ico is hard to find?

[Veno]

Ah, you lucky bastard! And you guys got the better artwork too. Seriously, the US cover looks ugly compared to the EU cover.

[weasels]

Oh shit, I forgot that you unlucky guys got it on a CD-ROM. The PAL version is on a DVD and it comes with all that extra stuff too! One of the rare times we didn't get the Sony shaft.

if im correct you got a really cool cover too....

here it is:


soo cool

[Niode]

Oh god, I've just seen the cover. That thing is rancid. Ew.

[J T]

I bought my copy of Ico from Game Crazy for about $8. It was a lucky find though because the shop just down the street was charging $50 and I couldn't even find it anywhere else.

[Devezu]

Nope, haven't tried that. Might try it later though, thanks. I don't like to have mine standing up either because mine is in kind of a high place, so putting it horizontally is the ideal position. I have tried the other tricks and solutions that obviously didn't work.

You probably have a V4 with the plastic laser lens gear. What you need to do are a couple of things. First, open the PS2 and expose the disc tray. Second, clean the lens using a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and a very light touch. Third, you need to disassemble the lens until you can get ahold of the plastic part that connects the advancing motor to the lens. Take that part, warp it downwards using a match or lighter as a heat source (please, use precaution as fire will dehydrate your epithelial cells and cause a blister), then reassemble it. From the top of the disc tray, remove the magnetic holder. Get the ICO cd and boot up your PS2 in it. Test it. If if doesn't work, there is a screw on the left hand of the tray that "connects" the lens assembly to a guiding rod. Using a jewlers screwdriver, tighten it all the way, then loosen it in small increments, taking time to boot up the PS2 and test the game out. Find the sweet spot. Assemble the PS2 again. Play Ico. Get annoyed at the squaking call he makes.

Protip: Avoid throwing the PS2 at the sound of this squaking, as this can damage the PS2.

Protip 2: There is a cable that connects the power button to the motherboard. DO NOT KINK IT IN ANY WAY! IT WILL BREAK! DO NOT DISCONNECT IT! IT IS A B!!!!! TO RECONNECT!

Protip 3: Its not a plastic guide arm? Just bend it down like a paperclip.

Protip 4: Read this whole thing first before attempting all of this.

Protip 5: I am not responsible in any way with anything negative that happens to your console. Proceed with caution.

[Scooter]

If your PS2 will play other games perhaps you just need to have the Ico disc polished. I've saved some really horribly scratched games by paying a $1 per disc to have them professionally refinished. Some of the larger used game or movie stores will have such a machine.

[Devezu]

That works too.

[Veno]

Wow, thanks, those were some good tips, but I'm not gonna be opening up my PS2 anytime now. And my PS2 stopped playing blue discs AND PS1 games, but it still plays PS2 games perfectly. I've read this is normal for a PS2 down it's life-span.

[Devezu]

It is normal, but it is an easy fix. Really. This is not a sarcastic comment. This tweak will make your PS2 load games normally again. If its reading is THAT bad, pretty soon it wont work at all and will make a horrible EEEEEERRRRRNNN sound when reading a disk. AFAIK, that is a very nightmarish sound. Do it soon, or forever will your PS2 hold its peace.

PS - Seriously, you WILL notice your PS2DVD games load faster. To cut to the chase, the lens spends less time refocusing and expending excess energy trying to read the disc and will simply fly reading it.

[Veno]

Well, I'll probably open it soon when the problem arises. I'm still on my first PS2, and I'm amazed it's still working, especially after hearing people's experiences with the lifespan. I've probably cheated maybe 2-3 years with it's lifespan, and this is a fat PS2 from 2002-2003, somewhere around that time frame.