6th Generation Consoles Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox

That's one of my very favourite games. I loved in 2001, back when I was getting into Jackass and all that, but when I went back to it earlier this decade I was well chuffed with how well it stood up. What I love most about it is how perfectly formed it is - it's got none of that excess fluff that all the latter games had, just straight-up Tony Hawk excellence.



Nostalgia

You may have seen in the yesterday I bought thread that I picked up a PS2 and gJones mentioned he's looking at a slim along with bringing up he could name 100+ games worth getting on the PS2.

Now you only got to look at a few comments back to see that I'm not much of a fan of the PS2 and personally I think it's the worst Sony console (depends on your views on PocketStation and PSVR) and the worst of the 6th gen by a long way.

Yet for some reason, I really fancied playing either the PS2 or PS3 and as the likes of Ratchet & Clank which I do want to play are on both leaving the PS3 with things like Vanquish which are being made backwards compatible on Xbox One. Meaning the PS2 made more sense due to my views on it as I've likely missed more on it then I have PS3.

I'm wondering what games are worth checking out part from the obvious ones like Jak (which I could play on PS4), Ratchet, Persona 3, SotC (I know I've got the remake but I want that cardboard box), Metal Gear and any thoughts on these that come to mind (what looks interesting from the first 20 pages on Amazon) that I've not played or know much about:

Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call
Dog's Life
Shadow Hearts, all 3 games
Champions of Norrath
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Hack, all of them
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings or Indiana Jones & the Emperor's Tomb
Mr Moskeeto
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
We Love Katamari
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Wild Arms 3
Death by Degrees
Forbidden Siren 1 or 2
Kuon
Shadow of Memories
Haunting Ground

At the moment I only own Drakengard which looks so dull and plays like it to and 3 PS1 games Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3 & Gran Turismo 2 with Eternal Ring (which I've never played) for PS2 on its way and a component cable.

I don't know much about those games, or many of the RPGs the PS2 is considered to be the go-to console for, but I'll mention some of the games I'd like to revisit or play for the first time:

Grandia 2 and 3
Burnout Dominator
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution
Okami
Final Fantasy XII
Splashdown
Viewtiful Joe/other multi-format stuff
Shinobi
Nightshade
God of War
Soul Calibur III
Mercenaries
Fahrenheit
Hitman Contracts
Deus Ex/Half-Life/PC ports
Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast (obv)

I can talk about a few of those

Grandia 2 and 3, I have the second for Dreamcast and it has a great battle system that I would want to try to pin down the 3rd
Burnout Dominator, I think this was a PSP game ported to PS2 much like late PS2 games
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, It was good but I got a feeling it will have aged
Okami, It has a PS4 version which is only like £15
Final Fantasy XII, Same as Okami but costing more
Splashdown, No idea
Viewtiful Joe/other multi-format stuff, Joe I've got on Cube and few others I sooner have on that or pick up an OG Xbox to have the best versions in most cases
Shinobi, No idea unless we're talking Mega Drive
Nightshade, No idea even what this is
God of War, I'm shocked the HD ports haven't been ported to PS4 to have them on that part from 3 and Ascension
Soul Calibur III, This was crap after the first and magnificent sequel
Mercenaries, It was okay
Fahrenheit, Better on OG Xbox and it has a PS2 Classic on PS4 but is great
Hitman Contracts, Never played
Deus Ex/Half-Life/PC ports, Hmm I've played a few of these so-called classics and I really don't think they hold up at all.
Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast, I wonder if the OG Xbox version is the best with the first version being exclusive that it could build on and use the extra power of the console

Most of my responses is why I'm trying to find things only on PS2 or is something I'd want to collect like the cardboard sleeved Shadow of the Colossus.

masofdas wrote:

I can talk about a few of those

Shinobi, No idea unless we're talking Mega Drive
Nightshade, No idea even what this is

Call yourself a SEGA fan?

I think the issues is more that they're on PS2 and SEGA is one of the reasons I love the OG Xbox so much.

The PS2 turned 20 yesterday, I feel old. My opinion has changed slightly on it over the last year or so, I still think it's overrated.

But looking back on what I did play on mine it was some of my favourites such as Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Silent Hill 2, Zone of the Enders, ICO, SotC to name a few.

I took a (stupidly long) look at the top-rated PS2 games over at Gintendo to see which ones actually require a PS2. Enjoy!

The PS3 store is still up you just need a actual PS3 now for it

Fun little article and reading it makes go I was right didn't need to look at PS2 stuff. Yet I know the PS2 will have hidden gems on it and top stuff I missed.

Really enjoyed reading that. I still play mine all the time, pottering about with the essential exclusives, the utter dug meat and everything between. There's loads of undercover great stuff on the PS2.

Really enjoyed the Back Page podcast this week with Xbox vs. Gamecube. Anyone give it a listen?

I've not but that's a good VS, as someone that really likes both.

I'm still ploughing through the previous episode! It's a long'un. They need to do another 'ten best games in this Nontendo franchise with special guest Jools Bawbag' episode so I can skip it and catch up.

I'm part way through it and loving it!
I will say, it's really reinforcing my Nintendo fanboyism though. Every game Sam mentions for the Xbox I give a kind of shrug, whereas every Nintendo game Matthew mentions I'm chomping at the bit for. Maybe I just really like Matthew though.

I continue to find it odd how a lot of big Nintendo people seem to have this massive blind spot for Pokémon. All the UK games folks should get me on for an episode.

I've loved basically every episode of Back Page Pod. I really liked the Simon Parkin one, and went and added some of his books to my amazon basket. Then I realised I actually got one of them in a secret santa and its sat in the UK unread! Will fix that whenever I get around to visiting!

What does he mention for Xbox though? Is it stuff like Halo, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Dead or Alive 3, Ninja Gaiden or Morrowind?

Cube won't have anything better in those genre's and vice versa the Xbox won't have a better brawler, kart racer or platformer.

Why I had both (well all 4) and like the two of them as I do like most genre's and who can say no to KOTOR and Mario Kart Double Dash.

masofdas wrote:

What does he mention for Xbox though? Is it stuff like Halo, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Dead or Alive 3, Ninja Gaiden or Morrowind?

Cube won't have anything better in those genre's and vice versa the Xbox won't have a better brawler, kart racer or platformer.

Why I had both (well all 4) and like the two of them as I do like most genre's and who can say no to KOTOR and Mario Kart Double Dash.

Sam mentions all those games. He makes a good case for the Xbox considering the best Gamecube games are objectively better than the best Xbox games. I enjoyed him poking Matthew for picking Timesplitters 2 (a game he doesn't like) although he missed a few biggies (Outrun 2, Rainbow Six 3). It's a must-listen if you love the original Xbox for sure, reminded me how good its library actually is.

TimeSplitters 2, I wouldn't consider for any of the systems as on all of them but Xbox had best console version.

Yeah think large amount of the Cube games are better like Wind Waker is my favourite game of all time, but KOTOR is a 9/10 Western RPG.

Why think hard to compare, same with PS2 it is head and shoulders out in front with JRPG's, then Dreamcast with 2D Fighters & Arcade etc

I just went onto The Back Page podcast’s Twitter and seen that they’ve posted all the games that each presenter drafted. My mood is just like Buskalilly’s. I just sort of shrugged when I read that Xbox list too. I wasn’t interested in owning an Xbox when it was new, and there’s really little that inspires me as a retro collector either.

That NBA Street V3-less and WWE Day of Reckoning 2-less GameCube list is very ropey though.

Just looked at the lists the free spots is great for GameCube and blows Xbox almost out of the water, but that genre list is a bit of a mess and think Xbox wins some of them.

I'd go:

WRPG Jade Empire, Xbox
JRPG Tales of Symphonia, Cube
Action Adventure Wind Waker, Cube
Shooter TimeSplitters 2, Tie
Fighting Smash Melee, Cube
Sports PES, Xbox
Platformer Super Mario Sunshine, Cube
Licence Chronicles of Riddick, Xbox
Launch Halo, Xbox
Stealth Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Xbox
Horror REmake, Cube
Multiplayer Halo 2, Xbox just because of online and being huge but tight as Cube more local because of stuff like
Racing Mario Kart Double Dash, Cube

Xbox 6-6 Cube what a match up

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I just went onto The Back Page podcast’s Twitter and seen that they’ve posted all the games that each presenter drafted. My mood is just like Buskalilly’s. I just sort of shrugged when I read that Xbox list too. I wasn’t interested in owning an Xbox when it was new, and there’s really little that inspires me as a retro collector either.

I've done exactly the same. I'm sure nobody will be surprised by that, but I didn't think there was much joy at all in Sam's list. There could be that entire list on one side and Mario Sunshine, with all its quirks, on the other and I'd probably still go for Sunshine.

There’s definitely a couple of those Xbox games that would sit among the GameCube’s best. There’s lunatics out there who say that GameCube’s Burnout 2 is better than the everything-but-GameCube Burnout 3: Takedown, but future historians will only use that information when they’re talking about the decline of Britain. That GTA Double Pack is pure quality too, and would have likely become the GameCube’s best selling game (with over a hundred copies sold).

Maybe Rockstar could remaster this?


The OG Xbox versions were so good, as Rockstar did take advantage of the hardware making it part from maybe PC best way to play, also you could have your own custom radio station.

In fairness, I think even ardent Xbox-lovers kind of ignore the OG and start their love from the 360.

Balladeer wrote:

 There could be that entire list on one side and Mario Sunshine, with all its quirks, on the other and I'd probably still go for Sunshine.

The truest thing Matthew ever said was that a "bad" mario game is better than a good game in most other series.

My Gamebit screwdriver and compressed air have arrived, so I'm hoping to have my OG launch day GameCube up and running again this weekend. From all I've read online, the fan needs a blast out. Will be super chuffed if it stops cutting out.

Buskalilly wrote:

In fairness, I think even ardent Xbox-lovers kind of ignore the OG and start their love from the 360.

Yep it's because 360 so popular and think it has been mentioned before in relation to the NES with youtube, that all very american that feel the gens always weighed NES, SNES, PS1, PS2, 360, PS4 of coverage by most.

Personally OG Xbox miles in front of the other Xboxes because of the exclusives, where sure 360 had new IPs such as Gears but certainly felt like it had less.