This was just a little something I thought of. The NDS and the PSP are coming to their ends. The 3DS and VITA are currently dominating the handheld scene, and I will eventually get those 2 when their prices drop to reasonable levels. And when that happens, the PSP and NDS are going to just collect dust in my cupboard until the end of time. I will do a post about the best games on PSP and NDS when that time comes, but for now, something from the past....
Yes, the long lost PS2! The PS2 is already freaking dead for quite awhile now, but here I am doing a post about the best 5 games it had TO ME. I have not played EVERY PS2 game so don't expect me to share the same thoughts as some of you guys. Just a little reflection on how bad ass the PS2 was as a console. I present....
The best of PS2!.......
TO ME!
Name: Jak 3
From: Naughty dog
To the guys who are doing the Uncharted series right now, you are freaking awesome. The Jak series was one of my FAVORITES during the PS2 era. It was actually the first free roaming/open world series I ever dived into, and it was fun as hell. Back as a kid I didn't enjoy GTA as it was far too boring and realistic for me (it still is in my opinion), so I kind of went to Jak.
Jak 3 however, the last game of the series, was my favorite. It was the game in which Jak has the most tools, utilities and powers to make the game ever so interesting. The introduction of light mode was incredibly cool, and journeys to the tombs provided great puzzle and intrigue. The combat was also much better. Jak has way more guns than he did in Jak 2, and there was even a "racing" side activity where you get to use cars and roam around the desert.
Lets not forget everything Jak was known for. The story was at its climax, and there was A LOT to like. The characters we all know from Jak 2, and the now beaten up haven city.....Jak 3 was an amazing game. Lets not forget, beating up security guards was still as fun as it was in Jak 2.
Name: Odin sphere
From: Vanillaware
Just so you know, I am a die hard Vanillaware fan, and I have only played a grand total of ONE of their games. And guess what, that game is Odin sphere. Not only was it immensely beautiful in terms of its visuals and sprites, it had one of the best stories I had ever brought myself to. It also re-lit my love for side scrolling games since the Megaman era, and though this played nothing like Megaman, I enjoyed every minute of the game.
You star as a little girl who reads through 5 books, all of which explaining a different chapter of the Odin sphere story. As the girl reads each book, you play as one of 5 major important characters to the storyline, each and every one with their interesting story and experience. The combat was fun and challenging, dieing was a common thing in the game. Bosses and big monsters confront you every level, making the game a thrilling experience.
But of course, the best part of Odin sphere, the story and characters. There was so much going on that was so interesting I'm surprised that my head didn't go into an infinite spasm. There were many things that Odin sphere had going (cooking, upgrades and much more), and it didn't disappoint me one bit. I am SO looking forward to Dragon's crown.
Name: Shin Megami Tensei:Persona 3
From:Atlus
As you all should probably know now I am an Atlus fanboy. More importantly, a Persona fanboy. I freaking LOVE the persona series. I played 3, 4 and the remake for the 1st game on the PSP....and P3P. 3 and 4 were my absolute favorites, and now, lets talk about persona 3.
Persona 3 was the game to lead me into the world of Shin Megami Tensei. Persona 3 was the first dating sims game I played....and it included RPG elements, dungeon crawling AND an awesome story. The characters were likable (though I much prefer persona 4's cast), the story settings were great, and there was just lots to love. Being the chosen wielders of the personas to be able to fight shadows that appear in the hidden hour of the day where no normal humans can see? F**k yeah.
The battle system was fun, fusing personas to get new abilities was fun, dating girls and getting dumped by others was fun. THERES SO MUCH FUN IN THIS GAME! The only real issue was the repetitive dungeon and the poor ai. Good thing you get to fix the ai to direct control in the PSP port. All in all, it was an awesome game that drew me to an awesome franchise.
Name: Kingdom Hearts II
From: Square Enix
To many people, Square died when it transitioned from Square Soft, to Square Enix. While Square soft made more solid Final fantasy games, Square Enix brought my one of my PS2 favorites to life, and it was the Kingdom Hearts series. Disney characters plus Final fantasy characters in a game together, what the f**k???? Yeah, suck it up, and like it or not, it was a HUGE success. Kingdom hears was great, but the game I'm covering here is Kingdom Hearts II.
Not all sequels are better, but Kingdom Hearts II improved in almost EVERY way possible. Combat, characters, exploration, gumi ship travel and much much more. The story was great, but in my opinion the first game had a more "epic" story going on...still, it doesn't subtract from the experience at all. Sora now looks like a true teen, not a kid, and that is further shown with his voice and attire. The introductions of nobodies, the return of the heartless and addition of new villains made everything all the more interesting.
My biggest favorite thing about Kingdom Hearts II, is the improved combat. Not only do we get to fight new Nobody type enemies, we get tons of new additions, like form changes, limit breaks, and extended combos! Also, the addition of organization XIII convinced me that there was a bad guy organization out there that was as cool as, if not cooler than, the Akatsuki and the Espada. NOW WHERES KINGDOM HEARTS III!?
Name:Shin Megami Tensei:Persona 4
From:Atlus
Yes yes, you all should know already, this is my hands down favorite PS2 game. As I said I enjoyed Persona 3 to no tomorrow. Take that already amazing game, improve it, give it a better story, better exploration and better characters....you get my favorite PS2 game of all time. And that game is none other than Persona 4.
Persona 4 is the pinnacle of JRPGs. It has everything that a JRPG has, but better. The combat system is further improved from persona 3, with team combos, characters that take the last hit of death for you, and follow up team attacks, there is a lot to like. Fusing of personas remain in tact, and there are even more persona than before. The dungeons are a lot more fun and varied to explore, and unlike Persona 3 where you just climb on and on in tarrterus , you have motivation in persona 4 to revisit old dungeons to kill extra bosses.
The best thing about Persona 4 however, is the change of characters. The crew in Persona 4 is a more realistic and entertaining crew to hang around with. Unlike the more serious party of Persona 3, Persona 4's crew is such that you are having fun with every in game meeting with them. They're such a lovable bunch that you won't ever want the game to stop. Unfortunately, like all awesome games, it has to end.
And that was my top 5 favorite games of PS2, when I get a 3DS or VITA, I'll do a post for the NDS and PSP respectively.
