Recommended PS2 RPGs

[Hobo Elf]

Wild Arms 3
Jade Cocoon 2
Growlanser 5
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

 

[Cromwell]

Makai Kingdom

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1732060/Makai_Kingdom_Reclaimed_and_Rebound/

 

[Sperrin]

Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria is quite good if you enjoyed Valkyrie Profile Lenneth which is better and it's one of the better looking PS2 games

 

[Terra]

Worthwhile ones I can remember:

Ar tonelico 1 & 2 - both decent jrpg romps, use the fan retranslation for the second entry as NISA botched the text really badly in the official localisation. Multiple unique routes for both games. Has innuendo, it's pretty funny, nice setting & lore.
Mana Khemia 1 / 2 - similar to Ar tonelico without the innuendo, underrated, both solid jrpgs.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter - There were tears concerning the difficulty and break from the series norm which ultimately spelled the death of the franchise, but honestly, it's a damn good game. Challenging on the first run through especially.
Disgaea 1/2 (basically the same game from a gameplay perspective, as are the many sequels) - multiple routes/endings, pretty funny. Good to sink a load of time into if you happen to have loads of free time.
Grandia 2 - Sequel to the popular first entry on PS1, I prefer the first entry as they cut down on special moves in the sequel, but it's still got a really nice battle system I wish somebody would poach
Growlanser 2 - stellar plot branching & multiple endings, interesting battle system. Very underrated.
Growlanser 3 - not as much replay value as the above, but otherwise, more of the same. Growlanser 5 went with shit-tier 3D models and low-res backgrounds instead of the lovely spritework in Grow2/3, but is otherwise as good as the other entries. Growlanser as a whole does some pretty unique things you don't really see much in rpgs - specifically with plot branching, some character recruitment and just the general tone/setup of the games - like Growlanser 5 has you seizing control of some super weapon and using it to threaten two nearby countries into behaving themselves, and that's just the prologue.
Metal Saga - I've extolled the virtues of this game here already, great game
Okage Shadow King - I never finished it, but there was something unique/charming about this quirky JRPG, I need to go back to it someday.
Radiata Stories - Really great JRPG from triAce, largely based around one city, two main routes, different endings/ characters in each. You can attack pretty much anyone at anytime iirc and NPCs all have their own schedules I think.
Romancing SaGa - Quite opaque to get into, but if you do get into it, it's really unique. Your actions & random battles progress a global timer that constantly push the game plot forward, so can miss quests and find yourself up against the final boss sooner than you might expect.
Shadow Hearts 1 & 2 - Unique, dark JRPGs, play in order. There's a third one but it's not as good as these.
Shin Megami Tensei PS2 entries - They're all worth playing through, golden generation for Atlus
Valkyrie Profile 2 - great battle system & setting. More traditional than the first entry and leaves the door open for a sequel we'll probably never get but... it's still another great triAce title.
Star Ocean 3 - Another triAce entry, there will be tantrums over a certain late game plot twist, BUT this game is jam packed with content, included a huge post-game series of quests/dungeons. If you're a triAce fan, you'll enjoy the callbacks, but lots of time is needed to get the best out of it.
Tales of the Abyss - Best entry in the Tales series for me; good story, characters & banter throughout. Pretty decent size game.
Suikoden III/V - Both excellent entries, play 1 & 2 first due to the certain aspects of the main plot especially. Suikoden III has important major returning characters that won't mean anything to you without prior knowledge of past games. If you like the series, you can go through Suikoden IV; it's the weakest entry but it's alright. Suiko Tactics does salvage a pretty decent game out of Suiko IV's mediocrity though, if you're still hungry for more. Be forewarned that Suikoden V is a VERY slow starter.
Wild ARMs 3 - decent JRPG romp, especially if you liked the PS1 entries. 4 & 5 are also on the PS2 but are weaker on the whole. Wild Arms 1 has a remake on PS2, but I prefer the PS1 original.
XenoSaga 1,2,3 - 2 is weaker than the 1st and 3rd entries, but it's still a pretty enjoyable trilogy to work through.

 

[Poseidon00]

Wild ARMs 3 - decent JRPG romp, especially if you liked the PS1 entries. 4 & 5 are also on the PS2 but are weaker on the whole. Wild Arms 1 has a remake on PS2, but I prefer the PS1 original.

The original Wild Arms is fantastic and I recommend it to anyone, but I only got a few towns into the third and I put it down long ago. If its good i'll have to try it again.

Oh yeah Star Ocean 3 is really solid, forgot about that.

 

[Miner 2049er]

Wild Arms 5 is pretty good. Some say even the best in the series. It's often overlooked. I guess because late PS2 lifecycle ltitle and no European release. OP won't run out of JRPGs to play in the next...5 years ?

 

[curds]

Cheers for all the recommendations.

I started with DQ8 since I already had it and as far as I know it was THE rpg for the PS2 - among others.

Enjoying it so far. It starts a bit slow but to my (limited) knowledge that's a common element among JRPGs. They love to introduce mechanics slowly.

I'm the point where I've recruited Angelo, so making decent headway I think.

Unless my ears mistake me, I'm journeying with the voices of He'Li from Wizardry 8 (Jessica) and Griggs of Vinheim from Dark Souls (Angelo) which is cool.

Next I'll probably play Persona 3 or Nocturne since again I have both already and the SMT games seem to be the most highly recommended ITT.

 

[curds]

So, Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer was released on the PS2 - only in Japan, though.

 

[laclongquan]

Any reason to play Suikoden 1 and 2 first? .

I know that a bunch of people feel differently but I'm here to tell you that S3 is nowhere near as good as S1/2 (S2 in particular). S3 is so fucking slow I wanted to tear my hair out, I barely finished it. Meanwhile, I probably have 4 playthroughs of S2 in me.

S2-3 are literally not connected by storyline other than being set in the same world, but 2 is a direct continuation of 1. S1-2 is the superior choice for the monocled gamer.

Wrong~! S1-2 is tighter, short little game, representative of their time, which is PS1 era~ But S3 is somewhat bigger, more modern in design. Its scale is broader so you feel that it's looser or slower, but that's just how it is. Once you expand story 3 times, that's the price~

 

[flyingjohn]

There is also the kowloon adventure/rpg series published by atlus exclusively for Japan.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/kowloon-yma-gakuen-ki
If you like dragon quest 8 you can try rogue/galaxy/dark cloud 1-2.They are action rpg's made by the same dev.

 

[Atlet]

The Shadow Hearts games are great, the second one awesome. Up there with FFX as my fave JRPG on the system.

Summoner 2 is a fantastic game too, even if it is a bit janky. The world is lush, and the quests woven into the main game brilliantly.

FFX is a cutscene simulator

 

[Azalin]

No one mentioned Odin Shpere yet?

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

So, Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer was released on the PS2 - only in Japan, though.

Japanese releases have the best Might & Magic covers (with the exception of the two Elmore covers, though these were far from his best work):

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

If not SMT then Xbox could won 6th gen console war for me but PS2 had:

Nocturne
DDS 1
DDS 2
Raidou vs Souless Army
Raidou vs King Abbadon
Persona 3
Persona 4

 

[Falksi]

The Shadow Hearts games are great, the second one awesome. Up there with FFX as my fave JRPG on the system.

Summoner 2 is a fantastic game too, even if it is a bit janky. The world is lush, and the quests woven into the main game brilliantly.

FFX is a cutscene simulator

It is tbf, it technically doesn't offer much in the way of interaction. But it just hit the spot for me personally. It came along at the right time for me when interaction wasn't a major concern, and what it did it did well.

 

[Digital Monocle]

The Shadow Hearts games are great, the second one awesome. Up there with FFX as my fave JRPG on the system.

Summoner 2 is a fantastic game too, even if it is a bit janky. The world is lush, and the quests woven into the main game brilliantly.

FFX is a cutscene simulator

You can say that MGS4 and Xenosaga are more cutscene simulators compared to X .

 

[abnaxus]

Wapan will never give up bikini armour.

 

[downwardspiral]

WARSHIP GUNNER 2.
Also you might try Naval OPs first, it's earlier version of that game. Naval Ops is more a simulation where carriers are carriers, Warship gunner 2 is more action where carriers kinda exist.

Boukoku no Aegis 2035: Warship Gunner is also worth trying out if one like warship gunner 2.
It has a new missile locking system.

 

[Ash]

PS2 RPGs I played:

FFX
FFX-2
FFXII
FF7: Dirge of Cerberus
Kings Field 4
Dragon's Quest VIII
Valkyrie Profile 2
Shadow Hearts: Covenent
Rogue Galaxy
Summoner
Deus Ex
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance 2
Xmen: Legends
Xmen: Legends 2
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

PS2 RPGs I'd recommend:

...None.

There's some value to find, e.g the PS2 FF games are at least playable but I wouldn't recommend them, Deus Ex if for some stupid reason you do not PC game, Xmen: Legends if you're hurting for some couch co-op. Yet none are must-plays. Overall I found the PS2 to be extremely mediocre for RPGs, and that generation of games in general to be the start of the decline (when the focus in realism and graphics began, or in the case of JRPGs low-effort anime art styles), though still had a lot of good (non-RPGs) to be found. Still a worthwhile generation, unlike the disasterous one that followed. Stark contrast to PS1 which has tons of RPGs I adore.

This all said, I have not played SMT. Codex toots its horn a lot so I need to at some point see what the fuss is about. I'm not sure if I'd actually like it though, based on first impressions.

Edit: there is one I would recommend, and that is Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. Action RPG lite. Pretty solid game though has one retarded fatal flaw (critical spam). Added to the list.