PS2 all the way baby!! Its the console to wait for, I scoff at the Dreamcast. This will probably be the first time that a console will outperform (in terms of graphics, sound, etc.) arcade and PC games. The hardware in the PS2 is truly next-generation, and from what I have read by comparison, it would take even the home PC 2 years to catch up. For those of you that dont know, there will be several games for the system launch, dont think for a second Sony would release a system and no games! Some info on Square… they are now making 3 more Final Fantasy games. (yes, 9, 10, and 11) FF9 will be for the original PS, going back to castles, dragons and wooden ships. FF10 will be for the PS2, looking similar to FF8. Square showed demos of the games built-in online functions which you can use to access hints, maps, guides and such through Squares PlayOnline service and the PS2 broadband network without leaving the game. Square also showed conceptual footage of FF11, and is to be an online installment, meaning you can play against/with thousands of other people in a massive fantasy world.
Too true that many Sony games are not for kiddies, and wouldn’t you know, I thought I would not see it happen, but it is. Valkyrie Wilde is the title, and it feature a fully nude female character! Just imagine Lara from Tomb Raider running through the whole game in the buff, and this is what you get. I cannot be positive, but I think its the first game (console game) to carry the adults-only rating.
Source material courtesy of PSM magazine.
“Wow! Spider-Man! Are you really friends with the X-men?” "Not since Cyclops tried to use my viewmaster."
(Marvel Team Up #1)
The Playstation, especially the early models (one of which I own and no longer functions) have a problem with overheating, especially if left on for long periods of time. You’ll typically notice this during FMV sequences and especially in newer games (I couldn’t play Gran Turismo or Tenchu without my system completely freezing). Possible solutions include turning the system on its side or upside down for better air circulation, buying a separate cooling unit/fan, or getting a newer model PS.
As for the wild PS2 claims, I’d wait to reserve judgement til it comes out over here. IMHO, there are only two worthwhile games for it- Ridge Racer and Street Fighter EX (and that one’s only slightly playable). The others are war sims, puzzlers, Mah Jong, and a dancing game. There’s already been a large recall in Japan for memory cards as the Ridge Racer save corrupts the DVD drivers rendering the DVD player unusable til you reinstall the drivers.
I’m not knocking the PS2- just viewing it realistically. At this point, the DC has more games, Sega has a large assortment of arcade games that they can port and the arcade ports are as good or better than the originals (Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi), and uses a modified Windows CE engine so PC ports are fairly easy to do. Sony does not make games in house so they’re totally reliant on 3rd parties- a system is only as good as the games on it. The “this system is much more powerful” argument was used several times by Atari Jaguar fans (64 bits? hah!) but if the games don’t come, it ain’t worth it.
If I were in Japan, no freakin way am I shelling out $400 (US) for a DVD player with a remote attached to the player and one worthwhile game. If the games are there when the US release comes, I’ll buy one and put it next to the DC.
Ok, this time around I will give out more info… way back in my November issue they gave a list of games being worked on and the list of companies signed up to develop for the PS2. At that time there were 89 Japanese companies, 46 North American, and 27 from Europe. No way am I typing in all those names! The best place for up to date info is at these two sites: www.dailyradar.com www.videogames.com
Both are great, and they feature tons of info about all gaming platforms, even for the PC. You can of course just look at the PS2 info and check out screen shots or even download video samples. Videogames.com is great for… well the games of course, you can look up any game you own for codes, hints, guides and check out reviews for games you might want to buy.
“Wow! Spider-Man! Are you really friends with the X-men?” "Not since Cyclops tried to use my viewmaster."
(Marvel Team Up #1)
The first batch of games could easily be described as disappointing. Aside from
Ridge Racer V and Kessen, none of the titles that shipped at launch really pushed
the hardware of the PlayStation2 (and it’s safe to say even RRV and Kessen didn’t
really stretch technical boundaries).
And having owned several systems, I can tell you from personal experience that half the companies that claim they’re developing for a system never follow through. Heck, look at a Playstation box- chances are that there’s a picture on there of a game that never made it out (or made it out 2 years after it was slated to).
I’m not knocking the PS2- It’s definitely got impressive specs, a built in DVD player, and a long list of game companies claiming to support it. Call me a skeptic, but until I start seeing games materialize (and they’d better be good enough to justify the $350+ price tag) I’m not going to purchase it. Heck, I was skeptical of the DC until I played some of the games (Hydrothunder, Soul Calibur, Power Stone, NFL 2K) which is what ultimately sold me
Isn’t the only way out for Nintendo to dump its hardware (Gameboy excepted) and produce software for Sony, forget about hardware development expenses and watch the royalties roll in?