Buy PS2 You Say? - Why It’s Still A Good Idea To Buy A PS2

Why would anyone, this far into the 21^st century, still want to buy a Playstation 2? For the same reason that we like 40 year old muscle cars; they are sleek, powerful, versatile and oh so sexy. Despite the current generation of gaming consoles, PS2 is still a leader that out-manoeuvres and out-performs the new generation of consoles.

The answer is… anyone. From hardcore gamers, to people who want to get into gaming, and most surprising of all on this list are the people who already own a PS2. This alone says more about the PS2 than any marketing campaign ever can. The fact that people who need to replace their console will buy another PS2, or that people who already own one will go and buy another one, says everything about this console that needs to be said.

Playstation 2 is the leader of the pack and has sold well over 150 million units since it first came out (back in 2000) and that’s not to mention that it has sold well over 1.5 billion games (you read that right!).

Yet, despite the latest graphics and controllerless play in the new generation of gaming consoles, Playstation 2 still has a lot going for it.

There are two things that set the PS2 apart from every other gaming console out there; and those two things are price and its huge games library.

The PS2 is priced between $100 and $200 lessthan its competitors and considering the gaming experience that you will get, that says a lot. And that’s not even talking about how much less you will pay for the actual games. The best games will set you back less than $20.

The biggest plus with PS2 is that it has a gaming library of more than 2500 titles. The game variety is very balanced; you get loads of Role Playing Games, shooting games, fighting games, driving games, crime and squad-based games; plus a whole lot that don’t fit into any one category. With that many titles it means that if you play a new game every month, it would take you over 200 years to play every single title out there!

Can you tell yet that I’m a huge fan?

And new games are being added to the library every single week. Some of the greatest series of video games started on PS2 and continue to be released for it.

Among these are:

- God Of War 2

- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

- Gran Turismo 4

- Final Fantasy XII

- Devil May Cry

- Resident Evil 4

- Metal Gear Solid

- Jak & Daxter

-Guitar Hero II

And of course the great (and must own)

- Kingdom Hearts

An added bonus to PS2 games is that they are more likely to be stocked by most Blockbuster and other DVD rental stores compared to those of the other gaming consoles. This gives you access to even more games, and you don’t have to break the bank to get your hands on them either.

So, why not just go out and buy a PS3? The PS3 certainly has awesome graphics and gameplay, yet only one model of the Playstation 3 series is backward compatible (meaning it will play Playstation 1 and 2 games); so if you have spent a lot of time and money collecting some of your favourite games in those formats, you will have to kiss those goodbye.

Another consideration is that PS3 is twice as expensive as PS2. This is a huge amount considering that you will have to fork out more for game titles as well.

There is a lot of talk online of people who complain about the reliability of the PS2. There are stories of the PS2 lasting a few years before needing to be repaired or replaced or that it’s better to store it either flat or upright.

Sony has put the lifespan of a PS2 at about 10 years and the average lifespan for a PS2 seems to be about 8 years. There are of course those that have made it past the 10 year mark. They are made rugged and can endure heavy duty non-stop playing and ultimately the PS2 is one of the most reliable consoles to date. It will survive house moves, the odd accident and it’s not too important whether you put it upright or lay it flat.

The PS2 is primarily differentiated between models featuring the original "bulky" case design and "slimline" models, which Sony introduced at the end of 2004.

So which should you get? That depends on your needs. If you are a hardcore player who will be putting in a lot of game time, then the bulky model is for you. It will run for a very long time without so much as a hint of overheating.

On the other hand, if you need to transport your Playstation (over to a friends house for example) often, or have space issues in your home, then the “slimline” is what you need. It will take up very little space and is portable.

Third party controllers (controllers made by a company other than Sony) just aren't as good as the Sony factory made controllers. They might come with a whole lot of additional features, but Sony’s are still the best.

Many believe that the Playstation controller is still the best designed, with the human hand in mind, and all the buttons are in the perfect places where your fingers naturally fall when you hold it. It uses the "Dualshock 2" controller which sports an analog interface and "force feedback" technology giving it a "rumble" or "vibration" effect.

You might also want to get a wireless controller, if you don’t want to trip over wires or if your hands are too small for regular controllers.

The PS2 also plays DVD’s which is very useful if you don’t have a DVD player or as a backup if yours breaks. It allows you to watch movies using either the Playstation 2 controller as a remote or using the separately sold DVD Playback Kit which includes a T.V. style remote.

And you can play music CD’s as well.

A memory card is a must have to save your games; which is good if you have friends that play the same games that you do. You can just take your memory card with you when you visit them.

If you insert the memory card before you put a game in you can look through your card to see what games you have saved on it. This is great if you want to delete a game or make a copy of another. It also shows you the date and time you saved the game.

The PS2 fully supports online play; but with the bulky model you will have to purchase a network adapter. The Slimline comes fully capable of online play.

Finally, when it comes to deciding if you want to buy Playstation 2, what it all comes down to is this, if you’re looking for a well known, long lasting video game system with a huge library that will keep you entertained for a very long time, then the Playstation2 is the system for you.

With one of the strongest line-ups of original games and one of the largest libraries of games to date, the Playstation 2 is here to stay.

And if you’re not sure which games to buy first, I'll give you a heads up - KINGDOM HEARTS and GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS.

Enjoy!