Buying a PS 2 in this age...

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Aeron

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I already own an Xbox 360 with a few games and I love it. The game prices make me fking crazy though and have driven me to considering piracy.

So...I was thinking about buying a PS 2, either second hand or new, with the console's best games. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and some other franchises. (suggestions welcome).

Does that sound like a good idea? I haven't played much on a PS 2 and I'm betting the atrocious 480i graphics will stir some bowels. But many of the above games are legendary and even I (never owned a PS) know of their greatness.

So, good idea to buy the console for its great games alone or will I be kicking myself after a few hours of play anyway?
 
Have you considered renting games instead though? I use BTGames which have a system that works for me, you pay a monthly sub [R99 in my case], and you rent a game as long as you like...in other words...until you're done..and then you take it back and swop for another game.I go through about 3-4 games a month (which would cost me R2,000+ to buy)...and it's all only R99. The amount i save allow me to actually feel comfortable to buy a overpriced R700 game once every 3-4 months , without feeling i "must" buy a game.

Can check it out here: http://www.btgames.co.za/gu/home.asp

While PS2 is nifty and all the games are under a R100, it depends on what games you actually like to play ... i don't think the graphics are -that- bad [it's still better than most Wii games i've seen] , but there's alot of game genres moving to console that i did not encounter often on the PS2...like serious first person shooters / Real time strategy games and even RPGs like Oblivion/Fallout 3...that were exclusively PC type of games back in PS2 days. I use to play arcade/sports games exclusively on my PS2 and then PC for anything else with more "meat" to it. With newer consoles i actually end up playing alot more games on my console which i used to play on PC instead...
 
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Some games I was considering are: Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry 3, Rez, Okami, Silent Hill, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Final Fantasy X, X-2 and XII, Amplitude, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Ico and a few others. These games all come from an era before HD, before graphics and the game "formula" were so important and crucial. Most of these games are somewhat "arty" and others platforming and RPG style.
 
diabolus said:
Have you considered renting games instead though? I use BTGames which have a system that works for me, you pay a monthly sub [R99 in my case], and you rent a game as long as you like...in other words...until you're done..and then you take it back and swop for another game.I go through about 3-4 games a month (which would cost me R2,000+ to buy)...and it's all only R99. The amount i save allow me to actually feel comfortable to buy a overpriced R700 game once every 3-4 months , without feeling i "must" buy a game.
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That is a nice alternative, but do you find that the games you're looking for are available, most of the time at least?
 
Ever tried out emulation for fun or do you need newer stuff?
 
Aeron said:
Some games I was considering are: Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry 3, Rez, Okami, Silent Hill, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Final Fantasy X, X-2 and XII, Amplitude, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Ico and a few others. These games all come from an era before HD, before graphics and the game "formula" were so important and crucial. Most of these games are somewhat "arty" and others platforming and RPG style.
Click to expand...

Ok if you haven't played any of those yet, a PS2 might be worthwhile..all those games are great, heck even God of War 1 is pretty amazing graphics for a PS2 game....The Japanese RPGs you listed, if you're really into those those will keep you busy even longer....personally i can't play that many JRPGs [they're just too similar in terms of gameplay & style] , but some people seem to like it....and don't underestimate even FF's graphics, those amazing Square video scenes can play on a PS2 just as well as a modern console. But again, it's not always true that if you got all 3 Final Fantasies' in one go that you're going to play ALL of them in one go...i also got X and X-2 together, i was kinda tired of FF after X and only ended up playing X-2 a year later.

Borrels said:
That is a nice alternative, but do you find that the games you're looking for are available, most of the time at least?
Click to expand...

Well yes and no. They put like the latest and greatest games up for rental surprisingly soon [i.e. Resident Evil 5 / Sacred 2 / Chronicles of Riddick : Athena ] and obviously i put them on my "wishlist" but THOSE seem quite difficult to get. However there's so many older games that i haven't played since the Xbox360 came out, that i always find "something". I've actually walked into the store and pulled a game from their rental shelf i wanted to play everytime..... The thing is , with rentals you tend to be alot more open to other games, because you're not paying for it directly [no risk], so i end up playing games i would NEVER have bought.

To put it this way, the last 2.5 months i rented [walking in and grabbing it from the shelf actually]:

HAWX
Star Wars : The Force Unleashed
Lord of the Rings : Conquest
Dark Messiah : Elements
Two Worlds
Gears of War 1 & 2
Bioshock
The Darkness
Blazing Angels II

Some are crap, some are greater than i thought , but overall it's pretty decent entertainment value.

I believe it's usually all about the store you rent from, best is to walk in and just check the rental shelf of the store you expect to visit most and see what's there.
 
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I've heard a bit about emulation but not really clued up on it. Care to clarify ponder?

Proximity is a problem. Since I live half a planet away from the nearest decent games store, the rental thing doesn't make practical sense for me.

The only thing is I'll have to get those games and the console super cheap since I already have an Xbox 360 and its very beautiful HD graphics beckoning me, along with Bioshock and Lost Odyssey and...NO! Shall not fall into temptation. For ****'s sake, I think it's totally ridiculous to spend R 800 on a new game, especially since the exchange rate has come down and the prices not.
 
The FF series and Dragon Quest is definitely worth playing.

The emulation is a waste of time - I wouldn't bother. Rather get the real thing.
 
Aeron said:
I've heard a bit about emulation but not really clued up on it. Care to clarify ponder?
Click to expand...

Well you can get emulators for most older consoles (Dreamcast, N64 etc) and arcade games to run either on a PC or your Xbox. There are loads of 'roms' available on the net. The fun factor is still there however they don't have the resolution of todays consoles.

Have a look at www.emulator-zone.com
 
i think diabolus has the best idea - renting games for 100 bucks a month is a good deal!
you could play whatever the hell you want for 7 months instead of buying 1 game.

yes - you wouldn't own a game, but you had much more fun
 
Aeron said:
I already own an Xbox 360 with a few games and I love it. The game prices make me fking crazy though and have driven me to considering piracy.

So...I was thinking about buying a PS 2, either second hand or new, with the console's best games. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and some other franchises. (suggestions welcome).

Does that sound like a good idea? I haven't played much on a PS 2 and I'm betting the atrocious 480i graphics will stir some bowels. But many of the above games are legendary and even I (never owned a PS) know of their greatness.

So, good idea to buy the console for its great games alone or will I be kicking myself after a few hours of play anyway?
Click to expand...

Go for it!
I still love my ps2 and the graphics are not that bad even after non stop xbox360 on hd.
The games beckon dont they?
It really is worthwhile as those classics will rob you of many hours of sleep.
Plus the console is so tiny you cant help but marvel at its surprising power!
Ps1 is pretty bad though!Those 3d graphics are bordering on unplayable!
 
demon angel said:
Go for it!
I still love my ps2 and the graphics are not that bad even after non stop xbox360 on hd.
The games beckon dont they?
It really is worthwhile as those classics will rob you of many hours of sleep.
Plus the console is so tiny you cant help but marvel at its surprising power!
Ps1 is pretty bad though!Those 3d graphics are bordering on unplayable!
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+1

Go for it, since these games you want can be picked up for very cheap indeed.
 
Get the PS2, emulation for PS2 games still a bit dodgy.
I still play PS2, best JRPG collection and with games like Dragon Quest VIII. Valkyrie Profile and Odin Sphere going for R99 you will be missing out. I'm even looking into getting Persona 4 for my PS2 cause I've heard great things about it. If you do get the PS2 make sure you get ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, 2 of the best games on the console only problem, you'll struggle to find them :o
 
How does the display work? I use a 21 inch CRT screen for display with my Xbox 360 using a VGA cable. The minimum resolution for that screen I believe is either 1024x768 or 800x600. Can I use it for display on the PS 2 (since I hear it outputs 480i or 576i depending on region) ?
 
Aeron said:
How does the display work? I use a 21 inch CRT screen for display with my Xbox 360 using a VGA cable. The minimum resolution for that screen I believe is either 1024x768 or 800x600. Can I use it for display on the PS 2 (since I hear it outputs 480i or 576i depending on region) ?
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You get PS2->VGA adapters. Last it was like R500+ last i looked into it.

I actually used my USB TV tuner [which has the RGB inputs and then a VGA output] to get it on my LCD display...which worked out cheaper. Ironcally a USB TV Tuner costs the same as that adapter...[this was a few years ago] .
 
Get a PS2, Why?

The games library is huge and still growing
Games are cheap
New games are still being released
Rumour wants it that the PS2 will go open platform when Sony drops it eventually
Its still better value than...

Then there is the PSP to consider?
 
diabolus said:
I believe it's usually all about the store you rent from, best is to walk in and just check the rental shelf of the store you expect to visit most and see what's there.
Click to expand...

Are you renting from the BT store in Centurion Mall? I reckon that's the closest to me. Any other BT stores in Centurion/Midrand area with decent stock? R99 is sound pretty good right now...
 
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