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"PS2"

Well, I've had my PS2 for around 2 months now, and here's what I think so far.

Okay, the PS2 has had many problems. The launch on Japan buggered up, and sales aren't going that well in Japan.

The American release went relatively well, but lots of consoles had problems (Discs not being read, Drives not opening, games locking up etc), and many unhappy Americans had to take their console back, or get a refund.

The European launch was very poor. Firstly, it was £300, which means the Americans got it cheaper. Then, you had to pre-order a console, and this led to confusion, and a lot of unhappy people. Some pre-orders weren't filled for months, and some people who pre-ordered in March, got their's after people who pre-ordered in August-September time!
Another problem was that the lauch was delayed a few weeks.
Also, we suffered what the Americans suffered. Machines not working, DVDs playing green, etc.
And of course, there was the problem of poor launch games.
Many people weren't satisfied by the quality of titles Sony released with the PS2.

I got a PS2 in January, as me pre-order wasn't filled, I just went and bought one in the shops.
I got Tekken Tag Tournament and F1 World Championship 2000 with it.
The F1 game was good, but just another Formula 1 game really, but with spectacular graphics.

TTT on the other hand, was excellent! I am still addicted t it, and it's one of the best games I've ever played!!
I've now also got Smuggler's Run, which is a lot of fun and overall a great game, but it doesn't have the addiction factor TTT had.

SSX is also a brilliant game, surely the best Snowboarding title ever to be released!!
With lovely graphics, great gameplay and a lot of different options, this game deserves 10/10.

So okay, 3 games isn't enough. But wait! There's more!! TimeSplitters is an excellent shoot 'em up, and Dead Or Alive 2 is also a great game, just losing out to TTT in my opinion.

Yes, the PS2 has had it's problems. But now, with it readily available in shops, and sales starting to pick up, AND games like Gran Turismo 3, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Zone Of The Enders to come, I'm sure that the PS2 will not fail to impress.

So, if you have £300 to spare, go get a PS2 now, with the games that I have recommended, or any other games that take your fancy.
Also, buy some DVDs to play on the PS2's DVD, which is just as good as a £300 DVD Player!!

You could even buy some cheap PlayStation games, as the PS2 can play them as well!!

As a PS2 owner, I am always looking across the Internet for news and screenshots of the games coming to the PS2.

Most Dreamcast owners and to be-GameCube owners are saying that the worst thing about the PS2 was the lack of quality games.

A the moment, I'm content with playing Tekken Tag Tournament, Smuggler's Run and SSX, while also playing my lovely PSX games!!

But, the last few days, I've been hearing LOADS of great news about new PS2 games.

I've seen screenshots of the sequel to the excellent PSX title Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2. The shots look awesome, and this game is sure to be one of the PS2's finest.

Also, I've seen pics of Star Wars Starfighter, to be released this month I believe. The shots of this game are amazing, and it seems as though LucasArts have done a fine job with this one. Everything I've heard about this game is great, and I'm sure it won't disappoint.

The game I'm mostly looking forward to at the moment has to be Zone Of The Enders, made by the man behind Metal Gear Solid and MGS2, Hideo Kojima. This game is set to be the best Mech game ever, with superb graphics and gameplay to match!!
And of course, with this game comes a demo of all proportions....a demo of what's set to be the most spectacular game for years to come...a PLAYABLE demo of....METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY!!

MGS2 is set to amaze people around the World, from the tiny country of San Marino (I think! {:)) to all over Europe and the USA.
The shots of this game are jaw-dropping, and when you think of how brilliant Metal Gear Solid was, it makes your mouth water to think of how MGS2 plays, and what plot twists and suprises are set to come.

Now, just to get away from Kojima's masterpiece for the moment, there is of course the best driving game set to make it's presence felt on the PS2. I am of course talking about Gran Turismo 3. With SPLENDIFOROUS graphics, and superb gameplay, and nearly all the cars in the world, surely this game will not fail?!?!?!

The gripping Final Fantasy series is set to continue on PS2, which will also carry the PS2's success even further.

Also, Namco have 12 titles in line for the PS2, including Tekken 4 and SOUL CALIBER.

So with all these games to come, and many more including Theme Park, GTA 3D and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, I am looking forward to an brilliant future, playing on my PlayStation 2.

Thanks for reading, Ant.

Grix Thraves wrote:
> Ant wrote:
Episode 1 was excellent!! I don't why no one apart from
> me and Darkness liked it!!


(Because you're voices haven't
> broken yet?)


I loved the original three movies, and enjoyed the latest one, though it didn`t have the true Star Wars feel. It had great special effects - the pod race, space battles etc... and also I thought that Darth Maul`s fighting style was fantastic, he flowed, rather than stumbled. However, it did lack the real Slim Star Wars.

I much prefer the Books. I have read most of the Bantam press Star Wars books, and to anyone thinking about it, or reading them already, I have to say that Timothy Zhan is the best Star Wars writer! His books, the Thrawn series, and the later duo were excellent.

Ant wrote:
Episode 1 was excellent!! I don't why no one apart from me and Darkness liked it!!


(Because you're voices haven't broken yet?)

Grix Thraves wrote:
> WHAT TURNS ANAKIN TO THE DARK SIDE?


Anakin get's really annoyed
> by getting to hear "Mesa?" over and over again... and it
> drives him to the edge...

Anakin is annoyed at the stupid little
> "additions" to the Star Wars universe... such as...
> mediclorines... ergghhh... and it drives him to the
> edge...

Anakin watches Episode one... discovers there were only
> three watchable scenes in the whole movie... and it drives him to
> the edge...

Anakin finally realises that George Lucas was flukey
> with the first three films... and that the next three are going to
> completely ruin the magic of Star Wars... and it drives him to the
> edge...

Anakin discovers that none of the characters in the new
> trilogy are going to have fully developed characters... and it
> drives him to the edge...

Anakin notices that all the films are
> just going to have a "good versus bad" ending... and it
> drives him to the edge...

Anakin knows that he looks like a
> gimp... and could never be associated with evil... and it drives him
> to the edge...

Anakin reads the storyline... and discovers he
> will have to wait another three years before he finally gets to
> sleep with Natalie Portman... and it drives him to the
> edge...

Anakin discovers emmense merchendise with his face all
> over it...

There are millions of reasons to hate Episode
> one.

Make sure you have one.

Episode 1 was excellent!! I don't why no one apart from me and Darkness liked it!!

WHAT TURNS ANAKIN TO THE DARK SIDE?


Anakin get's really annoyed by getting to hear "Mesa?" over and over again... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin is annoyed at the stupid little "additions" to the Star Wars universe... such as... mediclorines... ergghhh... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin watches Episode one... discovers there were only three watchable scenes in the whole movie... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin finally realises that George Lucas was flukey with the first three films... and that the next three are going to completely ruin the magic of Star Wars... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin discovers that none of the characters in the new trilogy are going to have fully developed characters... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin notices that all the films are just going to have a "good versus bad" ending... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin knows that he looks like a gimp... and could never be associated with evil... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin reads the storyline... and discovers he will have to wait another three years before he finally gets to sleep with Natalie Portman... and it drives him to the edge...

Anakin discovers emmense merchendise with his face all over it...

There are millions of reasons to hate Episode one.

Make sure you have one.

> [I still prefer the Chrono series,
> but...]

Chrono Trigger (SNES) rules! Never played the other one.

Kuja looks like a girldoesn't he!!!

hehe

Psychodelic_Fish wrote:
> Another fault was that it was brought out costing £300 with no games so you would have to fork out another £35 - £40 on a game to play on it. Where as the Americans got it alot cheaper. <

A lot cheaper? It was released at $300 with no games coming with it over here. Is that 'a lot cheaper'?

>What annoyed me about the PS2 is that i couldn't play my imported Final fantasy IX on it so i had to buy the British version which cost me another 35 quid, but it was worth it to see the improved graphics on the best game of all time. <

I agree that FF IX was pretty cool. [I still prefer the Chrono series, but...] May I please ask something though? What was SquareSoft thinking when they invented Kuja???

> If the production rate of games on the PS2 carries on the way it is i may resort to buying the Gamecube or X box. Come on Sony i have faith in you. <

I hate to say it, but there's nothing to indicate that the production rate will increase any, at least not when you're mostly referring to the need for AAA titles. As for having faith in Sony: I haven't anymore. Believe me, I was a major fan of Sony's over the PSOne's rule, but when I checked out a magazine that went over the PS2's specs, I could just feel what was going to happen. A system with two controller ports? With 4 VRAM? With a unique and challenging internal architecture and OS? 'The developers will figure it out'?

Excuse me, but Sony didn't get it: Developers shouldn't HAVE to 'figure it out'. It costs a helluva lot of money to develop a modern videogame - adding to the complexity with a system that they have to figure out only makes it more expensive, even potentially damaging [see the Sega Saturn for further details].

Overall, Sony just really screwed up on this. Their brilliance in hardware design didn't contribute to their developers' understanding of how to successfully put together good games without spending a blistering amount of money. They appear to've forgotten that, in the end, it's the games that make a system, not some unique hardware. The fact that they neglected to add to the VRAM is, to me, just negligence; after all, the Dreamcast has 8. That's not even adding in the lack of additional controller ports.

Sony may someday win back my fealty, but it's not going to happen with the PS2. Maybe they'll learn a lesson from Nintendo for next time.

Armatige Shanks wrote:
> I rewatched Episode1 the other day... now that I reckoned I could get a 'real' post Jedi-hype opionion of the movie...
And I thought it was pretty good... although it does feel much more of an Episode in an series rather than a complete film in itself...

I think its going to be better viewed once the epsode 2 comes out?

It'll make a lot more sense... and be less 'bity' :) <

Man, I hope so. There are a lot of things in Episode One that just didn't match up with the original trilogy. For one thing, Obi-Wan always said that Yoda was his instructor in the previous films. Another: If C-3PO was built on Tattooine, then why didn't he recognize it in "A New Hope"? Why did no one sense Senator Palpatine, considering how powerful he is with the Force? How come people who are strong with the Force can see things before they happen, yet Darth Maul didn't see what Obi-Wan was about to do while it was so blatantly obvious?

And just from a logical standpoint: Why on Earth would Qui-Gon object to Padme going into the town where they later meet Anakin while having no problem with taking Jar-Jar Binks? It seems that she can handle herself quite well, as opposed to everyone's favorite (?) Gungan.

I admit that I'm still looking forward to Episode Two, but it's got quite a bit to answer for.

with cartridges there is less memory so the games aren't as big, they are more expensive to program for than discs and no matter what you say they are harder to program for than discs

With Nintendo they have
> cartridges which are
> harder to write than discs

No there not... hard coding software isnt any harder than hardcoding to CD/DVD...

and dreamcast
> does have enough
> third party developers

Aye... but with 2 games already canned... and with more to follow, how much longer for the DC?