it to synth the better demons.

Of course that there's nothing wrong in encouraging to fuse & get more pokemons.
The problem comes when there's only one way only to defeat the enemies, that's bad design. If I want to defeat a guy that is immune to phyisical I have to nuke him with magical attacks. Buffing & Debuffing helps a lot too, but then these guy uses DEKUNDA, keeps debuffing me while hitting me. So my only choice is just to Cure & attack with magical spells & stick in my ass the buff & debuffing skills. This is what I'm talking about. Also there are many critical hits in between. Not all of my demons are immune to physical. So he keeps winning turns.
That's an Unfair game. The game punishes you if you try to use something different of your own nature. So are we talking about an RPG or a Puzzle game.



You can still use the tried and tested methods of buffing yourself up and debuffing the enemy. It still works just as well as it always does. .

One word: DEKUNDA!




Games have suffered tremendously over the last couple of decades, from being made far too easy. All you need to do in most RPGs nowadays is grind, and some don't even require you to do that.

Nocturne is almost all about grinding still in order to make the game more easy. If you don't grind in Nocturne, there's no strategy or resources that work against anything, because you need to grind in order to get the resources, get it?.
And I already said what is that you have to grind in this game, because lvl's isn't the only thing that you can grind in RPG's these days.



So I'm not going to criticise a game where you actually need to understand how it works to succeed. I had loads of fun with Nocturne, because it required thought, preparation and execution of tactics to beat the big bosses.

It's not fun when there's only one way with each boss & that boils down the replayability a lot.



But beyond that, it has one of the most interestingly strange worlds and atmosphere that I've encountered in an RPG. It was a stiff challenge, and that's what I like to see in a game.


Agreed on this, but the Narration Sucks.

Hey there...

If you're complaining about grinding, then why do you even play RPGs?! Grinding has been a staple of most RPGs since... well, forever! And it's not like DS doesn't require grinding! Seriously, if you dislike grinding that much, I can't believe you even play RPGs at all.

If enemies hit party members with elemental attacks they are weak against in any RPG, you will likely be taking a quick trip to the Game Over screen. As a harder than usual game, Nocturne simply demands you keep your team balanced so you can be ready for anything.

I.e you at least have a chance to correct the problem. In Enchanted Arms to name but one example, your Hero (who you must use in every battle) is weak to Ice. And the final boss uses... all together now...

And hitting enemies with attacks they are weak against is the surest way to ensure victory in any other RPG also. Nocturne again is simply ensuring that you keep your team supplied with all kinds of different attacks and abilities (rather than just mashing X against everyone, to use a recent example!)

How is it any different to other games, that certain enemies are immune to certain types of attacks?! If you build your guy in a balanced way, you're always in with a shot.

He is after all, your only permanent party member. If you insist on slanting him towards one aspect (physical, magical, whatever), you must make sure your demons can fill in the gaps. I find it far more sensible to make him 'A man for all seasons'.

Because most JRPG main heroes fall into that category, for that very reason. They are almost always 'Slightly above average, all rounders'. That works as well in this game, as it does in any other.

Bosses usually only have 1 way that is particularly effective. It's a calling card of bosses. This game is no different. Certain abilties make your life much easier. But again I stress, outside of the special bosses, you don't *have* to do anything but cover your weaknesses.

If you have no Magic attacks, or no Physical attacks in your whole party, then you can hardly cry foul. That's just asking for it!

And where did this idea that Nocturne doesn't involve Grinding come from? I certainly never said it. I said that most games solution to difficult games was grinding and nothing else. If you grind with no particular plan in mind in Nocturne, you still won't beat the bosses.

Again, I don't understand your issue with the bosses. Are you saying that in any given RPG (or game of anything for that matter), when you know a boss or enemy has a weakness, you don't exploit it?

Very few games include genuinely different ways to win, of equal effectiveness. Sure, you can use a variety of skills and weapons in various games, but there is almost always one skill or one weapon that works *much* better than the others against that boss.

Nocturne has endless replayability, due to the sheer diversity and number of demons, that you can have in any combination you can devise. That's a near endless list of possible team makeups and stats.

Compare it to most other RPGs, where you have a set team of 6-8 characters, all with small variations on 'doing regular damage'.


And the narrarion... er... oh, is that the time?! Must be going...


Seriously, if you like DS, then great. Myself, I loved Nocturne, and it's easily my favourite SMT. I don't want to go round and round on this, because I've had my say.

We can't agree about everything, so let's just agree to disagree, and let them have their thread back.

Because it's not like any of these games are better than FF9 is it? :D

Hey there...

If you're complaining about grinding, then why do you even play RPGs?! Grinding has been a staple of most RPGs since... well, forever! And it's not like DS doesn't require grinding! Seriously, if you dislike grinding that much, I can't believe you even play RPGs at all.
A. There are a lot of ways to make the grinding less tedious. Like in Diablo II, where grinding is fundamental(In Hell Difficulty) to build your character, but you'll see yourself in a variety of situations that have endless solutions thus making it more fun.
Here is about selecting actions, watch animations both of your party & enemies(they aren't long of course) & there's a screen & a loading time between every battle.
B. A game obligues you to grind because the difficulty curve is poorly designed.
C. I play RPG's because there are certain titles that blew my mind.
D. Grinding is a staple for MOST rpg like you've said, specially jRPG's.



If enemies hit party members with elemental attacks they are weak against in any RPG, you will likely be taking a quick trip to the Game Over screen. As a harder than usual game, Nocturne simply demands you keep your team balanced so you can be ready for anything.
Disagree, Nocturne simple demands to re-balance your team for most every boss battle, not keeping it balanced.



And hitting enemies with attacks they are weak against is the surest way to ensure victory in any other RPG also. Nocturne again is simply ensuring that you keep your team supplied with all kinds of different attacks and abilities (rather than just mashing X against everyone, to use a recent example!)
It's the surest way to victory, but that doesn't mean that it HAS TO BE THE ONLY WAY.



How is it any different to other games, that certain enemies are immune to certain types of attacks?! If you build your guy in a balanced way, you're always in with a shot.

He is after all, your only permanent party member. If you insist on slanting him towards one aspect (physical, magical, whatever), you must make sure your demons can fill in the gaps. I find it far more sensible to make him 'A man for all seasons'.
The difference comes on how much time the game demands you to put on this.



Bosses usually only have 1 way that is particularly effective. It's a calling card of bosses. This game is no different. Certain abilties make your life much easier. But again I stress, outside of the special bosses, you don't *have* to do anything but cover your weaknesses.
I disagree I can name you plenty of RPG's that there are plenty of effective ways to defeat bosses



Again, I don't understand your issue with the bosses. Are you saying that in any given RPG (or game of anything for that matter), when you know a boss or enemy has a weakness, you don't exploit it?
That depends on the boss & If I want to have fun while fighting it. For example, Diablos at FFVIII, the most effective way to beat it is casting blind to the guy. But I don't do that, it's just not my style.



Very few games include genuinely different ways to win, of equal effectiveness. Sure, you can use a variety of skills and weapons in various games, but there is almost always one skill or one weapon that works *much* better than the others against that boss.
Of course that there's always a "much" better way. But Nocturne falls on using ONLY THAT WAY. That's what I can't stand of it's gameplay.




Seriously, if you like DS, then great. Myself, I loved Nocturne, and it's easily my favourite SMT. I don't want to go round and round on this, because I've had my say.
It's not that I don't like Nocturne it's just that I have my reservations.



We can't agree about everything, so let's just agree to disagree, and let them have their thread back.

Agreed xD




Because it's not like any of these games are better than FF9 is it? :D

*here comes a rant*....*no it doesn't*

=D


They are better of course

They are better of course

I OBJECT, YOUR HONOR!

I OBJECT, YOUR HONOR!

I object to your objection.

You know, I didn't actually know you could put blind on Diablos... Lol! Only about 10 years late to find that out...