Can't remember the name of that game from your past?

[midnitecarnival]

Somewhere around 2007 or 2008, I was at a soccer game with my team at an indoor complex - the kind with multiple individual astroturf fields connected by cement walkways. The location was pretty popular at the time and it had a few arcade games, including one of those big machines that housed a small screen with the falling block game, and there was a smaller, less populated downstairs area where a few of my teammates were playing a cabinet after the game wrapped. It was pretty average-sized, definitely had identifying art and branding, and I believe had a joystick and several buttons.

It was a 2D sidescroller. I want to use the term SHMUP, because I know there were a lot of bullets on screen, but I'm not a SHMUPdreg and I don't want to be uncouth. All the entities were 2D sprites. It was going for a pretty realistic aesthetic, kind of like Mortal Kombat, but there were a huge number of nonhuman and extremely fantastical creatures, so it probably wasn't actual greenscreen photography. The best comparison for flavor of the player characters, enemies and world would be generation 3.5 Dungeons And Dragons.

More or less all you did throughout the entire campaign was shoot, advance, shoot, and advance. I recall that there probably weren't any hard cuts from screen to screen and it was more like you floated to the next location while the constantly-moving background adjusted. Earlier levels might have included a forest and maybe a desert. The further you went, the darker and weirder the tone and enemies got; the most distinct image I have is spraying a bunch of Giger-esque tentacled squid or jellyfish creatures on a dark blue background that looked kind of like a roiling cloud or ocean full of debris. The tone started out pretty heroic and I guess early-stage-Tolkien-esque before becoming quite ghastly and serious by lategame.

The only other comment I have is that this was actually one of the first games I really felt good at. I was very satisfied with how far and how deep I was able to get into it, and each level being progressively weirder and darker scratched an itch that made it stick with me long-term. I've gone to Funspot in New Hampshire, PAX East, and a handful of other arcades around New England since, but never saw this game again. This is my only real tipofmyjoystick experience like this, so any insight would be appreciated.

Sol Divide?

SOL DIVIDE -SWORD OF DARKNESS- on Steam

Enter the world of sword and sorcery. This is the spell and slash action shooter. With online rankings!

store.steampowered.com

Post automatically merged: Jun 29, 2025

Hello gaming connsoisseurs! I'm looking for a game my big brother used to play on Amstrad CPC. You evolved as a bald guy in some kind of prison/asylum, trying to escape and you could become mad and get a game over. For some reason, the MC could hit his head on the walls and if you did this too much, it also resulted in a game over I think.
Does it ring any bell?

Sanitarium?

Sanitarium

Imagine a world created out of insanity – deformed children, ancient gods, ghosts from

www.gog.com

 

[Reverberata]

Sol Divide?

SOL DIVIDE -SWORD OF DARKNESS- on Steam

Enter the world of sword and sorcery. This is the spell and slash action shooter. With online rankings!

store.steampowered.com

...huh. I genuinely was about 70% sure that wasn't correct, but after skimming a playthrough on YouTube and especially after seeing those jellyfish enemies show up lategame, I can't deny it. Thanks.

 

[midnitecarnival]

...huh. I genuinely was about 70% sure that wasn't correct, but after skimming a playthrough on YouTube and especially after seeing those jellyfish enemies show up lategame, I can't deny it. Thanks.

It's a cool idea for a game - traverses like a linear platformer with multiple paths but in the air.

They need to make a modern day update that plays like a Metroidvania and allows you to drop down on foot as well.

 

[JoueurCitoyen]

Sanitarium?

Sanitarium

Imagine a world created out of insanity – deformed children, ancient gods, ghosts from

www.gog.com

No it's way older! Thanks

 

[bjork]

Hello gaming connsoisseurs! I'm looking for a game my big brother used to play on Amstrad CPC. You evolved as a bald guy in some kind of prison/asylum, trying to escape and you could become mad and get a game over. For some reason, the MC could hit his head on the walls and if you did this too much, it also resulted in a game over I think.
Does it ring any bell?

What did it look like? Was it a side scroller or like an overhead deal? If it's an amstrad game it could've showed up on other platforms of the day too, so that will help

 

[Aeriththeflowergirl]

There was this PC game on Windows where you drive these military vehicles around a beach or something. It kind of looked A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol or Command and Conquer.

 

[TheGamesArchivist]

There was this PC game on Windows where you drive these military vehicles around a beach or something. It kind of looked A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol or Command and Conquer.

I would say Return Fire, but I'm not 100%

 

[midnitecarnival]

I would say Return Fire, but I'm not 100%

This^ or Jackal...

You could also take control of jeeps in MERCS.

 

[_-_AceDragon_-_]

There was this PC game on Windows where you drive these military vehicles around a beach or something. It kind of looked A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol or Command and Conquer.

Commandos?

 

[Ezri_Muldoon]

Hi all,
We all know the PS2 Had a massive library, and many games seems lost within a sea of demo disks, region exclusivity and limited releases.
So I wanted to set up a thread to helping everyone filter through those old lofty memories and track down games you remember, but may have never played.

With that in mind. May I have some help?
I played a demo of JRPG in late 2004/early 2005.
The intro cutscene established a world which was once technologically advanced, yet has regressed to a medieval society after a great machine summoned demons into the world, resulting in the surviving generations abandoning technology to avoid repeating this catastrophe.
The demo level involved leaving the starting village, restoring a bridge and finding a power core for an airship? It had a prominent female protagonist, was isometric in perspective was very green and vibrant in its environmental design.

I recalled trying to play it several times, but back then I was a dumbass who didn't like random encounters or turn based combat.
I would love to give it a shot now!

 

[Carlnshake]

Bump. Wishing you luck

 

[qw90700]

I played a demo of JRPG in late 2004/early 2005.
The intro cutscene established a world which was once technologically advanced, yet has regressed to a medieval society after a great machine summoned demons into the world, resulting in the surviving generations abandoning technology to avoid repeating this catastrophe.
The demo level involved leaving the starting village, restoring a bridge and finding a power core for an airship? It had a prominent female protagonist, was isometric in perspective was very green and vibrant in its environmental design.

This is seriously generic JRPG plot just to make games take place in ancient places so players can enjoy melee weapon gameplay, not firearms or something lol.

Need more details. Is the game 2D or 3D and whatever.

 

[Ezri_Muldoon]

This is seriously generic JRPG plot just to make games take place in ancient places so players can enjoy melee weapon gameplay, not firearms or something lol.

Need more details. Is the game 2D or 3D and whatever.

It was 3D, fixed camera perspective, the Intro cutscene has the demons protruding from castle on a cliffside, yeah. It seemed generic to me even back then.
It's the genericness has prevented me from tracking it down despite trawling through demo-disc archives.
I have always thought I could identify it through a screenshot but the opportunity has never arisen to see one.

Kya: Dark Lineage, Ribbit king, Final Fantasy X2, Transformers (2004) were games that I also recall being on the same era of disc's, but that has never narrowed it down either due to the how spaced out those releases were.

Actually those listed games might have placed this demo in 2003

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

Isn't that Grandia 3 you were talking.

 

[qw90700]

It was 3D, fixed camera perspective, the Intro cutscene has the demons protruding from castle on a cliffside, yeah. It seemed generic to me even back then.
It's the genericness has prevented me from tracking it down despite trawling through demo-disc archives.
I have always thought I could identify it through a screenshot but the opportunity has never arisen to see one.

Kya: Dark Lineage, Ribbit king, Final Fantasy X2, Transformers (2004) were games that I also recall being on the same era of disc's, but that has never narrowed it down either due to the how spaced out those releases were.

Actually those listed games might have placed this demo in 2003

It beats me. So many games like that. While the intro seems specific yet it seems like many games. I checked some of them but had no such intro yet the same "plot logic" lingers. However the intro may be twisted for DEMO purposes, or later in development intro may changed so released game may be different than the DEMO.

Sometimes PS2 games' have a DEMO may exist but the game is cancelled.

Isn't that Grandia 3 you were talking.

Nope. Actually that game's intro is most dissappointing false hype ever.

Whole intro indicate open world plane flying game but the actual game is nothing like that lol. The damn intro is a damn movie you cannot skip so you have to watch a kid having a passion for flying plane grows up and up with many adventures and gets old and stuff, then your player characters watches a movie of it and wanna be that dude lol.

 

[Ezri_Muldoon]

Isn't that Grandia 3 you were talking.

It wasn't Grandia, the game didn't have its Anime esque artstyle it was more realistic, as much as a mid tier PS2 Game could be.

 

[qw90700]

It wasn't Grandia, the game didn't have its Anime esque artstyle it was more realistic, as much as a mid tier PS2 Game could be.

Grandia 3-like graphics was not common actually but not so rare because it has "higher graphics quality" on PS2 actually. The games that had that quality are like Wild Arms 5, Suikoden 4, Dawn of Mana and Star Ocean 3. "Realistic" graphics that's not like "anime" is pretty much a rare graphic on PS2 in the context of JRPGs. Most popular one achieved that graphic is Final Fantasy XII and Metal Gear Solid 3 but TBH 99% Japanese games either way "anime-esque" look despite they really pushed to the limits like Radiata Stories and Rogue Galaxy. Until Grandia 3 level we had to endure "more detailed PS1 graphics" games that looked like Skies of Arcadia. Check previous games of Wild Arms for example.

Then the game you looking for would be a very rare game that would be popular for its graphics alone then it would be weird if it was not so known game but it beats me. I don't know that specific game and I played lots of JRPGs on PS2 or learned a lot about them to see if they are worthy to play.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

Well here my another try Summoner 2.

 

[bjork]

Your best bet is to probably look at a list of PS2 RPGS and eliminate them one by one. Some person made one elsewhere but I don't know how comprehensive it is. It does have release dates though, so that might help a little: https://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=18277.0

 

[qw90700]

Your best bet is to probably look at a list of PS2 RPGS and eliminate them one by one. Some person made one elsewhere but I don't know how comprehensive it is. It does have release dates though, so that might help a little: https://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=18277.0

Where is Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance in the list? lol

Sometimes bad thing about internet is the recorded list of games on platforms are incomplete because some games never made it to internet and therefore they are not included in lists. My poor lost games!!! And then some few game gets popular and become "only games on the platforms" people share around and list of games stays shorter than the actual library of platforms.

 

[bjork]

The good thing about the internet is someone can always make a better one if they feel so inclined. That list I found was just what spit back first when I searched "list of PS2 rpgs" so I'm sure it isn't the only one out there.

 

[qw90700]

The good thing about the internet is someone can always make a better one if they feel so inclined. That list I found was just what spit back first when I searched "list of PS2 rpgs" so I'm sure it isn't the only one out there.

In like 2 decades I already experienced lost games from internet that not even their names are any where on internet anymore, so it gets worst and worst. Those who know these games existed just simply die, and the sources they left deleted too for many reasons. They mention a game in a forum and the forum dies and so as so many knowledge. One day Google, Reddit and Wikipedia will be no more, each time sources get deleted people will have to refill it as much as they remember. And then internet is a place people share an objectivity whether it's true and false and adjust thier POV into what they can Google or not, that's why game lists gets reduced actually. Sometimes people are like "this game so sucks I don't wanna add it into the list" and all lol. After all only whatever is worthy makes it to the future.

 

[Clippy]

This sounds a bit like Star Ocean Till the End of Time.

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance?
Shadow Hearts?
Xenosaga Episode 1 or 2

 

[qw90700]

Or it could be one of the first examples of PS3 JRPG, then I wouldn't know at all. I only know most popular games on PS3, and those that have character creation.