strangenova wrote:I'm wondering if this is a compatibility issue or a sign of malfunctions to come.
Champions of Norrath is one of the rare DVD-9 (dual layer) PS2 games. That means the laser has to work harder to read the data from the disc than normal. When a PS2 laser is starting to die (laser diode wears out) there are two obvious signs. One is it has more trouble reading burnt discs, and two it has trouble reading dual layer discs.
There may be a way to adjust the laser pot on a Slim, but I don't know. I do know that it's not too hard to replace the entire disc assembly in a Slim (including laser), but you're looking at about $35 for a new one on average. You have to be very careful when you buy a new one to be sure you're getting exactly the right model. The best place to buy a new PS2 disc assembly+laser is:
http://store.richspsxparts.com/index.html I've bought a lot of parts off that site and never got screwed. If he doesn't have your model then it's off to eBay or Amazon then.
In the meantime, here's a list of other PS2 dual layer games:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... VD-9_gamesSo if you have any of those you can see if your PS2 will read them or not.