3 Greatest PS2 RPGs Nobody Ever Talks About

The PlayStation 2 has plenty of RPGs that are constantly coming up in conversation, from Final Fantasy 10 to the original version of Persona 4. In the depths of its massive RPG library, however, there are also some great games that have managed to comparatively fly under the radar.

Of course, every game has its acolytes, and you'll still find plenty of praise for virtually any title when browsing forums or searching for sleeper hits. Even so, the discussion is extremely quiet compared to the biggest PS2 hits, and it's worth shouting out a few games that deserve to be talked about more often.

Mana Khemia: Alchemists Of Al-Revis

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis should be a familiar name to fans of the Atelier franchise, but comparatively, it doesn't get talked about anywhere near as much. While it's technically a mainline Atelier entry, it lacks the name that's attached to everything else in the alchemy-focused JRPG series.

The big difference lies in the setting, as Mana Khemia focuses on attending the Al-Revis Academy instead of running an atelier. This could actually be one of the game's biggest selling points, recapturing some of Harry Potter's fundamental appeal. The game never set the world on fire in terms of critical reception, but there's ultimately a lot to love about it.

A unique turn-based battle system makes interesting use of battle positions to chain attacks, and the focus on alchemy makes item-crafting an essential part of the experience. Memorable characters and a greater focus on the main story than in the average Atelier game complete the package, delivering a game that perfectly scratches a very particular itch.

If you're left wanting more, there's also Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy, which refines the gameplay and offers up a new cast of characters. The Atelier Iris trilogy is another compelling option on the PS2, and you'll find all of them to be fairly different from the slice-of-life approach that defines much of the series.

TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga

When it comes to tactical RPGs, Fire Emblem is often the first series that enters the conversation, but that wasn't the only franchise launched by its creator, Shouzou Kaga. After leaving Fire Emblem behind, he created his own studio to develop the game TearRing Saga, which carried over enough of the original ideas to end up incurring a lawsuit from Nintendo over copyright infringement.

The PS2 sequel, Tea Ring Saga: Berwick Saga, maintains a lot of the same strengths while shaking things up enough to get further away from the Fire Emblem DNA. From its masterful use of a hex-based grid to a compelling hub system, Berwick Saga brought fresh ideas to the table and proved that Kaga was still the best in the business. The story also features nuances and gray areas that distinguish it from the heroic fantasy of many other tactical RPGs, helping to keep it engaging throughout.

Unfortunately, Berwick Saga never made its way West, explaining why it doesn't get talked about too much over here. There is a fan translation, though, and fans of Fire Emblem should definitely give it a look. If that whets the appetite for more, the PS2 has many other intriguing tactical RPGs, including Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity, La Pucelle Tactics, Suikoden Tactics, and Eternal Poison.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is far from the most obscure PS2 RPG, but in the general canon of LotR games, it's not quite as famous as many of its brethren. Nostalgia for PS2 titles often focuses on the excellent Return of the King adaptation, and comparatively modern games like LEGO The Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor have taken a large spot in the overall conversation.

As a venture into a classical RPG formula, however, The Third Age is a truly interesting experiment. Developed by EA Redwood Shores, later known for Dead Space, the game's sheer ambition speaks for itself. Its story broadly covers the events of all three films (notably, the license could only include content from the films, so it's not an adaptation of the books in any way). Instead of following the Fellowship, The Third Age introduces its own party on a concurrent journey through the story.

Sadly, these characters don't quite compare to the Fellowship, but there are a lot of other things to appreciate. The Third Age does an impressive job bringing key locations from across Middle-earth to life, and its relatively streamlined turn-based combat might still capture the spirit of the story more than the mindless hack-and-slash formula of some alternatives.

Decades later, there still isn't any other The Lord of the Rings game quite like The Third Age, earning it a mention as one of the best under-discussed RPGs on the PlayStation 2.