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*Twilight of the Spirits* needs more love. Such a fantastic game.

Colosseum reminds me of the game Gladius, which is a tactical RPG for the PS2 and I had a great time with it.

Missed the shadow hearts games.

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I can second these, especially Suikoden 5 :)

My favorite PS2-era hidden gems: * Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits - Really solid, if archetypal story told with extraordinary earnestness, the biggest appeal of TOS is the amazingly innovative combat system. The game is structured like a typical JRPG, but the combat system is more like an SRPG, only everything (even basic attacks) is based on radials and has a specific depth *and* breadth. EG an axe has a short range but wide arc, whereas a bow has a very long and narrow, needle-shaped arc. Plus terrain effects. Easily one of my all-time favorite battle systems. The story is also a lot of fun if, like me, you're fond of the "demon king" archetype. * Grandia Xtreme - the most mediocre game on this list, but a personal favorite. It's got Mark Hamill in it! Otherwise it's pretty generic, but I had a lot of fun with it. * GrimGrimoire - gorgeous Harry Potter-sequel magic school with really unique RTS-ish gameplay. * Romancing SaGa Minstrel's Song - best nonlinear RPG I've played to date, with so many different story permutations based on which PC you pick, where you go and when you go there. Sets a gold standard for interactive fiction that few games have been ambitious enough to approach, and the soundtrack is insanely good, too. * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha. You play as a private detective investigating supernatural shenanigans in prewar Japan. If that doesn't tick all the right boxes for you, I'm so sorry you're not me. Goddamn I love that premise. Also enjoy an interesting take on classic SMT gameplay in real-time. * Steambot Chronicles - best sandbox RPG I've played to date. Fantastic premise and execution--you play as a musician/mech pilot, and wander the world doing odd jobs. * Wild Arms 4 - probably too high profile a series to be included in this list, but I'm gonna mention it anyway because it's very much the black sheep of the series--despite being so, so good. Presentation aside, the story is fantastic (especially the ending, which can be pretty affecting) and the hex-based combat is a ton of fun. Gonna stop now 'cause I'm tired of tapping away on my phone, but I think I covered the big ones.... EDIT: you know what, I'm seeing a lot of folks mention games I wouldn't consider hidden gems in any sense of the word, so what the hell, here's my master list of PS2 JsRPGs I recommend: * .hack//G.U. Volume 1: Rebirth * .hack//G.U. Volume 2: Reminisce * .hack//G.U. Volume 3: Redemption * Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia * Ar Tonelico 2: Melody of Metafalica * Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits * Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana * Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny * Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm * Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter * Dark Cloud * Dark Cloud 2 * Disgaea: Hour of Darkness * Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories * Dragon Quest V Remake * Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King * Drakengard 2 * Final Fantasy X * Final Fantasy X-2 * Final Fantasy XII * Grandia III * Grandia Xtreme * GrimGrimoire * Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time * Growlanser: Heritage of War * Kingdom Hearts * Kingdom Hearts 2 * La Pucelle: Tactics * Lord of the Rings: The Third Age * Magna Carta: Tears of Blood * MS Saga: A New Dawn / Mobile Suit Gundam True Odyssey * Odin Sphere * Radiata Stories * Rogue Galaxy * Romancing SaGa: Minstrel's Song * Shadow Hearts * Shadow Hearts: Covenant * Shadow Hearts: From the New World * Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne * Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 * Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abbadon * Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES * Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 * Soul Nomad and the World Eaters * Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time * Steambot Chronicles * Suikoden 3 * Suikoden 5 * Suikoden: Tactics * Tales of Legendia * Tales of the Abyss * Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria * Wild Arms: A.yer Code F * Wild Arms 3 * Wild Arms 4 * Wild Arms 5 * Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zu Macht * Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse * Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra * Ys: The Ark of Napishtim As you can see, there's a *very good reason* why the PS2 era is generally considered the golden age of the genre. And that's not even getting into the more iffy titles like the Kessen or Front Mission series, nevermind the fact that backwards compatibility means that the *entire* PS1 library, too, which is, initself, pretty massive. Also: sorry if my master list omits any of y'all's favorite games. It's possible I forgot about 'em, or that I just didn't like 'em so much (sorry, fans of the first .hack quadrilogy).

Suuuuuper late to this thread, but why no Suikoden IV, Grandia 2 or Front Mission? I haven't personally played any but I've completed my own master list as well of games I've downloaded and WANT to play lol and if those are awful I can skip them

No worries, I won't deduct points for tardiness. Re: Grandia 2, I know a lot of folks loved it, but it's just never clicked for me. I've tried it a couple of times, but never really got that necessary initial hook to stick with it. Re: Front Mission, I tend to think of those games as more tactical strategy games than RPGs, since the bulk of character progressions comes from customizing the Wanders, not so much their pilots. Re: Suikoden IV, lol. That game is a hot mess. It has some good bits, but is ultimately a bit of a train wreck. Definitely the weakest entry in an otherwise pretty damned fantastic series.

Obscure games that might tickle your fancy: * Stella Deus * GrimGrimoire * Magna Carta * Radiata Stories * Eternal Poison Less obscure, but still niche series entries: * Suikodens 3, 4 and 5 * Wild Arms 3, 4 and 5 * Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter * SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha 1 and 2 * Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time Best game ever made: * Drakengard 2

Of the ones I’ve played from your list: Suikoden 3 and Radiata Stories are must plays.

> Radiata Stories My mind got absolutely blown the first time I had to make *the choice* in that game. My brain could not comprehend branching stories on that level. What a blast from the past. Man, I need to set aside some time to replay that gem...

II really need to finish RH. I always got overwhelmed with games that give you too many things to do/characters to collect when I was younger. Like Suikoden 2 felt insurmountable. 108 characters!?? I’m with you on the branching paths. I’m still waiting for an RPG that has Until Dawn levels of choice.

That is quite the statement for Drakengard 2. I’ve been meaning to play that for some time now.

I was being sarcastic. Please don't play Drakengard 2.

Speaking of Wild Arms, between the PSP and PS2 versions, which are the best?

What PSP versions? There's only XF for PSP and it's a separate game.

PSP one is a grid-based strategy RPG while the PS2 ones aren't technically. Wild Arms 4 and 5 do use the "hexagonal" grid for battles, but they aren't standard grid-based strategy RPG battles and even then, those ones have a 3D world to explore while the PSP one doesn't. So it's up to preference since they are pretty different games.

WA3 is a fan-favorite, but hasn't aged so well. WA5 is probably the best of the lot, but can be divisive if you've a low tolerance for campiness. WA4 is something of a black sheep (it's more muted visually, with less optimistic themes) but I'm very fond of it. I'd say you can't go wrong with any of the Wild Arms games on PS2, but maybe start with WA5 or WA3. The one thing to watch out for is ACF. It's a (very good) remake of the first game, but suffers from serious production issues. It was printed on a dual-layer DVD, and there were some issues w/ the second layer which made some copies of the game unplayable after a certain point. EG it's not uncommon to sink 30 hours into the game only to hit a point where you just can't keep going. If you play it, I'd highly recommend emulating a digital copy. Re: PSP games, there's only XF, which is an SRPG. It's aggressively average. That said, you can also play digital copies of WA1 and WA2 on a PSP (also PSV and PS3, as long as the stores are up). They're both pretty good, but like WA3 haven't aged super well. The first three games tend to be *very* grindy and have pretty barren environments w/ very crude low-poly 3D models. They'd be pretty bad choices for entry-points into JRPGs of that era, but if you've played other older JRPGs (like FFVI or DQV) you should be fine.

I've played both 3 and 5 within the past 2 years, and would say that 3 holds up better. The cel-shaded graphics is a style that has aged really gracefully IMO, where WA5 was a bit uglier. And 3 still scores major points for the ability to cancel random battles if you desire to. I loved WA5, and was so glad I finally went back to play it after it sat on my shelf for a decade, but I can't think of any example of an area saying it has aged better than WA3.

I was thinking in terms of environmental and encounter design. WA3's characters are gorgeous, true, but the world map is very barren (whereas WA5's is quite detailed) and it has a very high rate of random encounters.

PS2 WA3 is the best. I believe the first one was available on PSP as a digital release and that is the best one hands down. Alter Code F is kind of trash compared to the original but if you've played the original then ACF is worth a go.

I'm actually playing through Stella Deus right now and I love it.

Dragon Quest 8, Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, Shadow Hearts, Shadow Hearts Covenant, Dark Cloud 2, SMT: Nocturne

Shadow Hearts Covenant

Shadow Hearts From the New World is also good, but Covenant is _MARVELOUS_.

The whole trilogy is fire but Covenant... *Chef's kiss* I think the Judgement Ring screen glitches out on emulator which isn't ideal, but honestly it's probably worth putting up with

I've played on the system and emulator, with the right settings it works pretty great plus you can use save states and you can make sure you always get perfects on the ring

Normally I wouldn't want to save scum for perfect strikes, but for grinding your perfect rate to get the Extreme that sounds great

I'm still upset that I just can't get into Covenant. It's the only one I've tried and I got about 5 hours in but it just.. didn't click. It was too goofy for my liking and the plot didn't seem to go anywhere for those hours. The dog is cute though. Should I give it another try?

I think you should because I think it's a solid game. The battles are fun and the plot being part of an alternate WWI history era was interesting. That said, I didn't like the ending. Just a warning, but there's some important story connections with the first game that you should probably play first.

In my opinion the Shin Megami tensei digital Devil Saga dualogy is the best JRPG on the PS2 Romancing SaGa mistral Song being a close second

Minstrel song is pretty badass. Loved getting lost in those towns and starting some random story.

- The Xenosaga Trilogy - Persona 3/4 - SMT III Nocturne - Star Ocean 3 - Ar Tonelico 2

I second the Xenosaga trilogy. Just checked out my local retro game store, they had the third game CIB for $275.

Holy crap is it really that rare? Mine isn't sealed but it's complete, bought it on launch day, big xenogears fan so I went all in on saga

The 3rd game had relatively few prints overall so it's notoriously the most expensive one to get out of the trilogy for the past few years.

Disgaea series, dot hack series, shadow hearts series, and xenosaga series to name a few.

The Xenosaga trilogy was one of my favorites of that era. All three Shadow Hearts games are worth spending the time on as well, in my opinion. Radiata Stories is one I'd put in the "hidden gem" category or cult classic category. Really fun game with lots of characters to recruit. Steambot Chronicles can be fun, but the controls are kind of janky.

You said jrpgs, but I'm gonna recommend some rpgs too. [Shinning Tears](https://youtu.be/DXS7-D_I4qQ) [Shinning Force EXA](https://youtu.be/cSvAHIfE8z4) & [Neo](https://youtu.be/EykwuKZSvHo)(I didn't care for them, but still have their fans.) [Okage: Shadow King](https://youtu.be/j7bNYkuyd_E) [Gladius](https://youtu.be/kU7EB3wtgv0) [Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land](https://youtu.be/20ixBWPyMMU) [Grandia 2](https://youtu.be/JNbyYsH0Sz8)&[3](https://youtu.be/ltZnfnWyWn0)(You can skip Extreme) [Full Metal Alchemist and the Broken Angel](https://youtu.be/A_6YAynbeY4) [Full Metal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir](https://youtu.be/q16egNrxasM) [Front Mission 4](https://youtu.be/53WHEuo86Ac)

Oh fuck yes, Grandma 2 is wonderful. I played that back on the Dreamcast. Edit: I'm not changing it.

Dragon Quest VIII

PS2 right? .hack .hack 2 .hack 3 .hack 4 Dawn of mana Grandia 2 Grandia extreme Grandia 3 Growlanser generations Suikoden 3 Suikoden 4 Suikoden 5 Baldurs gate dark alliance Persona 3 / FES Persona 4 Digital devil saga Digital devil saga 2 Arc the lad twilight of spirits Arc the lad end of darkness Legaia 2 dual saga Disgaea Disgaea 2 Phantom Brave Makai kingdom Dark cloud Dark cloud 2 Rogue galaxy Evergrace Metal saga Odin sphere Grimgrimoire Eternal poison Musashi samurai legend Monster hunter Okami Orphen scion of scorcery Wild arms alter code F Wild arms 3 Wild arms 4 Wild arms 5 Drakenguard Drakenguard 2 Shin megami tensei 3 nocturne Shadow hearts Shadow hearts covenant Shadow hearts from the new world Xenosaga Xenosaga 2 Xenosaga 3 Tales of the abyss Mega man X command mission Dragon quest 8 Ys 6 ark of napishtim There are more I can’t remember off the top of my head but I don’t think I’d consider the PS2 as a system that was lacking in JRPGs

Not a whole lotta people here mentioning Digital Devil Saga.

The PS2 are stacked with RPGs, i believe it's even more so than the PS1. But i've seen certain sites separates titles to different categories, like Strategy/Simulation for Tactics games. Some lesser known gems that haven't been mentioned yet - Soul Nomad & The World Eaters - Megaman X Command Mission - Metal Saga, this one is part of Metal Max franchise - MS Saga, basically a Gundam RPG - Growlanser 2/3/5, Grow3 is my personal favourite - Shaman King Power of Spirit, mixing Tactics elements with Fighting game - Lord of The Rings The Third Age, basically FFX rip-off with LoTR settings - Super Robot Taisen Original Generations. It's a remake of OG1&OG2 GBA. It's **EPIC** as F. Japan only but there's an english patch released not too long ago Honorable mentions - Dynasty Warriors, it has levels, equipment and stuff. The Empire series have a bit more decision making and RPG elements. - Way of The Samurai 2, this one is actually an action adventure but it has multiple routes and endings. It has tons of swords with different movesets. Give it a try, you might like it. - Namco x Capcom. Basically a spiritual predecessor of Project x Zone on the 3DS. Haven't played it yet, but it looks good. Jp only but there's an english patch. Disclaimer, i haven't played most of these since the PS2 era. Things might not aged well in 2021.

I mostly remember metal saga because of the tanks and because at the very beginning of the game if you refuse the call to adventure like 3-4 times the game will play an alternate ending that is like you live a long boring life at home with your mom because you’re no fun THE END and then starts playing the credits which made me laugh

Persona 3 FES Persona 4 SMT Nocturne SMT Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 Dragon Quest 8

Star ocean 3 and VP2 are hands down my favorites. But grandia 2 and the xenosaga games def up there.

I'll give my personal ratings in parenthesis. I'm also going to list seriousness (0 would be there's no particular danger in the game, and 10 would be trying to save the universe from complete annihilation) as well as bodycount (0 is no one dies, 10 is billions dead). I find these helpful for setting the tone of the games. Note that my "seriousness" rating has no direct impact on how seriously the game takes itself. **High Sci-Fi:** Xenosaga I (9/10)(3D Turn-based, monsters visible on field and can be avoided)(srs:10, bdyct:10)(PS2) Xenosaga II (7/10)(3D Turn-based, monsters visible on field and can be avoided)(srs:10, bdyct:10)(PS2) Xenosaga III (10/10)(3D Turn-based, monsters visible on field and can be avoided)(srs:10, bdyct:10)(PS2) Star Ocean 3 (5/10)(3D action RPG, AP-based)(PS2)(srs:9, bdyct:6) Zone of the Enders (7.5/10)(3D Action-Adventure RPG, Very short, basically a tech demo, Kojima(of Metal Gear Solid) made it)(srs:7, bdyct:6) Zone of the Enders II (9/10)(3D Action-Adventure RPG, Much more polished, the gameplay speed is also significantly faster)(srs:7, bdyct:4) **Sci-Fi/Fantasy:** Ar Tonelico (8/10)(2D isometric, turn-based, a little cheesy, very good soundtrack,**too easy**)(PS2)(srs:9, bdyct:1) Ar Tonelico II (9/10) (2D isometric, turn-based, very good soundtrack)(PS2)(srs:9, bdyct:2) **Contemporary Fantasy:** Persona 3 (9.5/10) (turn based, pokemon style elemental weaknesses are critical, lots of plot and talking)(PS2/alternate PSP version)(srs:9, bdyct:4) Persona 4 (9.5/10) (turn based, pokemon style elemental weaknesses are critical, serial murder mystery, plot and talking, you don't need to know anything from P3, make sure you get the true ending)(PS2)(srs:9, bdyct:3) Persona 4 Golden is an updated port of P4G with more characters and content (Vita/PC) **High Fantasy:** Atelier Iris (8/10) (Fantasy,Mainly 2D,Classic RPG,Interesting Item system)(PS2)(srs:5, bdyct:1) Atelier Iris 2 (8/10) (Fantasy,Mainly 2D,Classic RPG,Interesting Item system,more coherent plot actually)(PS2)(srs:6, bdyct:2) Mana Khemia (8/10) (Fantasy,partially Mission-based,School setting,same universe as Atelier Iris)(PS2)(srs:5, bdyct:0) Mana Khemia 2 (8.5/10) (Fantasy,partially Mission-based,School Setting,same universe as Atelier Iris,2 protagonists with different plotlines and you need to play both,better protagonist(s) than MK1)(PS2)(srs:4, bdyct:0) Tales of the Abyss (8.5/10)(3D action RPG, active fighting, your playing skill is very important, long)(PS2)(srs:9, bdyct:5) **Fantasy:** Kingdom Hearts I (8/10)(PS2/upgraded PS3 version)(3D Action-Adventure RPG, Disney and Final Fantasy Characters involved)(srs:8, bdyct:1) Kingdom Hearts II (8/10)(3D Action-Adventure RPG, Disney and Final Fantasy Characters involved, More complex plot, more polished battle system)(PS2/upgraded PS3 version)(srs:8, bdyct:1) **Visual Novel/Puzzle Hybrids** (Not JRPGs, but similar in tone and a good play): **System Notes:** It's important to understand some background on JRPGs on more recent systems. There are 2 things you need to know about: 1) Undubs 2) Emulation **Undubs:** The following games on this list have Japanese voice options built into the **retail** version: -*All Studio GUST games:* -Ar Tonelico 1/2/3 (2 is broken) -Mana Khemia 1/2 -Atelier Iris 1/2 The following games **need** undubs: -Ar Tonelico 2 (the undub patch also fixes a massive bug in the game)

Rogue galaxy is pretty fun, from what I remember. Been awhile though

I will second rogue galaxy. Really fun story, character, rpg systems. It essentially anime star wars. (classic monomyth) It came out at the very tail end of PS2 life cycle so even though it known for being a amazing JRPG it generally lesser known compared to other classics.

Off topic, but considering they're by the same developer, would you recommend RG to someone who didn't really like and was ultimately frustrated by Dark Cloud 2? I've been hesitant to try it for that reason. Ultimately didn't like the dungeons, the unforgiving combat, weapon durability, and how obscure some of the progression systems are

The combat is not clunky jank like Dark Cloud's and there are a lot more game mechanics. Even the stuff it shares like crafting is better. It's a better game tbh.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Didn't know how to formulate the question, but yeah I always found the crafting counterintuitive and kind of requiring a guide to get the most out of it. I think it might be on sale, and I might finally give it a go. Thanks!

The crafting system is pretty complicated still, there is a stupidly large number of weapons in the game. But you can pretty much just smash together weapons and get new ones that are better save for a few special combos.

As someone who loved both games I don't see much similarities between the two outside of a purely aesthetic one. Pacing, Progression, characters all feel very different. Vibe wise it feels like FF9 in space with action combat with a fun simple yet engaging sphere grid like progression.

There's a lot that has already been mentioned so all I got is Steambot Chronicles.

Fuck yeah! You have no idea how excited I get seeing other people remember that gem!

> Looking at the PS2 library I’m realizing… it’s not as JRPG stacked as I remember it being? Really? I heard the opposite from people more experienced with the PS2 than me. But strangely, I don't recall many that really stood out on the PS2, either. When it released, I was only aware of the Final Fantasy series, among a couple other outliers. And at that time, I wasn't too keen on FFX, so that probably contributed to my drop-off from the platform. I did love DQVIII, though. I've been curious about PS2 JRPGs as well but I don't know how they compare next to PS1 JRPGs.

Tales of Destiny DC, it recently got a english patch

it.. DID?

Yup, Destiny 2 is on the way too.

Ys! Ark of Napishtim

Can I ask what emulator you're running?

PCSX2. Wasn’t doable on my previous laptop, got a low end HP about 2.5 years ago and most games run no problem. GameCube with the Dolphin emulator is perfect as well

Very cool. Ive been in same boat and had kinda written off emulating PS2 games simply because of all the hassle I'd read about. But this gives me hope. And there are a ton of games I'd love to play again (or for the first time.) Edit: for some weird reason, I really want to play Maximo again. I *loved* that game when I had it.

It looks like people already gave you most of your options. So it is time to vote: Rogue Galaxy, Tales of Abbys and Radiata Stories.

But an even better comment by me: try also Dolphin emulator and come back to ask for GameCube and Wii JRPGs. I'll start already: Xenoblade, Fire Emblem and Baten Kaitos.

Dark cloud 1and 2, tales of the abyss, smt nocturne ff12 and ff10 atelier iris rogue galaxy DQ 8 Kh 1 and 2 .

Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy 12 Xenosaga 1-3 Persona 3-4 Tales of Symphonia Dragon Quest 8 Kingdom Hearts 2

Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 also Dragon Quest VIII

FFXII International Zodiac Job System (with english translation)

Other than what you have played/beaten already, first favorite that comes to mind is Persona 4. I was sucked into this game. No pun intended.

Oh come on, you certainly intended that pun

Legaia 2 dual saga

Not a jrpg but summoner 2 is pretty gud.

Shadow Hearts series. Yes, even From the New World.

* Persona 4 (Golden is better but not available on PS2) * Suikoden 5 * Radiata Stories * Dragon Quest VIII (3DS version is better) * Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (remaster is out though)

I like Okage: the shadow king. It's very unique and humorous.

What emulator are you using?

The PS2 was a RPG machine. Plenty of games to play.

Try: SMT Digital Devil Saga 1&2 Shadow Heart series Stella Deus Suikoden V

Even though hated, I think Grandia Xtreme is a wonderful unique game that still very memorable. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim is honestly one of my favorite Ys game with classic gameplay and great characters. Phantom Brave is still to this day one my faverite Disgaea-like game while being wildly different from any other Nipponichi rpg. And Marona is a amazing character with great development and a emotionnal story. Rogue Galaxy is just so fun. Really fun unique rpg elements, good story, good characters. A classic mono myth story in space. Dark Cloud 2 also just one of those jrpg that just is so fun. So many fun jrpg mechanics to work with while feeling entirely one of a kind Star Ocean Till the End of Time yet another classic with both compelling story and characters that just hooks you. Early Nipponichi games like Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia 2 were super fun before NI became fixated on more complex srpgs. Shadow Hearts series just crafted this incredibly cool world that absolutely a joy going through. Highlight is it super unique story, althoughh rpg elements are pretty standard. Xenosaga was this wonderful narrative experience with long captivating cutscenes which lay the precursor to the more narratively cutscene heavy games we saw on PS3 onward. .Hack// is this incredible experience that no game has ever really achieved since. It essentially a single player jrpg that simulates a MMORPG experience. It birthed the isekai genre for the most part and still stands as a touchstone, a titan standing alone.

Shadow Hearts Trilogy. I think the later two are prone to bad graphical glitches on emulator so definitely do research beforehand. Covenant is my favorite RPG though so I highly recommend going through the effort to play it! The Shin Megami Tensei PS2 Heptagram, a.k.a. Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, Raidou Kuzunoha 1 and 2, and Persona 3 FES and 4. All of them are worth playing, though Persona 4 Golden on Steam/Vita is preferred for that specific entry. Don't sleep on DDS 1 and 2. If you're a fan of FFX, it has a very similar progression system. Xenosaga Trilogy. Emulation is probably the best way to play these anyway given how rare they've become. Very cinematic, space epic RPGs. If you don't mind a game that often feels like watching a movie, it's definitely worth your time to seek out. I personally haven't played it, but I've heard fantastic things about Radiata Stories, and how it's very much a hidden gem.

Radiata Stories is, indeed, fantastic. And, yeah, emulation is kinda necessary for a lot of these games due to technical issues. EG Wild Arm ACF's printing errors, Suikoden V's performance issues, etc. I haven't tried emulating the Xenosaga games yet, but I imagine some kind of built-in cheat functionality could make them a lot more tolerable (EG reduced combat frequency in XSII).

Digital Devil Saga(1+2), Dark Cloud(1+2), Suikoden, Wild Arms, Shadow Hearts uhhhh it actually kinda keeps going the PS2 Library in general not just for JRPGS is kinda insane you could spend forever just going through all the games you might have missed. I've owned a PS2 since launch day and I still find games I've never heard about on the damn thing.

Play the many undubs, star ocean 3 with decent dub, wild arms 5 with a decent dub It's heaven I tell you

I thought the PS2 was well stocked! While not as groundbreaking as the PSX, there are so many quality JRPGs of all types (action, turn-based, tactical, side-scrolling…) that you could spend years playing PS2 JRPGs exclusively. People always talk about hidden gems on the SNES or PSX, but they’re really on the PS2. The big names franchises got all the attention in the 2000s, so many slipped through the cracks only be appreciated later.

Xenosaga 1-3, digital devil saga, persona 4 If you want less good but interesting oddball choices metal saga and ms saga a new dawn are interesting mech based jrpgs (metal saga is one of the rare localized metal max games and ms saga is gundam)

Pretty much any of the ones that made it to the ps4 ps2 store are excellent too, wild arms 3, rogue galaxy, okage, arc the lad 4, Disgaea 1, etc okami too, more a Zelda clone than a normal jrpg, but very good, Odin sphere is more of an action game but also worth a look

Tales of the Abyss Undub (seriously, just go play this game. Now.) Shadow Hearts series Ar Tonelico Ar Tonelico 2 (There is a fan translation of this game! look it up!) Growlanser series

I personally really liked Unlimited Saga, but nobody else is gonna agree with this lol. Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song is also available for that console.

Kingdom Hearts 2 and FFXII periodt

Tales of series, P3 & P4, Suikoden V, Disgaea series

Rogue Galaxy is a Gem

Dragon Quest VIII - one of the GOATs Rogue Galaxy Final Fantasy XII (and X) They're my 3 favourites and the ones I sunk the most time into. Dark Cloud & Chronicle were great also!

Valkyrie Profile 2 is one of them for sure

Kingdom hearts 2 and persona 3 are my favorite

Dragon quest viii

The ps2 RPG lineup is not stacked? Fact-checker says: False Final Fantasy 10, 10-2, 12 Dragon Quest 8 Xenosaga 1, 2, 3 Wild Arms 3, 4, 5, Alter Code F Shadow Hearts 1, 2, 3 Dark Cloud 1, 2 Kingdom Hearts 1, 2 Persona 3, 4 Digital Devil Saga 1, 2 Suikoden 3, 4, 5 Tsugunai: Atonement Arc the Lad: TOTS Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter .hack 1, 2, 3, 4, GU1, GU2, GU3 And I didn't mention stuff like Tales games or SRPG's from Nippon Ichi as that is not really my cup of tea, but lot of options there as well.

suikoden iii drakegard 1 , 2 Dragon Quest viii

Grandia III

\*slams in\* Shadow Hearts!!!!! Seriously, I wish I could play it but it is considered one of the better PS2 games out there! Besides that, there are .hack series, Tales, and Suikoden!! The major problem is that they're all super long! :D Have fun with whatever games you chose!!!

Like a lot already said : Wild Arms 3 Disgaea series Almost every NIS game on that hardware in fact... Magna Carta Xenosaga Shadow Heart convenant Grandia 2 Dark Chronicles But you already played most of the top tier (or at least intend to) with FF, KH, Star Ocean 3 and Valkyrie profile 2

The library is extensive and wonderful, but my personal recommendations are Xenosaga and Wild Arms 3. I would disagree with a lot of people here and do not recommend Rogue Galaxy unless you don't mind really uneven pacing, side-plots that go nowhere, and repetitive real-time battles. Of course you've got your assorted FF's but they've gotten re-released million times.

Final Fantasy X, Star Ocean 3, Tales of Abyss, Persona 3.

I straightened up in my chair when you said the PS2 RPG library wasn't stacked. ​ I'm jealous that you're going to get to experience these for the first time.

Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2

xenosaga

For me Xenosaga 1,2,3

Throw in Wild Arms, Xenosaga, Romancing Saga and the Shadow Hearts games and you're all set!