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All the best PS2 games are multi-format

Nick Laslett

By Nick Laslett
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Popo

Popo

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Project Zero, for an off-the-top-of-my-head start.

Actually, this is available on Xbox as well.

There are many good games exclusive to the PS2, but they're all old and I struggle to think of games that I want tht are coming up that I'd not rather have the Xbox version of, simply for the improved graphics.

Prince of Persia and Colin McRae Rally 4 spring to mind... I quite fancy offloading Timesplitters 2 for the PS2 and getting the Xbox version too.

Furthermore, Square games are all a bit rubbish these days - the PSOne was as good as the SNES when it came to Square RPGs, but the PS2 output has been no where near those days, and it's a major let down for me personally.

I'm starting to find that, while once my PS2 games collection towered over the others, my GC collection (truly, the GC has a monopoly on excellent, exclusive games) has already caught up to it, and the Xbox will do soon too.

I think the only PS2 title I'm actively looking forward to is GT4. But at the end of the day, Sony have the market cornered, so it's not going to have much impact.

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SomeNaiveChump

SomeNaiveChump

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some RPGs are good enough to overcome shite (IMO!) battle systems. Skies of Arcadia and Chrono Trigger being good examples.

Yeah, because random turn based battles were such a rarity on SoA :D

at least the DC made a big fuss about them beforehand, so you could go and put the kettle on or go and sit on the forum, to cope with the few minutes of utter boredom. ;)

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Davros sock drawer

Davros sock drawer

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I would argue that it both replaces and surpasses Ico.

Godtm, you really do write the strangest stuff occasionally. How can a game 'replace' another game? Ico isn't rendered obsolete by the existence of PoP, even if it is better.

If a band releases an album that's better than their last, does it 'replace' the last one? Do you stop listening to it? Should newcomers to the band ignore everything but the best album? Should Ico never be played just because PoP is better?

Also, maybe it's a cashflow thing, but I can never understand some people having an aversion to a certain format, or needing to be convinced before they buy it. When a new console comes out, all I need is the teeniest excuse and I'm reaching for my wallet.

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Miner Willy

Miner Willy

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it both replaces and surpasses Ico.

But it plays nothing like Ico.

it's a platformer in and around castles with the odd puzzle and a bit of combat. it's the spiritual successor to Ico. and it does all of these things MUCH better than Ico, while successfully recreating a similar aesthetic.

Kneejerk reaction, sorry. 'Nothing' was a touch hasty.

Still, I think the elements you identify are pretty superficial. Yes, there's a castle, and a certain visual style, but the game just doesn't play the same. Yes, there's jumping and fighting, but then there's jumping & fighting in almost every platform game or action adventure, and the way it's handled in Ico & PoP isn't remarkably similar.

Most importantly, they don't feel the same. Ico is all heart (emotional involvement, fear of losing Yorda, or of dying before reaching the goal), whereas Prince of Persia is all....for want of a better word....body (athletic moves, amazingly dextrous character, dramatic leaps etc).

To me Prince of Persia is the spiritual successor to Tomb Raider, not Ico.

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Nick Laslett

Nick Laslett

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Godtm, you really do write the strangest stuff occasionally. How can a game 'replace' another game? Ico isn't rendered obsolete by the existence of PoP, even if it is better.

If a band releases an album that's better than their last, does it 'replace' the last one? Do you stop listening to it? Should newcomers to the band ignore everything but the best album? Should Ico never be played just because PoP is better?

Also, maybe it's a cashflow thing, but I can never understand some people having an aversion to a certain format, or needing to be convinced before they buy it. When a new console comes out, all I need is the teeniest excuse and I'm reaching for my wallet.

Just 2 points.

1. Never went back to PES after PES2, never went back to GT, after GT2.

(Although I agree that this is not true for games like Ico.)

2. Thumb on head from wife, prevents excessive indulgence in videogame hobby.

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djezz

djezz

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So when it came down to it, there was a very small list of games that I'd miss if I only had an Xbox or GC for example. I think I listed most of these in my first post.

The thing is still i think you'd need an xbox *and* a gamecube to have anything approaching the genre representation you could have by just owning a PS2.

just diversity vs a few select 'best of breeds' i guess?

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Ikaruga

Ikaruga

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If I could only have one console it would be a toss up between PS2 and Xbox ( the GCwouldn't even stand a chance ).

The PS2 has a hell of a lot of good games, just no soul like the other two.

No soul? What? You judge a console by its games library, are you on e's?

The GC would be my choice. It's got a cracking port of Ikaruga, excellent games that i'm in love with including Prime and a brilliant port of SCII. Zelda:TWW, Sunshine, Monkey Balls, PN03, VJ, Shikigami No Shiro II, Pikmin, F Zero GX....Upcoming titles Killer 7 (!) MGS:Two Snakes and some more that i'll find out about when I can be bothered.

The most pant-wettingly ace title of early 2004 will be Psyvariar 2 on the dreamcast though. For those who don't care - you're bummers.

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Nick Laslett

Nick Laslett

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So when it came down to it, there was a very small list of games that I'd miss if I only had an Xbox or GC for example. I think I listed most of these in my first post.

The thing is still i think you'd need an xbox *and* a gamecube to have anything approaching the genre representation you could have by just owning a PS2.

just diversity vs a few select 'best of breeds' i guess?

Or a PC, if you take my list as a starting point.

It's been an interesting thread. I'm glad I own a PS2 (bought at launch). I don't see myself getting either a Xbox or GC in the near future. But I'm glad the video game goodness is well spread across the 3 consoles, especially things like POP.

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Miner Willy

Miner Willy

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Angel of Darkness made itself obsolete.

I am going a bit OT, but it was less that the design team shot themselves in the foot, than they went on a screaming, John Woo-directed diving gun ballet and blew their legs off up to the knees.

I'm not sure. It felt like it could have been a good game given (a fair bit) more time. I think it was probably Eidos pushing it out the door before it was ready that was the real problem.

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Spacehost

Spacehost

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I'm not sure. It felt like it could have been a good game given (a fair bit) more time. I think it was probably Eidos pushing it out the door before it was ready that was the real problem.

If it'd been in the oven any longer, it've been delayed beyond known sense, I doubt anyone would've even remembered there were Tomb Raider *games* if it came out after the film...

Bit like a dodgy Fish Finger, burnt on the outside, frozen on the inside.

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Ikaruga

Ikaruga

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That's why I love coming here. Care to explain your point? Preferably without the abuse.

I don't believe it is.

The original tomb raider was a work no doubt inspired by the original prince of persia - but the sequels are mere shadows of what could have been acheived in my mind, had it not have been such a commercial success.

Sands of time is a game that experiments once again in the realm of the 3d adventure title, successfully. To say that all new 3d adventure titles are spiritual successors to tomb raider and it's ilk is just plain uninformed imo.

Next you'll be saying Ikaruga is the spiritual successor to Space Invaders. (Here we go...)

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Miner Willy

Miner Willy

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That's why I love coming here.  Care to explain your point?  Preferably without the abuse.

I don't believe it is.

The original tomb raider was a work no doubt inspired by the original prince of persia - but the sequels are mere shadows of what could have been acheived in my mind, had it not have been such a commercial success.

Sands of time is a game that experiments once again in the realm of the 3d adventure title, successfully. To say that all new 3d adventure titles are spiritual successors to tomb raider and it's ilk is just plain uninformed imo.

So because you 'don't believe it is', you come up with that abuse? How nice. I'd assumed had inadvertantly insulted your family or something.

If you re-read my post you'll note that I never mentioned the Tomb Raider sequels, only Tomb Raider. If you try even harder you'll see that the spiritual 'successor comment' was in response to God's comment, though I don't deny using it.

With regards to Tomb Raider, for many people the original game was hugely innovative. It had a unique atmosphere, and opened their eyes to the epic potential of this sort of game. It remains a landmark of the genre for many people, myself included. Prince of Persia does something similar for the genre, only this time it has shown how fluid and intuitive 3d action adventure games can be; how the control system can work with the player rather than against them. It has the sense of scale and wonder that were so much the part of Tomb Raider, but it has completely moved the goalposts. In short it's another step forward for the genre.

All the above in my opinion, obviously. Feel free to disagree, though I'd appreciate it if you could do it without rudeness.

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Tiki

Tiki

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One of the best reasons for owning a PS2 is the fact that, due to its massive market share, there are a huge number of second hand titles available. I, for one, have no problem buying second hand games because there are so many 7/10 or 8/10 games that I'm not going to spend 40 quid on but will happily pick up for 15 if I see them going cheap in GAME/CEX/Wherever.

PS I find it hard to compare ICO and PoP, they seem like two very differently paced games to me. It's like trying to compare Sensible Soccer with PES3, both brilliant, both good at what they do (which is essentially the same thing) but very, very different games.

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Eoin

Eoin

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One of the best reasons for owning a PS2 is the fact that, due to its massive market share, there are a huge number of second hand titles available.

Good point....browsing through second hand games for other machines usually feels like being in half a shop (if that were possible).

The Platinum range deserves a mention as well. The Classics and Player's Choice selections are good and getting better, but they don't really compare to the huge range of choice that Platinum offers.

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dr_lha

dr_lha

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So putting to one side – Gran Turismo 3, Ico and FFX. What has the PS2 got?

Its the quirky titles that get released for the PS2 that make it worthwhile IMHO. One of my favorite games for the PS2 is Klonoa 2:Lunatea's Veil. No bugger bought it, but it's still great. The GBA one is as well.

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