8 PS2 RPGs Still Stuck on Original Hardware

Many remember Sony's consoles, especially the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, as heavyweights in their JRPG catalogs. Ask anyone what their favorite JRPGs are from these platforms, and you will probably receive a snappy response, and I include myself in that.

However, these consoles didn't live on RPGs originating from Japanese culture alone. There are several Western RPGs also released on the PS2 that, although they didn't have as much renown as a Final Fantasy X or Persona 3, also won over a large audience.

Today's list revisits some PS2 RPGs still trapped on the original hardware. Since I already did a variant focused on JRPGs, this one will focus on other subgenres, featuring games with more Western gameplay and moving away from the anime-like style we love so much.

8 Hunter: The Reckoning – Wayward

A Rather Lukewarm Port

If there is something I don't understand, even after working for years in the industry covering gaming news, it is the publishing and marketing strategy of games. Hunter: The Reckoning is based on the tabletop RPG of the same name, and the first game was released for Xbox and GameCube. The enhanced port, Hunter: The Reckoning – Wayward, came out only for PS2. I mean, this is something that still happens today, and it feels like a low blow to me, but what do I know, right?

Anyway, the port of Hunter: The Reckoning – Wayward was a re-release addressing player feedback, but it still didn't quite win over the public. Like many PS2 games, it was possible to play one-to-two-player co-op and choose one of the starting classes. The leveling system was attribute-based, and it was the statistics that increased upon defeating enemies.

As a third-person hack-and-slash with contemporary weapons, we spent most of our time shooting and running, unless the ammo ran out, and we needed to go for melee or use magic. The player would decide which mission to tackle in an open-area hub until escaping the prison town of Ashcroft.

7 Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse

One More Diablo-like

It's no surprise that even today, when people talk about JRPGs, a part of the audience thinks of turn-based RPGs, even though there are several JRPGs with an action system. Most Western RPGs released on the PS2 were all about action, like all those mentioned previously, and also Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse.

Some games are locked on the PS2 due to a lack of interest in porting them, the developer no longer existing, or other factors. A few, like Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse, are stuck because there's no reason to port them. This game is an action RPG with hacking and slashing gameplay in random dungeons, facing hordes of enemies, you know, like any Diablo-like.

Enemies also drop random items, which the protagonist Anna can equip to get stronger. Once she's strong enough, she can take on the Shadow Lord and finish the game. The problem is that this strengthening process can take dozens of hours within a repetitive gameplay loop that relies solely on artificial randomness.

6 Colosseum: Road to Freedom

Buying Yourself Out

As the name suggests, Colosseum: Road to Freedom puts us in the role of a gladiator who has to fight our way to freedom. We have to pay off our debt by winning fights and avoid making even more by buying equipment. Every bout is different, from team-based gameplay to 1x1 duels, each with its own value.

There isn't much story in Colosseum: Road to Freedom, and the whole gameplay revolves around gladiatorial battles. Between disputes, we can train our character in minigames and then invest the points earned to increase attributes. We also have a leveling system, gained during battles.

It's a fairly simple game that can get a bit tedious after a few hours, but it has an interesting premise. Plus, it's not every day we see a Japanese publisher, Koei, publishing a game based on Roman culture.

5 Summoner 2

From Summons to Possessions

Summoner 2 is the sequel to Summoner, another action RPG also released on the PS2. But bizarrely, the first game had a PS3 version, while the second at most had a port for GameCube, yet it is still stuck in the sixth generation of consoles.

Despite the title, the second game abandoned the Summon system and now has the protagonist Maia transform into various creatures. The game is in real time, pausing only when we cast a spell or select a target. Maia is also accompanied by two other party members controlled by AI.

The game takes place 20 years after the first, and we play as Maia, queen of Halassar and reincarnation of the goddess Laharah, on a mission to restore the legendary Tree of Eleh, said to be responsible for the creation of the world.

4 The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age

Lord of the Fantasy

Although The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age also came out for Xbox and GameCube, let's face it, it's still pretty hard to play even on those platforms. Also, since it is practically a re-skin of Final Fantasy X, we know the target audience was mostly PS2 owners. And I don't disparagingly say that, because it's one of my favorite licensed RPGs.

As mentioned, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age uses the same battle system as Final Fantasy X. We can see the turn of each party member on a timeline, and every action can influence the order of the combatants. The biggest difference is that, upon leveling up, we can choose which attributes to evolve for each member, giving us a sense of customization.

Unlike other licensed games, The Third Age is not canonical and loosely follows the events of the trilogy. The game takes some poetic license to cause more drama, like the boss battle against the Balrog with Gandalf in the party, but no event can be considered official. This was one of the reasons for criticism of the game, which considers most of the new characters a bit shallow.

3 Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land

Japan's Take on Wizardry

In the same way that we have JRPGs produced by Western studios, we can also have WRPGs produced by Eastern studios, as is the case with Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land. As the name implies, this is a spinoff of the Wizardry franchise, known not only as one of the first computer RPGs but also as one of the most influential.

The RPG plays largely the same as any Wizardry. The story is told in first-person, and the focus is entirely on dungeon exploration. After creating a character by choosing race and class, we reach a village where we can recruit new party members, each with their own class, a possible backstory, and personality, which affect a moral system depending on your character. There is also an inn, church, and shop.

Exploration is in first person and is the meat of Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land. Hunting for treasures, avoiding traps, and facing monsters will take up most of your game. It was Japan's take on the Wizardry formula that did scratch an itch here and there.

A Legendary Game

One of the benefits of the pre-Internet era on consoles was that many games came with local multiplayer, which increased everyone's fun tenfold. X-Men Legends was one of those, an incredible action RPG using Marvel's most beloved mutants.

The gameplay was in an isometric view, and each player controlled one of the mutants. These possessed varied abilities and could be upgraded at each level, and players could also equip different types of gear that dropped from monsters. It was possible to use combos depending on the party members involved, which promoted a natural rotation of mutants in the group.

The story of X-Men Legends is original and initially puts us up against the Brotherhood. The adventure begins with us saving Alison Crestmere, who later trains with Xavier and takes on the codename Magma, given her ability to control lava and earthquakes.

1 Champions of Norrath

Champion of PS2 Action RPG

The EverQuest franchise bet heavily on the PS2 back in the day, adding online connectivity options for the 20 people in the world who ever had a PS2 Network Adapter. Champions of Norrath, for instance, had hot-seat co-op and even online multiplayer, but come on, Sony.

With that said, it's a real bummer that Champions of Norrath is still stuck on the PS2. It's one of the best action RPG Diablo-esque games on the console. After choosing a race, class, and appearance, we are thrust into the world, and it's dungeon crawling away. Each level allows us to increase attributes and invest in the Ability Tree, unlocking new skills and spells.

One of the most fun features of Champions of Norrath was the ability to save the character and import it later in other modes, many of which are extinct today. However, you could take this same character into the sequel, Champions: Return to Arms, another great game also on the PS2, and continue your journey.