14 Yr Old Niece: Games for PS2?

OK folks,

I gave my PS2 to my neice ages ago, but all I had left for it at the time was Katamari, Lumines and Lego Star Wars. I'm trying to cheaply round out her gaming education. Some thoughts I had:

Okami
Kingdom Hearts (unless you convince me KH2 is better, and doesnt require a lot of previous play)
FF XXII
Shadow

My concern is that these are pretty deep-end-of-the-pool. She's got gamer-genes, but I think she'll likely find something like Okami or FF XXII either too involved or complex, so I'm really hoping to round out the list with some fun, fire-and-forget games. A good fun racer? THPS2?

Any thoughts folks have (or lines on cheap used copies) appreciated.

Ratchet and Clank are always a good bet.

That's a great age for some Beyond Good & Evil - strong female lead will be a great thing for her to attach to. I'd also consider Tomb Raiders, as well.

Ico. Outside of the atmosphere and story and things that make that game great, it's a pretty accessible and fun puzzle game.

You could also get her any of the Sims games for PS2. My cousin really enjoys those games, and she's 15. Granted, they don't know they're getting a PS2 for Christmas, but it shall be a surprise.

I think you have everything covered with that list plus Ratchet and Clank.

BG&E is a great call, does it play well on the PS2?

Now, does anyone have all these games gathering dust in a box for 10 bucks a pop?

Looking in my old-game chest, the PoP: Sands of Time and Two Thrones both seem like great ideas. And what 14-year-old girl doesn't love Manhunt?...

I much prefer FFXII, but FFX is a more popular choice among the lady FF fans I've known. Also, Suikoden V might be a good choice, and it requires no previous Suikoden experience.

rabbit wrote:

BG&E is a great call, does it play well on the PS2?

Now, does anyone have all these games gathering dust in a box for 10 bucks a pop?

BG&E plays just just fine on the ps2.

I don't know how good Kingdom Hearts is for a "gamer education," but she'll probably enjoy it if she has anything other than unbridled hatred for Disney.

PaRappa!

Burnout 3 is the goodest funnest racer there is, and is rated T but would still need parents' approval.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance may or may not be suitable, niece's tastes-wise, and also has T-rated violence pending a nod from the parents, but certainly hits the gamer education criterion. Actually nevermind, now that I think about it, it also has jiggling oogaba.

If you want to get her an rpg, I would go for DQXIII instead of FFXII. It has a more basic traditional combat systems.

The sly cooper games

Bully

Psychonauts

Simpsons hit and run (cheap and decent gta clone)

Where's the love for Katamari? Fantastic fun to be had there. Beyond that, here's my list, in part inspired by Mrs AnimeJ, who I would call 'gamer lite'. Most of the games here can be had for $10 or less at Gamestop, or most other places if you hate them so much.

Dark Cloud - fairly decent action RPG.
Gran Turismo 4 - Pretty much the pinnacle of racing games IMO.
+1 FFX - I like it well enough, although there are other games I liked better in the series(VIII and IX). Can be had for around $10 also.

Beyond that, any of the older platformers are fantastic. Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper et al.

My daughter freakin' loves KH2 and Katamari Damacy

Sorry, thought I mentioned Katamari was one of the few she already has.

rabbit wrote:

Sorry, thought I mentioned Katamari was one of the few she already has.

Hi, my name is ExitPursuedByBear and I'm a filthy skimmer.

Ico
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2 (Something tells me she'd like X-2 even more)
We Love Katamari (if she likes it, get the sequel!)
Dark Cloud 1 & 2
Jade Cocoon 2

Not sure what Shadow is, but, sure, whatever floats her boat. As for Final Fantasy 22, I'm not so sure. Maybe start her off with one of the earlier games in the series, like 10, 10-2 or 12.

Otherwise, everyone else has made either good or totally awesome suggestions. For Kingdom Hearts, there's three ways to approach that series. One is that you want to know what's going on, which requires both Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories (which has since been remade for PS2 as Re: Chain of Memories) first. Kingdom Hearts 1 is still a good game, although it's definitely rough around the edges and suffers from repetitiveness. Chain of Memories is an interesting card-battle twist on the Kingdom Hearts formula which is pretty damn fun, and that's coming from someone who typically hates card-battle games. The Disney characters outside of Donald, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket, don't have voices, though, which is a huge crappy crap. The game also goes on much longer than it needs to, and the mindless repetition gets painful to endure. Plus, some of the boss fights are ridiculously monstrous on the harder difficulty unless you spend even more time in the mines of mindless repetition by grinding furiously, and that's even using the best trick in the game (setting up your deck to constantly use the only special attack ability that's actually worthwhile so you only have to hit one or two buttons over and over again and the boss can't get any counter-attacks in until you need to stop and reload your deck).

Oh, also, the story completely falls apart and becomes way less Kingdom Hearts and way more Final Fantasy Hearts, or Emof*g Hearts.

You can also approach it as wanting to have a pretty decent idea of what's going on in Kingdom Hearts 2, but not really caring enough to worry about understanding the first six hours at all, and being pretty confused through some of the bigger scenes in the first half of the game. That's the way I recommend going. This requires Kingdom Hearts one and a vague understanding that there's a chapter in between where something happens, possibly involving memories, but whatever because I'm just here for Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Tron and Captain Simba and Captain Winnie the Pooh!

Or you could say f*ck the whole story because it's all a convoluted pile of anime hippie sh*t anyway and just play Kingdom Hearts 2 and enjoy kicking ass while helping Disney characters solve their Disney problems and experiencing the beautiful cutscenes and almost always perfect voice-acting (it has James Woods and Christopher Lee!).

I'd also recommend God of War 1 and 2 and Godhand. And you force her to play them. I don't care if they're too difficult or too violent! Quit being a wuss!

She might also like Disgaea, if she's an obsessive-compulsive warmonger. She might also like Resident Evil: X: Code: Veronica: ::: : or Resident Evil 4.

OH! And Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. And Odin Sphere.

You know what, I'm going to be over here and you just do whatever you want and don't let me get in the way.

Kingdom Hearts if she's a Disney fan. There's really nothing you can do wrong there.

Also, I would consider Tales of Legendia because it's is one of the more unique JRPG's I've played. It's a Tales game, which means it's real-time combat, enemies are present on the dungeon maps, most of the characters are can drive, vote, or even drink legally, restoration items are percentage based, etc. However, it breaks the normal Tales/JRPG tropes in a couple of ways.

First off, the main character doesn't use a sword. Secondly, the story presentation is interesting. The main "save the world" quest is essentially the first half of the game, and is pretty linear. After that, the game goes into a more episodic pace, with each character having their own chapter. It was quite refreshing, especially because it avoided the normal JRPG "the meteor will hit in a week and kill us all, but we need to go to the other side of the planet because someone heard someone say in passing that their mother was there" trope. In this case, at least, the world is saved first. The herb picking comes after.

Maybe it's just me but I'm not sure that Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Dark Cloud 2 will really interest a 14 year old girl much. I could be very wrong though.

Second the Ratchet & Clank games, great stuff. SSX3 as well.

For more platforming fun, don't forget about Sly Cooper. Also check out Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for some fun hack-and-slash action. I think it holds up remarkably well and is really easy to get into.

If you can manage to find it, Everblue 2 could be a good choice. It's similar to Endless Ocean on the Wii but with more fun exploration and tons of stuff to collect plus the usual taking pictures of fish. My wife and I were hopelessly addicted to it for quite awhile. Sky Odyssey is also great fun if she has any interest in planes or flying, but also probably tough to find.

Totally forgot to mention Jak and Daxter.

Definitely give a thumbs up to KH, KH2, Sly Cooper and both Katamari games. Personally, I'm not sure how accessible Ico is since I've had a hard time finding it myself--minus using Amazon or Ebay.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

For more platforming fun, don't forget about Sly Cooper. Also check out Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for some fun hack-and-slash action. I think it holds up remarkably well and is really easy to get into.

I mentioned that one, but then remembered the tavern wench's heaving bosom (how could I forget). Maybe Champions of Norrath might be better suited?

Is that Final Fantasy X/Final Fantasy XII or a typo of Final Fantasy XII? Off Chance: Have you found a copy of Final Fantasy XXII from the future!? And it runs ont he PS2? Weird!

Anyways, I'd say yes on FF 10, no on FF12. Ten was a fun game with pretty standard JRPG controls and a really nice plot line so if she ends up liking JRPGs at all she'll probably like that one. Twelve was a weird bastardization of a MMO and a single player game with a storyline that was iffy at best.

rabbit wrote:

Sorry, thought I mentioned Katamari was one of the few she already has.

It's there now, I'm probably just blind.

I also think Final Fantasy X will be more accessible (both mechanically and in story) to your niece than FFXII. FFX-2 as well. Both should be easy to find cheap.

I also think Beyond Good & Evil is fun and accessible, and I don't think too hard to find on PS2. That's the platform I originally played it on, and it got the largest print run. (The GameCube and XBox versions are harder to find.) Speaking of which, Ico is great, but you can't get it cheap.

I'm surprised nobody suggested Harvest Moon, which strongly appeals to a certain kind of person but bores another to tears. You'd have to judge that. Also depending on her tastes, something like the Sega Genesis Collection or some other compilation of old games might be suitable and very cheap.

You should definitely get Rule of Rose and Haunting Ground, both of which let you play as a young girl. (Please do not actually get her these games.)

Lard wrote:

Ico
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2 (Something tells me she'd like X-2 even more)
We Love Katamari (if she likes it, get the sequel!)
Dark Cloud 1 & 2
Jade Cocoon 2

Ico is a little hardcore for a 14-year-old niece. Then again it does have a really nice aesthetic, so maybe she'll stick it out.

I agree with Beeporama that FF12's "gambit" system is a lot to get one's head around. Of course that might be good for her, too. Get her to think algorithmically. Maybe it'll make her into a programmer!

Also, Rule of Rose and Haunting Ground are both deeply disturbing games and Beeporama should feel bad for even mentioning them here. Bad! But also you should get them and play them, especially Haunting Ground, which lets you play as a weak and defenseless girl who can sic a giant german shepherd on people.

Persona 4? Or is that getting a little too hardcore?

The whole s-link relationshippy stuff might appeal, and played on easy it's not too demanding in the grind department.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I agree with Beeporama that FF12's "gambit" system is a lot to get one's head around.

Besides which, I don't think the storyline is going to be as interesting or accessible to a 14-year-old. Not that ANY of the Final Fantasy stories aren't a little crazy for western audiences... but I think the themes and interpersonal relationships presented in Final Fantasy X are going to be more appealing to someone younger.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Also, Rule of Rose and Haunting Ground are both deeply disturbing games and Beeporama should feel bad for even mentioning them here. Bad!

Hey, it's not like I suggested Fatal Frame II (you can also play as a young girl in that game, too!) or Hello Kitty Roller Rescue (*shiver*), both of which I've played to completion and find far too disturbing for young audiences.

(Seriously though, do not give a child Rule of Rose or Haunting Ground. Seriously.)

stevenmack wrote:

Persona 4? Or is that getting a little too hardcore?

I had a friend ask me about this for her teenage daughter, actually! I do think that the system (on Easy mode) is accessible, and there is a lot to appeal to a mature teenager. There is a good deal of sexuality in there, though, that some parents might take issue with:

Spoiler:

Doppelgangers of some female characters act very "slutty" in the "dream world" where their fears and insecurities manifest. One male character's dream world is a gay bathhouse, as he questions his own sexuality. You can get your in-game girlfriend to spend the night with you, although it does "fade to black" (it is left to your imagination whether she just sleeps over, but sex is implied). Most disturbingly to my friend, if you successfully solve the game's murder mystery, you find that the villain was sexually violent. Oh yes, and one of the demons you can summon is pretty obviously a giant phallus.

I'm not naive about what young people know, and I think a mature teenager can handle this game. But it is rated "M" for a reason and you should know what you're getting into before providing it.

The Original Post wrote:

Okami

It's a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but I think it's well worth it and the gameplay is far from daunting, even with the Celestial Brush mechanic. Definitely worth it.

Unfortunately, it's probably going to be the most expensive of the options you'll see here, since the PS2 print run was limited.

The Original Post wrote:

Kingdom Hearts (unless you convince me KH2 is better, and doesnt require a lot of previous play)

Hmmm. If you have to go with a Kingdom Hearts, you might as well go with the second one because KH2 is much more mechanically sound: combat flows much more smoothly and the camera management is dramatically improved. And, even though there are clear storyline ties with the first game -- and even stronger ties, for some bizarre reason, with the GBA side story -- the entire Kingdom Hearts narrative arc is only a couple steps removed from unintelligible nonsense anyway, so I'm not sure it would matter if she didn't know what was going on.

That being said, there are much better third-person action games on the platform - it's essentially the PS2's bread and butter - so I'd probably pass, unless she's really into Disney.

The Original Post wrote:

FF XXII

I think you're right about this one. Menu-driven combat that floats between real-time and turn-based resolution and somewhat complicated character development would be a good fit for experienced RPG players (especially those familiar with MMOs), but I don't think it makes for a very friendly introduction to the genre.

EDIT: I realize I wasn't necessarily clear here - I'd pass on FFXII in this instance and "I think you're right about this one" was referring to rabbit's comment that this one is probably too far into the hardcore end of the spectrum.

The Original Post wrote:

Shadow

Assuming that you mean Shadow of the Colossus, I'd recommend it to anybody, anywhere, but with a caveat: start with Ico first. As Switchbreak mentioned, it's very accessible and I'd bet she may find the Ico/Yorda dynamic kind of cute.
______________________________

Beyond the previous recommendations of Sands of Time and Beyond Good & Evil, here are a couple others that come to mind:

[list]
[*]SSX 3 (~$8-15 used) - Secretly, one of the best and most accessible sports games on the platform, in my opinion. You can have a lot of fun just free-styling your way down the mountain, without even delving into the events and the character upgrades, and there's a solid mix of personalities, both male and female.

[*]Dark Cloud 2 (~$15-25 used) - If you're looking for an action/adventure to substitute for Kingdom Hearts, Dark Cloud 2 is probably worth a look. It's a very approachable action/RPG (with some remarkable in-game help) that manages to hook in some addictive town-building.

[*]Burnout 3: Takedown (~$8-15 used) - It's a racing game with the perfect feedback loop: it's fun when you succeed (due to the blazing speed) and it's fun when you fail (due to the spectacular crashes). As somebody mentioned before, there is a T rating associated, but that's primarily because it came out before the ESRB debuted their E10+ rating: all of the other games in the series fall into the E10 bucket.

[*]Hot Shots Golf Fore! (~$10-15 new) - Most people recognize this as the game with the little cartoon characters that have hilarious celebrations and tantrums for all the ups and downs in your virtual golf game, but there's also a pretty neat little golf game in there too.

Oh crap, how did I not think of Snoopy vs. The Red Baron? If she won't be turned off by it potentially being too "kiddie" because it stars Snoopy, it's an easy and shockingly fun aerial flight game. The small print run makes it harder to find, but it can still be had for almost nothing on eBay.

Also, for what it's worth, my little sister really enjoys Zelda games. You might consider also gifting her a GameCube. Since the Wii has perfect backwards compatibility, people are practically giving their GameCubes away.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I agree with Beeporama that FF12's "gambit" system is a lot to get one's head around. Of course that might be good for her, too. Get her to think algorithmically. Maybe it'll make her into a programmer! :)

And it'll get her ready for Dragon Age!

IUMogg wrote:

If you want to get her an rpg, I would go for DQXIII instead of FFXII. It has a more basic traditional combat systems.

You know, I completely forgot about Dragon Quest VIII. That might actually work as an entry-level RPG for a 14-year old because the combat is super-traditional, super-straightforward turn-based stuff, and the script (especially the voice acting) kind of makes it feel like a British take on The Princess Bride at times.

The only thing that makes me hesitate to give an unqualified recommendation is that there are occasionally moments where the game awkwardly veers into some sexualized stuff. Maybe my mind has been poisoned by terrifying cosplay that I cannot unsee, but it's hard to look past Jessica, who uses "Sex Appeal" attacks that she can use in combat to woo enemies, and the "puff-puff" shop where the main character can get what essentially amounts to a facial boob rub.

Admittedly, all of that stuff is cartoony and played for mostly comedic effect -- you can see some of the attack animations here by clicking on the pictures along the right side of the page, if you're curious -- but, in general, it seems like a potentially awkward gift for a 14-year old girl to receive from her uncle. Great game, but I'd recommend doing some homework on the items above.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Maybe it's just me but I'm not sure that Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Dark Cloud 2 will really interest a 14 year old girl much. I could be very wrong though.

...

For more platforming fun, don't forget about Sly Cooper. Also check out Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for some fun hack-and-slash action. I think it holds up remarkably well and is really easy to get into.

See, I actually felt the opposite. I considered Sly Cooper for a moment (and, in terms of priority, I'd probably put Sly 2 in front of the Ratchet & Clank games and the Kingdom Hearts series), but I thought it actually might be a bit cartoony for a 14-year old, whereas Ico and Dark Cloud 2 seemed right in line, especially since they both featured a boy/girl pair of adolescent protagonists.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Ico is a little hardcore for a 14-year-old niece. Then again it does have a really nice aesthetic, so maybe she'll stick it out.

I'll admit, I'm somewhat baffled. How would Ico be a little hardcore for a teenager? There's nothing complicated in the combat...you just run around and flail, really. And most of the rest of the game falls into typical third-person platforming puzzles that aren't really punishing in any way. What do you think wouldn't be accessible about that game?

beeporama wrote:

I also think Final Fantasy X will be more accessible (both mechanically and in story) to your niece than FFXII. FFX-2 as well. Both should be easy to find cheap.

I agree that both of those are probably better fits in this case than FFXII, but I think there's still some issues with both.

Even though it gets points for having an all-female cast of protagonists, Final Fantasy X-2 veers into the same potentially awkward territory as DQVIII, as the camera occasionally likes to linger a bit as the girls change clothes to change classes in battle. Again, it's not in-your-face offensive and not even that uncommon when you consider the Sailor Moons and other various "teenage heroine" animes out there, but it's still something that warrants further consideration, in my opinion. (Which is why I've tried to provide links for all of these things for direct perusal: from his comments on the podcast, rabbit strikes me as the type of parent who is more likely to trust what he sees in the content than taking the ESRB rating at face value.)

Final Fantasy X, on the other hand, is relatively harmless once you get past Lulu's completely ridiculous character design. In fact, you can kind of argue that the entire game is relatively harmless, which I think is part of its problem. The concepts behind combat and the world of Spira -- in particular, Yuna's role in the storyline -- are actually very solid, but they're also under-delivered and undermined at every turn. There's not really a compelling villain and the voice acting is almost historically bad, resulting in a game that occasionally feels like it's sleepwalking you through its content.

FFX-2 is probably the better recommendation of the two (again, homework first) but, ultimately, I'm not sure any of the PS2 RPGs are really appealing or approachable enough to warrant any kind of unqualified recommendation to anybody. -ducks-