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The PlayStation 2 was literally heaven for RPG gamers, but now with the PlayStation 3 launching soon, we look at some of the last RPG titles to be launched for the PlayStation 2....


LOU KESTEN

It's been a good ride for the PlayStation 2 and much of the PS2's success can be attributed to its remarkably diverse software lineup including its overwhelming supremacy of the RPG genre.

VALKYRIE PROFILE 2: SILMERIA

Valkyrie Profile 2 actually a prequel to the 2000 cult favourite begins with the valkyrie Silmeria being exiled from Valhalla and forced to share the human body of a wimpy princess named Alicia. Outsiders think Alicia's gone nuts, and Odin, king of the Norse gods, wants Silmeria dead all while an apocalyptic battle is brewing between the gods and the humans. As Alicia flees her persecutors, Silmeria has the power to free doomed souls called 'einherjar', who then fight alongside the princess/goddess. The level of invention goes beyond the story line: The 2D dungeons are cleverly designed, while the 3D battles are fast-paced but allow plenty of opportunity to strategise. Each of your fighters is controlled by a different button, and you can mash them all at once or time them to execute powerful combos. Valkyrie Profile 2 is a complex and challenging experience that will find an appreciative audience among players who've grown weary of RPG clichés.


VALKYRIE PROFILE 2: SILMERIA

Rating: 4/5

Developer: Tri-Ace

Publisher: Square Enix

Platform: Sony Playstation 2


RPG fans have depended on Sony machines since 1997, when Square moved its beloved Final Fantasy franchise from Nintendo to the PlayStation. Almost every major RPG series since has been PlayStation only, from blockbusters like Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts to cults titles like Shin Megami Tensei and Shadow Hearts.

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: DEVIL SUMMONER

A title like that should tell you one thing: You're in for some serious weirdness. The setting is 1920s Japan, where Western influences are beginning to crowd out Eastern traditions. The hero, Raidou, works at a cut-rate detective agency, and his first case looks like a simple kidnapping before evolving into a much grander conspiracy. As Raidou unravels the mystery he's under constant attack by demons, which he can capture, control and even combine into more powerful monsters. In each battle you can select one demon to fight alongside you, and you can switch between allies with different powers, adding a strategic element to otherwise generic combat. Devil Summoner doesn't quite meet the high standard set by its predecessor, last year's brilliant Digital Devil Saga, but its likeably bizarre story has enough twists and turns to satisfy anyone looking for an unusual adventure.

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: DEVIL SUMMONER

Rating: 4/5

Developer: Atlus

Publisher: Atlus

Platform: Sony Playstation 2


Until the PS3 arrives, we're still being treated to some good RPGs on the PS2. The just-released Final Fantasy XII is the colossus, of course, but there are some alternatives. AP

TALES OF THE ABYSS

Those clichés we mentioned before are in full effect in the latest instalment of Namco's endless Tales series. Let's start with a teenage protagonist who has no memory of his childhood but could be the key to saving the world. Abyss does throw a few interesting twists into the story mainly by making the hero, Luke, so insufferably bratty that it pains you to think he could be the messiah but for the
most part it will seem awfully familiar to any RPG. The battles seem overly simple at first, but ramp up nicely in difficulty, and there are plenty of places to explore and missions to accomplish. Abyss is well put-together, but it's tough to find time for a merely adequate RPG when there are so many more innovative games out there.


TALES OF THE ABYSS

Rating: 2.5/5

Developer: Namco Bandai

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Platform: Sony Playstation 2