Everything you need: unbiased reviews, product specs and great deals.
|
Sony PlayStation 2 Black Console
Price Range:
$148.92 to $229.99
This special pack includes the PlayStation 2 System, DualShock Controller, SingStar Pop game and 2 microphones for the ultimate...
Read More
This special pack includes the PlayStation 2 System, DualShock Controller, SingStar Pop game and 2 microphones for the ultimate entertainment experience. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is small, slim and network ready. And it has an enormous game library over 1,400 games to choose from! The redesigned PlayStation 2 (70000 series) inherits the basic functions and design philosophy of earlier PlayStation 2 systems, but the internal design architecture has been completely overhauled to include the latest technology. Games, Games, Games! - Over 1,400 PlayStation 2 games! Slim & Lightweight - The PlayStation 2 is almost as small as a hardcover book, making it easy to carry around and enjoy games and DVD videos anytime, anywhere. Online Gaming - Built-in Ethernet and modem ports for online gaming. PlayStation 2 Online pushes the realm of entertainment, featuring the unpredictability of live competition. With millions of PlayStation 2 connected online, theres always someone to play against.
Minimize
|
|||||
|
56 Reviews from Epinions.com
|
PlayStation 2 Black
I got a PS2 slimline about 4 years ago when they first came out, I had moved out and pretty much gave my old fat one to my brothers. After about a year with a slimline I traded it back to my brothers because it didn’t fit my needs. While I am pretty sure that the newer ones don’t have the bugs the PS2 slimline console had some problems.
If you don’t know what a PS2 is then what rock have you been hiding under, it is only the most popular video game system of all time. It’s classics include the likes of Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, and many many other great titles.
The system hardware
The first thing you notice when you get the PS2 slimline if you compare it to the big PS2 is the size. The slimline is dwarfed by it’s predecessor, in fact the slimline is about has big has a case that the PS2 games come in. It’s that thin. Because it’s so thin there is no fan to keep the games cool which may be were me has a hardcore gamer noticed a few issues. The games do over heat if you play the system to long and this includes freeze ups, unwilling to load game data, and skips when it comes to the movie player. On the bright side the PS2 is a top loader that flips open so there is no tray with gears to get jammed up and wear out.
Has far has graphics capabilities the PS2 was outclass by it’s competition. The games load longer, slow down, and often times have more jagged edges then games on the other system. However because of Sony’s year head start and huge market lead the PS2 still won out were the fun games are.
The controller, memory cards, and back words compatibility.
The controller for the PS2 is a lot like the PS1 duel shock controllers. Other then the way the buttons feel being a bit looser, has well has added buttons on the analog sticks (you can press the analog sticks down now for some added features in some games) to me this controller scheme has always been the most comfortable to hold. And other then the analog sticks don’t grip your thumbs this is a controller with nothing wrong with it.
Since the PS2 slimline doesn’t support HDD it uses Sony’s 8MB memory cards. These are starting to go pretty cheap now I noticed at walmart a 2 pack of the memory cards plus a controller for around 40 bucks. Has long has your not playing sports games the memory cards can hold anywhere up to 30-50 saves depending on the game. The PS2 slimline also supports PS1 memory cards used for PS1 games.
The emulation of PS1 game can be hit or miss. I notice that not has many of my games play on the slimline. Chrono Trigger wouldn’t work at all nor would Castlevania Chronicles. Most of the others worked fine but it’s a real shame has these were some of my favorite games for the old PS1 system.
Some games I recommend
A brief list of games I do recommend.
Kingdom Hearts trilogy
The three Kingdom Hearts games are my favorite for the system and if you’re a fan of either Disney or Final Fantasy you owe it to yourself to check out this action RPG series.
Final Fantasy X
Out of the 3 main stay Final Fantasy games I have to say I like X the best. It’s the first one with voice acting and while there is some obvious problem with the lip flaps the voices are pretty good and it help expand the story. The sphere grid is pretty good at customizing characters; it’s a bit on the easy side for a FF game though.
Dragon Quest 8
On the other side of being to short is DQ 8 a massive cel shaded RPG that will take 100 hours to play through. While it can be repeative at some times you have to look hard to find a more solid RPG.
Mega Man X8
The Mega Man series fell a few notches with Mega Man X7 but X8 brought it back. It plays exactly like a quality classic Mega Man game should, a throw back to the days of the SNES. While it’s 3d graphics may make it look modern the game play is old-school 2d platfomer you expect from the X series and it’s all pretty solid. Fans of classic blue bomber game play should check this one out.
Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3
While a lot of anime fighters are bad Budokai 3 is anything but the case. It’s probably one of the most easy to accessible fighters outside of smash brothers. Your allowed to equip and edit your own characters with capsules you unlock boosting and changing there stats for your own strategy’s. And to pull off the big moves only takes a few taps of the shoulder buttons and some good timing. The game is solid and fun to play with friends.
Viewtiful Joe
This game is just viewtiful, like Mega Man X8 Joe takes us back to a more classical time were 2d action platformers ruled the day. The game takes use of Joes many powers including fast forward and slow motion to create tricky combos, has well has some well placed puzzles. Gamers should take it on themselves to try viewtiful joe.
Sega Genesis collection
There are a lot of great classic packs on the PS2 this is the greatest. About 30 Sega Genesis games are on this pack and while there are some stinkers on the disc (like Virtua Fighter) there are a lot of hits from Bonza Brothers to Sonic the Hedgehog. These hits include 3 full fledge RPG’s so check it out. Note** the 360 will be getting a gamepack with similar games however for the most part the 360 version looks to replace a lot of the crappy games with better ones over all, however there are a few good games that are not making the 360 cut like commix zone that makes the PS2 version worth picking up to.
Top 5 games I don’t recommend getting
Mega Man X7
Ah what went wrong with X7, they try to do Mega Man in complete 3d that’s what went so horribly wrong. Not only are the 3d parts a chore with troublesome camera angel but you also have to worry about the camera stuttering if you land on ledges the wrong way. Add in the annoying wanabe X Axel hogging the spotlight and this is a game that even the most die hearted Mega Man fans have no trouble hating
Star Ocean in till the end of time.
Star Ocean basic set up isn’t a bad idea and it does offer some fun. Unfortunately it’s all out battle engine suffers some flaws late in the game when you realize your ai is about has smart has a box of rocks. Nothing like trying to kill an ice based monster while your trying to bring it down with swordsmen your mages are casting ice based attacks healing it. That and other similar frustration makes Star Ocean more of a chore then a game.
Xenosaga.
Has bad has Star Ocean can be Xenosaga is even worse. It’s hard to understand battle system, and the fact that having your characters drive giant mechs weakens them. Add in that the story is so filled with techno babble and overly long cut scenes and Xenosaga is a chore.
Inuyasha Feudal Combat.
While there is nothing seriously broken with Inuyasha Feudal Combat. The lack of characters, and lack of modes makes this game a real bore. You will clear the one player game in about 1 hour and the other modes aren’t very interesting. The 2 player combat is ok but the game relays to much on button mashing and ultimately just becomes a bore to play.
Yu Yu Hakusho.
Now here is a game that broken control scheme will frustrate you. When a games tutorial level is almost impossible to get past because the game doesn’t recognize the input of your combat then you know your in for a sucky game.
Final Recommendation
I only scratch the surface on the games with Jak and Daxter, Castlevania, Sly Cooper and several other great games on the console I could easily write all day. The slimline has problems though and I can’t help but feel that the original PS2 has bulky and ugly has it is the better console. I should also note it might be worth picking up one instead of a PS3 because Sony has tossed out all it’s PS2 BC.
it may be slim but I am still in love with it's fatter sibling.
| Author's Rating: |
|
Pros: it plays a lot of great PS2 games
Cons: it can over heat and skips a lot.
The Bottom Line:
a lot of great games on the PS2.
I got a PS2 slimline about 4 years ago when they first came out, I had moved out and pretty much gave my old fat one to my brothers. After about a year with a slimline I traded it back to my brothers because it didn’t fit my needs. While I am pretty sure that the newer ones don’t have the bugs the PS2 slimline console had some problems.
If you don’t know what a PS2 is then what rock have you been hiding under, it is only the most popular video game system of all time. It’s classics include the likes of Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, and many many other great titles.
The system hardware
The first thing you notice when you get the PS2 slimline if you compare it to the big PS2 is the size. The slimline is dwarfed by it’s predecessor, in fact the slimline is about has big has a case that the PS2 games come in. It’s that thin. Because it’s so thin there is no fan to keep the games cool which may be were me has a hardcore gamer noticed a few issues. The games do over heat if you play the system to long and this includes freeze ups, unwilling to load game data, and skips when it comes to the movie player. On the bright side the PS2 is a top loader that flips open so there is no tray with gears to get jammed up and wear out.
Has far has graphics capabilities the PS2 was outclass by it’s competition. The games load longer, slow down, and often times have more jagged edges then games on the other system. However because of Sony’s year head start and huge market lead the PS2 still won out were the fun games are.
The controller, memory cards, and back words compatibility.
The controller for the PS2 is a lot like the PS1 duel shock controllers. Other then the way the buttons feel being a bit looser, has well has added buttons on the analog sticks (you can press the analog sticks down now for some added features in some games) to me this controller scheme has always been the most comfortable to hold. And other then the analog sticks don’t grip your thumbs this is a controller with nothing wrong with it.
Since the PS2 slimline doesn’t support HDD it uses Sony’s 8MB memory cards. These are starting to go pretty cheap now I noticed at walmart a 2 pack of the memory cards plus a controller for around 40 bucks. Has long has your not playing sports games the memory cards can hold anywhere up to 30-50 saves depending on the game. The PS2 slimline also supports PS1 memory cards used for PS1 games.
The emulation of PS1 game can be hit or miss. I notice that not has many of my games play on the slimline. Chrono Trigger wouldn’t work at all nor would Castlevania Chronicles. Most of the others worked fine but it’s a real shame has these were some of my favorite games for the old PS1 system.
Some games I recommend
A brief list of games I do recommend.
Kingdom Hearts trilogy
The three Kingdom Hearts games are my favorite for the system and if you’re a fan of either Disney or Final Fantasy you owe it to yourself to check out this action RPG series.
Final Fantasy X
Out of the 3 main stay Final Fantasy games I have to say I like X the best. It’s the first one with voice acting and while there is some obvious problem with the lip flaps the voices are pretty good and it help expand the story. The sphere grid is pretty good at customizing characters; it’s a bit on the easy side for a FF game though.
Dragon Quest 8
On the other side of being to short is DQ 8 a massive cel shaded RPG that will take 100 hours to play through. While it can be repeative at some times you have to look hard to find a more solid RPG.
Mega Man X8
The Mega Man series fell a few notches with Mega Man X7 but X8 brought it back. It plays exactly like a quality classic Mega Man game should, a throw back to the days of the SNES. While it’s 3d graphics may make it look modern the game play is old-school 2d platfomer you expect from the X series and it’s all pretty solid. Fans of classic blue bomber game play should check this one out.
Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3
While a lot of anime fighters are bad Budokai 3 is anything but the case. It’s probably one of the most easy to accessible fighters outside of smash brothers. Your allowed to equip and edit your own characters with capsules you unlock boosting and changing there stats for your own strategy’s. And to pull off the big moves only takes a few taps of the shoulder buttons and some good timing. The game is solid and fun to play with friends.
Viewtiful Joe
This game is just viewtiful, like Mega Man X8 Joe takes us back to a more classical time were 2d action platformers ruled the day. The game takes use of Joes many powers including fast forward and slow motion to create tricky combos, has well has some well placed puzzles. Gamers should take it on themselves to try viewtiful joe.
Sega Genesis collection
There are a lot of great classic packs on the PS2 this is the greatest. About 30 Sega Genesis games are on this pack and while there are some stinkers on the disc (like Virtua Fighter) there are a lot of hits from Bonza Brothers to Sonic the Hedgehog. These hits include 3 full fledge RPG’s so check it out. Note** the 360 will be getting a gamepack with similar games however for the most part the 360 version looks to replace a lot of the crappy games with better ones over all, however there are a few good games that are not making the 360 cut like commix zone that makes the PS2 version worth picking up to.
Top 5 games I don’t recommend getting
Mega Man X7
Ah what went wrong with X7, they try to do Mega Man in complete 3d that’s what went so horribly wrong. Not only are the 3d parts a chore with troublesome camera angel but you also have to worry about the camera stuttering if you land on ledges the wrong way. Add in the annoying wanabe X Axel hogging the spotlight and this is a game that even the most die hearted Mega Man fans have no trouble hating
Star Ocean in till the end of time.
Star Ocean basic set up isn’t a bad idea and it does offer some fun. Unfortunately it’s all out battle engine suffers some flaws late in the game when you realize your ai is about has smart has a box of rocks. Nothing like trying to kill an ice based monster while your trying to bring it down with swordsmen your mages are casting ice based attacks healing it. That and other similar frustration makes Star Ocean more of a chore then a game.
Xenosaga.
Has bad has Star Ocean can be Xenosaga is even worse. It’s hard to understand battle system, and the fact that having your characters drive giant mechs weakens them. Add in that the story is so filled with techno babble and overly long cut scenes and Xenosaga is a chore.
Inuyasha Feudal Combat.
While there is nothing seriously broken with Inuyasha Feudal Combat. The lack of characters, and lack of modes makes this game a real bore. You will clear the one player game in about 1 hour and the other modes aren’t very interesting. The 2 player combat is ok but the game relays to much on button mashing and ultimately just becomes a bore to play.
Yu Yu Hakusho.
Now here is a game that broken control scheme will frustrate you. When a games tutorial level is almost impossible to get past because the game doesn’t recognize the input of your combat then you know your in for a sucky game.
Final Recommendation
I only scratch the surface on the games with Jak and Daxter, Castlevania, Sly Cooper and several other great games on the console I could easily write all day. The slimline has problems though and I can’t help but feel that the original PS2 has bulky and ugly has it is the better console. I should also note it might be worth picking up one instead of a PS3 because Sony has tossed out all it’s PS2 BC.
Back to all reviews
| Smart Buy: Amazon Marketplace $148.92 | |
|
Save money with Dealtime's Smart Buy, the lowest
price from a Trusted Store that has the item in stock. |
Go To Store |
