PS2 is 10 years old today

[J T]

I will survive
...

Nice work man.

[J T]

Years later, I'm still picking up PS2 titles. I have over 250 titles and there are still more that I want. This system has some of the best RPGs, shmups, fighters, racing games, sandbox games, action games, puzzle games.

Yeah, your PS2 collection is amazing. Mine's pretty big at about 90 titles, but yours is just enormous. But I know what you mean. Just because I've got a lot of games, there are many, many more I want to get my hands on.

Thanks Ack. Yeah, I've been collecting for about 9 out of those 10 years, so I've got a sizeable collection, though I think I've pulled in most of it in the last two years as the sales on used PS2 games have just been ridiculous. I used to think I was getting a good deal if I got a game under $20. Then, under $15, then under $10. Now I don't really feel like its a good deal unless it's under $5. I've been spoiled in the last 2 years.

[dsheinem]

I got my PS2 on launch day (my then girlfriend now wife stood in line with me to get it at the wee hours of the night), but I can't remember what games I bought with it that night - maybe Madden? NHL? SSX? Smuggler's Run? Midnight Club? I really can't recall...

Anyway, I went through 3 in about 7-8 years (1 died, 2 sold). The last one helped fund my BC PS3 purchase, and so I still play plenty of PS2 games on my PS3 and probably have around 100 titles (with maybe 25 or so more that I;m interested in). It is/was a great console, and the fact that they still sell them new is VERY impressive. I'm sure I'll pick up another fatty down the road for nostalgia purposes and to hook up to some extra TV, and it's good to know that they will be around for a long time!

[CRTGAMER]

My launch unit is still working fine after all these years. Around 2002 it stopped playing the blue-backed cd games and I sent it to Sony for a free fix. Been working ever since. I still remember getting it on launch day. I drove around that night looking for a store that didn't have too long of a line, Walmart, K-Mart, Target, Toys R Us ect. All had ridiculously huge lines when I went looking around 9pm. I went home to bed disgusted. I couldn't sleep. I had to get one somehow.

So I had a thought in my brain. Being active duty military I wondered if the local Base Exchange might be getting any units. I drove to the BX at about 4am. There was only one guy in line camped out in front of the door. I parked the car and walked up excitedly and asked him how many units they were getting. To the best of his knowledge it was 4 units. We waited and chatted about games for hours and gradually more people started to show up and wait in line.

By the time they opened at 9am there was a sizeable line of hopefuls. The store opened and they regretfully informed us they had no units yet and were still waiting on the shipment. They took down our names in the order we arrived and we walked out. The first of us four walked out and stood around the front of the store. We didn't know what to do. Should we go home and come back? Should we stay and wait? Just then a UPS truck arrived. Were our consoles within this last beacon of hope?

They were. After waiting a few minutes for some packages to be unpacked and walked into the store we followed nervously. The store workers signed for the packages and started unpacking them immediately because they knew we were anxiously waiting. Finally one of the boxes shown a beautiful blue set of 2 PS2 systems when it was opened. There were two boxes for a total of 4 units as promised. We happily made our purchases. Some bought games and controllers too, I just purchased the console. I had already bought a memory card and extra controller a week prior at Target in anticipation of my purchase. I was lucky to have done so as memory cards were in high demand and short supply at launch.

After we made our purchases the store employees wanted us to gather around and have our picture taken so they could hang it on the wall. It was an honor to us and we were extremely happy just to have our units for $300 with no tax on launch day! As we walked out I heard other customers coming in and asking if they had any more PS2s and the employees beginning what I am sure would be a long day of answering the same question over and over.

Once I had my PS2 I carefully placed it in my trunk and looked around to make sure no one was following me. I had serious thoughts that I might get jumped for my PS2. I drove off base to Target where I had a coupon to get a discount on some PS2 games. I selected Street Fighter EX3 and SSX as my go to titles.

As I got home and hooked up my system and booted it on for the first time, I was blown away. Both titles blew my mind and I spent the whole day amazed and happy that I had called in sick for that day.

Really great story, worth showing again on this page. Son and I did the same campout years later for his Wii. Passing on the baton I guess. No worries I have 2 PS2's and He now has a PS3. Thanks for sharing this.

[J T]

I've never had a PS2 break. I'm still playing on the same one I bought around 9 years ago.

[Jayson]

I didn't buy a PS2 until a little while after GTA3 was released. I went from Dreamcast to XBOX originally planning to skip PS2 altogether, but some of the games really had me interested.

I went through a phase where I sold off almost all of my games/systems and the PS2 sadly was one that was sold for far too little. I regretted that ever since.

I since have bought 3 more:
A used slim I got for little more than the price of games in the bundle, my kid broke this one by manually moving the laser track around for some reason.
A used phat one is still hooked up in the bedroom, but it is very finicky on what discs it will read. I think GT4 is permanently in that one as it has the least trouble with it.
I bought the newest slim, the black 90001 bundled with Lego Batman. I still play the crap out of it. I just started up Yakuza last night. Good stuff!

There are so many good games that I still want to play through, I dont think I will ever have the time and that makes me sad.

[skyknight]

Is there any good reason to pick a PS2 Slim now, even if you still have a fat one working? I got the PS3 Slim, so no backwards for me.

[CRTGAMER]

Is there any good reason to pick a PS2 Slim now, even if you still have a fat one working? I got the PS3 Slim, so no backwards for me.

Fat is better for faster internal hard drive and HDAdvance/HDLoader. Spare a good ideal, pretty cheap.

There are two PS2 games that support NTSC 1080i, Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy.

[skyknight]

Well, I never bought the HDD for PS2, played FF XI on PC with my bros.

From what I read, the -9000 model is basically a PS2 at its simplest form (with all software intact), am I right?

[CRTGAMER]

Well, I never bought the HDD for PS2, played FF XI on PC with my bros.

From what I read, the -9000 model is basically a PS2 at its simplest form (with all software intact), am I right?

The slim is a great more compact PS2, but no internal Hard Drive capability. This running thread goes more in depth about the advantages/ disadvantages of the Fat PS2.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... hd+advance