Can you believe it, a post that is not a list and also something actually new to the collection, in 2025! I’m not a big fan of Kickstarter or pure Piano arrangements but when there is one for Xenosaga I will be there, especially since they managed to both get the license from Bandainamco and collaborate with Procyon studio, not only to include that original Episode I soundtrack (I love that you can still get it new)!
As for the items, I backed at the second highest tier to get them all and it includes the newly arranged songs on two vinyls, the same on CD plus a bonus disc with Jazz arrangements, the mentioned Episode I OST, a piano score book if you want to play it yourself, a few art prints including the signed one, and best of all the mystery box containing:
A music box that plays the ending theme Kokoro! Such a great item and the best sounding music box I own for sure. The envelope has the notes for the music box. As if that wasn’t enough, this was included as a bonus:
Their previous work in the same style for Chrono Cross, again two vinyls and a piano score book! Amazing! Sadly I haven’t had/taken the time to listen to it all yet but I do look forward to it soon and might update with impressions. As for the items themselves I am very happy even if it did take a year longer than expected as with every Kickstarter project, haha.
I will add them all separately to the main list and I do have another big post that I should post soon… If nothing else we are already closing in on the next list!
We are finally here, every English PS2 game is beaten AND ranked, bring out the cake and send flowers! It took a few years longer than I expected but it got done, over 20 years later! While I would say SNES is my favorite console PS2 has the strongest library, thanks to Xenosaga alone but also outside of RPGs, so many great games in every genre. It was harder than expected to rank them all and all the shorter action RPGs near the bottom drew the short straw for sure, I want to say that a lot of them are great, just not compared to the very strong top half of the list. After writing this I compared it to an older list I have and the fact that most games stayed in the same positions makes me think this is a pretty final list, some jumps around depending on mood but still a solid list!
From best to worst here it is, my top 160 (one unnumbered) PS2 RPGs:
(2024-12-30 Fixed formatting, AGAIN)
#1 Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra
No surprise of course, 18 years later and no game have even attempted to surpass it yet. I will keep it short for this list but it is the game that forever would change and influence me, what I do and what I believe in. The best soundtrack, the best graphics, the best level design, best puzzles, best story, best characters, best this, best that… Yeah, yeah, keep it short I am an obsessed fan but still, it is a miracle how they pulled this game of, tied up the story and mastered the PS2 hardware on a better level than even Squaresoft or Sony themselves.
#2 Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
The black sheep for sure and the voice changes in the US version were painful, the new character models didn’t work for some characters and had mixed quality depending on scenes. We could also mention some awful unfitting music tracks by Shinji Hosoe. With that said, the new battle system is amazing and fast once you understand it, Yuki Kajiuras part of the soundtrack blows both Shinji Hosoes tracks away and even outclasses Yasunori Mitsuda (!). It is clear some parts got cut and mixed up in the story too but the good parts again outweighs the less good by far. The first and last hour of the game is enough for me to have it not just as number 2 on this list but number 2 on my main list as well.
#3 Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille Zur Macht
Coming from Xenogears, seeing the Zohar in the intro was love at first sight! The amount and quality of the cutscenes where unbelievable for its time, and they still kinda are. Most of all it has the best voice actors and best voice direction of any game to this day. You can point to Last of Us or something modern if you want but I will choose Crispin Freeman as Albedo/Gaignun, Lia Sargent as Shion and Bridget Hoffman as KOS-MOS any and every day.
#4 Suikoden III
The very reason why I bought a PS2 and the reason I had to mod it since I live in the PAL territory. I love everything about it, the legendary intro, the multiple main characters and their viewpoints including the antagonists. And of course the castle and the bigger scope of the Suikoden world we finally get to see a glimpse of.
#5 Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
“This is no mere mage” I prefer the first game but this does a great job of building upon it in surprising ways. The most complicated battle system on PS2 (but really fun), the second best cutscenes, second best graphic overall, amazing music and dungeons, the game has it all!
#6 .hack//G.U. vol. 1//Rebirth
I see him in my dreams, Azure Kite and his soulless stare. The intro cutscene and the music is enough for me to put it this high but I only put the GU games this high when viewed as one complete game.
#7 .hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption
So many upgrades from the original .Hack series but still a lot of repetition. The music is the strongest part of the series but the cutscenes look so good and really keeps you interested even when the story is silly.
#8 .hack//G.U. vol. 2//Reminisce
Piros-Piros-Piros the third! I hate the final boss so much.
#9 Shadow Hearts: Covenant
I replayed it a few years ago and I still can’t put my finger on it, it just is a really good game on all fronts and of course benefits from having played the first. The darker tone, the Ring battle system, characters and graphics all adds up to a top 10 placement.
#10 Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
This was also replayed “recently” the soundtrack would be enough to earn it this spot but the unique world and fun battles helps too.
#11 Suikoden V
I was a bit disappointed when this released, horrible loading times and the environments felt so empty and zoomed out compared to 3 and 4. BUT after replaying it with some new game+ bonuses I moved it up a lot on the list. I always loved the characters and their art and the duel battles in this game are amazing!
#12 Tales of Legendia
The black sheep of the series and I was very skeptical when I first started it. Go shiinas amazing soundtrack was enough to win me over and the true ending added a lot for me, a lot of people seem to miss it and leave without seeing the coolest part of the game!
#13 Tales of the Abyss
I really need to replay this, I have no idea if it actually deserves such a high spot but I hope and think so.
#14 Shining Force Neo
This should be a surprise for most, a hated game for fans of the series and an unknown game for others. Doing 100% in this game is one of my bigger feats, there is so much to do and level up, and it is one of few games where you can fight 100 monsters at a time and do millions of damage per hit in glorious 5fps, raising it with every enemy killed. Seriously, it needs to be experienced on original hardware, so satisfying!
#15 Suikoden IV
A lot of people dislike it but I love it, the main story or at least the villains are very weak but getting the stars together is as fun as ever and so is the strategy battles. Also, having the context of Suikoden Tactics really helps to expand the story.
#16 Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Pure joy, the graphics makes me happy, the music makes me happy, enemies, characters, it is just such a fun little adventure with great battles and fun ways to traverse. Not to forget the synthesis system of course!
#17 Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
This needs a replay but I remember it to be more or less the same as the first game.
#18 Dark Chronicles
I would love to replay this too but it is just too long for that. Why have so few games to this day included the town building, LOVE it, dungeons might be a bit boring and repetitive but the fights, building weapons etc. are great enough to make up for it.
#19 Radiata Stories
The biggest cast of characters in any RPG, one of the biggest and most cozy towns, so nice to look at, great battles, two completely different routes through the story. And most important, you can kick on everything and everyone!
#20 Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica
I’m not sure I want to replay this, suggestive themes the game, haha. But the soundtrack once again earns it a high place and the world and battles should be as great as the first game.
#21 Grandia 3
It is sad so few have played this, the usual amazing Grandia battles and late awesome PS2 graphics. Aside from the intro I don’t remember much of the story though.
#22 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Pure magic! The first I played in the series and still the second best after XI.
#23 .hack//Outbreak Part 3
As individual games they are not very strong but as the multimedia phenomenon they are and as a whole they have a big place in my heart and the closest I ever gotten to MMO RPGs. I think they did a great job simulating it all!
#24 .hack//Quarantine Part 4
More of the same!
#25 .hack//Infection Part 1
More of the same, well, the start of the same, lots of overlap with Xenosaga voices in this series which of course helped me like it.
#26 .hack//Mutation Part 2
More of the same!
#27 Final Fantasy X
The first game I beat on PS2 and the start of this great journey! Not my favorite in the series but the combat is by far the best, true turn based with very informed and vital decisions every turn. I still hope to defeat the dark aeons one day!
#28 Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
My first YS and still one of the favorites, fast paced action with great music, all you need!
#29 Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis
Just like Atelier Iris, pure joy hearing and seeing the game, more or less the same game too.
#30 Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy
Just like Atelier Iris, pure joy hearing and seeing the game, more or less the same game too.
#31 Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm
Weaker than the others because of the world structure but music, battles, synthesis are still strong.
#32 Disgaea
This was such a unique and funny game when it released, unlike anything I had ever played and in an era where I thought RPGs had to be serious. The amount of unique ideas and systems in this was staggering! The enemy, inside of me still lives.
#33 Drakengard
It is very hard to place this on a list, playing it is mostly a chore but even that is part of the genius or mad Yoko Taro ideas. The soundtrack is also terrible and repetitive but the absolutely crazy ideas speaks to me and can shift it up the list drastically depending on mood.
#34 Magna Carta
Just like Drakengard, mostly a pain to play in a lot of ways BUT the last few hours forces you to understand the battles and once I did I have never felt so strong in any game before, it was an amazing feeling and I can now see the flow of Chi!
#35 Wild Arms 3
Second best in the series, the shift to 3D went really well and keeps everything that made the first game so great.
#36 Shadow Hearts
Another one I would love to replay, but I still remember it good enough to put high on the list!
#37 Shadow Hearts 3
This felt so different and off from the first two games but once you look past that it is also a great and sadly final game of the series.
#38 Rouge Galaxy
More late PS2 goodness!
#39 Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice
I will repeat it a lot buuut another one I would love to replay! A main character with scythe as weapon goes a long way to impress me, hehe.
#40 Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness
Very hard for me to say what happens in 2 or 3 since I played them once about 17 years ago and right after each other.
#41 Growlanser: Heritage of War
After beating 2 and 3 I was there on release for this one!
#42 Wild Arms: Alter Code F
A worse version of the first game but still good!
#43 Kingdom Hearts
I think the first game was the highlight after all, before things got out of hand and repeated over and over. It has a lot of problems for sure and playing the HD version solves a lot of them at least (better camera, skip-able cutscenes).
#44 Kingdom Hearts 2
The series both find its own identity and loses it with this game, still a great game and again the HD versions is a better way to play today.
#45 Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
This is a title of mixed feelings, it is STAR OCEAN but some of the characters, the worst plot twist of all time and being the first game ever to have TROPHIES brings it down quite a bit…
#46 Odin Sphere
Ah, what a magical and unique game, still looking forward to play the remaster and see if it holds up.
#47 Final Fantasy XII
I really love the world and parts of the story but it just doesn’t go anywhere interesting for me. This was the first game I played that had something that looked like an open world in 3D and I was both confused and intrigued about it. I Beat it in 29 hours, haha.
#48 Legaia 2: Duel Saga
A lot of people love the first game and call it a hidden gem etc. but for me the second game is a big improvement in every way! A shame so few have played it.
#49 Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Maybe the most RPG of all Castlevania games, at least the focus on story makes it feel like it and having Crispin Freeman do the voice for the main character is a big bonus too!
#50 Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Just all around cozy RPG, Seeing the story from multiple characters’ sides is always a big plus for me!
#51 Shining Force Exa
It has the same style and basic structure of Neo but it just didn’t do it as well sadly.
#52 Wild Arms 5
I saved this for the second last game and was glad that I did, a shame that a series of only good to great games still died.
#53 Grandia II
Great but a bit overrated, I much prefer both 1 and 2.
#54 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
This might be my favorite SMT game overall, a lot more story focus instead of pokemon collecting. Continues the story right where 1 left of and improves some the mechanics etc.
#55 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1
Actual dungeons with level design and Xenosaga voice actors helps a lot, hehe.
#56 Suikoden Tactics
I remember this as quite a hard game but the story really helped Suikoden IV and they elevate each other in a great way.
#57 Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
It is the black sheep of the series, it killed the series and it should just have skipped the Breath of Fire title. BUT I do like it in all its oddness, a very very stressful game with replay value that expands the story the better you did while playing it the first time.
#58 Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
This might have the best actual story in the whole series but all you ever need is the first one.
#59 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King
Wow, these two were one of the biggest positive surprises in the whole library, combining SMT with action worked surprisingly well and most of all it has good dungeons, amazing prerendered backgrounds and a decent story.
#60 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army
The combat is a bit too basic in this but the second improved it a lot.
#61 Stella Deus
I had heard good things about this from reliable sources, and they were correct! A very solid strategy game with a very unique art style.
#62 Tsugunai: Atonement
Another nice surprise, really nice looking for early PS2, music by Yasunori Mitsuda and unique battles that you have to master if you want to beat it.
#63 Shining Tears
One controller controlling two characters at once before Brothers did it, hehe. Even before this game did it I always wished someone would make a game like that! You can also play co-op with two controllers and both ways are fun in this Action RPG.
#(I forgot this one) Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifers call
Also known as Nocturne or SMT III. The switch to 3D worked well for the series since it was already emulating it on the SNES and the dungeons benefited a lot! Some hard bosses for sure but I was prepared for even worse seeing how it often tops “hardest RPG” lists.
#64 Persona 4
Tied with Persona 3 the longest game in the library and the length is what holds it back the most. It is a great game, about 40 hours, the other 82 is just boring and slow. The list feels a bit off putting them next to each other because I think 4 is way better, especially dungeons and battles.
#65 Persona 3
Tied with Persona 4 the longest game in the library and the length is what holds it back the most. It is a great game, about 40 hours, the other 82 is just boring and slow. Having ONE dungeon in such a long game is just awful and the combat is quite bad as well. The town etc. looks great and it is fun getting to know the villagers more but the process is just too slow.
#66 Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome
More or less another Disgaea but with some more odd and fun mechanics as well as Crispin Freeman as a main character book. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yoko Taro played this before coming up with Weiss, hehe.
#67 Wild Arms 4
I remember nothing of the story which might be a bad sign but combat was great and it is a Wild Arms even if the weakest one.
#68 The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
This is the one good game based on The Lord of the Rings and mostly because they borrowed the Final Fantasy X battle system and made a unique party and story instead of copying a book or movie.
#69 Dark Cloud
It really is a prototype for Dark Chronicle/ Cloud 2, still great of course.
#70 Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
This was yet another nice take on the “Disgaea style” of strategy RPGs Jumping between serious and silly scenes constantly.
#71 Metal Saga
This might deserve a higher ranking just because the crazy things you do and fight in this open world. Great game but not much of a main story. It has a crab using a whole apartment complex as a shell, buy it now!!
#72 Final Fantasy X-2
Such a mixed bag of… sidequests. It has the highest encounter rate on the system and a terrible story but the pure fun of the combat is enough to land it in the top half of the list.
#73 Front Mission 4
Not as strong as 3 but the split scenarios and seeing the same war from different parties and fighting for the same side (kinda) but never really interacting much was really interesting.
#74 Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask
This was another positive surprise, had no expectations but was so happy to see another game in the colorful pre rendered Tales of style. Battles get a bit slow and the story is probably more fun for a fan but you can play it without any prior knowledge for sure.
#75 King’s Field: The Ancient City
Best in the series and it has been so fun to finally play everything leading up to modern “Souls” games.
#76 MS Saga: A New Dawn
My first contact with Gundam and it was a positive one even if the memories are hazy now. The “Tetris” inventory was great and my first time seeing one of those too.
#77 Phantasy Star Universe
The sci-fi PS2 setting kinda reminds me of Xenosaga but the odd mix between an online game and a classic RPG holds it back a lot.
#78 Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
Same as the first game, they don’t really know what they want to be.
#79 Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land
Best in this series for sure, at least from what I have played. The dungeons have some real design and there are so many NPCs running around on their own adventures. Their art is also great and the side quests adds something more to do than just reach the final floor. Less randomness too even if it is still there in combat.
#80 Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
A superior way to play Chain of Memories but still pretty weak compared to the main titles.
#81 Romancing SaGa
Sooo many interesting ideas held back by just as many bad systems and design choices.
#82 La Pucelle Tactics
More “Disgaea style” strategy, you know what you get, this time with religion as the story focus.
#83 Musashi: Samurai Legend
One of the first PS2 games I played, liked it then, might not be the best today…
#84 Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II
Okay, this is the start of the good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block, I’m just going to copy the same text for them all. I do like them and they are fun for 10 hours or even better if you can play co-op with a friend but they don’t leave much of an impression in those 10 hours compared to all the 40+ hours story focused RPGs.
#85 Champions: Return to Arms
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#86 Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#87 Champions of Norrath
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#88 Yazuka 2
Every Yakuza game is a small improvement until it reaches greatness in the latest titles. Barely RPGs at this stage but you do have levels, story focus and side quests etc. all the usual tells.
#89 Yakuza
I was not a fan of this and never expected to play more than the first two to complete this challenge but I am glad that a friend convinced me to continue and gave me half the series as a gift!!
#90 Megaman Command Mission
A Megaman turn based RPG and it’s actually good! Quite a surprise and I rather play it over the Legends games even.
#91 Grandia Xtreme
This might be the biggest disappointment on the whole list, battles are fantastic as in all Grandia games but it is just a simple dungeon crawler with very little story…
#92 Full Metal Alchemist
A decent action RPG but it is probably best to watch the anime first to enjoy it.
#93 Full Metal Alchemist 2
More of the first game, some improvements, some downgrades.
#94 Phantom Brave
Yet another “Disgaea Style” strategy RPG, one of the weaker but still fun.
#95 Gladius
Hm, I think I like this more now that it is beaten, haha. Strategy RPG where you travel around the world to earn enough reputation to fight in the big arena, some battles are really fun, some are a real pain.
#96 Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
More action than RPG but I count it, the most interesting part that I wish more games did is the limited amount of encounters. There is only 100 enemies in the game and when they are dead, they stay dead.
#97 Sakura Wars: so Long my love
Not an RPG but a great visual novel with amazing strategy battles. The people behind 13 Sentinels played this for sure! Amazing uncompressed anime cut scenes makes it the biggest PS2 game size wise.
#98 X-Men Legends
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. I play as Wolverine whenever he is available in these.
#99 X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#100 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#101 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#102 Justice League Heroes
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#103 Ephemeral Fantasia
I love this game, its time loop system/story and massive town, in theory. Playing it is a pain and I would never have made it without a guide.
#104 Dawn of Mana
Okay, THIS was the biggest disappointment on PS2. When I first saw the trailers of rabites in 3D I thought it couldn’t fail but boy was I wrong. Odd systems that reset your level between stages, more or less no story and boring world structure (stages) really destroyed the game and the Mana name.
#105 Chaos Wars
What a weird game, mixing characters from different series including Shadow Hearts(!) It’s playable but everyone will just remember it for the worst English voice dub ever. It is the worst but you have the option of Japanese at least.
#106 Eternal Poison
This started out great and interesting and has a lot of replay value/different endings but I just lost all interest after a while and had no motivation for more than one ending.
#107 The Bard’s Tale
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. Filled with humor but I felt like I was 15 years too late to enjoy it.
#108 Jade Cocoon 2
A big step up from the first game and Pokemon could learn a thing or two from how this game handles monsters in combat, a really good rotation system!
#109 Summoner
A really ambitious early PS2 title with some of the biggest environments on the console. It is decent enough.
#110 Summoner 2
Another case where it is hard to separate what happens in the first or second game.
#111 Eternal Ring
Elden Ring 0.1? Quite short and more or less a Kingsfield with more focus on magic. I liked it.
#112 Forever Kingdom
Evergrace II in Japan. Very different and very similar to the first game, mostly improvements but only a true FromSoftware fan would bother with this mess.
#113 Evergrace
Only a true FromSoftware fan would bother with this mess and of course, the legendary soundtrack, listen to “Buying Goods At Palmira” to get a good taste of it.
#114 Drakengard 2
A better GAME than Drakengard, but without Yoko Taro involved the story is just not that crazy or interesting.
#115 Drakan
Budget version of Drakengard? It is decent but not very memorable.
#116 Baroque
“Don’t go crazy, don’t go crazy, don’t go crazy” Another game with more interesting ideas than gameplay. Dungeon crawler that is unlikely to be beaten without a guide, or going crazy.
#117 Puzzle Quest
A great and unexpected combo of RPG and classic match three puzzles. It just works somehow.
#118 Grim Grimoire
Not RPG at all, fun RTS from Vanillaware though.
#119 Okage: Shadow King
Hm, the style and characters are more charming than playing it, decent but eh.
#120 Steambot Chronicle
Another minor disappointment, it seemed interesting beforehand but at this point I have mostly forgotten it.
#121 Digimon World Data Squad
In the end, the most playable of the old Digimom RPGs? I would still stay away, haha.
#122 Monster Lab
A lot of mini games and probably better to play on Wii.
#123 The Sword of Etheria
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. Or barely RPG in this case, the US never got it either but there was a planned version.
#124 Knights of the Temple II
Another PAL exclusive game, and another in the good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#125 Chaos Legion
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#126 Legion: The Legend of Excalibur
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#127 Trapt
At this point in the Deception series it would be very hard to argue that this is a RPG… But it is still very fun to kill unsuspecting NPCs in unexpected ways. Or just stick to the traps that works over and over, hehe.
#128 Warriors of Might and Magic
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. Not to be confused with the PS1 title with the same name.
#129 Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#130 Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. My only Fallout game, not well received by fans but I had some fun with it.
#131 Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#132 Dual Hearts
Another imposter, not really RPG at all, a general action game where you can power up a bit, I did not and hated the final boss so much.
#133 Digimon World 4
This time they tried Action RPG, placing it in: Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#134 Graffiti kingdom
A big upgrade from Pengel but still more fun in theory, drawing your own character and make silly shapes to run around as.
#135 Deus Ex
It started awful but I actually warmed up to it a bit, western RPGs, humbug.
#136 Swashbucklers
This is one unknown game, I would say it is a more modern version of the Uncharted Waters games on SNES. You sail around and trade wares to get bigger and better ships or just steal from others. It feels like it has both zero and a lot of budget at the same time with pretty nice graphics and THREE different types of combat.
#137 The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon
Dungeon crawler, not good, not bad, just dungeon crawler and a true classic in the Namco library.
#138 Shifters
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block. Part of the Might and Magic world.
#139 Genji
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#140 The Legend of Alon D’ar
Early, western style RPG, it is playable but not much more.
#141 River King: A Wonderful Journey
Fishing RPG! It has a lot of potential but both the translation and original material has too little/bad dialogue, I would love to speak more to the NPCs while going around fishing for bigger and bigger fish.
#142 Crimson Tears
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#143 Virtua Quest
Good/decent/fun but not amazing Action RPG block.
#144 Dokapon Kingdom
It is far down the list but with a friend or two this Boardgame RPG could be fun for sure and I didn’t mind it alone either.
#145 Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragonbone Staff
Another none RPG sneaking its way in. I’m not sure what to say about it, you have a random generated map and want to find the treasure by getting more and more clues from defeating and recruiting enemies in turn based battles. It was surprisingly fun and worth taking a look at for old Heroes fans.
#146 Eternal Quest
An eternal stream of odd techno music is what you get in this dungeon crawler.
#147 Colosseum: Road to Freedom
I thank the stars I could get the alternative ending and end the game early. such a boring repetitive game about fighting in arenas over and over.
#148 Magic Pengel Quest for Color
Cool idea, terrible game, draw your silly character and spend the whole game in the same 10 screens.
#149 ChoroQ
You are a car, not a charming or cool or anything car, just a car that races for new parts to race for more parts.
#150 RPG Maker II
I can’t believe how basic and boring this pre-built game is, terrible marketing for what you can do in the engine.
#151 RPG Maker 3
I can’t believe how basic and boring this pre-built game is, terrible marketing for what you can do in the engine.
#152 Future Tactics
Barely RPG and overall terrible, a bit fun to destroy environments and it made me think of Worms.
#153 Duel Masters
Card battling game with rock-paper-scissors rules, it’s a game.
#154 Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
When I played this I had no expectations and was still disappointed. If I had known how good the rest of the series is I would have cried seeing this. Some kind of odd mission based system that is just sad and killed the amazing series.
#155 Robot Warlords
Don’t play it, seriously, don’t do it!
#156 Falling Stars
Okay now we are in the true trash bin of PS2 RPGs, this game would be the worst one if it was longer than 5 hours. 2,5 of those hours are loading times (not joking) and the other 2,5 are mini games and very simple battles all taking place in a very limited area. I do feel a bit bad, I’m sure this was done by some new studio and just a few people who got the chance to make an actual PS2 RPG but lacked a lot in time and skills.
#157 Unlimited SaGa
WHAT! Not last place, the most hated RPG on the system and for good reason. I played this 20 years ago, got to the final boss and gave up saying this would be the last thing I would want to play, and it was the last thing I played, on this challenge and list at least. The main problem is the vague systems upon systems upon systems, even for fans of SaGa this comes off as confusing. And of course the other big factor “it looks like a board game” you explore on very simple maps with even simpler graphics. A shame since there is so much good art for some locations, monsters and characters. I got to the final boss pretty fast this time but beating it is at least 70% of the game, it is a massive spike that forces you to at least understand some things about the game. The deed is done, revenge is mine.
#158 Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse
This game is purgatory/limbo, not good, not bad, just stuck in the same loop forever. if you play this for 30 minutes you will have seen everything there is to see, the next 40+ hours and the rest of the game is just the exact same thing over and over but with bigger numbers. Truly an unfinished game where you just play a combat demo for far too long.
#159 Monster Hunter
Is this the biggest surprise on the list? Probably, seeing as this is a very popular series today. I would say it’s not a RPG to begin with but oh well. It might not be the worst game on the list but it is the one that tried my patience the most, the one I would skip if I had to do it all again and the one I just hate the most. It is another game with systems you would want to know before going in and there is so much repetition stupid timed battles and randomness not to mention it is not at all balanced to play alone offline. The environments and monsters do look great until you have seen them all 20 times. Terrible control scheme is worth mentioning too. UGH.
That is that! Let me know if you think I forgot something, or if you don’t agree with the list, feel free to send me your own, haha. I’m off to play some modern games before getting back to the rest of the SNES library!
Farewell for now PS2, see you in replays and fan translations!
I keep complaining that blogs are dying without adding any posts myself… I should have plenty to write about but as usual I keep getting distracted, gah. This will be a mix of random updates and items.
First up we have to mention the 15th anniversary of Xenosaga III 15 years! Didn’t I just make the 10th Year post? Oh well, playing the game once again was just as great and painful as usual… There has been a lot of great and amazing games in the past five years and I actually thought that this might finally start to show its age just a little, but of course, it only cemented the game as number one once again, other games and developers still has a lot to learn from the end of this Saga!
That was a great start to my summer and it was followed by my first family trip in years and years! Sadly my sister was not part of it thanks to miscommunication but I truly hope we can make another trip with her included next year! My brother has yet to send me pictures from the trip but let’s just say that it was filled of amazing nature and my first climbed mountain. Standing on a summit, seeing miles and miles in all directions and feeling the strongest wind you have ever felt was truly an experience! I only have one picture myself, quite a nice view from the place we stayed at that night but nothing compared to the mountain.
The rest of the summer just went by with plans almost daily, not as much gaming as expected.
The game collection is more or less on hold at the moment but this expensive and nice addition arrived earlier! Bought it for the Lil Cactus plush, haven’t even opened it yet…
The super cute birthday present my sister made me! Haha, love these mini puzzles.Tales of Arise has entered the collection, and beaten games list too, hehe. Truly a great game with all the renewal the series needed! And of course, ALWAYS more Nier soundtracks! This time a set of four vinyls in a nice box, with the 1.22.. versions of the soundtrack.
You might have thought that the last Lego post with 100+ sets was the culmination of it all but NO, my entire year has been consumed with Lego and I am very deep into the hobby at the moment. I have somehow managed to piece together every single one of the old Castle sets, some not in the picture but all of them are here now! What an absolute childhood dream fulfilled! Apparently that was not enough however and I have completed a lot of the space sets as well, not to mention built and bought more and more pieces to my 80s inspired castle town!
If you want to see more I just made a new LEGO category you can click on to the right!
Either way, expect me to be stuck in this next year too…
At least we have the absolutely splendid looking Welltal ID to add to the Xeno collection next year!!
As you might expect my gaming schedule has also taken a hit from all the Lego but I ‘m still doing my best to get through all the SNES; PS1 and PS2 RPGs. Don’t worry the yearly list will still be impressive and include at least a few new titles too like Metroid Dread.
Believe it or not, somehow ten years have passed since Xenosaga III was
released in Japan on the sixth day of the seventh month 2006.
Of course it would take another 14 days before I actually got the game,
or god materialized as I called it back then.
It was actually my first japanese game and a relative helped me to
import it through Playasia. I am eternally grateful.
The US version had not gotten a release date yet by then and seeing
how most RPGs took 6-12 months to get an english version on the PS2
it was a huge surprise that we only had to wait two months
with Xenosaga III. Still, I couldn’t help but to play the
japanese version, at least try it for a bit, I still can’t believe
how magical that one moment was and still is to this day.
Part of the story is of course that I still lived with my parents,
had my first job and spent all the money earned on preparation for Xeno,
I remodeled my room to be worthy of this godly game, I hid away
everything unnecessary and distracting behind black cloth, in fact I
covered every inch of the room in black, all that was left in the end
was the newly bought bed, newly bought receiver and speakers,
and of course the newly bought projector and screen!
Everything had to be perfect and working, I also bought an extra PS2,
extra copy of the game, isolated the room from sound, and when it was
time for the actual US release, I also bought food supplies for a week and
isolated myself completely. Yes all of this was of course extreme,
in the room next door my brother also played the game on his ordinary CRT
and without isolating himself and spending thousands of dollars on
the one game… At least it gives some hint at my passion or maybe
madness when it comes to Episode III.
While I wish that I had some big announcement, have found some
spectacular rare item or finally written something deeper about
the game, I have not. I had ten years to prepare for this day
but all I can say is happy anniversary!
I will at least enjoy it in the very same fashion as ten years ago, well maybe
not as extreme but I still use most of the equipment from back then: