Sony’s PlayStation 2 is one of the best consoles of all time, and it also happens to be an RPG behemoth. As anyone around for the PS2 era knows, it was an excellent console that gave us some of the best RPGs ever. And while games like Final Fantasy 10 and Dragon Quest 8 often get brought up in conversation as the best of the best, there are quite a few excellent RPGs on PS2 that deserve more love today.
A number of the best RPGs on PS2 have received remasters or remakes in recent years, although most are admittedly from major Square Enix franchises like Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy. Bandai Namco’s Tales Of series has also gotten a steady amount of remasters, but beyond these franchises, there are still plenty of excellent RPGs from the PlayStation 2 era that desperately need to come to modern consoles via remakes or remasters.
5
Dark Cloud 2
Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2 are some of the best and possibly most underrated RPGs to ever come to PS2. The first game is great on its own, but Dark Cloud 2 is widely considered the best thanks to its improvements and new additions. Both games can be bought and played digitally via PSN, but neither has a true remake or remaster in sight, and Dark Cloud has especially aged poorly.
That’s a real shame. The mixture of RPG gameplay and life-sim elements proved to be a winning combo, and the story of Dark Cloud 2 is a vast improvement over the first game’s narrative. Level-5 would go on to make gems like Professor Layton, Ni No Kuni, and Yo-Kai Watch, but the bones for those series’ various gameplay features can really be found in Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2. If remakes aren’t possible, then a dual release of remasters with some quality-of-life upgrades would be a dream come true.
4
Suikoden 5
Despite solid reviews at launch, Suikoden 5 never got the attention it really deserved. In terms of the series, it’s overshadowed by Suikoden 2 on PS1, and in terms of PS2 RPGs, it released pretty close to Final Fantasy 12, which didn’t help either. However, a true remake of Suikoden 5 could introduce the series to a newer generation.
Suikoden 5 did away with the fourth game’s controversial 4-person parties to offer up 6 playable characters in combat, and it also added some nice connections to Suikoden 2, which is widely considered to be the best game in the series. The cast, gameplay, and story are all pretty great, so it’s a shame more people haven’t played this one.
3
Wild Arms 3
Wild Arms 3 might just be the best Wild Arms game of all time, although the first game gives it a run for its money. The third entry’s Wild West setting was iconoclastic at the time, and it’s still something not regularly repeated in the RPG genre. You can play Wild Arms 3 on PS5 or PS4 by buying it digitally, but the game’s age certainly shows.
As with many games on this list, Wild Arms 3 is an excellent RPG that needs a remaster or remake to fix its rough edges (which weren’t all that noticeable back in the day but certainly show now). Quality-of-life upgrades could add to the 1080p enhancements of the game that’s on PSN right now, but a remake made in a completely new engine would look gorgeous.
2
Rogue Galaxy
Pirates in space, with cel-shaded graphics and a protagonist voiced by Boy Meets World‘s Will Friedle sounds like a winning combo — and it is. Unfortunately, Level-5’s Rogue Galaxy released late in the PS2’s life cycle, which might account for its poor performance at launch. In the years since, Rogue Galaxy has rightfully earned a cult following, and a remake of this PS2 gem would be amazing.
Right now, you can buy the game via PSN or with a subscription service, but the combat has admittedly not aged very well. That’s something a remaster or remake could easily remedy. Rogue Galaxy has a ton of heart and humor, and it also has an amazing premise, so it’d be great to see new life breathed into this incredible RPG.
1
Xenosaga
If there’s any PS2 RPG — or series of RPGs, in this case — that deserve remasters and remakes, it’s Xenosaga. Poor sales meant an originally-planned 6-entry epic was shortened to just three games, but those games are all pretty amazing. In the decades since, the spiritual successor series of Xenoblade Chronicles has become an RPG hit for Nintendo, so re-releases of Xenosaga feel like a no-brainer. You can even get a Blade of KOS-MOS in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Unfortunately, Xenosaga is in a weird place from an ownership standpoint. The series’ creators don’t own the rights, and as a dual venture between Bandai Namco and Sony, it feels like we need a miracle to ever get a Xenosaga remake going. Sadly, these games are also difficult to find and play now (the third entry, for example, goes for around $300 on eBay). That’s why Xenosaga needs remasters or remakes more than any other RPGs on PlayStation 2.
- Brand
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Sony
- Original Release Date
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February 4, 2000
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$299
- Weight
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4.85 lb
