₊˚⊹⋆PS2 GAMES OF THE MONTH₊˚⊹⋆

So, I recently got myself a PS2 as a birthday gift to myself (because when you're 25, you get your own b-day gifts lol) and now I'm finally able to play all the games I wanted to play growing up. I'm going to start a new mini blog on here just as a video game log (and maybe reviewssss, I guess we'll see) ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

*game summaries taken from launchbox games database*

PLAYING NOW 

- Shadow Hearts

The time for judgment has come. Set in the early 1900s, Shadow Hearts follows story of Yuri, an Harmonixer, someone who can take the forms of other creatures and beasts. The story starts with a mysterious girl named Alice, who is being transported by the Japanese Imperial army to China on a train. Suddenly, a powerful magician named Roger Bacon tries to capture Alice, since she bears the secret to unleash a forbidden incantation, one that could burn the entire world to ashes. Then, Yuri comes to the rescue and saves Alice. Thus, they must embark on an epic journey all across China and Europe, searching for the mysterious man who tried to kidnap Alice and unraveling a devious master plan of apocalyptic proportions. Something that makes Shadow Hearts unique from other RPGs, is the use of the Judgment Ring, which is not only rooted to our party's performance on battles, but also other aspects of the game like buying items. Our mastery with this peculiar system is crucial, since depending on what part of the ring we hit, we can deal more physical damage or, if we aren't skillful with the ring, fail to perform attacks or magic at all. A hero with a mysterious past. A young girl holding the key to world domination. A villain who will stop at nothing to unlock the path to unlimited power. All this and more await you in a world of occultism, dark fantasy, and Gothic horror. Welcome to Shadow Hearts.

- Final Fantasy X-2

The game's story follows the character Yuna from Final Fantasy X as she seeks to resolve political conflicts in the fictional world of Spira before it leads to war. The story begins as Yuna, Rikku and Paine recover Yuna's stolen Garment Grid from the Leblanc Syndicate in the first of several encounters in which they vie for spheres. The game is punctuated by a narration of Yuna addressing Tidus, as though she is recounting the events of the game to him as they occur in a style reminiscent of Tidus' own narration in Final Fantasy X. Although Yuna's quest is to find clues that may lead her to Tidus, much of the storyline of the game follows the clash of the factions that have established themselves in the time since the coming of the Eternal Calm in Final Fantasy X, and the uncovering of hidden legacies from Spira's ancient history. A significant portion of the game's events are unnecessary for the completion of the main storyline, but much of the depth of the story—including characterization and background details—are featured in the optional content, which generally follows how each part of Spira is healing in the time since the passing of Sin.

- Gregory Horror Show 

A bizarre adventure game that follows the adventures of a main hero named Gregory whose purpose it is to collect lost souls in a haunted mansion. This hotel of the undead is filled with a bizarre group of guests -- along with Gregory and a mischievous little punk kid called James. Your goal is to steal the soul fragment (contained in milk bottles) that each guest holds. Doing so will, as Death informed you, get you out of the hotel, and apparently fill you in on why you were out walking about in the forest in the first place. You obtain the soul fragments by interacting with guests and solving basic puzzles. The game ends when you've run out of spirit as indicated by a spirit meter.

- Dark Cloud 

Dark Cloud is set within a fantastic world with two moons called Terra. The world is made of two main continents referred to as the East and West. The eastern continent has a focus on technology, and the civilization is advanced whereas the western continent is less so, and its people prefer to "live in harmony with nature". On the western continent are settlements that were sealed away by the Fairy King during the attack by the Dark Genie and where the game primarily takes place; Norune, Matataki, Brownboo, Queens, Muska Lacka and a settlement on one of Terra's moons, Yellow Drops (Brownboo and Yellow Drops being unaffected).

- Baroque 

A cataclysm has destroyed the cities and empires of men and disfigured the spirit of humanity. In this nightmare, it falls to you to descend a mysterious tower in search of absolution. Battle merciless foes through treacherous dungeons, scour for new items to aid you in your travels, and unlock the secrets of a devastated land. You will find death in the depths, yet learn that death is not the end of the story; in the twisted world of Baroque, it is only the beginning.