The PS2 was a big leap forward from the PS1. The console had a built-in DVD Player, which was the cheapest on the market in many ways, and it could still play CDs too. The graphics were a big jump ahead, and now more than ever, games featured voice acting thanks to discs being able to pack more memory onto them.
8 Best PS2 RPGs That Get Better As You Play, Ranked
Some PS2 RPGs take their time getting started, and these next games demonstrate great patience, rewarding players who stick around for the long haul.
Not every PS2 game had voices, but a good majority helped engross players more in their stories, especially RPGs. Let’s go through the RPGs with the most amount of voice acting and rank them based on performance quality, along with how good the core game is.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
A Fun Marvel Crossover
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
- Released
- October 24, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Before the MCU, video game fans had Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. It was a mega crossover between Avengers teams and solo heroes within the Marvel universe, from Captain America to The Thing, all of whom were voiced. The dialogue wasn’t backed by flashy cutscenes, even with the next-gen versions, but that didn’t matter. It was still one of the best ways, outside of cartoons, to hear these iconic heroes and villains voiced. Gameplay was similar to a Diablo game with hack-and-slash gameplay performed from a top-down perspective.
Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness
A Silly But Engaging Story
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
- Released
- August 27, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, Strategy, RPG
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is a tactical RPG set in the underworld right after their benevolent leader, The Overlord, died. Laharl, his son, takes over, but he doesn’t want it, and the citizens of the underworld don’t like it either, so an uprising occurs. With the help of a loyal guard, Laharl will try to prove to his deceased father and the rest of the Underworld that he is worthy of the title Overlord. The story is bombastic, but told only through text boxes, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less entertaining. Power Rangers fans may recognize Laharl as Barbara Goodson, the English voice for Rita Repulsa.
Front Mission 4
A Global Affair
Front Mission 4
- Released
- June 15, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Front Mission 4 was an upgrade for the tactical RPG mech series as it added voices for the first time in the mainline entries. The futuristic world of this game is comprised of factions that span across former countries to create more of a United Nations front.
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There are a lot of great PS2 RPGs from back in the day, but only a handful of them are easy to play on modern consoles in 2025.
That means the heroes and villains are from all over the world, which comes across with the voice acting. Even if they do sound stereotypical, they are still well-voiced. The cutscenes are mostly just text boxes with dialogue being voiced, but occasionally, there will be in-game actions featuring the mechs of the series called Wanzers.
.hack//Infection
Part One In A Quadrilogy
.hack//Infection
- Released
- June 20, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
.hack//Infection was the beginning of a quadrilogy on the PS2 that was based around a fake MMO called The World. When Kite loses his friend Orca in the game, who goes comatose in real life, he is determined to find out what’s going on. This was a multimedia project designed around anime and tie-in manga that made the world of.hack feel more fleshed out. While the plot was hard to follow sometimes, the voice acting had some of the best anime had to offer in the 2000s.
Final Fantasy 10
The Laugh Is Still Funny
Final Fantasy 10
- Released
- December 17, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Final Fantasy 10 hit particularly hard with fans when it launched for a number of reasons, including the voice acting for the first time. As much as it gets mocked online regarding that infamous laughing scene between Tidus and Yuna, the overall performance from the cast is a step above most PS2 RPGs. Auron’s voice is deep and brooding, Rikku is full of energy, and Wakka is playful and yet serious. Other notable features included the turn-based battle system that allowed players to swap party members mid-battle, along with the Sphere Grid leveling system.
Persona 4
High School Detective Club
Persona 4
- Released
- July 10, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Persona 4 was a late release for the PS2, but the game certainly packed in a lot of content to justify fans having to wait until 2008. Gameplay is similar to the previous entry, with turn-based battles built around random dungeons and socializing with friends in between.
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The age of the PlayStation 2 is not dead yet, thanks to these ports of classic 6th-gen games available on the Nintendo Switch.
The amount and level of voice acting meet the quality of the previous entry, but the story itself is more intriguing. High schoolers start to investigate murders in their small town and can also jump into TVs to explore another world.
Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille Zur Macht
Certainly, The MOST Voice Acting
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
- Released
- February 25, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Hideo Kojima games like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater certainly get flak for having overly long cutscenes as opposed to long bits of gameplay. People with this opinion have probably never played the Xenosaga trilogy before because they have some incredibly long cinematics, and they’re full of over-the-top voice acting. Some are so long that players can save in between cuts. That may sound like a bad thing, but players into anime, robots, and religious artifacts in their RPGs will surely dig the ridiculous nature of Xenosaga’s story, especially in the first game.
Kingdom Hearts
Hail To The Mouse Chief
Kingdom Hearts
- Released
- September 17, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Kingdom Hearts is a blend that no one saw coming. The level of voice acting cannot be outmatched for any game on the PS2 because Disney veterans returned to voice their iconic characters, like Bill Farmer as Goofy, and even Gilbert Gottfried returning to voice Iago from Aladdin. The celebrity talent was used well for the original and Final Fantasy characters, and the most surprising casting choice was Lance Bass as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, who did a good job. It’s an action RPG that shouldn’t have worked, but it did, thanks in part to the solid gameplay, world-hopping story, and the quality of the voices involved.
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