Playstation II

Cafe Society
21

I have about 70 PS2 games. You can get them very reasonable used at BB stores. Recently they
were three for the price of two at the discounted price. Only the newer ps2s have the dvd drivers in them
otherwise you have to load them on your memory card & they do take up space.

Also try ebay.com for cheap used systems & games.

You should get two controllers & a memory card also.

The new Linux kit with HD should be fun.
Has to be connected right to your tv to play dvds or Macrovision kicks around.

22

It’s a great system, some of my recommendations:

FFX
Ace Combat 4
Dark Angel
Madden 2002
NHL 2002
Onimushra

23

Great system, but I noticed something a bit after i got it. I spend way way more time playing PS1 games (FF 9 and FF Tactics) than PS2 games, possibly because I only have 2: THPS 3 and Crazy Taxi. I should buy more PS2 games, but need to finish some PS1 games first. That said:

State of Emergency
FF X (I don’t really like it and sold it, but everyone I know loves it)
THPS 3

and, just for the heck of it, FF 7 and Tactics

24

I haven’t even seen what a PS2 memory card looks like. I got my PS2 for Christmas 2001 and since then, not a single store in Springfield, IL has had any. The dude at Best Buy said they might have some by June :eek: ! This has kept me from playing just about every game I’ve wanted (GTA3, Silent Hill 2, etc.).

Anyone else have this problem?

25

Theres a shortage of ps2 memory cards as sony terminated the contract with the big supplier of 3rd party stuff for the sony systems mad catz

Since they already had a shortage of memory cards this has made the situation worse

My advice is try a mail order company or catalog place like sears ect

26

If you plan to use your PS2 as a DVD player, there’s a Sony remote control that makes watching DVDs much easier. Looks like a normal DVD remote except it comes with an infra-red receiver. Plug the receiver into a game controller port and bingo, you can relax on the couch instead of scrabbling on the floor for a controller.

No opinion to add on game titles.

27

I ran into this when I bought mine about 2 months ago. I bought the system at Best Buy on a whim one Sunday afternoon. They didn’t have any memory cards, so I went to every store I could think of that would be open at 6 or 7pm on a Sunday. I tried Target, Wal Mart, and Kmart that night. The next day I scoured all of Rochester NY trying to find one of those damned things. I must have called literally every store in the area that I thought might even have a chance of selling the things. I was laughed at several time by people who found my request so rediculous that it was comical.

Then, out of nowhere, I hit the jackpot. On a last ditch effort I called BJ’s Wholesale. I asked the lady at the desk, and she responded with “Ummm yeah, I’ve got like 10 of them”. I nearly wet myself in shock. I asked her again and again to verify that it was actually at PS2 memory card and not a PS1. She assured me that it was PS2. I left work that very moment and went over to get one. Sure enough she had a stack of those suckers. Don’t ask my how they were the only ones who happened to have them.

My best advice to this is to make SURE that you can purchase a memory card before you even consider buying the system. Any game that has any sort of depth to it is going to require saving to the memory card. You have no idea how annoying it is to have to start every gave from the very beginning each time you play. The memory card is an ABSOLUTE MUST!

As far as games are concerned, here are my picks:
GTA3 - just pure fun
Finaly Fantasy X - got a good 40 hours invested in this game, and loved every minute of it
Metal Gear Solid 2 - great gameplay, but the really REALLY long cut scenes can get to you after a while
Gran Turismo 3
Spy Hunter - fun, and good for the nostalgia aspect

Some that might be worth a shot:
State of emergency - fun, but kind of repetative. Becomes the same old routine after a while… you can only blow up so many buildings :wink:
Maximo
Onimusha
Devil May Cry
Silent Hill 2
SSX Tricky

28

Absolutely! I Agree!

29

Dave… buddy. Are you okay, man?

30

Wow, talk about bringing back the dead…

31

Daoloth - You still there?

Something I forgot to mention: imports. If you can somehow get the means of playing import games, that opens up a whole new world of PS2 entertainment to you. I already have Beatmania IIDX 3rd and 4th Style, DDRMAX is on its way (some songs on the import you can’t get anywhere else), and you can bet that I’m ordering Pop 'n Music the moment it comes out.

A reliable modchip is the best way. The latest stealth modchip costs only about $70 and works for all imports (even those that have lockout protection). The only problem is finding a place that has one and can do the installation…a number of video game message boards should have an answer. Get a Japanese system only as an absolute last resort.

Oh and about Gran Turismo 3…I’m extremely leery about games that are “really hard at first” and that “you just have to learn”. Here’s the scoop (GT3 was the first PS2 game I ever had, so I know what I’m talking about here): You have to do a ton of adjustments to win almost anything. There are a lot of features like shock adjustment and braking systems and differentials that you might not be intimate with. It’s really, really hard to win anything. It’s impossible to get a decent grip on the road on some tracks. It’s hard. Just plain hard. And don’t think that you can just juice up one supercar and win everything, because a lot of races…probably the majority, in fact…require a certain engine setup or category, or even one specific car. It’s hard to win anything. The licenses are friggin’ impossible (especially gold clears); Time Trials even more so. Did I mention that it’s really, really hard to win anything? Oh yeah, to get 100% completion (which I trust you’ll want at some point), you need to win all the races, win all the series events, get all the licenses, get the #1 time in all the time trials, AND win all the Arcade Mode events (which I don’t even have Gameshark codes for).

I don’t want to dissuade you…well, actually, I do. I never sugarcoat a superhard game, and I just want you to know exactly what you’re getting into.

I’m surprised that anyone has trouble getting something as basic as a memory card. I can go to at least four different places for one. You’ll definitely need one, though, so make sure you get one at the same time as the PS2.

As for joysticks, two you should avoid are the “Fighter’s Stick” (it’s black and purple, and the buttons are arranged in two horizontal rows)…the stick on it is a piece of crap. (Okay for Bemani games, however.) If you see a huge, irregularly shaped all-black model, avoid that too.

32

The USA version of DDRMAX came out earlier this month, and the consensus I’ve seen on DDR message boards is that it’s the best console version of all. Now if only I could figure out how to unlock “Candy”…

Don’t bother with GTA 3 now that GTA Vice City is out. Bigger maps, better graphics, more weapons and vehicles, and countless little improvements. IMO it has a better soundtrack too.

33

Kingdom Hearts, Twisted Metal Black and Jak and Dexter are all very fun games. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is pretty good, though I’d recommend it for a rental as you can play through it pretty quick (it’s similar to Gauntlet Legends).

For PS1, there are tons more that I know are fantastic: Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear: Solid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to name just a few. Best yet, PS1 games can be purchased for a song these days and there’s a huge library available, so you don’t have to dish out tons of cash to get use out of your PS2.

Plus, the dang thing plays DVDs and CDs. I got a PS2 only a month ago, and I’m not disappointed.

34

Oh, and let me chime in to say I had absolutely no difficulty finding a memory card. Maybe it’s a regional thing?

35

Some damn addictive games for the PS2 are:

Medal of Honor: Frontlines. (watch Band of Brothers first and the game will blow your mind)

Timesplitters 2

Tonk Hawk 4. (don’t get 3 cause it just pales in comparison).

36

Well, I’ve had the system for roughly 5 months now. Got GTA3 as my first game, recently got Vice City. However, the system broke the day I got Vice City. I’m in the process (snail mail, argh) of exchanging it, via the warranty policy. Thanks for the input, though.

37

That really sucks. What happened to it? Any idea? Where you keeping it vertical by chance?

38

Is the vertical position bad?

39

Supposidly, the vertical position makes the more prone to faliure. I don’t know if that is fact though. I am more curious to find out why it failed.

40

Everyone I know who has had a PS2 for some time finds that it starts having trouble reading DVD discs (games or not) after X hours of use. Well, I mean, everyone I know IRL, not online. Play FFX and another longish game or two and it is all over. Now, I don’t know if that was because of “typical” first-gen issues or what, because I pretty much never play my PS2 and wish I never bought it, so mine never had the use. My XBox and Gamecube have kept me more than occupied.

However, I still have not purchased either GTA. I’m waiting for the first one to drop to $20 before I shell out the dough.