One PlayStation 2 RPG asks you to swap characters in the middle of a fight. Another wants you to stop attacking and give the boss a weakness first. These PS2 turn-based RPG games include party adventures, timed-input…
Items 71 The creator’s order
1 Final Fantasy X (2001) ★ 8.8 IGDB Released Jul 19, 2001 If you want to think at your own pace, start here. The turn-order panel shows who is about to act, and you can change the active party during a battle. Bring in the character who solves the immediate problem before the enemy gets another turn. 0 2 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (2004) ★ 8.7 IGDB Released Nov 27, 2004 For a traditional party adventure on PS2, this is an easy place to start. You can give up a turn to raise Tension and then hit harder, but an enemy that cancels the setup makes the delay costly. This is the original console version. 0 3 Shadow Hearts: Covenant (2004) ★ 8.1 IGDB Released Feb 19, 2004 Use the Judgment Ring to time hits as the needle crosses each target zone. Covenant also lets characters link their attacks into combos, giving you a reason to plan who acts together instead of treating each good hit as a separate event. 0 4 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (2003) ★ 8.5 IGDB Released Jan 30, 2003 Try the original PlayStation 2 game for tactical battles where you can lift allies or enemies and throw them elsewhere on the map. Geo Panels change the rules on colored squares, so it pays to look at the map before chasing the closest enemy. 0 5 Persona 3 FES (2007) ★ 8.8 IGDB Released Apr 19, 2007 Knock down an enemy by hitting its weakness, then spend the extra action on another target or prepare an All-Out Attack. Choose FES for The Answer after the main story and expect to give your teammates tactics instead of issuing each command yourself. 0 6 Persona 4 (2008) ★ 8.8 IGDB Released Jul 10, 2008 The original release lets you choose your teammates' commands directly. Exploit weaknesses to knock several enemies down in succession. How you spend days in Inaba affects the allies you can create for the next dungeon. 0 7 Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003) Released Feb 20, 2003 Choose Nocturne if you want an enemy's weakness to change the length of your turn. A good matchup can give you an extra action, while missing or attacking into an immunity can cost one. Recruit and fuse demons to bring the skills you need. 0 8 Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (2002) ★ 8.9 IGDB Released Nov 14, 2002 Learn to fight in cramped spaces before relying on the dragon form. Where you stand affects who an attack can reach, and using dragon power pushes the D-Counter higher. Restarting can open additional scenes, so a fresh run can have a purpose. 0 9 Final Fantasy X-2 (2003) ★ 6.6 IGDB Released Mar 13, 2003 For faster commands, the Active Time Battle gauges keep the party moving. Change dresspheres during a fight to swap jobs, and learn to time actions close together to make a chain. Try it after Final Fantasy X if you want the combat to put more pressure on your timing. 0 10 Shadow Hearts (2001) ★ 8.0 IGDB Released Jun 28, 2001 The first Shadow Hearts gives each attack a Judgment Ring target, so getting the input right matters alongside your stats. Listen for the early lessons in Sanity Points, which limit how long a character can fight safely. 0 
Final Fantasy X (2001)Released Jul 19, 2001If you want to think at your own pace, start here. The turn-order panel shows who is about to act, and you can change the active party during a battle. Bring in the character who solves the immediate problem before the enemy gets another turn.0
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (2004)Released Nov 27, 2004For a traditional party adventure on PS2, this is an easy place to start. You can give up a turn to raise Tension and then hit harder, but an enemy that cancels the setup makes the delay costly. This is the original console version.0
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (2004)Released Feb 19, 2004Use the Judgment Ring to time hits as the needle crosses each target zone. Covenant also lets characters link their attacks into combos, giving you a reason to plan who acts together instead of treating each good hit as a separate event.0
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (2003)Released Jan 30, 2003Try the original PlayStation 2 game for tactical battles where you can lift allies or enemies and throw them elsewhere on the map. Geo Panels change the rules on colored squares, so it pays to look at the map before chasing the closest enemy.0
Persona 3 FES (2007)Released Apr 19, 2007Knock down an enemy by hitting its weakness, then spend the extra action on another target or prepare an All-Out Attack. Choose FES for The Answer after the main story and expect to give your teammates tactics instead of issuing each command yourself.0
Persona 4 (2008)Released Jul 10, 2008The original release lets you choose your teammates' commands directly. Exploit weaknesses to knock several enemies down in succession. How you spend days in Inaba affects the allies you can create for the next dungeon.0
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003)Released Feb 20, 2003Choose Nocturne if you want an enemy's weakness to change the length of your turn. A good matchup can give you an extra action, while missing or attacking into an immunity can cost one. Recruit and fuse demons to bring the skills you need.0
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (2002)Released Nov 14, 2002Learn to fight in cramped spaces before relying on the dragon form. Where you stand affects who an attack can reach, and using dragon power pushes the D-Counter higher. Restarting can open additional scenes, so a fresh run can have a purpose.0
Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)Released Mar 13, 2003For faster commands, the Active Time Battle gauges keep the party moving. Change dresspheres during a fight to swap jobs, and learn to time actions close together to make a chain. Try it after Final Fantasy X if you want the combat to put more pressure on your timing.0
Shadow Hearts (2001)Released Jun 28, 2001The first Shadow Hearts gives each attack a Judgment Ring target, so getting the input right matters alongside your stats. Listen for the early lessons in Sanity Points, which limit how long a character can fight safely.0