Is the PS2 really worth it?

fisty

I've got a lump of cash coming to me next week and I'm nearly sure I want a PS2 but theres one little problem - I've got a guy on my shoulder telling me "don't buy it, it will plummet in price - wait till christmas"
MY question so is thus.
Should I buy the PS2 now! now! now! ?
or should I wait for the X-box etc etc etc......
Is the playstation 2 really WORTH all them monies!?

Megatron

well i blew a load of monies on it before crimbo ... and it is indeed worth it imho of course ...
I've only got 2 ps2 games at the moment ... but it's soooooo nice and sooooo black ...


"Hurry now ... own your own monolith"

mmm ps2 ......

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No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands

Cake Fiend

Add up the cost of a PS2 base unit, the game(s) you would consider buying for it, the neccessary peripherals (memory card, etc) and ask yourself if you feel OK with paying that much money (it'll be the best part of half a grand) just to play that game(s).
Then ask yourself if you can wait until the price drops / better games come out.
Or, you could always play good games right now, cheaply, with a Dreamcast or N64 (and still have money for a PS2 by christmas)

the fnj

Wait for the X Box. Will be a far more impressive machine. Will also have better games as the PS2 is meant to be a ***** for programming games.

smoke.me.a.kipper

buy a cheap N64 now. play Zelda.

in a few months (when MGS2 and GT3 arrive) buy a PS2. maybe by then the price will have gone down.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by The FANJ:
Wait for the X Box. Will be a far more impressive machine. Will also have better games as the PS2 is meant to be a ***** for programming games.</font>

you can't say the x-box WILL have better games, untill it comes out and you play them for yourself. it might be hard to program, but if you've played SSX, GT3 or MGS2, you'll know the PS2 has / will have some ****ing great gaames.

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- Ciaran
smoke-me-a-kipper
S-M-A-K bottom!!

Shinji

I will probably post later, but frankly I'm drunk and hung over at the same time and not making much sense right now 8)

Celt

Im getting 1 for £200 quid so im happy.

I got a PS2 from the firest batch and it is a load of crap.I have 3 game 2 of which have bugs ! The PS2 also nearly burns up if i play a CD.The CD starts skipping and nearly get destroyed.Not all DVDs play on it as it is "Unable to read Disk" The best thing about it is that it stands up on its side !!WOW

Megatron

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dre as in Dray:
I got a PS2 from the firest batch and it is a load of crap.I have 3 game 2 of which have bugs ! The PS2 also nearly burns up if i play a CD.The CD starts skipping and nearly get destroyed.Not all DVDs play on it as it is "Unable to read Disk" The best thing about it is that it stands up on its side !!WOW</font>

Must say i did HAVE some probs, but they just went away (e.g. games hanging and so on)
Never had any problems with discs not being dectected.
i'm happy with my one or is that ps2, anyway it all comes personal taste. I really wanted one , i got one, i'm happy with it ...
EOS !!!!

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No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands

Cake Fiend

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by The FANJ:
Wait for the X Box. Will be a far more impressive machine...</font>

Where is everyone getting this idea that the Xbox will be some hypar m3g4l33t console to which the PS2 will be no parallel? People are getting confused with spec sheets and company hype without even thinking that the PS2 was designed from the ground up specifically to play games and handle the kind of graphics, etc that people expect to see in these 21st century games. Nothing we have seen from the PS2 yet is close to pushing the machine - it will take a few years for the hardcore coders to learn the machine inside out and show the world what it can really do.
The Xbox, on the other hand, is a load of modified PC parts slapped together, with a fsking Intel CPU using 20-year or so old architecture, designed to be the core of a multipurpose machine. Just because it runs at 733mhz, blah blah blah, does not automatically make it streets ahead of the 'puny' ~300mhz PS2 custom CPU.

Shinji

Technically they're on about the same level... what it comes down to is the fact that the PS2 is an utter git of a machine to develop for, while the Xbox is a piece of p1ss... so developers flock to Xbox, and to GC, because dev times and costs are lower and no massive retraining is needed.

amp

Agreed Sico, I still don't rate the X-box based on looking at it's specs alone. The p3 is a CISC processor and to my knowledge the PS2's emotion engine is risc based so there's no comparison on mhz alone.

The X-box does have a few things going for it that I didn't think through until now. It's based on Pc architecture. So what you might say, I've got a PC already and I can upgrade that.

Well, what's unique about the X-box is that it's a fixed platform. Games developers can program games that deal with a fixed set of drivers. Thus games can be released after being thoroughly tested on the same x-box spec that you have in your living room.

So essentially you get a powerful PC, with reliable games for a fraction of the price of a PC. Then there's the fact that a lot of games get produced already for the x86 chipset that will be very easily converted to the X-box platform. And there won't be the large learning curve that was required to write games for the PS2's powerful yet eccentric architecture.

But I'm probably still not going to buy one. Why? Cos I've already got a PC that, when the X-box is released will still be a lot more powerful and flexible. A year after it's launched people will laugh at 733 mhz. Sub gigahertz based x86 machines will be like Pentium 2 based PC's seem today, old hat. The only thing that seems different about it is the Geforce 3 based graphics engine but a form of that will be available for the Pc relatively soon afterwards.

If you look at previous efforts to put Pc's in the living room all you see is failure. Why? Because tv's don't have as high a resolution as a monitor, and where do you put the mouse and keyboard? PC games don't usually work well on a couch. So they'll have to go for the usual console fair of driving games and beat em ups.

And then there's the raison d'etre of the X-box. Microsoft don't see the x-box as a games platform per say. That's the cover it's going in as. Microsoft have conquered the business world, they dominate the home market too, but limited to the study or spare room. What they're after now is the living room. Why? Online transactions, shopping, internet access.

Sure they'll get revenue from games licences but they see the x-box as a hugely important link in their .NET strategy. So Joe User buys a games console and then manages to hook it up to get e-mail and internet shopping, which will be all running through a Microsoft dominated network.

They tried this before with the original MSN which was followed the AOL example very closely. It failed cos people realised that the Internet itself was much bigger, faster and a hell of a lot cheaper.

But if you've got an X-box that can only dial into a Microsoft server (or a Microsoft authorised ISP (same difference)) and download Microsoft authorised content for which they can charge whatever they like, then it all adds up to be a scary scenario.

Then again there's nothing to stop Sony or Nintendo from trying the same thing. But anybody who has experience of the way Microsoft does business can't help but be slightly concerned.

As for what console I'm gonna buy and to respond to the original question: Well I bought a PS1 soon after it first came out for around £300 for the simple reason that I could now play the original Ridgeracer without having to pay a quid each time. A year later the price dropped to it's current one of around a ton.

So I'm gonna wait till christmas when it will plummet in price and save myself a lot of monies. By then the intial bugs should have been ironed out, dvd playback improved, better and more games released and possibly even full internet support included.

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Lunacy Abounds! Play GLminesweeper!
art is everything and of course nothing and possibly also a sausage

DrunkLeprachaun

I didn't read amp's post because it was too bloody long. For the price of a ps2 & some games & pereipherals, you could buy an n64, a ps1 and a dreamcast, aswell as a couple of games. Wait for the price to drop, or go on a console binge.

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If there's one thing I hate, it's people.

Cake Fiend

4 words:
Game Boy Advance, fag0ts!

Blitzkrieger

It depends on your situation. If you have a PS1 and a **** load of games, selling the PS1 (you'll get fupp all for it) and buying the PS2 would be less of an ouch.

Else if you have a friend with a lot of PS1 games you could borrow and you don't have a PS1, you might have fun playing them until you can afford to buy more games for it.

Personally I'm waiting for it to come down in price. I wouldn't be able to afford enough games for it to derive enough enjoyment from it to justify the price.

There's also the DvD side to look at. Though I hear you need to buy a seperate remote control to make full use of it.

smoke.me.a.kipper

you can use the pad to use the dvd, but you can get a remote for like £14.99.

Maybe your thinking of the x-box, where you need to buy a remote to 'unlick' the DVD features.

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- Ciaran
smoke-me-a-kipper
S-M-A-K bottom!!

the fnj

I agree that some of the games on the PS2 are really good.

But I also feel that alot of devolpers have gone for graphics over gameplay and content. Madden NFL is a shinning example. It looks really good and I loved playing it at first, but now things are starting to bug the hell out of me when I play it. It's too easy to complete plays, they did not put enough effort into defence play, when a player dives for a tackle his body slows in the air giving the runner a better chance of escaping.

I musch prefer to play it on the PC. The graphics are nearly as good as the PS2. You really have to work hard to complete plays. If your picking the right defence moves you can put the attacking team back a couple of yards a play. You miss call a defence play and it's TD time. Much more like the real thing.

Thats one PS2 example I havn't played that many games on it but most of them seem to lack content, the all seem happy to push graphics.

RAY

fisty u should certaintly wait a while. The games console market arnt doeing very well and the PS2 is supposingly falling to around £100 :0.

smoke.me.a.kipper

every console is like that. the **** games will always outweigh the really great games.

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- Ciaran
smoke-me-a-kipper
S-M-A-K bottom!!

Q_Ball

/me looks around

Where'd shinji go?????
I'm surprised he hasnt posted yet.

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You know people when you do find somebody, hold that woman, hold that
man, love him, hold him, squeeze her, please her, hold, squeeze and
please that person, give 'em all your love, signify your feelings with
every gentle caress, because it's so important to have that special
somebody to hold, kiss, miss, squeeze, and please.

NARF!

Dont be at yourself

I think I may take the plunge and buy the PS2 soon. Lets face it, the Dreamcast releases are already starting to dry up and we won't have x-box or Gamecube until next year.

It may not have set the world alight so far but now that second-generation games are trickling out, it does look more appealing. (especially with Gran Turismi and Metal Gear Solid on the horizon)

It already has a quite substansial user-base and I reckon that it should be able to hold its own against the X-box and Gamecube. And it would be quite handy to have a dvd player in your room too

The price still is abit high though - especially when you look at dreamcast retailing for £99 (even cheaper second hand)- and as was mentioned, you'll have to buy peripherals etc.

Sony pretty much has this year to itself though, there's no obvious reason why it would consider a price drop - certainly not a large one- until Christmas.

Celt

What the fúck is all this about price dropping to £100? LOL? Why bring it down to £100? Bring ot down to £199 and the average person would lap it up.

Gunn4r

Hmm I tried to post yesterday but no joy ....anyway....

I have a PS2 and I would say dont wait go out and buy one soon. I have had no problems with DVD playback (although I know some people have) or any of the games, I do not stand it vertically though as it does make a *lot* of noise that way.
Bascially I bought it for the games and although there are not a lot of amazing games out there there are some very good ones and more to follow. I have found SSX to be extremely playable and also am lucky enough to be playing some nice import stuff like ISS2 (v. cool) and MGS2 demo + GT3 demo. I would say go get one;-) When the other consoles come out and if they seem better simply offload the ps2 if ya want to.;-)

the fnj

Sico is right for once!

Well kind of.

While it's true you don't rate a console on figures a marketing team is pushing at you. You have to rate it on the gamesa realised. So far the PS2 has not realised anything that is... well brilliant.

I know Metal gear Solid looks great and if it is I will buy a PS2. However the PS2 is hard to program for while the X Box is easier. The less time spent trying to code and the more time put into graphics and playability the better.

Wait for the X Box and then let the games make up your mind.

Blitzkrieger

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Shinji:
Technically they're on about the same level</font>

ummmm, no they're not. It looks like MS are designing the X-Box with double the PS2's spec. Double RAM, chip speed, etc.

Serbian

The only games I like on consoles are Footy games, so personally I would only buy the console with the best footy game available.

From the looks of things tho, the X-Box could be kicking

/me wins the World Cup with Serbia

Serb

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Damn these western oppressors

Gunn4r

I would argue strongly that the best console with the best footy game at the moment is the PS2. ISS is top and I can tell you from personal experience that ISS2 is totally superb (review at URL below)

http://ps2.ign.com/news/33149.html

Also its handy as these actually exist in my gaff right now unlike an Xbox ;-)

Celt

3 points about PS2,
MSG2,
GT3,
FFX.

Bite me X-BOX.

Gunn4r

In keeping with the TLA's I would also have to add

SSX

(top top game)

Bard

Hmmm... lemme see... known issues with the playing of quite a number of DVD movies... inferior quality in DVD playback in comparison with regular standalone DVD players or PC's with software players... inflated price... region encoding... NO Internet access...

As already suggested, I'd give it a miss and wait for the X-Box (or stick with a PC).

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Bard

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"and there was much rejoicing..."

Ping Chow Chi

Now as for developers floking to the XBox because its easier to develop for, Im not sure - I dont know about the games industry - but I work in the applications software business and its rear that the developer has much say in the platform that they are going to ply for - its normaly some boss fella who thinks that coding on what ever platform in what ever lan is a piece a p*ss. If there PS2 sells a bucket load of consols, every software house will be looking to get a bit of that.

If its 2 X as hard to make a game for the PS2 but it has sold 3X as many units then your looking at potentialy more profit on the game anyway.

And with the XBox being Windows compatable I guess we shall get a ton of PC ports - but as these will be games that you probably already own, I dont think that will be a big bonus to anyone.

That said - theres very few games that I have seen that make me want to buy the PS2. Im going to wait, as it seems saga is going to produce games for all formats - I guess which ever machine you buy is going to have at least a few gems