I Just Got a PS2, Recommend Me Games!

Xenogears was a PS1 game, but it was a fantastic JRPG. The Xenosaga PS2 titles were also interestingly similar, with a different plot. Note that PS1 titles work on a PS3, which is great if you don't have physical PS1/2 memory cards to use.

If we're talking PS1 games I heartily recommend Xenogears. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Cross.

Vector wrote:

If we're talking PS1 games I heartily recommend Xenogears. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Cross.

I picked up Xenogears for the Vita based on years of curiosity and recommendations here.

I have some PS1 games I've played on my PS3, like the Colony Wars games (of course, right? ;).

The PS2 was definitely my favorite system of all time, based on the fantastic library for it. (And yeah, I've owned an Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Gamecube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS1 and PS3 as well.)

Given the sheer volume of games available I'd take a skip on Rogue Galaxy. Lots to recommend it, but you have so many amazing choices, why merely a "good" game? I just could not get into the story or characters, and I gave that game a good 20 hours or so. The Final Fantasy (X, X-2, and XII) and SMT: Persona (3 and 4) games are, to me, better choices.

The first Kingdom Hearts is pretty widely loved and the gameplay holds up pretty well, even if the graphics look a little sparse by modern standards.

Given that you don't have the other systems, multi-platform Beyond Good & Evil, Okami, and Resident Evil 4 are phenomenal. I will stay play Resident Evil 4 to this day despite having gone through the game well over a half dozen times.

Vector wrote:

If we're talking PS1 games I heartily recommend Xenogears. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Cross.

Mind you can get the new PC port of Final Fantasy VII for probably far less than the PS1 discs.

Sigh, so over the weekend I ruined my PS2. It was having issues reading disks, so I followed some online instructions, took it apart and gave it a light cleaning with compressed air and a teensy bit of rubbing alcohol on the lens. I let it sit for an hour or two, turn it on, and now it won't even read disks. Awesome.

I was given a video on how to recalibrate a PS2's laser, so I watched it multiple times, and when I took it apart again, I found that the laser was a different configuration than the one in the video, and had no idea which potentiometer to fiddle with, so I reassembled everything. The PS2 now won't even boot at all. Erg.

So it went from being a working PS2 to a paperweight. Ah well, I'll be getting a refurb for $40 soon, just ticks me off that I ruined the thing.

But yeah. +1 for God Hand, +2 for Katamari (one for the game, one for the soundtrack), +1 for Odin Sphere, +1 for Champions of Norrath (best with a multitap and friends!)

Recommending a skip on Persona 3 and go straight to 4 due to missing many refinements that were added in 4 (and later Persona 3 Portable). It's not like you've got a shortage of 100 hr RPGs to play on this thing.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Veloxi wrote:

Sigh, so over the weekend I ruined my PS2. It was having issues reading disks, so I followed some online instructions, took it apart and gave it a light cleaning with compressed air and a teensy bit of rubbing alcohol on the lens. I let it sit for an hour or two, turn it on, and now it won't even read disks. Awesome.

I was given a video on how to recalibrate a PS2's laser, so I watched it multiple times, and when I took it apart again, I found that the laser was a different configuration than the one in the video, and had no idea which potentiometer to fiddle with, so I reassembled everything. The PS2 now won't even boot at all. Erg.

So it went from being a working PS2 to a paperweight. Ah well, I'll be getting a refurb for $40 soon, just ticks me off that I ruined the thing. :(

Ouch, dude. At least they're cheap now!

Yes, thankfully so, but I'm just upset with myself. Usually I'm good with electronics. Sigh. :/

Veloxi wrote:

So it went from being a working PS2 to a paperweight.

It's up in PS2 heaven with my three.

Blind_Evil wrote:
Veloxi wrote:

So it went from being a working PS2 to a paperweight.

It's up in PS2 heaven with my three.

PS2 seems like a weird system reliability-wise where some people had no luck with them lasting, and others have one that is bulletproof. A coworker has a launch one still, and I've got a slim that has had some reading issues, but not many.

The disc read errors in the original were common enough to warrant a settled class action lawsuit back in '02.

Blind_Evil wrote:

The disc read errors in the original were common enough to warrant a settled class action lawsuit back in '02.

Holy crap, seriously? I'm honestly not surprised now, but dayum.

Veloxi wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

The disc read errors in the original were common enough to warrant a settled class action lawsuit back in '02.

Holy crap, seriously? I'm honestly not surprised now, but dayum.

Yeah, details here if you're curious. It wasn't as well publicized as something like the 360's RROD situation, but more expensive for me personally.

Interesting. I had a launch unit that lasted about ten years, including multiple 100+ hour RPGs... when it died, I felt like I'd gotten my money's worth, and didn't mind paying to replace it. (I did manage to extend the life of my launch unit through cleaning; but attempting actual repairs on one I got second-hand, I broke it as well.)

I'm always surprised when I hear about someone having problems with a PS2. I had a refurbed launch unit that worked great for me for years. Until I bought Rock Band, and for some reason, certain units were completely unable to read the game disc, but even then Sony replaced the unit for the cost of shipping so I really couldn't complain.

Still, other than recommending the sheer Jap-awesomeness of Katamari Damacy, I'll add another fun little game, Monster Rancher 4.

You need to know nothing about the series to enjoy this game. It's premise is simple: train monster, make monster fight other monsters. If you ever had fun with a Pokemon game, but wanted a little more depth, and less wandering around, then you'll like this.

Heh, well at least I'm not alone in this. Do you still have one?

I have many memories of the nerve-wracking surgeries performed on my PS2, to turn The Wheel. There was some speed regulator on the disc drive that I'd have to adjust every 6 months or so.

Most anything I'd recommend has been mentioned, except for one JRPG series--Suikoden. Only the first game is on PSN, and that is a god damned crime. Suikoden II is one of my favorite games ever, up there with FFT and the main FF games of the PS1 era. III, the first one for PS2, is an interesting experiment. IV...has ships. I actually didn't like IV much, but I do love ships. And V is the game that feels closest to II. They are highly recommended by me.

Veloxi wrote:

Heh, well at least I'm not alone in this. Do you still have one?

I've done that cleaning method you said you did before and it did work for me. Any idea what messed up?

Oh another + for the Suikoden series. Those were the last RPGs I could stand before I entirely lost my taste for the genre. Great story, fast combat, and fun characters. Can be a trifle sad even with the best endings. Still a very good rpg, and probable the last rpg I will ever beat.

My PS2 is still going strong. Or it was when I last turned it on and that was about 2 years ago. Odin Sphere and God Hand might be incredibly hard to find, if you are looking for them.

master0 wrote:

I've done that cleaning method you said you did before and it did work for me. Any idea what messed up?

I'm honestly not sure. There's a cable that connects the laser to the system, and that was a Female Doggo to reinsert, so it's possible I messed that up. Also, the arm on the laser connects to a spring on a rod, which moves the laser back and forth. I've tried to reseat that 3-4 times so it's connected properly, but every time I tried to restart the system, it would move the laser a little bit with a grinding sound that told me that they weren't connected properly, then stop moving.

All I know is I don't think I'll be doing this kind of surgery on my next PS2. I can put together a PC from scratch, no problem. Fix a PS2? Totally jacked.

Vector wrote:

My PS2 is still going strong. Or it was when I last turned it on and that was about 2 years ago.

My PS2 had been gathering dust for several years before I turned it on last. When I did everything was in black and white, and I've since tried all sorts of replacement AV cables to no avail. At this point I just admire it's absurd boxy design and play what I want on my launch PS3. All I really lost was the option of playing with my original Guitar Hero controllers.

Vector wrote:

Odin Sphere and God Hand might be incredibly hard to find, if you are looking for them.

Luckily, both are available on PSN as part of the PS2 classics series.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

Most anything I'd recommend has been mentioned, except for one JRPG series--Suikoden.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Oh, one JRPG that stands out: Suikoden 3.

Blind_Evil wrote:
SpacePPoliceman wrote:

Most anything I'd recommend has been mentioned, except for one JRPG series--Suikoden.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Oh, one JRPG that stands out: Suikoden 3.

Then...it's such an obscure series...I wasn't the only one. Now I know what it feels when doves cry.

IMAGE(http://deadhomersociety.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/lemon-of-troy1.png?w=655)

I +1 Blind-Evil.

My recommendations:
Persona 4
Bully
Nocturne
FF 12
God Hand
King's Field: Ancient City
Xenosaga Ep1 and Ep3
Yakuza 1 and 2
Maximo
GrimGrimoire

There's a deeper issue here that no one's mentioned....After the Atari, you jumped to PC gaming...then you had a dreamcast. I see no mention of NES and/or SNES. Tell me you had those. If you didn't, your life is now ruined and cannot be repaired. The list there is ENDLESS.

Nope, I skipped entire generations of console gaming. Too enamored with games like Elite and Starflight.

I think I just had a brain aneurysm....

Someone, please, start a "Donate a NES and SNES to Veloxi" thread. This man doesn't know how much help he needs!!