The only one missed that I can think is the PS1 space shooter Einhander.
Good call on Einhander, plus there were just a ton of scrolling shooters on both PS1 and PS2 if you’re into them, as I am: R-Type Final and Gradius V were great, and old classics like the Raiden games and In the Hunt were classics, though probably much harder to find these days.
While Metal Gear Solid was a great overall “experience”, I thought the first Syphon Filter was a better game.
I had completely forgotten about this one.
Forgot about those weird Square games on the ps1. Might as well include Tobal No. 1, and especially part 2 if a fan translation was ever released.
The Syphon Filters are basically unplayable these days. The controls are so backward, and the graphics so crude it’s not something I would ever recommend someone try and revisit.
MGS has wretched controls too, and the story, while awful at the time, is intolerable now.
MGS at least isn’t trying to be a behind the back third person shooter.
Well I played this back when it came out in 1999, no idea how it would play these days. I do remember it being a little clunky control-wise but thought it was far more enjoyable from a gameplay perpsective than MGS which was pretty light on gameplay, too heavy on the dialogue/cut-scenes.
So I was talking to a co-worker last night, and we were talking about our PS3’s, and I said I really want a PS2 to try some of these classic games out. Apparently, he has one he was just going to get rid of, since it kinda works (apparently it might be in need of minor repair, as it will only work horizontally or some such). So he’s gonna give it to me! Once I get it I’ll determine how well it works, but do y’all know of any places/chains that repair PS2s, and how cheap/expensive such repairs are?
Thanks!
Given that a refurb PS2 from Gamestop is $49, there’s no sense in fixing it if it doesn’t work right. Consider it a free controller and go pick up a refurb.
Truth… get a used one cheap if you can’t get it to work.
PS1:[ul]Good Stuff:
[li]Alundra - If you ever wanted to play a 2D Legend of Zelda game with more difficult everything, give this a whirl. Avoid the sequel.
[/li][li]Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - the first of the ‘MetroidVania’ Castlevanias, and still my favorite of the bunch. Ok, it’s been mentioned before, but I love this game so damn much.
[/li][li]Oddworld series - Available on steam nowadays. The ‘Abe’ games are precision puzzle platformers in the vein of Another World, Heart of Darkness, and Flashback. Good humor and world building.
[/li][li]Pocket Fighter - Capcom’s super-deformed parody fighter; good for a spectacle, and easy controls.
[/li][li]Spyro the Dragon series - Great exploration/platformers; just play number 3 unless you’re crazy for this sort of thing. I still maintain that Ratchet and Clank is just Spyro with guns… not that that’s a bad thing. The 3 PS1 Spyros were developed by Insomniac… later non-Insomniac Spyros are to be avoided.
[/li]
Niche stuff:
[li]Deception series - action/strategy hybrid where you set traps to defeat invaders to your castle. #1 let you build your castle, which some enjoy, but I prefer #2 and later, which took a more fast paced approach. Has a sequel ‘Trapt’ on the PS2, but I never played that one.
[/li][li]Carnage Heart - Build mechs, and use a tile-based system to program their behavior. Then set them loose in a 3 vs 3 battle against other mechs. Think ‘Gratuitous Mech Battles plus SpaceChem, but on the PS1’.
[/li][li]Trap Gunner - Set traps for your opponent, while trying to disarm theirs. Probably best played in VS mode.
[/li][li]Jumping Flash - First person platformer where you’re a robot rabbit who can jump incredibly high. It’s also a bit silly.
[/li][li]Aquanaut’s Holiday: Exploration based submarine game. Really, exploration is about all there is to do here. And use pings to talk to the fishies. Hasn’t aged well, due to really short draw distance.
[/li][li]Tail of the Sun: A, um, caveman simulator. Also heavily exploration based.
[/li][/ul]
PS2:
[ul]
[li]The good people upthread have already mentioned Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Katamari Damacy, right? Good.
[/li][li]Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance or the Champions of Norrath series - if you’re looking for a non-randomized Diablo-like dungeon crawl.
[/li][li]La Pucelle Tactics if you’re into Strategy RPGs like Disgaea.
[/li][/ul]
Yeah, I’m thinking if it doesn’t work I’ll get a refurb unless I can find a place that can repair it for cheaper. We’ll see. :) So excited.
I played Trapt, but never the earlier Deception games. I’ve been led to understand it’s a pretty direct sequel, just with a name change for the US market. It’s ultimately more interesting than good, but I really like the concept.
Treasures Of The Deep
Totally forgot about this one - it was sort of underwater Tomb Raider where you’re exploring shipwrecks and such. Highly underappreciated. Very awesome game, unique experience.
PS2:
Odin Sphere qt3 thread for the eye candy. The game is ok, not insanely great. But it’s PRETTY…
Persona 3 and Persona 4 as the greatest JRPGs I’ve ever played. The story in Persona 4 is a bit better mainly because it’s not another Save the World story, but is instead a serial murder mystery in a small town (at first…), so it can dispense with the typical Save the World story arcs and cliches. Both games put a lot of story focus on character developments of you and your party, and your day-to-day normal life. (I have not played Persona 3 FES yet; I have a feeling that I will love it more than 4.)
PS1:
Tempest X3 if you don’t know how to run Tempest 2000. It’s the next best thing.
Grandia for introducing the best combat system IMHO of any JRPG in existence. (Tales people will dispute this…)
Vagrant Story
Tactics Ogre
I enjoyed Xenogears, but it has some serious issues.
Not recommended:
Suikoden: I played it at the urgent recommendations of a bunch of people, and it’s one of the worst RPGs I have ever touched. The building the castle, and collecting characters thing is the only redeeming feature. The writing, the combat, the art direction are all atrocious. It boggles my mind that it got a sequel
I was just coming to recommend Vagrant Story! Great game.
I also really liked the Legend of Mana. Had a mixed reception on release, but it really resonated with me. Quite surreal.
Koudelka - Prequel to the Shadow Hearts series. The game feels like a Resident Evil almost, but as a RPG.
Azure Dreams - Rogue-like + Monster breeding + Dating sim.
Hellnight - First person survival horror adventure. Part of the story is based on the 1995 Sarin gas attack of the Tokyo subway. The subway is attacked by a monster and you flee underground and your goal is to get back to the surface while being pursued by the monster. Great atmosphere, very freaky.
Loved Vagrant Story, too. Think I played that one before FF Tactics so it was my first Japanese Tactical RPG. I remember it was pretty short, around 20 hours or so, but very engaging.
Brigandine was another good tactics RPG, though not on the level of FFT. Definitely not one of the very best games for PS, but still pretty enjoyable if you’re a fan of the genre. There was some replayability as you got to choose one of six realms to control. Still have my copy, need to pop it in one of these days and replay it.
Wade 42, I’d forgotten how much fun I had with Spyro the Dragon. I was always slightly embarrassed when caught playing it - so hardcore me! But you reminded my of another very fun game of the same sort - Ape Escape.