Cult Classics: PlayStation 2
Part 4! Finally!
Steambot Chronicles
- Publisher: 505 Games
- Developer: Irem
Even after changing the title from Bumpy Trot (as it was hilariously known in Japan), there still wasn't much interest from we sallow-faced Euro-snobs for this pioneering RPG sandbox effort. Piloting a stomping robot thing called a Trotmobile, the game offers a decent illusion of free choice, with multiple ways of approaching conversations and plenty of time to crash about the scenery finding your own amusement. A combination of unappealing visuals and tough real-time combat controls probably kept some interested parties at arms length when it came out for full price but, now you can pick it up cheap, it's well worth another try.
What we said: "Imaginative and enjoyable - all you can really ask for in a sandbox."
Ebay price guide: Around GBP 10
FantaVision
- Publisher: Sony
- Developer: Sony
Amidst the launch titles that heralded the arrival of the PS2, FantaVision certainly stands out as an unlikely flag-bearer for a new technology. At first glance it looks like one of those tech demos that they use to get developers excited about a new platform by banging on about real-time floating-point object-database manipulation, but to everyone else it just looks like pretty lights. Well, FantaVision does look a lot like pretty lights - it's a fireworks puzzle game. Or is it more like a shoot-'em-up? Whatever it is, you amass silly scores by detonating chains of fireworks in the sky. A bit like Boom Boom Rocket, you say? Not really, since FantaVision offers nuance and depth way beyond the usual rhythm action clichés.
What we said: Not reviewed
Ebay price guide: Less than GBP 5
Shadow Hearts
- Publisher: Midway
- Developer: Sacnoth
Do you like the idea of JRPGs, with their meaty storylines and immersive gameplay, but are put off by all those magical kingdoms, whimsical stories and precocious sword-wielding children? Then Shadow Hearts is where you should direct your curiosity. Set at the turn of the 19th century, and juggling some cheeky alternate history with the sort of gibbering horror that made HP Lovecraft famous, it's a darker and more moody take on the genre than many are used to. Some turned their noses up because it didn't use full 3D environments, others were put off by the novel (and actually very clever) Judgment Ring combat system. Most were probably just too dazzled by the bluster of Final Fantasy X, and failed to even notice this little cracker even existed.
What we said: Not reviewed
Ebay price guide: Less than GBP 10
Blood Will Tell
- Publisher: SEGA
- Developer: SEGA
It's common practice for videogames to send players scurrying from one place to another, collecting a set number of items that have been ruthlessly separated by the bad guys because they hold the secret to their defeat. In Blood Will Tell, one of SEGA's most obscure releases, you have an added urgency to your quest - the items you're collecting are 48 organs from your own body. Each piece you retrieve grants you some new ability, while your missing body parts are replaced with weapons. Based on a popular manga series, this odd-yet-engaging mash-up between Devil May Cry and Samurai Warriors is well worth a look for button-mashing enthusiasts. And amputee fetishists.
What we said: "If you like slashing and hording within intelligently structured worlds and have no problem sinking into the non-conformity of Japanese manga, then Blood Will Tell may well surprise you."
Ebay price guide: Less than GBP 5