Final Fantasy 10, Dragon Quest 8, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, and Persona; I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that the PlayStation 2 has the best RPG lineup in console history. By my count, the library features more than 150 role-playing games, many of which stand the test of time as entertaining adventures. The sheer volume of content guaranteed that some all-time brilliant PS2 RPGs would slip through the cracks, becoming hidden gems only remembered by a select few.
Pick a game at random, and you will find a solid 7/10 experience, but we want to aim higher for this article. Let’s highlight those true masterpieces that, for one reason or another, aren’t really discussed alongside the console’s ultimate greats. If you have a PS2 lying around and yearn to relive 2005, pick up one of these forgotten RPGs.
Obviously, some folks definitely remember these PS2 games, but they really aren’t mentioned alongside the library’s RPG heavyweights.
Devil Summoner 2 Came Out In The Same Month As Infamous
This RPG Is The True Atlus PS2 Swan Song
- Released in 2009 in North America, nearly 3 years after the PS3’s launch.
Famously, Atlus dropped Persona 4 very late in the PS2’s lifespan, causing it to be regarded as the console’s swan song; however, the publisher actually released another RPG even later down the line, although Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon didn’t and still doesn’t get the same degree of adoration.
As a sequel to an uneven game that mostly flew under the radar, Devil Summoner 2 fought an impossible uphill battle, and very few people had any interest in picking up an obscure action RPG for the PS2 in May 2009. This was the same month that saw the release of Infamous and Sacred 2 on the PS3, along with some of the console’s worst games… for good or ill, the PS2 was very much old news.
Although by no means flawless, Devil Summoner 2 improves widely on the first game, building one of the best and most tactical real-time combat systems of its era. Like Persona, you capture and use demons in battle, and you can summon and command two simultaneously. With 158 demons in the game, the combo possibilities feel almost endless, and the gameplay is quite solid and far less sluggish than the first game.
Even the setting deserves props, as it blends pre-WWII Japan with Western and occult elements. You work as part of a detective agency, taking on fairly fascinating case files. If you enjoy SMT or Persona, give Devil Summoner 2 a try.
I imagine some people might have played Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, which modernizes the first game. While I don’t know if Atlus plans to remaster the sequel, I would still recommend just playing the PS2 version. Even compared to Raidou Remastered, Devil Summoner 2 remains the superior game.
Mana Khemia Has One Of The Best Combat Systems On The PS2
Gust’s Magnum Opus On The Console
- Another late PS2 game, and all of Gust’s RPGs are underrated to an extent.
Gust released roughly 10 JRPGs on the PS2 that fell under the Atelier banner, and none of them were massive global hits. Don’t get me wrong, the core Iris and Gramnad games have their fans, but the franchise didn’t pick up significant momentum until the PS3 era. Still, Atelier is too well-known nowadays for its classics to be described as “forgotten,” but the same cannot be said for its spin-off, Mana Khemia.
Mechanically, the 2007 game represents Gust’s peak on the PS2, and it strips away the mainline entries’ calendar timers and store-management loop in favor of a magic academy setting and school terms. Even with the change in scenery, alchemy perseveres as Mana Khemia‘s heart, with players needing to craft unique items, weapons, and armor using the workshop. Rather than standard battle grinding, progression ties directly into the alchemy system, as crafting equipment unlocks stat nodes and skills.
The turn-based combat features 6-person squads, with three active members at the front and three reserve fighters at the back. While Atelier‘s battle systems tend to be divisive, Mana Khemia kind of nails its variant by encouraging you to constantly swap characters mid-combos, basically eliminating the boring waiting periods found in most old-school turn-based JRPGs.
Valkyrie Profile 2 Is A Brilliant Action RPG That Has Aged Well
Tri-Ace Produced Nothing But Gold On The PS2
- Released just one month before Final Fantasy 12.
While not as high profile as its in-house releases, Square Enix also published tri-Ace’s PS2 games, all of which are kind of incredible and mostly underappreciated. Except for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, the developer’s other titles don’t get the love they deserve, particularly Radiata Stories and Valkyrie Profile 2. I opted to include the latter, but it was really a toss-up between the two.
Action RPGs on the PS2 tend to be tough to revisit, since very few have combat that doesn’t become frustrating or boring after a few hours. For the most part, Valkyrie Profile 2 avoids this fate by incorporating a real-time-and-stop system that lets you survey enemies while standing still, granting an almost turn-based feel. Honestly, it isn’t that far removed from modern Final Fantasy, albeit with a more tactical edge since the game encourages players to strategically target leader enemies to immediately end encounters.
While combat takes place in 3D, exploration shifts to a side-scrolling perspective, turning the game into a platformer. Valkyrie Profile 2 doesn’t use random encounters, instead allowing players to plan out their approach accordingly. I will say, VP2 is quite difficult and has a steep learning curve, and the early stages can be unenjoyable. However, once you get good, the RPG becomes great.
Shadow Tower Abyss Is FromSoftware’s Forgotten PS2 Gem
Love Dark Souls? You Need To Play Shadow Tower Abyss
- FromSoftware before Dark Souls. Japan-only exclusive.
OK, I admitI am somewhat of a FromSoftware fanboy, but like most people, my love affairbegan with Dark Souls. Also, like most folks, I was only slightly familiar with the developer’s pre-PS3 releases, with my exposure limited to just King’s Field and Armored Core. As I sought to consume everything FromSoft had to offer, I went back and tried pretty much all of its games, and Shadow Tower Abyss ended up being my favorite (alongside the Otogi duology).
Now, I’m not going to pretend that Shadow Tower Abyss will strike a chord with everybody, as part of its appeal is how it bridges the gap between King’s Field and Demon’s Souls. Crafting a true dungeon-crawler horror RPG, FromSoftware delivered one of the most brutal PS2 games, both mechanically and systemically. Driven by environmental storytelling, item descriptions, and grotesque enemy designs, STA very much feels like a prototype Souls in the best possible way.
Played from a first-person perspective, the grueling combat requires precise swings or ranged attacks, as you can slash off an enemy’s hand to disarm them or blast their leg to reduce them to a crawl. It’s very Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Although you have guns, ammo is very scarce, so you only turn to the shotgun in true “do-or-die” scenarios. Otherwise, melee action takes precedence, and the game has a pretty good lineup of weapons.
Deus Ex: The Conspiracy Is a Great Port Of A Masterpiece
Compromised Deus Ex Is Still Deus Ex
- Lost in the shadow of the original.
Let’s end things with a special case. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy is the forgotten PS2 port of Ion Storm’s influential PC immersive sim, and it naturally doesn’t fully replicate the magic of the original. If you have the means, you should definitely play Deus Ex over The Conspiracy… but the latter is far from a bad way to experience this seminal release. In fact, it might be one of the most technically impressive conversions in console history, at least up to that point.
The PS2’s limitations meant that Deus Ex‘s fairly large hub areas had to be split into smaller sub-zones with loading screens, which makes The Conspiracy feel a bit less special. The limb damage system also had to be removed, which is definitely a shame. However, the port retains the branching paths, player choices, and deep RPG character building, all things that make Deus Ex what it is. The controls were also tweaked well to suit the DualShock 2, and they work really darn well.
