Five RPGs to PS2 worth to mention.

My absolute biggest reason to still love and cuddle my PS2 from time to time is the huge amount of awesome RPGs that exclusively came to the console. Sure, the console is nearing its death, and I should probably admit that it's soon time to move onto other consoles. However, before that time comes I can still mention five games I can always look forward to re-play in the coming years. Five games that will never ever get me bored or frustrated. So here they are, in no specific order.

Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in EU)
When I bought my PS2 a demo of Dark Cloud (the first one) came with the machine. I was really taken by some of the stuff, such as town-building and dungeon-crawling, but I didn't give it much thought after playing through the short demo due to some obvious shortcomings. 2 years later the sequal was released, and after reading review after review praising the game I did myself a huge favour and ordered it (although I was very confused as it was called Dark Chronicle in EU, and not simply Dark Cloud 2 as in the US). Long story short; this is a game I've played through about 4 times since 2003, and I'm even planning another playthrough this summer. Sure, the RPG-elements aren't many, except the leveling, dungeon-crawling, and crafting, and many refer it more to as a Action-Adventure game. See it as Sony's answer to Zelda if you want. And for crying out loud, give me Dark Cloud 3!

Rogue Galaxy
After falling in love with Dark Cloud 2 I had a closer look at the developer (Level5), and at the time they were working on another title (which at the time annoyed me that it wasn't Dark Cloud 3). Skip ahead 4 years to 2007, and Rogue Galaxy was released. It share a lot of elements from the Dark Cloud series, with the combat being live action rather than turnbased like most other RPGs. It wasn't as breathtaking as Dark Cloud 2 for me, but still a truly awesome game. The crafting introduced a bit into the game is addictive, and this is another game I can possibly re-play a lot of times without growing bored of it.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Yes I know what you're thinking. "Another Level5-game?". Heh, I don't mean to sound like some advertiser for the developer, but this is another game which just kept me busy for endless of hours and will most likely keep me entertained for years to come. Memorable characters and a silly story keeps you glued to the TV and makes me wonder how the prequals to it was. Either way it was something I truly enjoyed, over and over again.

Tales of Legendia
The "Tales of"-series is huge, and I can even admit this is the first (and only) I've played in it. Sure, the combat may be a bit repetetive and too much button-mashing for some, but the story and crafting was really appealing to me. Not to mention that after you complete the main story you can go through all your partymembers own destiny-quests, which are fun and, often, heartbreaking. Truly awesome game, which leave you wanting for more.

Kingdom Hearts
Myeah, not a true RPG in all forms, but I chose to include it here anyway simply because it's, well, one of the best ever released. It may seem like a kids-game on the surface, but with a emotional and touching story no adult can sit through this gem with dry eyes. With a sequal who was in most parts just as good, the first game took many by storm and is still loved by millions today.

My absolute biggest reason to still love and cuddle my PS2 from time to time is the huge amount of awesome RPGs that exclusively came to the console. Sure, the console is nearing its death, and I should probably admit that it's soon time to move onto other consoles. However, before that time comes I can still mention five games I can always look forward to re-play in the coming years. Five games that will never ever get me bored or frustrated. So here they are, in no specific order.

Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in EU)
When I bought my PS2 a demo of Dark Cloud (the first one) came with the machine. I was really taken by some of the stuff, such as town-building and dungeon-crawling, but I didn't give it much thought after playing through the short demo due to some obvious shortcomings. 2 years later the sequal was released, and after reading review after review praising the game I did myself a huge favour and ordered it (although I was very confused as it was called Dark Chronicle in EU, and not simply Dark Cloud 2 as in the US). Long story short; this is a game I've played through about 4 times since 2003, and I'm even planning another playthrough this summer. Sure, the RPG-elements aren't many, except the leveling, dungeon-crawling, and crafting, and many refer it more to as a Action-Adventure game. See it as Sony's answer to Zelda if you want. And for crying out loud, give me Dark Cloud 3!

Rogue Galaxy
After falling in love with Dark Cloud 2 I had a closer look at the developer (Level5), and at the time they were working on another title (which at the time annoyed me that it wasn't Dark Cloud 3). Skip ahead 4 years to 2007, and Rogue Galaxy was released. It share a lot of elements from the Dark Cloud series, with the combat being live action rather than turnbased like most other RPGs. It wasn't as breathtaking as Dark Cloud 2 for me, but still a truly awesome game. The crafting introduced a bit into the game is addictive, and this is another game I can possibly re-play a lot of times without growing bored of it.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Yes I know what you're thinking. "Another Level5-game?". Heh, I don't mean to sound like some advertiser for the developer, but this is another game which just kept me busy for endless of hours and will most likely keep me entertained for years to come. Memorable characters and a silly story keeps you glued to the TV and makes me wonder how the prequals to it was. Either way it was something I truly enjoyed, over and over again.

Tales of Legendia
The "Tales of"-series is huge, and I can even admit this is the first (and only) I've played in it. Sure, the combat may be a bit repetetive and too much button-mashing for some, but the story and crafting was really appealing to me. Not to mention that after you complete the main story you can go through all your partymembers own destiny-quests, which are fun and, often, heartbreaking. Truly awesome game, which leave you wanting for more.

Kingdom Hearts
Myeah, not a true RPG in all forms, but I chose to include it here anyway simply because it's, well, one of the best ever released. It may seem like a kids-game on the surface, but with a emotional and touching story no adult can sit through this gem with dry eyes. With a sequal who was in most parts just as good, the first game took many by storm and is still loved by millions today.