Ps2 Game Dilemma

[Guest chirs3]

Coming off the heels of Jedi Starfighter, The Bouncer, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, and Silent Hill 2, I've noticed all of these can be beaten in one to two rentals, and don't offer much in the way of replay value.

 

Aside from GTA3, what out there is actually worth putting down 50 bucks for?

[Guest Doomsault]

Well since you nixed FFX from the list, try Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. I myself haven't played it, but it seems like a pretty good investment according to many reviews and opinions, and the soon to be released Final Fantasy XI looks like something worth saving up for.

 

Or you could go for extreme replay value and get Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Well, I don't know about 50, but you can get a copy of Oni for 20-30 bucks these days, and that is an absolutely fantastic action game. It involves running around, jumping, kicking things, and oh-my-god what a good dynamic fighting system. From the makers of Marathon and Myth, the reliable and loveable Bungie Software.

[Guest chirs3]

A few I forgot to mention.

 

-- Tony Hawk 3

-- SSX Tricky (which I'm considering buying - 2 rentals kept me thoroughly entertained)

-- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

-- Metal Gear Solid 2

 

Tony didn't excite me much, J&D was incredibly great and incredibly short, and MGS2 was a big letdown.

 

It seems that games nowadays focus more on the initial presentation than the overall life of the game. MGS2 is a perfect example: It "Oohed!" and "Aahed!" and wowed lots of people the first time they played it(I thought it was pretty good, not great), but there was no reason to play through it again.

 

I've heard mixed things about Oni, but seeing as how Hollywood Video's got a very limited selection that I've almost exhausted, I'll check it out.

 

On a side note, Jedi Starfighter: I don't know the first thing about the PS2 or how much can fit on a CD, but would it kill LucasArts to put out a game with more than 15 missions? I've seen quite a few, Star Wars and other, that I didn't buy because it said "Spanning more than 17 missions!", which means it has 18. The story was rushed - it could have spanned 25-30 or more missions EASILY, and offer the option to play as Nimh or Adi (with different objectives for the mission), and you'd have a much better game. Why can't someone make a space-sim EPIC? That takes more than 2 days of casual playing to beat?

 

Or has someone already, and I just missed it?

 

Jedi Starfighter is a fun game, but it's just over too fast.

 

Edit: And Tony Hawk - 9 levels? Come on now. It's the same as above - I'm sure they could have packed more in there.

[Guest redbaron51]

I found Jak and Dexter incredibly short.

 

Sport games are the way to go for PS2.

[Guest Nezbyte]

Tekken Tag is a blast with a buncha pals.

[Guest Renegade]

Virtua Fighter 4, very good in depth fighting game

[Guest Kingpk]

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec and Red Faction are two games I still play frequently and now they're both "Greatest Hits" and cost $19.99. I hear Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is also going to become a "Greatest Hit" and drop to $19.99.

 

So there's 3 pretty good games for $50.

[Guest redbaron51]

I think that Brittney Spears game is worth your money.

 

[Guest Insanityman]

I really enjoyed Red Faction, Tricky, and Tony Hawk. Now granted it's my friend that owns the playstation, oh yeah Bloody Roar (and the obvious GTA 3).

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

You can buy MGS2, just don't buy it until you are finished with GTA3. I made that mistake and only played the game for two days.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

with GTA3 my friend bought it after school, and came in the next day red-eyed, and hes like i beat the game...and the next day came in red-eyed again, and he said i stayed up all night beating it again

 

GTA3 sacrifice sleep for fun

[Guest chirs3]

As soon as I get the cash, I'm buying GTA3.

 

For one, there's a hundred+ missions.

 

Second, free-form NEVER gets old. When I rented it, I went on for hours just jacking cars and running from the cops, and never got bored of it.

 

Anyone else? A game worth OWNING?

[Guest KoR Fungus]

Given the amount that I've played them, I consider TTT, VF4 and MGS2 all to definitely be worth owning. TTT and VF4 are great fighters with infinate replay value if you have decent people to play them against. VF4 is even fun by yourself because of the awesomeness that is Kumite. I love MGS2, it didn't disappoint me at all, and dog tags give it plenty of replay value, imo. I've gone through the game about five times to get most of them, and although I'm probably done with it now, it gave me more than enough gameplay to justify the purchase.

 

GT3, like all the Gran Turismo games, has hundreds of hours of stuff to do, it's worth owning if you don't have the others. I found it kind of boring because it's so similar to GT2, but if you haven't played GT or GT2, it's a must buy. I haven't actually played FF10 yet, but it's supposed to be good and long, so I'd imagine it's probably worth owning too.

 

I also had a lot of fun with SSX and NBA Street. They're not AAA games, but my standards for a game to be worth owning obviously aren't as high as some people's. If a game entertains me for 30 or so hours, I don't have any problem paying for it. Just out of curiosity, what are other people's criterion for determining if a game is worth owning?

[Guest chirs3]

I'll buy a game if:

 

1) It's long. Bare minimum is usually 25-30 hours, meaning Final Fantasy's. I might buy X, but I rented it twice and got almost to the end in that amount of time (not obsessively playing), so I dunno.

 

2) Replayability. This is where it gets tricky. There are some RPG's, where nothing changes after beating, that I can play all day every day. Final Fantasy VI, for example. Beaten it at least 10 times over the course of my life and I'm going through it again.

 

But usually, replayability means having a reason to play again. I don't consider collecting a good reason, so MGS2 (along with its crappy controls and 4397840237 hour movies) and its dog tags are out.

 

I've reevaluated Silent Hill 2, for a few reasons: There are reasons to play through 5 times - I found the endings are DRASTICALLY different. The SH1 endings were almost all the same. Plus, a lot of backstory is available on replays.

 

3) Variety. Some games use this, some don't. The story can be altered or changed as you go through, giving you plenty of reasons to go back - what if person X HADN'T been saved?

 

Variety does NOT include Tony Hawk 3, where 7 skaters have to kickflip a gap and the other 7 have to grind it. I got excited because of the characters having different objectives. Waste o' time.

 

There's no one way to say it, except I want games that I can enjoy playing a second time as much as I did the first, or a game that offers a variety of playing styles (story and freeform - God Bless GTA3!).

 

Ideas:

 

--> Games that aren't Final Fantasy need to be longer.

--> Something that's been lacking greatly, and this goes hand in hand with the above, is a MEMORABLE story. Something truly great. The reason I can play FFVI over and over again is because the characters, the story, the music, it all comes together to put on an unforgettable performance. Games like Silent Hill 2, which is one of my current favorites is a story-heavy game that can be beaten in four hours.

--> Hidden stuff. Not collecting things, like cards in FFIX or dog tags (or do the dog tags unlock more?) In more story-driven games, be able to unlock special scenes or extra scenarios, maybe an extra character to pick up (not play as) later on that alters the story. For non-story driven, I'm not sure. More levels, I suppose.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

Dog tags unlock items, most importantly stealth and bandana. That in itself isn't great, but I enjoyed using those items to beat the game on hard, which I probably couldn't have done without them. It was a nice feeling of accomplishment, finally earning the items and then finally beating the game on hard. That's all moot if you don't like the gameplay, but I loved the gameplay and had no problem with the controls. To each his own.

 

I totally agree with you about FF6. It is *the* template for what a game should look like. The focus on the characters, in particular, is something that has been sorely lacking from almost all games since then. It's so much easier to get into a game if you actually care about the characters.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

eh, i have a short attention span, so i need sports games, or games like tony hawk

[Guest C.H.U.D.]

Hot Shots Golf 3!

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

--> Games that aren't Final Fantasy need to be longer.

They typically are, it's just that those games are still being made for PS2 or aren't on these shores yet. XenoSaga, Star Ocean, and Suikoden are all very promising, whenever the hell they decide to get over here.

[Guest chirs3]

I didn't mean just RPG's, though. ALL games need to be longer.

 

Again, I bring up Silent Hill 2, my current fix. It's got a fan-damn-tastic story, but you can beat it in four-five hours. I'm positive they could've stretched Angela, Eddie, and Laura's roles out more than they did.