[IPAndrews]

First I bought a PS2. Then (of course) I bought GTA San Andreas. San Andreas is of course very very good but I'm sort of wasting the hardware by only having one game for it. Problem is though I wonder around the local games stores and I really have no idea what to buy. Does anyone have any suggestions? What are the best games for the PS2?

[Admiral LSD]

The Splinter Cells are good, as is Metal Gear Solid 3.

[neo_hermes]

God of War

[pyro-manic]

ICO. If you can find it. I had to import my copy from Hong Kong or some such place. If you can't find it, give me a shout...

Devil May Cry is excellent as well.

[delta_7890]

Aye, another recommendation for ICO here!  Simply a beautiful game, one of the best ever made in my opinion.  Note: If you're looking for heavy action, this game isn't for you, but do keep an eye on the upcoming "sequel" Shadow of the Colossus.

Other recommendations:

Ace Combat 4 & 5
Armored Core games
Zone of the Enders 1 & 2
Metal Gear Solid series (Two is a bit shaky, but you NEED 1 and 3)

[Admiral LSD]

MGS2 is ok, until the end of the first act. It turns to crap the moment you stop playing as Solid Snake. MGS1 is a definite must-have tho, if you can find it.

[delta_7890]

Yeah, and the first act only lasts..what, an hour?  XD

[Taristin]

a replacement laser for when yours dies.


*is still angry at Sony for that one*

[Admiral LSD]

Originally posted by Raa
a replacement laser for when yours dies.


*is still angry at Sony for that one*

The newer PS2s are far better in that regard than the earlier models. I've had two SCPH-50002s (the ones with the integrated IR receiver and lacking the Firewire port) and the only reason the first one died was due to a problem in what sounded like the mechanisms which physically positions the laser, not the laser itself. On the other hand, I had something like two or three of the original SCPH-30002 models all of which died due to faulty lasers.

Sonys warranty support does suck large amounts of arse though. I bought the new one under Electronics Boutiques 2 year warranty plan and their support was fantastic. When my first machine died I simply took it back to them and they were willing to replace it with a brand new slimline model. The only reason they didn't was because I couldn't demonstrate the fault in-store (typical...).

[aldo_14]

I'd say Pro Evolution Soccer 4, were it not for an immenent sequel.  Um... Vice City is good, too.  I think it's probably different enough to justify buying it as well as SA.

 Colin McRae is pretty neat, too, although it's also on PC.  I'd definately recommend either Burnout 2 or 3; probably 2 because 3 has become a bit EA-ised and can get really annoying at times (but ****ing ace at others).

I quite enjoyed Mercenaries (it's a sort of GTA set in War torn korea game), although I'm not sure it's a triple-A title.  I actually bought it when my Pc was on the blink and, to be honest, haven't nearly touched as much since it was fixed.

I have heard (but not played) that the following games are good; God of War, ICO, Lego Star Wars, Splinter Cell, GT4 (although tempered with some others saying it's tedious and unconvincing), Devil May Cry, and..um... that's all that spring to mind.  Try http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/default_PS2/7, I guess

[Roanoke]

PS2 = XBox's poorer sister

[Admiral LSD]

The market says otherwise

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Roanoke
PS2 = XBox's poorer sister

Who gets laid more often and has all the friends.

[delta_7890]

Originally posted by Roanoke
PS2 = XBox's poorer sister

Hardly.  PS2 has a fair amount of titles exclusive to the system, which totally make it worth the purchase.  And then there's nearly full (read: some games aren't compatible, but so few titles it isn't an impact) backwards compatilbility with the PS1 line-up.  What does X-Box have going for it, exclusively?  Halo?  Ooooooh...

>>;  I do hope this doesn't result in a flame war.

[Nico]

Yeah, but that's when you consider quantity over quality
That said, the Xbox totally lacks real old school RPG, and that really sucks.

[Admiral LSD]

PS2 has both

[Roanoke]

LOL, wasn't being totally serious. But where titles are shared betwen the two consoles, the XBox do tend to be better (as they should be ofcourse).

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Nico
Yeah, but that's when you consider quantity over quality
That said, the Xbox totally lacks real old school RPG, and that really sucks.

Depends on your definition of quality.  I personally can't think of a single exclusive game on either system I actually want; except the games I do want, had PS2-first contractual arrangements, like PES and GTA.

[Nico]

I wanted dead or alive, kung fu chaos, crimson skies, and they were all on xbox, so voila. Sadly, I wanted Valkyrie Profile, Ico and stuff like that too, and since I'm not Cresus, I had to make a choice. Granted, now, there's more games I want that are out on PS2 than Xbox, but I wouldn't buy most of them anyway, so no big deal.

[Scuddie]

Don't listen to PS2 naysayers.  PS2 can take a MUCH bigger bite, but it takes longer to digest than XBOX.  The two can't fairly be compared.  When the PS2 is utilizing its full power, it runs circles around the XBOX.  However, since that is difficult to achieve, XBOX usually does better.

Anyway, three things are of major importance:
Gran Turismo 4.  Best racing sim to date.  Not even Sega GT is as good as this one.
Armored Core: Nexus.  Hard as hell, more challenging than fun, but not so hard that there is no chance to win.
Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 substance, and 3.  MGS2 isn't bad if you don't pay much attention to the whiny little *****, or the flaws in the storyline.