10. I know for many gamers, the premier choice of quirkiest Japanese game of the 2000s would likely got to Katamari Damacy, but for me, my choice is Gitaroo Man. I love musical rhythm games and Gitaroo Man combines all the best elements with a rocking soundtrack, challenging gameplay, and of course the quirky Japanese sensibilities that make you wonder what the design team was doing in the bathroom on their breaks. I only wish more people had tried out this gem of a title.
9.
The second half of the Persona 2 duology, EP is the fantastic payoff to the first game with a twisted Twilight Zone-esque vibe to it's theme of Deja Vu. Like Suikoden, this entry works the best if you've played the prior entry and thus understand the references. Minor characters from Innocent Sin suddenly become major players in this entry and vice versa, and we ultimately get one of the darkest and most chilling entries in the whole franchise. The game also brought in a few lifestyle improvements to the overall mechanics and the group conversation mechanic is transformed into both a great gameplay feature and fun way to build on the game's excellent cast. Hell, this game even makes Persona 1 look fun to play as the game brings back the cast in some interesting ways. Added in is having two scenarios to play through and introducing the series theme of making one of the Velvet Room associates the game's super boss is also pretty chill. Despite how much the soft reboot entries borrow ideas and concept from the duology, it makes me sad the Persona Team doesn't give the games more references within their titles.
8.
My second favorite Zelda title and my favorite of the 3D entries. I bought a Wii just to play this game, and despite what some may say, I feel the Wii controls work nice for this entry. Course what I love about this game is the great dungeon design and the fun cast of characters, with Midna easily being my favorite companion character for Link in the series since her personality works as a strong contrast for Link's. The game also just had some great set pieces like the Spaghetti Western sequence in the Hidden Village or the climatic siege of Hyrule Castle. When I think of great Zelda dungeons and bosses, often I'm surprised how many of them come from this game for me.
7.I was a late arrival for this series, but SH2 is a fantastic entry, and I'm not surprised why so many of the Western entries try to copy it so bad. James Sutherland is such an interesting and complex figure and his twisted journey through this haunted sleepy town will stay with you long after the credits roll. I feel as gamers, we don't really ever talk about atmosphere as much in terms of game design like we should but holy hell if Team Silent didn't get it right in this entry, especially with one of the series best musical scores next to Silent Hill 3.. The story and the claustrophobic psychological horror pretty much make up for the fact that the actual gameplay is clunky and often frustrating. This game is certainly more experience than just a fun casual play type of deal.
6.Back when Square still made experimental leaps within the genre. They let Yasumi Matsuno take a shot at making his own style of game that wasn't a clone of one of his earlier works and they were rewarded with this entry. We the fans got to experience a dark fantasy Metal Gear title with one of the most involving gameplay systems of the PS1 generation and a story line that fans still debate to this day. In hindsight, I feel this game along with King's Field set the stage for Miyazaki's Dark Souls franchise as the aesthetics, design, and overall feel of the two franchises match up quite nicely. Ashley Riot is probably one of the most underrated protagonists from Square and it's a shame that VS will likely remain a hidden gem among Square's works.
5.This entry has always surprised me a bit. Like FFIX before it, this game is basically a love letter to the whole franchise and brings back a lot of fan favorite elements after the more controversial third and fourth entries, and hey, it even brings in elements from those games that fans liked. While the game suffers from the usual low budget technical issues that mire most of the series and the designs fall a bit far into some of the less pleasant tropes of anime, the game's incredibly detailed political plot and excellent return to form in gameplay make this one of the best entries in the series. It's a shame the series will never continue the main plot pass this entry, but at least we can say the main series ended on a high note.
4.The sophomore effort of Team Ico is easily one of their most fantastic efforts and defining game for the PS2. The game beautifully mixes platforming, combat, and puzzle solving in a way few franchises short of Zelda have accomplished and considering how much Twilight Princess borrowed in that regard, it looks like even Nintendo noticed this game pulled off some superb design. There is a reason this entry has been remastered and remade every generation since it's inception and it may sadly remain as the crown jewel of the Team Ico game trilogy.
3.Easily the best of the new era Persona titles for me, while 4 and 5 were able to expand many of the concepts introduced in this entry, neither of them have ever been able to recapture the elegance of the game's interwoven design. The social links and calendar mechanics remained in the sequels because they were popular, but neither entry made them a central part of the narrative like P3 accomplished as it explores the themes of mortality, death, and the meaning of life. I also just vastly prefer having the main team's personal stories as part of the overall plot as opposed to being relegated to social link subplots. There is a more liveliness and nuance to the S.E.E.S. members than either of the Investigation Team or Phantom Thieves. Overall, it's the best designed entry in the franchise for me, with every element connected and feeding into each other.
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Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Man, I needed this game in my life. Nocturne introduced me to the excellent MegaTen franchise, different means of story telling, and proved to me that Turn Based combat can be fun challenging, and tactical once again. It's rocking soundtrack combined with it's bizarre and haunting visuals made this a standout entry for me on the PS2. I still wish Kazuma Kaneko did the art design for the series cause I feel he's one of the more underrated artists, especially once his design evolved in the late 90s and early 2000s.
1.Oh my goodness this game is ridiculously awesome. I never imagined another entry in the franchise would knock MGS1 from my favorite spot, but here we are, MGS3 took the tighter design of MGS2's overall gameplay structure and merged it with the better character focused narrative and excellent boss fights of MGS1 while wrapping the whole thing into a nostalgic 60s spy thriller package. I'm never surprised that this game is often in direct competition for the number one spot in fans hearts.
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