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Where do I begin, ok the PS2 started back in November 2000 with the blue pre order forms, Loads of people wanted one and Sony couldn't make them fast enough to meet the demand, The people who had preordered their console months in advance were the only ones to get theirs on launch day and others who ordered their’s later had only the words of sometime before Christmas.
Delays with production made some customers unable to purchase a console and had to wait until after Christmas or even march when sony announced it would have all blown over by then and personally I think this disc scratching problem and other faults is due to the consoles being rushed in production.
Sony had clever marketing techniques which makes a lot of other good consoles feel like nothing, With all the hype around the PS2 who'd think it was made of gold and as for the few people who bought the PS2 only due to the fact that it seemed to be the in thing it’s no wonder they weren’t happy.
Looking through the hype, rumours, faults and promises you have a fantastic machine with hardly anything pushing the hardware. I knew exactly what the PS2 was and it’s apart from the games being delayed it’s everything I hoped for cheap games, excellent titles, DVD playback, backwards compatibility, CD digital output and more.
People were expecting an overnight success for the PS2, to be as stunning as the hype surrounding it right from the box, No console in history has been alive and kicking from launch and the PS2 is no exception, Games like SSX showed us what the PS2 is capable of and provided us with an enjoyable game but everyone still continues to say the PS2 is a poor console with rubbish games.
GT3 was supposed to be one of the main games of 2001 but it’s a great game yes but it’s basically just to show off the PS2’s capabilities, After reading Digitiser with a lot of comments against the PS2 it annoyed me that people were judging the console by that game alone, The graphics are stunning and prove that the PS2 is more powerful than you think, but the game itself despite the delays is a bit rushed and altogether is just a graphically enhanced version of GT2 with analog button support to allow softer braking and controllable speed.
Alot of people will tell you tekken tag is complete rubbish because it’s hardly any different than tekken 3, same thing here Gran Turismo isn’t really the next in the series but more of an graphical update. There’s nothing wrong with giving old games the 128bit makeover but when people expect new games or sequels to be a big step forward just to find it’s the same game hidden behind better graphics it’s not really what people are hoping for.
Coming back to the console Sony have always had the best third party support and the PS2 has an outstanding line up of games but where are they? Well they’re nearly all still in development and we’re all hanging around waiting for something as good as they said to play through. There are some fantastic games out there like Red Faction, SSX, Onimusha and Timesplitters but still not really anything that makes the console anywhere near as good as it should be.
The Dreamcast had been better than the PS2 in early 2001 with it’s ace back catalogue and online gaming this was the only other tough competitor but Sega gave in to the hardware market and with no other competition Sony easily took the lead. Sega announced games for other format consoles and with the only next generation console around Sony got them first.
Sega’s Games like crazy taxi, zombie revenge, space channel 5, 18 wheeler were all set to be on the PS2, With these and other dreamcast titles such as fur fighter’s and resident evil code veronica heading for the console not to mention the cancelled games the dreamcast went downhill.
With The Hard Drive and internet only round the corner which will bring the PS2 owners to the internet and not only be able to play online like the dreamcast but be the first games console to bring new levels, demos, patches and other extras to a game and not only that gives access to surf the web, it lets you watch media, send emails and basically everything possible with a PC.
The PS2 hardware is very powerful but developers are only using a fraction of what it’s capable of and many have given us games that may just be possible with the Psone !
The USB ports allow a large amount of hardware to be linked up like keyboards, mice, steering wheels and other accessories and in the future you will be able to use web cams to see other game players and talk to them with the use of a microphone headset. Digital output provides crystal clear sound with even 5:1 but a game is still yet to support this but final fantasy X i hear is to be the first game to be 5:1 and hard drive compatible and is soon to be released in Japan.
The DVD player is a huge bonus to the console and plays films beautifully but the main reason of having this hardware in the console is to play FMV and other media in games but also has the ability to play DVD movies.
Like every console the PS2 does have it’s faults, for instance the anti analysing is poor in some games but it is possible to get around this in the software but if a system is hard to program for in certain areas then alot of third party developers will probably not be able to achieve what they hoped for without difficulties, Another one is alot of people complain about the console being loud well this is due to the CD’s running at 24x and it’s the same with PC’s but with DVD’s soon to be the prime format which run at a quiet 4x and load just as fast this isn’t a major problem.
Metal Gear Solid 2
Resident Evil Code Veronica X
Devil May Cry
Silent Hill 2
Agent Under Fire
Tony Hawk 3
Half Life
Shadowman 2
Klonoa 2
Dark Cloud
Alone in the Dark 4
Wipout Fusion
Final Fantasy X
These are only a few future games the PS2 has to offer and nearly all will be available before the release of the Xbox and Gamecube and with the success of the force feedback steering wheel a new force feedback controller may be in the making.
With Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Gamecube on the way can Sony’s machine really stand up to higher specs? Well the Psone has very low specs compared to today’s standard and is still the most popular console Why? Because the games are excellent and very cheap, only time will tell if the Playstation 2 will be as successful as it’s predecessor but it will always be a heavy competitor.
Microsoft don’t have a very strong games line-up, never mind the launch titles but if they get their act together and play their cards right the Xbox could wipe every other console off the planet but without games and a respectful looking console it’s just another nuisance for wanted games to wonder across to. Micorsoft have no experience of making game hardware and have only ever produced Pc games, do these really mix? well no one expected Sony to be as successful as they are did they?
I’m sure the Gamecube won’t be an overnight success either but with their strong support from 64 owners, exclusive games, low price hardware and games becoming more appealing to older gamers Nintendo may just have a winner on their hands, They may have a long climb ahead but as long as they keep the cost of games down and keep the fans happy I’m sure it’ll do fine.
Personally I think the reason the PS2 hasn’t done that well is because it doesn’t feel fresh, the games have better graphics, sound and control but what runs a console is it’s software and there’s just not enough great titles out there to keep it ahead of others, I think the release of the hard drive and modem will really do the console a favour but if the great games that are still in development don’t make it out in time the PS2 may fall behind. I have the grand total of 4 PS2 games but have rented and borrowed quite a few and am still awaiting my long list of games which are soon to be released, I have faith that my wanted games will be as great as expected but until then only time will tell.
Thanks for reading
RES
Where do I begin, ok the PS2 started back in November 2000 with the blue pre order forms, Loads of people wanted one and Sony couldn't make them fast enough to meet the demand, The people who had preordered their console months in advance were the only ones to get theirs on launch day and others who ordered their’s later had only the words of sometime before Christmas.
Delays with production made some customers unable to purchase a console and had to wait until after Christmas or even march when sony announced it would have all blown over by then and personally I think this disc scratching problem and other faults is due to the consoles being rushed in production.
Sony had clever marketing techniques which makes a lot of other good consoles feel like nothing, With all the hype around the PS2 who'd think it was made of gold and as for the few people who bought the PS2 only due to the fact that it seemed to be the in thing it’s no wonder they weren’t happy.
Looking through the hype, rumours, faults and promises you have a fantastic machine with hardly anything pushing the hardware. I knew exactly what the PS2 was and it’s apart from the games being delayed it’s everything I hoped for cheap games, excellent titles, DVD playback, backwards compatibility, CD digital output and more.
People were expecting an overnight success for the PS2, to be as stunning as the hype surrounding it right from the box, No console in history has been alive and kicking from launch and the PS2 is no exception, Games like SSX showed us what the PS2 is capable of and provided us with an enjoyable game but everyone still continues to say the PS2 is a poor console with rubbish games.
GT3 was supposed to be one of the main games of 2001 but it’s a great game yes but it’s basically just to show off the PS2’s capabilities, After reading Digitiser with a lot of comments against the PS2 it annoyed me that people were judging the console by that game alone, The graphics are stunning and prove that the PS2 is more powerful than you think, but the game itself despite the delays is a bit rushed and altogether is just a graphically enhanced version of GT2 with analog button support to allow softer braking and controllable speed.
Alot of people will tell you tekken tag is complete rubbish because it’s hardly any different than tekken 3, same thing here Gran Turismo isn’t really the next in the series but more of an graphical update. There’s nothing wrong with giving old games the 128bit makeover but when people expect new games or sequels to be a big step forward just to find it’s the same game hidden behind better graphics it’s not really what people are hoping for.
Coming back to the console Sony have always had the best third party support and the PS2 has an outstanding line up of games but where are they? Well they’re nearly all still in development and we’re all hanging around waiting for something as good as they said to play through. There are some fantastic games out there like Red Faction, SSX, Onimusha and Timesplitters but still not really anything that makes the console anywhere near as good as it should be.
The Dreamcast had been better than the PS2 in early 2001 with it’s ace back catalogue and online gaming this was the only other tough competitor but Sega gave in to the hardware market and with no other competition Sony easily took the lead. Sega announced games for other format consoles and with the only next generation console around Sony got them first.
Sega’s Games like crazy taxi, zombie revenge, space channel 5, 18 wheeler were all set to be on the PS2, With these and other dreamcast titles such as fur fighter’s and resident evil code veronica heading for the console not to mention the cancelled games the dreamcast went downhill.
With The Hard Drive and internet only round the corner which will bring the PS2 owners to the internet and not only be able to play online like the dreamcast but be the first games console to bring new levels, demos, patches and other extras to a game and not only that gives access to surf the web, it lets you watch media, send emails and basically everything possible with a PC.
The PS2 hardware is very powerful but developers are only using a fraction of what it’s capable of and many have given us games that may just be possible with the Psone !
The USB ports allow a large amount of hardware to be linked up like keyboards, mice, steering wheels and other accessories and in the future you will be able to use web cams to see other game players and talk to them with the use of a microphone headset. Digital output provides crystal clear sound with even 5:1 but a game is still yet to support this but final fantasy X i hear is to be the first game to be 5:1 and hard drive compatible and is soon to be released in Japan.
The DVD player is a huge bonus to the console and plays films beautifully but the main reason of having this hardware in the console is to play FMV and other media in games but also has the ability to play DVD movies.
Like every console the PS2 does have it’s faults, for instance the anti analysing is poor in some games but it is possible to get around this in the software but if a system is hard to program for in certain areas then alot of third party developers will probably not be able to achieve what they hoped for without difficulties, Another one is alot of people complain about the console being loud well this is due to the CD’s running at 24x and it’s the same with PC’s but with DVD’s soon to be the prime format which run at a quiet 4x and load just as fast this isn’t a major problem.
Metal Gear Solid 2
Resident Evil Code Veronica X
Devil May Cry
Silent Hill 2
Agent Under Fire
Tony Hawk 3
Half Life
Shadowman 2
Klonoa 2
Dark Cloud
Alone in the Dark 4
Wipout Fusion
Final Fantasy X
These are only a few future games the PS2 has to offer and nearly all will be available before the release of the Xbox and Gamecube and with the success of the force feedback steering wheel a new force feedback controller may be in the making.
With Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Gamecube on the way can Sony’s machine really stand up to higher specs? Well the Psone has very low specs compared to today’s standard and is still the most popular console Why? Because the games are excellent and very cheap, only time will tell if the Playstation 2 will be as successful as it’s predecessor but it will always be a heavy competitor.
Microsoft don’t have a very strong games line-up, never mind the launch titles but if they get their act together and play their cards right the Xbox could wipe every other console off the planet but without games and a respectful looking console it’s just another nuisance for wanted games to wonder across to. Micorsoft have no experience of making game hardware and have only ever produced Pc games, do these really mix? well no one expected Sony to be as successful as they are did they?
I’m sure the Gamecube won’t be an overnight success either but with their strong support from 64 owners, exclusive games, low price hardware and games becoming more appealing to older gamers Nintendo may just have a winner on their hands, They may have a long climb ahead but as long as they keep the cost of games down and keep the fans happy I’m sure it’ll do fine.
Personally I think the reason the PS2 hasn’t done that well is because it doesn’t feel fresh, the games have better graphics, sound and control but what runs a console is it’s software and there’s just not enough great titles out there to keep it ahead of others, I think the release of the hard drive and modem will really do the console a favour but if the great games that are still in development don’t make it out in time the PS2 may fall behind. I have the grand total of 4 PS2 games but have rented and borrowed quite a few and am still awaiting my long list of games which are soon to be released, I have faith that my wanted games will be as great as expected but until then only time will tell.
Thanks for reading
RES