Console Debate #31 Playstation 2

[fox | 1,665]

[cj_robot | 540]

Awesome console. Huge library that has tons of variety and top-quality titles. One of my favorites consoles of all time, along with SNES and PS1.

[Gloves | 11,771]

There it is.

[Brickman | 3,983]

I have two 10/10’s, yeah fight me I don’t care! First being NES/Famicom and the second being PS2. 

This console I feel was the 3D version of what the NES/Famicom did. A huge varied library with so many firsts for the series they ended up becoming.

Great console for any genre really but a powerhouse for JRPGs, horror and action games. The backward compatibility also made it that much better.

If you haven’t spent much time on this library give it a go.

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

Definitely a 9/10. Maybe even a 9.5

Easily one of the best libraries of games out there, and it does have one of my top favorites in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

But while it was a great console and everything, but one thing that holds it back a bit for me is constant issues myself and friends/family had with the console.

People always cite the Xbox 360's "Red Ring of Death" but I knew of far more PS3's breaking down and needing repairs if not outright replacement.

That said, the first actual PS2 I owned myself, my brother @MashFan81 and I cobbled together from the various bits of carcasses from other friends broken PS2s, which was then dubbed "The Frankenstation". It started out as 3 different systems but eventually had bits and pieces from about 6, til we got ourselves a cheap PS2 slim and gave the Frankenstation to one of our friends who had supplied parts for it previously. To my knowledge it still went a few more years strong after that.

[Californication | 1,477]

1 hour ago, Shmup said:

I have two 10/10’s, yeah fight me I don’t care! First being NES/Famicom and the second being PS2. 

This console I feel was the 3D version of what the NES/Famicom did. A huge varied library with so many firsts for the series they ended up becoming.

Great console for any genre really but a powerhouse for JRPGs, horror and action games. The backward compatibility also made it that much better.

If you haven’t spent much time on this library give it a go.

The three people that gave it a 10 so far gave other consoles a 10.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Californication

[RH | 4,898]

I know this doesn't make sense but this was an easy 9 and I'd want to give it a 10 but when pressed, the PS1 gets the 10.

This thing is backwards compatible with PS1 so you get the entire back catalog of that era, plus all PS2 titles and there are a LOT of awesome PS2 titles. So, why is this the a 9 and not the 10 I gave the PS1? Well, I just have more nostalgia for the PS1. Maybe it's a lame reason but that is what it is. It's still an awesome system, though.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,514]

9/10

Up there with SNES, NES, PS1, and Genesis in a roughly interchangeable order.

[Hammerfestus | 3,832]

8.   Man did this thing have some fantastic RPGs.

[PII | 1,884]

I mostly use mine for Playing PS1 games...

And I use the PS2 remote control for playing CD's on my PS1 Launch Console...

[Tanooki | 4,932]

Probably not going to be a super popular response but 7/10 as it really was an exceptional system, but I can't in good conscience rate it better than that, at least where it ended up as I'm petty enough to dock a point for removal of hardware/os features from the original release.

The thing is, there are a few really great and unique titles that were truly stuck to this piece of hardware, but beyond that, it watered itself down due to a combination of things, a big one, that other consoles had better versions of various ports, and in some cases the PC versions where they existed definitely trumped the titles in performance.  I can give high marks for the unique titles, and the evolution of the DS2 controller that ultimately ripped off and expanded the well made SNES controller design too.  The fact they didn't force people to pay some crap fee by the month or year to just play friends online was the right thing too, except where applies like the HDD using FF title.  The hardware was pretty smartly built, a bit over engineered though somewhat with that emotion engine which hurt them a bit too (just not on the order of what cell, ps3 and moron saying it was cheap' ps3 launch.)   In the end a decent solid system, weakest of the lot, but made up for it in other ways largely.

[Nintegageo | 582]

I voted 8 though I wasn't thinking that it played PS1 games so is a 9. Great console though it seemed so cheaply constructed.

[rdrunner | 422]

8/10 - Best thing I can say about the PS2 is the library is so diverse that there's something for everyone.  Love the system for what I use it for, which is mostly backward compatible PS1 games, DDR, and compilations (ex: Mega Man).

Someday I might rate this higher when I get around to actually playing the games that were made for it.  So far the most I've done is complete the first 4 fights from Shadow of the Colossus.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by rdrunner

[croagunk | 798]

8/10. Great console. I don’t have a whole lot of games for it, but they sure have gotten a lot of play. I also play PS1 games on mine because it’s more reliable. I love how my PS2 is more hardy than my PS1.

[DoctorEncore | 3,690]

9/10.  I have no nostalgia for it, but there is no arguing against the depth and breadth of the library. It doesn't quite make it to GOAT status because the games always felt more evolutionary than revolutionary to me (outside of GTA). Still, easily one of the top ten consoles of all time and probably an easy top five for most people.

[Californication | 1,477]

I like the PS2, but I have to remind myself to play it. 

Some of my favorite pick up and play games are: 

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Hitman: Silent Assassin, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Max Payne, GTA: Vice City.

Gradius 3,4, & 5 are nice exclusives.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Californication

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

I don't know what to rate this. I've never owned one, and most of my memories of it are working retail when it was released.

I remember them being in short supply, rain checks issued, and some people buying them because they were affordable DVD players.

In 2005 I was interested in getting a new game system (thanks to Burnout 3), the only reason I chose the XBOX over a PS2 was I could do custom soundtracks on the XBOX...and Outrun 2.

[Inzoreno | 102]

One of the two consoles I would rate as a 10, with the other being the SNES. This is an absolute boss of a console, one of the longest-lasting and a library filled with quality. No matter what kind of games you want to play, the PS2 had something to offer. I think it really helped to popularize backwards-compatibility as a built in feature, since up until that point most consoles required the purchase of some kind of accessory to accomplish it. (Atari 7800 being the main exception I can think of). Of course, it was also a DVD player by default, which certainly helped it appeal to the masses and probably did help people get on board with the new medium. Probably the only think I can knock it for is that I still don't really care for the PlayStation controller design, but we wouldn't get what I consider the closest to the 'perfect' controller until the XBOX. 

Too many to list, but probably the most notable games to me: Okami, Guitar Hero, God of War, Devil May Cry, Bully, Shadow of the Colossus, Kingdom Hearts, Katamari Damacy.

[galacticlint | 42]

PS2 is my favorite console of all time. I have spent countless hours playing PS2.

Counting the backward compatibility with PS1, the library of games is just out of this world.

 

 

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

9/10. The Super Playstation. First console I bought with with own money and played the hell out of it. Played it way more than GC and it had a ton of great games. The DVD player and the fact that it could play PS1 games was just icing on the cake. Burnout, Max Payne, GTA, God of War, MvC 2, Guitar Hero, Onimusha, Tony Hawk,... man, pretty much only played my PS2 from 2000-2008 even though I wasn't playing as much throughout those years.

[themisfit138 | 523]

Easy 9/10 almost a 10. PS2 is the system where I really got into RPGs. Kingdom Hearts, FFX, Star Ocean, Baldur’s Gate, Champions of Norrath, X-Men Legends, Ys, Shadow Hearts, ect... 

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

10/10. Literally the system for everyone. You could purely enjoy Japanese rhythm games and historical tactical strategy games and there are dozens of exclusive games worth owning the system for alone regardless of how you feel about the popular GTAs, GoWs, SotCs, and MGSs.

[Californication | 1,477]

Just a couple points.

I don't think the ps1 library counts when evaluating the PS2 or my vote would go to Rasberry Pi. Backwards compatability yes, the PS1 library no.

The PS2 had issues with its graphics that make it visually one of the worst held up systems. And because the PS2 didn't have a lot of cell shaded games the PS1 actually has many games that look better than most PS2 games imo.

The shoot-em-ups are okay. There are a lot of Japanese ports from other consoles that I haven't played, maybe they are good, but why would I want to play them on the PS2 over a dif. console when the PS2 has graphics issues. As far as the shooters I have played, the creativity is not as good as the PS1. There are good shooters, but they tend to all be one or two types of shooter.

So for me it's def. not a 10. And so should it be a 9? I mean if my top consoles are PS1, Nes, Snes. Lets say Nes or PS1 is a 10. That means one would have to be a 9. Is the PS2 as good as the NES or PS1? No, so it must be an 8.

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Californication

[JamesRobot | 5,790]

One word:

 

[Strange | 1,700]

Like the NES, it has to be in the discussion for greatest of all time. Blind brand loyalty aside.