With the recent announcement of PlayStation 2 Classics being re-released on PlayStation 4 it’s only fitting that we all want our favorite games to make the transition sooner rather than later. The PS2 was home to some of the most innovative and exciting role-playing games the industry has ever seen. Here are five such role-playing games and franchises that should be released as classics.
Xenosaga series
Published by Namco and developed by Monolith Soft, Xenosaga released in 2003 on the PS2 with the plan to release six games in the series. that Namco later cut it down to three due to the massive cost of the first game in the trilogy, which also saw the lead designer removed from the project. Tetsuya Takahashi the creator of Xenosaga dubbed it a spiritual successor to Square Enix’s cult classic Xenogears (also developed by Tetsuya Takahashi), and it touched on a story of machines, religion, and creating cybernetic life. Though the series was successful, the changing of staff throughout the project is apparent through the three games with different voice actors, drastic changes to character designs and game mechanics , as well as changes to the original story that left questions unanswered and some fans frustrated. Xenosaga told a story with themes that most developers won’t even attempt to touch, which made it stand apart from most games. With a unique world, characters, and themes it only seems fitting that an epic space saga – that tells a mature story and moves away from tired fantasy worlds – gets released as a PS2 Classic. It’s a great time to release this trilogy alongside Nintendo’s own Xenoblade Chronicles X which shares the same universe.
.hack series
Published by Bandai and developed by Cyberconnect2 (Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Franchise), .Hack released on the PS2 in full force, with nine games in total, multiple Anime series, and Mangas. The premise of .Hack focused on a single player story taking place in a virtual MMO world where certain people, after dying in the game, would fall into a real life coma. The first four games: .Hack//Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine released in 2002 with each sequel releasing every three months. .Hack//GU released in 2006 as a new trilogy and stuck with the same concept of a single-player story-driven virtual MMO, focusing on a different group of characters after a new outbreak begins to strike the virtual game called "The World". A final game to the .Hack story released on the PSP with a fighting game later on the PS3, though neither one made it outside of Japan. With the great success that Bandai received from the great .Hack project and with the rise of console MMO’s and the rise of the free-to-play model, the current generation of consoles would be a perfect fit for an actual .Hack MMO. But then again an epic seven game HD Remake or PS2 Classic re-release would be very appreciated.
Shadow Hearts series
Though not as old as some franchises, Shadow Hearts quickly became a cult classic. The Shadow Hearts series released on the PS2 and spanned three games published by Midway and XSEED in North America and developed by Sacnoth and Nautilus. Unfortunately the first Shadow Hearts had a poorly timed release window which saw it launching just a month before Final Fantasy X. The direct sequel released two years later, and was a much bigger success thanks to a big push in advertising from Midway. The third and final game in the series which was published by XSEED (due to the demise of Midway) was not as successful, releasing just months before the next gen consoles (Xbox 360, PS3), resulting in the owners of the franchise, Aruze, leaving the game industry. All three games were praised for their great cast of characters, unique blend of humor and unique Judgment Ring combat system. Though a chance of a sequel is all but zero, a re-release as PS2 Classics would give this great franchise the send off it deserves.
Wild Arms
Published by Sony and developed by Media Vision, Wild Arms was released in 1996, but never took off like Sony had hoped. However, it did well enough to spur on the production of seven more games in the franchise. two on PSOne, four on PS2 (including a remake of the first game) and one on the PSP. All seven games took place in the world of Filgaia where adventurers would explore the world with mystical weapons called ARMS, and do battle with other worldly creatures bent on destroying an already dying world. With Sony’s first party studios focusing more and more on action games, a return to Filgaia may just be what Sony needs to show the world that God of War and Uncharted are not all they can do. If Ni no Kuni proved anything, a traditional RPG can still succeed in this day and age. With an already established fan base, Sony can add yet another great exclusive to an already impressive list of first party games.
Dragon Quest VIII
The Dragon Quest franchise is as old as Final Fantasy. Heck, it even surpases Final Fantasy in its country of origin in sales and popularity. The game features a strong cast of characters drawn by acclaimed artist Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z fame, and some of the characters can even be found in the recently released Dragon Quest: Heroes. Although there have been plenty of titles in the franchise, Dragon Quest VIII was the only one to grace PS2. Not only is it regarded as one of the best Dragon Quest titles, it’s also regarded as one of the best PlayStation 2 titles. With Square Enix already re-releasing the title on the Nintendo 3DS, and the mobile version of the game already available for download, it’s only fitting that the game receives a PS2 Classic re-release.
Do you agree with this list? What other great PS2 RPG’s should be re-released as PS2 classics? Let us know in the comments below.