PS2 Appreciation Thread

[travis_stywall]

Ah man, I could go on all day about how much I love the PlayStation 2. During my teenage years, I was all about the Sega Dreamcast and didn't want anything to do with the PS2. But as I grew into an adult, I started to realize how fucking fantastic the PS2 library is and absolutely began to adore it. Man, this system just has everything there is to offer and then some. It's definitely a fun system to collect for.

[samsonlonghair]

The Playstation 2 is the most massively successful console of all time. Its library is enormous and covers every genre. Every gamer I know has played on Playstation 2 at some point or another.

I think this success and ubiquity is part of the reason why we don't talk much about the Playstation 2 here. Saying, "my favorite console is PS2" is like saying, "my favorite drink is Coca~Cola," or "my favorite restaurant is McDonalds." The overwhelming success and popularity of the Playstation brand and PS2 in particular make it so mainstream that we may accidentally mistake it for bland - especially compared to an underdog like Dreamcast.

High class problem for Playstation 2 to have I suppose.

[Exhuminator]

The PS2 probably has the most well rounded library ever. There really is something for everyone's taste. You could almost say the same thing about the PS1 and SNES libraries, but some of their discrete genre entries lack the polish that lateral PS2 entries have. The PS2 was the last console to include well polished b-tier titles that cater to niche tastes and conceptual outliers, in addition to the staple genres and AAA showboats. It represented both the apex and end of an era.

[ElkinFencer10]

My PS2 doesn't get as much love as it should. I don't think it's a secret here I'm not a HUGE fan of the Playstation 2, preferring its three competitors, but no one can deny that its massive library has some incredible exclusives. I mean, shit, the Onimusha series and Soul Calibur III alone were enough to sell me on the system back before I got one (which wasn't until 2009, solidifying my title of Captain Late-To-The-Game).

[isiolia]

I mean, shit, the Onimusha series and Soul Calibur III alone were enough to sell me on the system back before I got one (which wasn't until 2009, solidifying my title of Captain Late-To-The-Game).

Being fair, the system still had some support through earlier this year. The end of console support for FFXI was the last remaining thing, which ended March 31st. So relatively speaking, you came in when it still had years left

At this point, the less-known titles are usually the more interesting. So many of the big-name ones have been ported to newer systems.

[Ack]

I think a lot of why we don't talk about it here is because we have that continuing debate about whether it's really retro or not. It sort of muddles the waters around it. But I hopped on the PS2 bus early and rode it all the way to victory. It's the third largest library I own, after SNES and PC games, and I have quite a few different genres and levels of quality represented within my collection. The biggest issue is that I just don't play it much these days, though I'll likely go back and try to beat a few more of the titles I own eventually.

[ElkinFencer10]

By my own definition, I guess I'd call it retro, but I still have a hard time thinking of anything released in this century as "retro."

[alienjesus]

The PS2 was the last console to include well polished b-tier titles that cater to niche tastes and conceptual outliers, in addition to the staple genres and AAA showboats. It represented both the apex and end of an era.

I think there were plenty of games like that on the Wii and DS as well.

[Exhuminator]

I think there were plenty of games like that on the Wii and DS as well.

The Wii and DS also have great libraries, but I don't think either overtake the PS2's. I mean, there are some niches filled on PS2 that I haven't seen on Wii or DS. For example, there's no real analog for stuff like Robot Alchemic Drive, Shadow Tower Abyss, Super Galdelic Hour, Finny the Fish, Armored Core, Rumble Roses, or Shadow of the Colossus on Wii/DS.

[isiolia]

I would go the other direction on that. The Wii/DS have plenty of odd or unique releases (like the Endless Ocean games you've been posting about recently). Maybe not all the exact same things, but any system is like that.
Where the Wii (particularly) isn't as similar is that it largely didn't get the big AAA titles, outside of first-party efforts. If it did get some version, it was probably cut down or even a spinoff title.