Sony PlayStation 2 Review and a List of the 10 Best PS2 Games
Written: Dec 09 '02 (Updated Nov 15 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Vast Library of Games, Comfortable Controller, Backwards Compatibility, Only $200 Now, HD Loader
Cons: Breaks Down Easily, Need Multitap For 4 Player Action
The Bottom Line: The PlayStation 2 Console is The Perfect System For Almost Anyone.
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| jeremy1456's Full Review: Sony PlayStation 2 Slimline Console |
Back in 1995 Sony entered the console industry with their release of the original PlayStation, but nobody could have predicted just how well this console would do, it managed to do something that no other console had ever done; it beat out both Sega's and Nintendo's consoles from the same generation. Not only did it just beat them, but it put Sega's Saturn console to a very early death, and it managed to sell circles around Nintendo's N64 console; Sony just hit all the right strings with the PlayStation. As we all know, new technology is always replacing older technology, and so naturally video game consoles are constantly being replaced with more powerful systems, and so naturally Sony announced the successor to the PlayStation, and this new system would be called the PlayStation 2. People were naturally a little skeptic about if the PlayStation 2 could live up to the original, and even after the launch of PlayStation 2 people were still skeptic, but by now all this skepticism has been put to rest as the PlayStation 2 is currently selling even better than the PlayStation was at this point, and Sony is outselling the competition on a 4:1 ratio.
I have to admit that I was one of those skeptics, but you have to admit that for a while there with no really good games the PlayStation 2 was selling only on brand name, and the fact that it has a built in DVD player and backwards compatibility with the PlayStation One games. The hype generated for the PlayStation 2 was on a level of it's own, it's actually hard to comprehend the level of anticipation some people had for this console. The system had a less than stellar launch lineup with Madden 2001 being it's biggest launch title, but since launch and now, triple A quality games such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Final Fantasy X, Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 4, and many many others have been released.
What Comes In The Box:
• PlayStation 2 Video Game Console
• A Set of Stereo A/V Cables
• An AC Adapter
• 1 PlayStation 2 Controller
• A Set of Instructions
The System
When I hear the name "Sony" I usually picture high tech electronic equipment, and let me just say that not only does the PlayStation 2 system look really high tech, but it also is extremely sleek in its appearance. The PlayStation 2 is much smaller in person than one might expect, before I had actually seen the console I remember looking at pictures of the console and it really looked like it was a large, rectangular DVD player with the blue PS2 logo on the top, bit it turns out that the PS2 unit is actually pretty small, and it fits snugly next to my DVD player and VCR.
The PlayStation 2's design has one pretty major fault though; the system only has 2 controller slots, making for 2 player only action unless you buy a multi-tap for around $20, but why would you want to spend $20 more for something that should have been included with the console. Sony has claimed again and again that they didn't include 4 player support from the get go because this would have caused the PlayStation 2's already steep $300 launch price even higher, but I don't buy this statement, I'm guessing that maybe they were in a rush to get the console out and didn't have time to add in the other 2 slots.
Sony has often touted the PlayStation 2 as not only a video game console, but a whole entertainment center. Sony figured that more and more consumers would purchase the PlayStation 2 if they made some kind of gimmick for it, and so they included one of the cheapest quality DVD players that I have ever seen into the system, so the PlayStation 2 can play "some" DVDs, but this number is limited due to the low quality of the DVD playback included inside the console. Sony also included another feature into the PlayStation 2 that has turned a couple heads, and this is the backwards compatibility; in other words the PlayStation 2 can also play PlayStation One games. This is by far a better feature than the internal DVD player, and a smart move by Sony simply because they knew it would increase hardware sales, but it also made it so the older PlayStation One games would continue to sell.
Online Gaming: HD Loader and Beyond
Online is the name of the game, and Sony really seems to know what they're doing here with it. On top of titles like SOCOM and SOCOM 2, the PS2 has quite a lot to offer in this field. The service may not be as polished as say, Xbox Live, but Sony knows when it's got a good thing going. What's more is that there aren't even any monthly charges associated with playing online for most games, but that doesn't completely rule out this asset, as some games, particularly FFXI and Resident Evil Outbreak require a monthly fee to play. Also, Sony has opted to create a harddrive for their system (not compatible with the slim PS2 model, however), and this is required in order to play Final Fantasy XI particularly.
There are a ton of possibilities with the harddrive that even surpass mere online gaming alone. Firstly, it can be used to store game saves in a rather easy fashion, allowing for thousands of saves in it's forty gigabytes of free space. One of the major quirks that has gone unrealized however, comes in the form of a peripheral named the HD Loader. This tool actually allows you to copy full PS2 games to the harddrive, and once they are saved, you can stream them just like they were any other PS2 game. There is a big difference in this though, as this tactic greatly reduces load times.
The System's Specs
A system's power usually means little to the average consumer, and so I don’t get down to all the hardware nitty gritty, but I'll tell you this: The PlayStation 2 is weaker than the Gamecube and the Xbox. What does this mean? Simply that some graphical effects can't be pulled off on the PlayStation 2, but it means little else. The PlayStation 2 does have some power behind it though, and games like Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts proves this point. If graphics really mean a lot to you, then you shouldn't discount the PlayStation 2, it still has some very excellent looking games. The PlayStation 2 has a harder time putting out textures and generating special effects (like lighting) than the Xbox and GameCube do, but talented developers have been releasing great games with graphics that are on par to most GameCube and Xbox games, so you really have nothing to worry about.
The PlayStation 2 Controller
Since the PlayStation 2 is a sequel of sorts, Sony released basically just an enhanced PlayStation One controller for the PlayStation 2, but is this a bad thing? No it isn't, the PlayStation One analog controller is one of the most snug and easy to use controllers ever, and so why should Sony fix something that isn't broken? The PlayStation 2 controllers are black (opposed to the PlayStation One's Gray Controllers), and the buttons are all analog now. The rumble feature has been brought over to the PlayStation 2's controller, and all of the buttons are the same, this makes it easy for owners of the PlayStation One to familiarize themselves with the PlayStation 2.
The PlayStation 2's controller has 4 face buttons; square, x, circle, and triangle, along with 4 shoulder buttons, 2 analog sticks, an analog button, and a directional pad. As I said earlier, the controller is very snug for people with almost all hand sizes. What makes this controller really function great though is the fact that all of the buttons are extremely easy to reach, but sometimes (in platforming games for example) the analog stick messes me up slightly because of the fact that it's not located where your thumb naturally fits onto the controller, but rather it's a little lower and to the right of the directional pad.
Sony's Third Party Relations
No matter what type of games you enjoy, your best bet console-wise is to get a PlayStation 2, it just has every kind of game you could ever want. There are few to no third party developers that haven't made a game for the PlayStation 2, and for good reason too; the PlayStation 2 has the largest user base out of the three consoles, and is showing no signs of slowing down, especially with a price drop looming on the horizon in Japan and possibly North America. Since Sony has no very well known in house franchises they are forced to rely on third party support to push the PlayStation, and this is workign remarkably well for Sony, as the PlayStation 2 might very well become the best selling console in the last decade. Sony is really big on securing big name exclusives from third parties, and so naturally the PlayStation 2 has a pretty remarkable line-up of games, even without mentioning all the killer PlayStation One games you can play on the console.
Capcom, Konami, Sega and Squaresoft are among the PlayStation 2's biggest supporters, and so naturally if you are fans of these developers the PlayStation 2 won't disappoint you. The PlayStation 2 has more games than twice the Gamecube and Xbox combined, but not all of these games are very good, in fact a good majority of them straight out suck. Since the PlayStation 2 is the weakest of the home consoles this generation, games sometimes turn out better on the other consoles than on the PlayStation 2, but more often than not Sony secures exclusive content for these games so they will have slightly more content on the PlayStation 2 than on the other consoles.
The PlayStation 2's Games
It's almost time to usher in the Playstation 3, and thus I am going to simply focus on the PS2 top ten games instead of looking into the future. Here's my list.
#10. - Gran Turismo 4
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Gran Turismo 3 is a game that really wowed people over, and is still a tribute as to how great a current generation racing title should be. GT4 takes everything that was great with GT3 (except the bad AI) and ups it a couple of notches. It seems that this will be the king of racers, that is until Gran Turismo 5 is released on the PS3 in the future.
#9. - Guilty Gear X2
Developer: ARC System Works
In all honesty, I had never so much as heard of the Guilty Gear name before stumbling upon this title. It looked to be exactly what I was looking for; a 2-D game with a ton of style (I was burned out on Darkstalkers to be honest). What I found proves to be my favorite fighting game of this generation, with a ton of character, a cool assortment of fighters. Fans of 2-D fighters should certainly not miss out on this one.
#8. - Devil May Cry
Developer: Capcom
Despite having an absolutely horrid sequel, the original Devil May Cry was a complete godsend when it was first released. This was one of the PS2's earlier action titles, and so it recieved great sales, and has developed a huge following. In the game, you take control of the character Dante from a third person view as you destroy everything in your path.
#7. - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Developer: DMA
After the huge hit that was GTA3, Rockstar knew that they had to follow up with something bigger and better. This is when they came up with GTA: Vice City, a GTA game set in the 80s with all the same play mechanics, but a much larger game world. It was a hit, and the game has even gone on to break sales records. This is the second best GTA game ever released.
#6. - Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Developer: Nippon Ichi
Never heard of Nippon Ichi? Well remember the name, because this is one company that I'm predicting will absolutely take off in North America in the coming years. The company's best hand is in it's strategy RPGs, and Disgaea proves that you cannot go wrong with their games. This game may look typical, but it's got some innovative features you won't find anywhere else. This is definitely worth a purchase.
#5. - Beyond Good and Evil
Developer: Ubisoft
Remember the latest Zelda game, the Wind Waker on Gamecube? Well this game actually manages to match it in terms of Gamecube, while still offering much to the table. This quest gives you the role of a reporter, as she fights her way through various dungeons, and even uses espionage to progress in some areas of the game. This is easily one of the most underrated games of this generation.
#4. - Final Fantasy X-2
Developer: Square-Enix
One of the biggest surprises in the gaming world came from Square's announcement that it was in the works with a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X. While I'll sit there and argue until I'm blue in the face as to why they should have chosen any other FF game, I am very happy with the results. Square also opted to return the class system for this outing, and it really is better than it's prequel.
#3. - Phantom Brave
Developer: Nippon Ichi
This game, along with Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube, is what I rate as game of the year for 2004. Yeah, it's that good. This is also a tribute as to how talented Nippon Ichi is as a developer, and now a publisher. Like Disgaea, the game looks like a standard strategy RPG upon first look, but after delving into it a bit you'll find that it's really quite the innovative piece of work. This is definitely one to check out.
#2. - Kingdom Hearts
Developer: Squaresoft
If you would have told me seven years ago that I would rate a Disney RPG as one of the greatest games of all time, I would have scoffed at you to your face. Kingdom Hearts came out and surprised me big time, with a huge story, imaginitive reincarnations of Disney worlds, and just overall fun gameplay. If you like action RPGs, than the only way you can go wrong with this is to not play it.
#1. - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Developer: DMA
Surprised? Well I am, as I didn't expect this game to be so massive. It's easily the biggest game I have ever had the task of completing, and it's still to this day, the game that I would rate the most replayable of them all, given it's side games and two player mode. This is really the definitive GTA game, and one that nobody should miss out on.
Sales-wise
In sales the PlayStation 2 is just outright trampling the Gamecube and Xbox in all 3 major regions of the world, and so PlayStation 2 is here to stay. The PlayStation 2 manages to continually release more games than both of the other consoles, and this causes sales to continually spike and put the other consoles to even more shame. The PlayStation 2 is even performing better than the original PlayStation was at this point in its life, and it's really not too hard to see why.
Final Recommendation
The PlayStation 2 is the perfect console for everyone, there is just such a variety in games that everyone will find something they like about the console, and the backwards compatibility and DVD player don't really hurt it either.
Related Reviews:
Microsoft Xbox Console Review
Nintendo Gamecube Console Review
Recommended:
Yes
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