Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Most Overlooked PlayStation 2 Games - Part Two

We all have them-- games that we love but were overlooked/underappreciated by the masses. Well, that's exactly what SPC's Most Overlooked series is all about. It's about those games that deserve a second chance in the spotlight. Once again we have five more games that are deserving of such a chance. It's the Most Overlooked PlayStation 2 Games, Part Two!

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil


Our first game on the list was critically well-received. Unfortunately, that did not translate to great sales. Another case of no advertising equaling essentially no sales. Klonoa 2 is a 2 1/2D platformer where the floppy-eared hero can grab enemies and propel himself off them to reach new heights. There's tons of level variety, and the level design is just terrific. It's a true shame that this game didn't generate more interest, but it seems it might just be the series that isn't interesting to the majority of people because Klonoa for Wii, both Klonoa games for the GBA also failed to ignite the sales charts.


Magic Pengel: The Quest For Color

In the last installment of Most Overlooked PlayStation 2 Games we took a look at this game's spiritual sequel, Graffiti Kingdom. This time around we're checking out at the game that started it all, Magic Pengel: The Quest For Color. The premise revolves around catching and creating your own monsters to duel it out one-on-one in arena-based combat. Sounds very Pokemon-ish, no? That's exactly where the inspiration came from. Making your own monsters is easy and fun, battles are varied and seldom the same, and music is composed by none other than Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger/Cross fame.


Killer7

We go from bright and bouncy to bloody and brooding with Killer7. The Gamecube version seemed to fare much better than the PS2 port, generating more buzz and thus more sales. The game seems to be a love or hate kind of game with its on-rails movement. You can move around, but only along a predetermined path. The game is particularly scary with the evil Heavens Smile being normally invisible to the naked eye. They don't attack long-range most of the time, they come up close and grab you! A whacked out story and some disturbing imagery makes for one strange yet wild ride with Killer7.


Metal Slug Anthology

Released on three consoles: the PlayStation 2, the Nintendo Wii, and the PSP, the PlayStation 2 version received the best scores just by a hair to the PSP version. Regardless, the PS2 version failed to get a lot of sales for such a meaty, prolific collection. Six games for the price of thirty dollars? Yes, please! All the run and gun action that you may or may not have ever witnessed is here for you. There's also an easy mode that gives you unlimited continues to play through the games at your own pace. The game is perfect for newcomers or veterans of the series. It's Metal Slug Anthology.


Viewtiful Joe 2

Henshin-a-go-go, baby! Viewtiful Joe hit both the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Gamecube in style with seven new chapters, seven new locales, and two heroes for the price of one game in Viewtiful Joe and Sexy Sylvia! All the old moves from the last Viewtiful Joe are here from mach speed, slow, and zoom. The levels are just as spectacularly crafted as they were in the past game, and the bosses were much more challenging. A bonus mode featured several rooms with varying objectives. Clearing all of them would unlock infinite FX powers! For a not-as-good-as-the-original take on the series, check out Viewtiful Joe 2.


Have you any PlayStation 2 games that you think deserve to be on the list? Let me know by posting feedback in the comments section!

No comments: