We <3 PS2: A Year In Review

Yes, we're called PS3 Fanboy and we also love working with our portable brother/sister site, PSP Fanboy, but as siblings we can't ignore our incredibly famous predecessor: the PlayStation 2. While 2007 saw a surge in sales for the PSP and the expanding user base and support for the PS3, we'd be remiss if we didn't take a look back on some of the more notable releases on the PS2 in 2007. We say notable because, like with most aging consoles, many of the games are Barbie-inspired mindless crap.

Whether you love them or not, 2007 was easily the year of the JRPG on the PS2. But that wasn't all that made a splash. Below, we're going to give you the ten most noteworthy releases of 2007 and because we don't want to put them in any specific order and suffer the wrath of fanboys of one game or another, we'll put them in order of US release. Since Final Fantasy XII was released in 2006 in the US but 2007 in Europe, we'll mention it here as being awesome and worth your time, but it's regrettably disqualified. Same with Okami, sorry to say. Let's begin after the jump!

January 2007: Rogue Galaxy
Level 5 | Sony Computer Entertainment

Why we loved it: From the makers of the Dark Cloud franchise, you knew what to expect: extremely deep weapons and synthesis systems and a whole lot of fighting. You got that plus some of the best cel-shaded graphics on the PS2 along with zero, yes zero, loading times. Well, aside from the initial loading of your save file. It helps that the Action RPG battle system was both simple and intuitive, something PS3 owners will probably get a taste of in the upcoming White Knight Chronicles.

The drawbacks to the game were cited as poor character development, particularly of Jaster (the main character), and the heavy number of random encounters. It often feels like a dungeon crawler, to be honest. Upon localization in the US, a number of things were tweaked -- the weapon synthesis system was simplified, random encounters were actually reduced from every two steps to about every twenty (still a lot in the huge dungeons!), and an entire new planet was added for your exploration of the galaxy.

It's a noteworthy game and something you should try to pick up on the cheap if you're hungry for a battle-heavy Action RPG.

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February 2007: Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia
Gust/Banpresto | NIS America

Why we loved it: Speaking as Nick Doerr for a second instead of the creepy multi-faceted "voice" of PS3 Fanboy, I've wanted to write about this game for a long, long time. Back to being the voice. Ar Tonelico was a niche title, to be sure, but it oozed personality that doesn't make it into many other games. Touted as half-RPG, half dating-sim, it drove away some of those who wouldn't call themselves RPG-philes. This is a false claim the game made. Technically, there are no "dating" elements involved, rather, you act as a sort of psychiatrist to two girls and act in a movie with a third, all the while dealing with their insecurities and secrets, repressed memories and suppressed urges. It's a lot more metaphorical than many people made it out to be.

Snappy dialogue (and lots of it), an interesting and imaginative storyline revolving around a giant tower and the power of music and song, and a dose of replayability make Ar Tonelico worth the price of entry for those who don't mind listening to some cliche JRPG drivel every now and then. Drawbacks to the game are not minor, however. The graphics are typical of many Nippon Ichi localized games: 2D sprites with generally ugly and repetitive dungeon design. Lots of typos. Simplistic and incredibly easy gameplay -- getting the game over screen is more challenging than winning any battle. As we said, some of the dialogue is incredibly, for the lack of a better term, cliche Japanese anime nonsense. Still, if you want to experience a very different RPG from the rest, give this one a chance. You might be impressed.

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March 2007: Burnout Dominator
EA UK | Electronic Arts

Why we loved it: The game is fun, plain and simple. It retains the core of the franchise, but omits some of the key aspects of other entries into the series, most notably Crash Mode and any sort of Online Multiplayer. Despite that, the title featured tons of tracks, multiple skill testing events (which almost always ended with some kind of explosion), and a fairly decent soundtrack.

Criterion actually didn't work on this game, since they've been busy with PS3's Burnout Paradise for a long, long time. Dominator was developed by Electronic Arts UK studio, which many thought would result in a lackluster game. Sure, it's missing some core experiences found in every other title, but the game itself stayed true to the formula and delivered lots of action. We'd recommend grabbing this one for PS2 or PSP to train yourself so you can really master the PS3 Burnout when it gets released.

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March 2007: God of War II
Sony Santa Monica | Sony Computer Entertainment

Why we loved it: Because Kratos is a badass and his adventure this time is more epic, more interesting, and more awesomer. There's hardly anything we could say that hasn't already been said about this game, so we'll just talk a bit about what made the game great. The graphics were awesome, the load times were nonexistent, the battle system was much more refined and fluid than the original, and the story was surprisingly competent. Featuring a plethora of unlockables and a finale rivaling that of Hollywood films, God of War 2 is one of the definitive titles of 2007 and one you need to purchase before any more time passes you by.

Drawbacks to the game? Well ... it's kind of short, we guess. While none of the puzzles were particularly challenging, a little direction may have been nice for those a bit too slow to catch on to the devices scattered around them. But that's a really nitpicky detail.

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May 2007: Odin Sphere
Vanillaware | Atlus

Why we loved it: Normally Atlus brings over RPGs that get little to no marketing, appeal to only to smallest of crowds, or bring over games that are just plain awful. Odin Sphere was different, though. It got a lot of press and a lot of hype -- as the spiritual successor to Sega Saturn's Princess Crown title and as its own game. The graphics are unlike anything in 2D you've ever seen before: gigantic sprites actually seem to live and breathe and the 2D dungeons that wrap around, in a sort of "sphere" (also known as a circle, but Odin Circle isn't as cool sounding), are beautifully drawn. The story is excellent, taking you through the adventures of several kingdoms and blurring the line between who is good and who is evil.

The game was challenging, sometimes too challenging unless you return to old dungeons and grind your weapon and life levels. The game lets you play through multiple characters in a single, overlapping story, which is cool but revisiting the same dungeons can be trying after a half dozen times. Still, whether you love RPGs or not, this is a game that is actually worth the support of a niche title in a niche market. If games like this don't succeed, stereotypes and cliches will never be broken.

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June 2007: Tomb Raider Anniversary
Crystal Dynamics | Eidos Interactive

Why we loved it: Some may say remakes are simple ways to draw in revenue, but Crystal Dynamics took some steps with their recreation of the original Tomb Raider to make it better than its source. An updated graphics engine based on the Legends game brought the old locales visited to new life and an overhaul on the character animations made the title more fluid and realistic. Featuring several unlockable bonus features and costume designs as well as redesigned and additional puzzles to solve in each of the original areas, the game was a surprise hit.

The drawbacks? It's still a remake of the original Tomb Raider and some of the gameplay snafu's are still there. That's the problem with remakes -- no matter what, if something was wrong with the original or even if issues are ironed out and nothing is particularly "wrong" with the title, it's not actually new. For long-time Tomb Raider fans, it's probably worth it but they won't necessarily miss out on anything. For new players, it's definitely worth the price, just to play a classic game with graphics much easier on the eyes.

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August 2007: Persona 3
Atlus | Atlus

Why we loved it: When someone says the point of Persona 3 is to climb to the top of a 150+ floor randomly generated tower, they're entirely missing the mark. Persona 3 isn't actually about the fighting, rather, it's about character interaction and social acceptance in a typical Japanese high school. We know, that doesn't sound very enthralling at all, but believe us. When you start creating a schedule of things to do in a game, you're hooked into the world it presents. For example: "I'll explore Tartarus on Saturday, then Sunday I'll go out with my present girlfriend. Monday and Wednesday I have to go to Art/Music/Whatever club, then go have some coffee at night. Tuesday and Thursday will be the days I go to Track/Kendo/Swim practice and Friday I'll check out Student Council." Those are only a handful of the things you can do in Persona 3 -- getting to know people in each of these activities is important as their friendship or love will empower your demonic abilities in battle.

The game got a little attention due to the way you release your demonic powers: take a "fake" gun to your head in a multitude of dramatic styles (forehead, side of the head, chin, mouth, etc) and blast your hidden potential out. Battles are challenging at times, but easy for the most part. The story is pretty good, though not the best in the Shin Megami Tensei universe. It's long, too. You get to go through three grades of high school, it seems, as you are an upcoming senior by the end of the game. We're not sure, since we aren't well versed on how high school works in Japan in relation to other countries. We can't recommend this game enough -- if you like RPGs, anime, or dungeon crawls, you'll die happy because you played this game.

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September 2007: Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core
Arc System Works | Aksys Games

Why we loved it: It's simply the most intense 2D fighting game in existence. We didn't say the best -- that's up to personal taste. But anyone who's played a Guilty Gear game walk away with sore thumbs and shortness of breath. It's an incredibly tense experience with a plethora of systems intact at any one time, so mastering even a handful of concepts yields a very flashy and rewarding experience. Accent Core is the most recent release of the XX series and it makes our list because it's the best compilation of the title to date and the PS2 didn't have any other fighting games worthy to contend with this one.

Initially released with a lot of bugs and glitches in Japan, these were worked out for the US release. It was a drawback, but now it's all fixed so we don't mind. Other drawbacks to the title include the cries of the fans that not enough was added or changed between versions to merit a release. Still, for those curious about what all the rage is in 2D fighters, this is the definitive Guilty Gear to buy. Plus, it's not that expensive. And it's gorgeous.

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August 2007: Wild Arms 5
Media Vision | XSEED Games

Why we loved it: The music, mostly. The final stretch of 2007 doesn't really have any explosive, standout titles, but we promised you ten games and this one is surprisingly worth a look for the RPG fan. The story is mostly blah, but every Wild Arms has basically had the same plot structure and hasn't done much to impress. The character designs are decent and the battle system is a reworked version of the HEX system introduced in the fourth entry of the series. Every critic agrees that the battle system is actually a lot of fun, if simple or easy at times.

The greatest aspect Wild Arms titles employ that other RPGs miss out on are clever puzzles to solve in dungeons. While SNES classics like Lufia2 still have the greatest puzzles in RPG gaming, Wild Arms games generally give you one or two real ball-busters over the course of the game. The main drawback to this title is the fact it is simple with a basic story. It's nothing special, but it gets one very crucial thing right: you have fun. And isn't that the idea?

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November 2007: Phantasy Star: Ambition of the Illuminus
Sonic Team | Sega

Why we loved it: When the original Phantasy Star Universe released, it had all sorts of problems. Generally mindless gameplay, a horrid "story mode" and the inability to bring any offline characters online. Even the online mode, when first released, had very little to do and lacked mission variety. It was mediocre on all fronts, giving a bad name to the series that brought the best Genesis RPGs ever as well as one of the greatest Dreamcast titles. Ambition of the Illuminus is the latest expansion and tweaked version of the game and we need to tell you something: everything you wanted is here and everything you feared is gone.

I personally stopped playing in May because there was nothing to do and players spammed one mission, giving you little option but to do the same since nobody wanted to actually explore. Now there are so many worthwhile missions you can find a group to play with anywhere. The battle system itself has been altered a bit, allowing you to button mash or play smart with "timed attacks" and "timed counters" that deal significantly more damage. Weapon power, elemental power, and enemy strength has all been tweaked to make you play more strategically and give more value to a wider variety of class choices. There are so many clothing combinations now that you rarely run into the same character design twice. The game has come a long, long way and if you haven't played it before, this is an excellent time to plop down the $40 for the game and $10 for a month of online and see what you've been missing.

Probably the best thing about the game is the community -- while smaller than most MMO titles, every single person is kind. Nobody refuses you when you ask to join a party, everybody patiently answers "noob" questions, and some people even mark themselves as people who will show new players around. Drawbacks? There's not enough time to play it and many who are playing have high-level characters, so finding an initial party can be difficult.

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Wow! That was quite a lot to read on your part and I thank you heartily for sticking with it. Hopefully you'll have some gift ideas in mind now, because the PS2 had some great legs in 2007 and you deserve to know what you might have overlooked. We'll be bringing you PS3 features in the coming weeks highlighting the Best Of 2007 in a number of categories and we hope you read those as well. Thanks a lot!