Polygon:
Dark Cloud 2 is a gargantuan, way over-ambitious dungeon crawler on PlayStation 2 that I probably spent 300 hours of my precious teenage years playing. If you're a fan of games that give you lots of things to do, you are in luck: Dark Cloud 2 is stuffed to the gills with gameplay systems, including dungeon exploration, weapon customization, character befriending, monster collecting, fishing, town-building, photography, crafting and golfing. It's huge, sometimes to the point of being clumsy, but to this day, I still consider it my favorite PlayStation 2 game ever made.
Earlier this week, the remastered version of Dark Cloud 2 launched on PlayStation 4, giving me an opportunity to sing its praises to my co-workers 13 years after its launch. In the video above, Nick joins me as we discuss what made Dark Cloud 2 so great when it first came around, and how this upscaled version performs.
Tired of grinding through dungeons non-stop? Want to take a break for once in your life? No worries. Check out the best PS2 action RPGs.
Didn't expect to see Drakengard in a list like this, considering the awful gameplay. Still, it's the best terrible game I've ever played. 10/10 would recommend
Would love to see a remake one day, but only if they don't censor the fucked up story and characters. That and a Drakengard 3 remake, of course.
Drakengard made it onto the list mainly because Nier gave it a cult following later on. Honestly, it wouldn't have made the cut for any ACTION RPG list on its own. The characters are cool, the story is mess up in a good way, the lore is confusing and great, but the gameplay alone kill any chance of it being a recomended ACTION RPG.
Would love a remake of the series with updated gameplay. Drakengard 3 with Automata's hack and slash would be gold.
Some absolute gems on this list. Wholeheartedly agree with Rogue Galaxy, Dark Cloud 2, Radiata Stories, Odin Sphere, and Devil Summoner 2.
Some others, I can't comment on because I've never played or I didn't feel particularly strongly about them.
But hot take: I don't think Kingdom Hearts II really survives the test of time.
I cannot recommend Rogue Galaxy enough. It is on PSN+ as part of the subscription, so definitely check it out.
In Dark Cloud 2, it seems very easy to die to enemies. Enemies are just too hard to kill, and do way too much damage. There is one thing that can help you survive longer: Potato Pies, Witch Parfait, and Eden Fruits.
These items are scattered around Palm Brinks as well as the future world at different points of the game. As you adventure forward and change the future, new small chests, called “Miracle Chests”, will spawn in the future world.
You can buy this on PS4 or PS5 (PS4 version) or download on PSNow . Its a classic that people still play a lot so it’s relevant .
Show some respect to one of the best action RPG‘s ever made it’s timeless. And with all the crap that’s out today it deserves to be mentioned
Dark Cloud 2 is literally my favourite game of all time. I owned the PS4 release day one. Owned the PS2 copy from 2 days after release and still got it. Doesn't change the fact this article is the weirdest timing ever, especially since those upgrades you'll run into basically no matter what and when you do, thing blinks like crazy telling you to use it immediately lol. They got a million guides for the game and not like it's a new rerelease. God tier game but pointless article, even if I clicked because it mentioned the greatest game of all time lol
Exactly what Teflon02 said. I'm not shtting on Dark Cloud 2, it's part of my childhood.
KeenGamer: "Though the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are certainly worth our attention, it's never too late to revisit the classics. From Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege to Time Crisis, it's time to take a look at the December 2020 gaming anniversaries worth celebrating."
Time Crisis! I still have it with the gun. Just not the right old tech tv to run it sadly.
I don't understand why there isn't a Dark Cloud 3 yet. Come on Level 5, make me happy and make it a reality.
Im playing this game right now. This game simply looks amazing on my PS4 and I get to play it again. THIS is the kind of remastering I want to see. Not games from three days ago.
SONY, you rock!
Oh and I want Dark Cloud 3
I already planned on snagging this game, Friday, but after that video I'm sitting here wondering why I never played this game. It looks dope, and it looks like just the thing to distract me from the Witcher withdrawals that I have been experiencing. Really am looking forward to playing this.
Its a damm great game imo
Looks really fun and expansive