Games with great stories!?

After playing many of the big holiday releases on the 360(Assassins Creed, Mass Effect, Halo 3, COD4) I am bored, and felt like playing some PS2 again... well because lets face it... PS2 is awesome!

I got FF12 and Okami, and both the Kingdom Hearts games lying around
! Never really gotten far in any of tem. Except for FF12! I got 20 hours in that game, but I havent touched it for half a year!

Other games I thought about buying: Persona 3, God of War 2, Bully, Manhunt 2, God Hand and Rogue Galaxy.

I am looking for something with an excellent story and captivating world. None of the games I have played for 360 or in this generation for any platform, has managed to grab me, by the way MGS3 and GTA3 and Vice City did. Does games dont only have great stories, with good scripts and voice acting, but also great worlds that take you in. And IMO, thats something that no amount of normal mapping or HDR or some other fancy next gen effects can replace.

Stories I also enjoyed on PS2: San Andreas, FFX, MGS2, Freedom Fighters, God of War, Devil May Cry 3.

I know these kinda of threads keep popping up, but I have to say it. Stories is really my main motivation for finishing a game. Immersion has become a key aspect of myself enjoying a game these days. Highscores and beating the bosses and finding the secret areas or collecting all the stars, really don't have an appeal for me anymore. Granted, maybe I should be watching a movie or reading a book instead, but I love good stories in games.

I recomend playing Okami again, that game has an awesome mythological story.

Persona 3 has also a cool story witha touch of grimm.

Rogue Galaxy is a very long game but not that great of a story, some if its conent is very much cliche'd.

suikoden 3 has a good story which i highly recomend and same with Dragon Quest 8.

PERSONA 3. can I enjoy this game despite not having played any of the previous games?

rouge galaxy - does it have japanese voice acting or is it only dub!?

i also have ico and shadow of the colossus. have not been able to get into them, but some people say that they rock.

my advice to u is... beat all ur games first!-Gray_Fox-

If It does not have a great story i feel like that i have wasted my time! So I really need to know if these games are good enough to warrant a playthrough. I got tons of better things to do that do useless sidemissions and stuff in games. But a great story is something that sticks with you, and is engulfed in your brain!

Someone said Okami. So I will give that one a shot.

Maybe I should sell Kingdom Hearts 1,2, SoTC, Ico and and FF12!

Can't answer your second question....

But yeah, Persona 3 is a stand alone game, doesn't take place in the P1-P2 universe. There are small tie ins via TV dialog that is in the livingroom and a S-link talks about P2, but describes it asa video game..... Really P3 has no connection to the previous Persona games. And the gameplay is nothing like the Previous Persona games. Game play is closer to DDS and Nocturne, really.

Ico and Collossus isn't for everyone. They are more for people who like puzzle type games. And for those that can absorb themselves into the atmosphere of those two games... Anyone who can't... will find them boring.

If story is truely your main drive.... the test to that will be Rule of Rose. Very Deep story.... beyond pitiful gameplay. There is Resident Evil 4, Onimusha series, Haunting Ground. Fatal Frame series,I feel, is the best adventure/horror series ever made. FFX has a good story, MGS3 (suggest buying Subsistance, oh but you already listed MGS3, didn't see it.).... MGS1... you said you played MGS2.... ohyeah...forgot about it....."Yakuza" has a very good story. Reminds me of the main plot of Cowboy Bebop, in a way.

Odin Sphere has a series of good stories.... but the problem with that game is the slowdown during heavy action scenes, and Boss battles that have special effects, such as the last boss battle of the first book, and the first boss battle of the second book. Also requires you to do a lot of cooking and ingredence collectingto level up....properly.

I recommend Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts Covenant, as well....

Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2

.hack//Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine

.hack//GU Rebirth, Reminisce, and Redemption

Suikoden III and V

All have VERY good stories.