What's up with the PS2's selection?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am out of patience.

I had to sit through an entire Christmas '00 season’s worth of endless screaming hype about how fantastically wonderful the new Playstation 2 was. I read the articles about the frenzied midnight rushes. The $2,000 resales on E-bay. The scams. Etc. Etc.

Well, some time’s passed since then. Only recently has the system become widely available. (Again I ask, has there EVER been a product which has suffered hideous delays for almost its entire existence which has gotten a HUNDREDTH of the good press the PS2 has??) There is no joystick. There is no modchip. They’ve just come out with the Gameshark. The things that I absolutely took for granted for practically every previous system are Herculean efforts, if not utterly impossible, for the PS2.

But I don’t want to rehash my old beefs…oh no, now they have an even worse problem! I took the liberty of checking out the PS2 games in Software Etc. Here’s a rundown, divided by category.

Sports/racing: 50
War/Strategy (including all the “giant robot” games): 14
All RPGs: 6
Fighting: 4
3D Action: 19
Simulations: 3
All others: 4

That’s right, sports games made up nearly half of the entire selection! (The PS2 games I find elsewhere follow similar patterns.) After that, 3D action titles, mostly big, complex shooters, predominate, followed by war/strategy. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many RPGs (one of which was the latest Monkey Island game, hardly a traditional console roleplayer).

Do you think Sony took Sega’s pronouncement of the Dreamcast as the “ultimate sports console” a little too seriously? Or is there something a little more insidious at work? We’ve all read those igonrant magazine reviews which crow endlessly about the FANTSTASTIC, LIFELIKE GRAPHICS of the latest PS2 sports blockbuster (without giving so much as a sentence to the gameplay, of course); perhaps this is a way of capitalizing on it.

Or maybe oft-mentioned programming difficulties are worse than Sony has let on.

Whatever the reason, thus far I’ve seen absolutely nothing about this system that I prefer over the Dreamcast that I own right now. And c’mon, I know I’m not the only one out there. What do you all think of the PS2’s selection? Am I the only one who thinks there’s something missing? Am I the only one concerned that the PS2 seems to be a system made by super-hardcore challenge-uber-alles gamers for super-hardcore challenge-uber-alles gamers?

2

Well, I’m not sure if you can blame Sony for there not being a modchip. (Well, come to think of it, I guess you probably should.) As for joysticks, there are at least two. Sure they’re not first party products, but then Sony has never really been a peripheral happy company (neither has Nintendo, come to think of it).

As for the preponderance of sports games, well, if you ran a software company and had an even moderately successful sports game franchise, would you opt not to port it to PS2? There’s a lot of sports, and at least some of them are entering their second “season” on the PS2…

As for the selection out there, I must admit that I’m waiting for The Next Big Thing (read: MGS2 and, in the meantime, Devil May Cry), but I also have The Bouncer and Zone of Enders to try out in the meantime (the meantime before DMC). Unfortunately, Baldur’s Gate 2 currently has my undivided attention - hell, I haven’t even bought the Diablo 2 expansion yet! - and probably will for at least another 2 weeks.

So many games, so little time…

3

…All the while thinking, “Heh, Half-Life beat 'em to it…” :smiley:

4

Pateience, grasshopper. From what I remember, the first Playstation only had a few titles that frankly were only one level above Sega genesis, and within a few years was the greatest gaming system of all time. I’m getting a PS2 when they slash their prices, which I expect to be when GameCube and X Box come out at close to the same time.

By the way, Sega Dreamcasts are now like $80, which is really tempting because its a really nice system and the games can be had on the cheap used.

5

Yep, the PS2 selection really does suck if you don’t like Sports/Racing. But good things are coming. By the end of this year there will be some games that are actually worth buying. The first year of any new system is always like this. Remember Beyond the Beyond was the only RPG available on PSX for most of that first year. All I remember playing that first year was battle arena toshinden, and ridge racer. Oh and air combat I think.

6

“Whatever the reason, thus far I’ve seen absolutely nothing about this system that I prefer over the
Dreamcast that I own right now.”

Dc doesn’t play dvd flicks…nor can you connect a Firewire cable to the DC or a HD…the best for the psx2 is coming.

7

I must admit–I finally saw more of Grand Turismo 3 recently and was impressed. Previously I’d only seen a few (very bland) seconds. It’s still not enough to replace my Dreamcast, though. Maybe if Namco releases a sequel to Soul Calibur…

Most of the other games I’ve seen for the PS2 look like a whole heap of ass, though.

8

Perhaps I should have been a little clearer…I need variety. I need the mindless shmups, the strangely addictive puzzlers, the fighters (yeah, I’m no good at some fighting games, but they’re irreplacable), the simple sports, the music games (thus far I’ve seen Para Para Paradise and something called “unison”), etc. I do not buy a console for fantastically realistic sports (which are invariably fantastically complicated), sprawling roleplayers, or action/strategy blowouts where you have to keep track of 25 things at once (ever try playing Duke Nukem 3D?).

And while the Playstation may have taken a while to get going, it most definitely did not enter on a cloud of screaming hype. The PS2 did. And if you advertise your system as the greatest thing since the NES, Bubba, you sure as hell better be able to back it up.

handy - Yeah I’ve heard about the DVD capability…already have a DVD player, so this benefit is questionable. What is a “Firewire cable” anyway? (If it has anything to do with online play, not interested.)

slortar - See? See? That’s what happens. The critics see a few shots of a graphics-intensive title like Gran Turismo 3 and instantly deem it a hit. (I kid you not; I’ve read some of the magazine reviews and they’re really awful in this regard.) Ever try playing the game? And I mean thoroughly, not just a couple test runs in Practice. Ever try figuring out all the cars? And winning on the higher difficulty levels? And unlocking everything?

Look, the huge megahyped blockbusters are fine, but I don’t want them to be the only thing keeping this system afloat. I have no interest in any game that requires hours and hours and hours of practice just to learn it. (I gave up on Syphon Filter within 20 minutes, and I barely got anywhere with Tekken 3.) Until I see some other options for the PS2, not interested.

And there’s gotta be a modchip. I mean, let’s get serious, people.

9

Sony is bulking us out of every cent but don’t worry it wont last long.

 I know it sounds bad but it really is true. As soon as I found out that the PS2 could run PS1 games I knew we were in trouble. Sure it sounds great, we don't have to get rid of all our old PS1 games. Right? Wrong. Sony still needs to sell millions of worthless PS1 games. The only way to sell that many old games is, by forcing us to pick from a small selection of PS2 role playing games and large selection of PS1 games.
 Hey don't worry though. According to the capitalistic business model, we only have to wait until the competition heats up. We will see Sony start making decisions to maintain market share, including the release of more PS2 games.
                           -KingZoot, the Gamer
10

Here is a site where you can buy PS2 mod chips http://www.0-modchip.com/ps2.html. I got my PS2 the day of release and he only thing I don’t like about it is the lack of a DVD remote and $35 memory cards.

11

Its called the NEO modchip. Version 4 is going to be released very soon and it will be a no-swap chip unlike some of the previous versions which required a swap. This is the best chip currently out on the market right now in some peoples opinion, but there are other chips on the market too. I myself dont use modchips so dont think that im trying to promote video game piracy. As for the quality and quantity of games out currently, thats arguable. In my opinion it usually takes 2-3 years before 2nd and 3rd generation games start being developed and released. Developers dont know howto utilize the system to its full potential when its still in its relative infancy. As an example lets take a look at the old SNES console. If you have any experience with this console you should agree that the games that were released at the very end of its life (like the Donkey Kong Country games) were way more advanced graphically than most all of the games released at its initial release.
Im not some PS2 fanboy or anything, i’m just an avid gamer. So im not trying to promote nor put down any particular video game system. Just relax a little, theres some very good games in the near future for the PS2. Games like “Tony Hawk 3”, “Shadow Man: 2econd Coming”, “Soul Reaver 2”, “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” ( One of the main reasons i bought this system), well just go look at some of the releases for yourself at:
http://ps2.ign.com/releases.html

As for the modchips, you can get info about them a http://www.ps2.nu or http://www.isonews.com under the forums sections. You can find out where to buy them from these places as well.

Cant wait till the game cube comes out? It will go through the same thing as the PS2 is right now. Sure theres always a very good intital release lineup, after that you just gotta wait a little bit.

12

DVD remotes. There is a few out on the market, and they been there for quite some time.

13

Uh, what’s a “modchip”?

I’m pretty up on such things, but that one’s got me guessin’.

14

**

What’s a mod chip?

**

Sports games are pretty darn popular and they sell. Here’s a breakdown of the games I own 4x4 Evo, SSX, Ready to Rumble, Madden 2001, and DOA2. Wow, 80% of the games I own are sport games!! Out of all of them 4x4 Evo is the only one I dislike. My wife bought that one for herself though.

**

If it makes you feel better there are some more RPG/platform games coming out. Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, Legacy of Kain: Blood Omens 2, Silent Hill 2, Okage: Shadow King, and Maximo: Ghost to Glory. Personally I don’t like console RPGS but I realize they are necessary to the success of a console.

**

There’s nothing insidious going on here. Sony doesn’t actually create every game that makes it onto their console. And series like Madden, Twisted Metal, or Grand Turismo are almost gauranteed to sell.

**

I don’t know what reviews you’ve been reading. The ones I’ve read have talked about the graphics but they also talk about the game play as well. For example Gamespot.com talked about the great graphics of The Bouncer but only gave it a 6.7 out of 10 because of the game play. And I’ve yet to read a review about Madden without mentioning the game play.

**

I’ve actually given some thought to buying one. They only cost about 100 bucks for a used system and you can find some pretty good games for about 25 bucks a pop. I didn’t buy a Dreamcast because I got burned by Sega CD and almost by the 32x in the past.

**

My last system was a Nintendo 64 so I know how it feels to have very few decent games to choose from. I think the selection of games for the PS2 is getting better every month. I’m really looking forward to Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Blood Omens 2. There are some other promising games such as Batman: Vengence and some sort of Wild West type Cowboy game.

I have no idea what you mean by that.

Marc

15

A mod chip is an actual chip modification of the console. You attach a programmed chip via wires to the main ciruit coard of the console and thus circumvents <sp?> the anti piracy detection. Meaning you can play pirated copies of games.

16

Sounds like a fantastic way for me to ruin my PS2.

Marc

17

My big beef is the lack of variety. Specifically, a ton of games concentrated into a few genres. More specifically, virtually no games I can jump into right away and have a blast. There are plenty for the Dreamcast; Giga Wing, WWF Royal Rumble, Rippin Riders (although a bit too hard), Crazy Taxi, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, Hydro Thunder, etc. Almost everything I see for the PS2 is super-complex war/strategy, 3D action with a bazillion things to watch out for, and ultra-realistic sports (with a bazillion things to keep track of). Look, these are the things I’m trying to get away from when I sit down in front of a console. BTW, I’m not too hot for console RPGs either, and I never seriously considered this a “weakness” of the Dreamcast.

Even if it’s understandably taking a while to get things going, should we at have at least a few fun-‘n’-easy titles out by now? Something that doesn’t require a Gameshark and about a week of practice just to get the hang of? Something like, oh, I’d find for the Dreamcast, which is a lot cheaper in all respects right now?

Re: Modchips. A modchip is something you (or more likely someone in the store) put in the machine to allow it to play all the games for the system, both American and import. Most video game stores carry import games. (Some people use it for cheap pirated games, although of course in this case you get what you pay for.) When I got my DC, I specifically requested one with a modchip because I know most companies are really terrible in porting over some of their best titles. (Five of my games, 3 Pop 'n Musics and 2 Dance Dance Revolutions, are imports.) Since I’m no electronics whiz, I’d need a PS2 with the chip preinstalled. I am not negotiating on this. I demand the whole selection, even more so given what the American PS2 selection is like.

MGibson - Sorry, I shouldn’t have made up something cheesy like super-hardcore ultra or whatever it was. Allow me to rephrase: By computer game programmers for computer game players. That pretty much sums it up.

And yes, unless you’re a hardcore computer game player, I strongly recommend a DC, even without a modchip. Some of the most fun games on the planet.

P.S.: Again, what is a “Firewire cable”?

18

Firewire is just a connection like USB that happens to be much faster. I don’t remember the exact specs but I’m guessing its somewhere in the hundreds of Megabit range. Many digital camcorders use this connection prolly because anything slower would be unacceptably slow.

Also, in addition to the aforementioned uses, mod chips don’t ALWAYS have to be directly soldered onto the board. The PS1 can be “modded” to play imports (and copies) w/ a gameshark like unit that attaches to the serial port in the back of the unit. I bet some company will come up with something like this for a PS2 eventually.

Also, I just asked my friend, he said a stock Gameshark can do this too. I’m not sure but he says its because it skips the boot process (goes straight to Gameshark screen to game). I don’t think so though.

19

A few clarifications…

I dunno… last I heard, Sony was still losing money on each PS2 unit sold (when they first came out, the deficit Sony was taking was around $100 each). IF they can slash costs on production, I’m sure they’ll time the price drop with the release of its rival systems.

NOTE: Take my “Sony’s losing money” comment with a grain of salt, as it’s several months old. I haven’t heard anything new since then, and more information would be appreciated.

In terms of getting good quality games NOW for CHEAP, a DC is the way to go. Hell, it costs about the same as a Gameboy Advance. As for not playing DVD’s… well… you can pick up a DC and a separate (and better) DVD player, both for a hundred bucks cheaper than a PS2.

Not that I’m saying “Don’t get a PS2”… after all, it is going to have some very impressive software coming out (almost EVERYTHING by Squaresoft is worth the cost). However, some people get turned off by promises of “good things are coming, good things are coming”.

Additionally, the first PS2 games were several years in development. While programming for PS2 games is still (relatively) difficult, by now they (the game developers) have a better handle on the situation. PS2 had a slow start, but they should be getting on up there. They’ll need it, too, IMOSHO.

Not just slow. USB loses a tiny, tiny bit of information in transfer (as do all connections). This loss usually doesn’t make any difference, but when you’re talking about images or video, this can result in flaws in the picture. Firewire has less loss than USB, and as such, is preferred.

20

“Also, I just asked my friend, he said a stock Gameshark can do this too”

Yes, that is correct, however, it’s out of the board’s rules to discuss it further, nuts.