In that case, I'd argue to still play it rather than miss out. In terms of story and gameplay for a jrpg- it ranks right among the best there. It's my personal favorite game and I doubt you'll be disappointed :p

Speaking of which, persona 4 is another good choice if you're into japanese style gameplay.

@Demonki Like What Orca_Azure said these games dont follow each other each one has its own characters and own story line. Trust me you wont regret it. Play FFX!!!!!

Jak and Daxter series. Play them. Love them. You can thank me later.

EDIT:

Also, if you haven't experienced MGS3 and Resident Evil 4, you have not lived. PERIOD. 

You should. The first one is still my favorite platformer of all time.

@Orca_Azure: I wanted to get Persona 4, but I could not find that game ANYWHERE. Every store I went to didn't have it. Where could I get it?

@gurglesletch: the first Jak and Daxter game is "The Precursor Legacy", right?

@Demonik you can find Persona 4 on amazon.com

@Dgc1808: I've owned and played both MGS 3 and MGS 3: Subsistence. Both were good games, but Subsistence was better because of the camera and extras. Now, I've played Resident Evil 4 on the Wii and loved that. Is it the same on the PS2, besides the controls (obviously) ?

I had a hard time finding that game in stores too. I ended up getting lucky one day and finding it used at gamestop.

Amazon has some listed for $25
Ebay (if you're willing to bid/wait/etc) can have it for say $20 sometimes.
gamestop online has it for $30 new usually
gamestop sells them it in the store for $20 used- though this might change from store to store.

It's still a pretty new game in the ps2 library so it will go down over time

Here is the Link: http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Persona-Playstation-2/dp/B001C6GVI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1254270777&sr=8-1