14 Yr Old Niece: Games for PS2?

FFXXI

Is it too late in the thread to make a 22 joke?

Seriously though, let me add my voice to the choir suggesting the pairing of FF10 and FF10-2 over FF12. Aside from some very spotty voice work at the start of FF10 and some equally cringeworthy moments at the very start of FF10-2, I actually vastly prefer them to 12, and I definitely think that they would be more engaging for a teenager. Also, both should be cheaply and easily available.

Also, SpacePPoliceman mentioned Suikoden V, and he's right that it stands on it's own and is a great game, and should be fairly easy to find. That said, if you do want to go above and beyond, the entire series (other than 4, but particularly 2) is brilliant, and even more brilliant if you do play them in order. Of course, finding copies of 1 through 3 may be anything but cheap and easy.

I know I have a lot of other games that would be great as well, but at the moment I can't remember them. I'll take a look at my PS1 and PS2 collections when I get home though and certainly come up with a few more good suggestions.

14, you say?

OzymandiasAV wrote:

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-

Really, though, the voice acting in FF10 can almost be split in two. Up to and including the infamous laughing scene, it is quite often very bad. You have to remember, this was one of the first RPGs to be fully voiced, and it shows while the actors are finding their footing. After the laughing scene though it improves dramatically across the board, and some characters (such as Wakka and Auron) are downright excellent.

(Oh, and while I do unapologetically love FF10-2, FF10 should be played first if you ask me.)

*Legion* wrote:

14, you say?

This can't be good.

zeroKFE wrote:
OzymandiasAV wrote:

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-

Really, though, the voice acting in FF10 can almost be split in two. Up to and including the infamous laughing scene, it is quite often very bad. You have to remember, this was one of the first RPGs to be fully voiced, and it shows while the actors are finding their footing. After the laughing scene though it improves dramatically across the board, and some characters (such as Wakka and Auron) are downright excellent.

I'll agree that Matt McKenzie did an admirable job with Auron, given what he had to work with, but I don't know if I can come along for the ride with Wakka; the little "brudda" and "ya" mannerisms were nice for establishing his character, but they just grated exponentially over time. It's probably a bit harsh to say, but I feel like they could have kept Auron and Yuna (but given her a new voice actor), torched every other character in the game, and improved the game dramatically.

(Oh, and while I do unapologetically love FF10-2, FF10 should be played first if you ask me.)

I'll admit, I didn't make it all the way through FFX-2: other than establishing some more context on the Tidus/Yuna relationship, are there really any critical plot elements in FFX that are really required for FFX-2?

I'd second the recommendations for SSX3; as extreme sports games go it's not too hardcore for beginners to pick up (unlike the Tony Hawk games, the trick system in SSX3 allows you to pull of spectacular stunts without too much effort). Still an incredibly beautiful game, too. My daughter likes this one as well.

Also, Rock Band on the PS2 is not terrible.

other than establishing some more context on the Tidus/Yuna relationship, are there really any critical plot elements in FFX that are really required for FFX-2?

There's nothing that would cause you to be completely lost plot wise, but a lot of the richness of the experience of FF10-2 comes from familiarity with the world. Rather than being a cash-in, let's just make another adventure with the characters from a successful game (okay, it's sort of that too), it takes a lot of time to explore what happens to the people, places, and cultures after the kind of world changing events that routinely occur in these kinds of games. However, without the context of what the people, places, and cultures were like before the plucky band of adventurers "saved" the world I'm afraid that some of the more interesting, unique story telling elements might fall a bit flat.

beeporama wrote:
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:

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.

Hah, none of that actually crossed my mind earlier, woops

The additional context is nice, sure, but there's a bigger detriment to requiring FFX before FFX-2, in this case: you ensure the player will get the entirety of the major shift in tone, which is one of the bigger failings for FFX-2, in my opinion.

FFX starts off with the destruction of a city and almost takes on a funereal tone at times, as it deals with pieces of racial or religious issues.

FFX-2 starts off with a pop concert and, from what I remember, continues along that mostly bubbly path for a majority of the game. They manage to staplegun some of the previous cultural issues into the origins of the various factions, but the culture is so far removed from the original game that it almost comes across as a play for sheer shock value and, ultimately, a universe all to its own.

Even though those massive cultural changes were initiated by the actions of the heroes in FFX, I feel like you could derive the same overall sentiments presented in FFX-2 in isolation; it's not like the various factions are conceptually beyond any of the usual stereotypes (older religious group resistant to change, young and reckless radicals, etc.)

My girlfriend prefers God of War to Final Fantasy 10. Maybe you should figure out what she likes before getting her anything. Except for Shadow of the Colossus. That's required gaming for everyone in the world.

beeporama wrote:

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.

I completely agree on Snoopy vs The Red Baron! I found this game new at KMart for $15, but the internet is definitely a good option too. Well worth it, plus it helps that I'm a Peanuts fan. I don't think it's kiddie at all, and I'm 19.

I second the added benefit of a GameCube. It has some great games on there too, and you can tap into other series like Animal Crossing. I'd have to look through my Cube games to give some recommendations if you want to go that route too.

Oh, and www.half.com usually has great prices on used games - I buy from them a decent amount, and quality tends to be really good.

MechaSlinky wrote:

My girlfriend prefers God of War to Final Fantasy 10.

Is your girlfriend fourteen years old?

MechaSlinky wrote:

Maybe you should figure out what she likes before getting her anything.

Agreed, though the OP did list some existing games to provide some context.

MechaSlinky wrote:

Except for Shadow of the Colossus. That's required gaming for everyone in the world.

Yeah, that too.

I'll agree that Matt McKenzie did an admirable job with Auron, given what he had to work with, but I don't know if I can come along for the ride with Wakka; the little "brudda" and "ya" mannerisms were nice for establishing his character, but they just grated exponentially over time.

I just found this out recently. John DiMaggio did Wakka's voice.

Bender is Wakka.

cube wrote:
I'll agree that Matt McKenzie did an admirable job with Auron, given what he had to work with, but I don't know if I can come along for the ride with Wakka; the little "brudda" and "ya" mannerisms were nice for establishing his character, but they just grated exponentially over time.

I just found this out recently. John DiMaggio did Wakka's voice.

Bender is Wakka.

And Kimari.

OzymandiasAV wrote:
MechaSlinky wrote:

My girlfriend prefers God of War to Final Fantasy 10.

Is your girlfriend fourteen years old? :)

Not physically.

OzymandiasAV wrote:
MechaSlinky wrote:

Maybe you should figure out what she likes before getting her anything.

Agreed, though the OP did list some existing games to provide some context.

Totally forgot about that.

OzymandiasAV wrote:
MechaSlinky wrote:

Except for Shadow of the Colossus. That's required gaming for everyone in the world.

Yeah, that too.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

The additional context is nice, sure, but there's a bigger detriment to requiring FFX before FFX-2, in this case: you ensure the player will get the entirety of the major shift in tone, which is one of the bigger failings for FFX-2, in my opinion.

FFX starts off with the destruction of a city and almost takes on a funereal tone at times, as it deals with pieces of racial or religious issues.

FFX-2 starts off with a pop concert and, from what I remember, continues along that mostly bubbly path for a majority of the game. They manage to staplegun some of the previous cultural issues into the origins of the various factions, but the culture is so far removed from the original game that it almost comes across as a play for sheer shock value and, ultimately, a universe all to its own.

Even though those massive cultural changes were initiated by the actions of the heroes in FFX, I feel like you could derive the same overall sentiments presented in FFX-2 in isolation; it's not like the various factions are conceptually beyond any of the usual stereotypes (older religious group resistant to change, young and reckless radicals, etc.)

Well, its only 2 years after the biggest psychologically damaging aspect of living on Spira is permanently dealt with. I thought the idea was that people were cutting loose and that was what was causing much of the political problems you face in X-2. I think she'd enjoy them both.

Why is anyone examining the story of Final Fantasy 10-2 seriously? It's Charlie's Angels mixed with Final Fantasy! That's double the stupid of your normal JRPG right there! Still, totally kickass game.

I saw it mentioned but Hot Shots Golf is a game a lot of non-gamers tend to like. It's simple and fun.

Yeah, Hot Shots seems like a good one.