Summary
The PS2 was a big upgrade for the brand, boosting power and every other capability. It could go online, had more memory capacity, the ability to play DVDs, and so much more. It dominated the console market during this generation and perhaps one of the reasons why was its contribution to the RPG genre.
Fans ofturn-based JRPGs on the PS2were eating well betweenFinal Fantasy 10,Persona 4,Shadow Hearts: Covenant,Wild Arms 3, and too many others to count. Many of the best have even been immortalized through ports or remasters. There were some great action titles too, so let’s recount those and rank them based on their overall quality.
Not counting the time manipulation or world-crossing events in the current remake trilogy,Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7is still the furthest game chronically in the series. Vincent is tasked with taking down a secret organization birthed from the ashes of Shinra, Deepground. Players can go through linear levels, shooting up soldiers and beasties as they come running.
Players can equip Vincent with gear and tweak his gun, the titular Cerberus, to customize their gameplay experience. It’s not the deepest action RPG on the PS2 but fans remember it fondly for the wild story. Hopefully, it will get an HD update at some point likeCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7did.
Samurai Warriorspremiered on the PS2 in 2004, a spinoff toDynasty Warriorsthat setthe Musou genrein Japan instead of China. It was a hit, needless to say, giving birth to the superiorSamurai Warriors 2a couple of years later.
Besides refined combat and more characters to play with, it had one of the best mini-games on the PS2: Sugoroku. It was likeMonopolywherein players could go around a board and buy property while collecting gold and going into occasional fights. It was a fun multiplayer distraction but make no mistake, the core action was solid too.
.hack//Infectionwas one of the mostambitious games on the PS2. In the span of about a year, Bandai released four games, all connected via save data in this quadrilogy. It was a game within a game, finding players tackling data bugs in an MMO called The World.
Through message boards and emails, players could dive deeper into the lore besides going through dungeons for some hack and slash gameplay. Besides these four games, there were also novels, manga, and anime building the universe which would make way for a sequel trilogy also on the PS2.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Armyis a mouthful but this is one of many spinoffs in theShin Megami Tenseiseries that hit the PS2. Unlike thePersonagames, it’s a bit forgotten along with its direct sequel which is a shame because it tried a lot of interesting concepts. First, players are the titular Raidou, an officer tasked with vanquishing demons in 1930s Tokyo.
Along with a detective, players will go through episodic storylines like an anime. Battles are randomized, and quite frequent, but gameplay is action-based once combat begins. Players can slash or shoot enemies and recruited demons will fight by Raidou’s side. It’s not as tight as other games in the series, but the setting alone makes it worth a play.
Tales of the Abyssis the better of the two gamesthat were released in the West although there were a ton more in Japan. This game starred a trope hero with amnesia, Luke, who went around the world with his party hoping to remember his past.
It’s a fairly cliche story overall, but Luke’s party members help ground his somewhat angsty demeanor. Players could go around a world map or in dungeons, finding monsters in their path and then transitioning into action gameplay. Like other entries, battles could also be played in co-op.
3Odin Sphere
Story Time
Odin Spherewas the last game Vanillawarereleased on the PS2. It was a hodgepodge of various mythologies from folktales to Norse. Players could inhabit a few different characters, running into others to create a cross-narrative. Gameplay was fought in Metroidvania-like connected maps, with action gameplay.
Characters leveled up by eating food grown from plants in stages. The stunning visuals still look good on the PS2, but players interested in the game should check out the remaster,Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, which smoothed out a lot of the game’s odder kinks and did change gameplay quite a bit.
Level-5 started on the PS2and created a trilogy of excellent action JRPGs that helped them move on to bigger projects. Among them,Dark Cloud 2is their standout achievement. Players controlled Max and Monica as they time-traveled through eras, fixing worlds via simulation-like builder mechanics. Players could get materials in dungeons, which were randomized.
Each character played differently and could be swapped on the fly. Monica used magic, swords, and could turn into monsters while Max had a wrench, gun, and could summon a mech. It was a fleshed-out JRPG mechanically, with the cel-shaded visuals that helped it stand the test of time.
Kingdom Hearts 2improved everything that some critics and fans had a problem with in the original game, namely the camera. The story was also more thought out, relying on its original charactersthan the Disney onesalthough they were still there in droves from Mulan to The Beast. Sora’s combat was increased, giving him more moves and spells in battle. He could also transform into various costumes for temporary boosts. The only thing that held it back was the slow opening which fans have come around to over the years especially thanks to the HD version’s improvements.
