PixlBit

Good morning Pixlbit Nation, how are you on this fine Thursday morning? It is a cool 45 degrees here in sunny Southern California, and while I am enjoying a nice donut, I thought it was about time I talk about my absolute favorite console that I own, the Playstation 2. Let’s take a trip back to when I bought my Playstation 2. It was a year or so after it’s release (remember when everyone was hoarding them and trying to resell them on eBay?) Well I waited because I didn’t want to spend the crazy cash for it, and I was deciding on which console to buy, the X-Box, or the PS2. I loved the Playstation brand but I was willing to try something new, but it all came down to one thing: which one will play DVDs. See before this I had a DVD player but my brother moved into his own spot and I gave him my DVD player and watching on a computer monitor wasn’t the most ideal thing. The X-Box needed a separate remote in order to play DVDs and the PS2 not so much, so after class I went down to the local Walmart and bought a PS2. The first game I played on my new PS2? Madden 2002…for the original Playstation. Yeah I didn’t buy a PS2 game until the next week.

What I loved about the PS2 was that it was the first console I played that I got to play online. It was fun roaming around on Star Wars Battlefront, and sometimes SOCOM. I also bought the 40GB Final Fantasy Hard Drive, which I used as a big memory card. I would copy over all my game saves to it and just copy whichever save I needed to my memory card. A bonus was that 2K Sports automatically loaded onto this hard drive so I didn’t have to move game saves. The PS2 was perfect for me, a ton of games, solid hardware, and for a bit my source for watching DVDs. To this day if I ever see a PS2 game in the wild, for a decent price I will always buy it. I’m not trying to complete the library but there’s something about finding that PS2 case at a thrift store.

 

Let’s start with some of my big box games

 

 

Boogie was a Target Clearance mainstay. The damn thing wouldn’t move and I swore there were something like 20 of them just sitting there. I decided to pick one up for $8 and it turned out it wasn’t bad. It isn’t the greatest game but it has a bit of Karaoke among other little dance games. The bonus is that it came with a microphone. SOCOM: I bought my first copy at a Costco, but a year later the local Circuit City had their big $8 PS2 game sale and they had this game with the headset. I bought the game for the headset, so I could be like the other cool kids on Battlefront. I traded my original copy of SOCOM and a couple of budget games to FYE for something crazy like $60 in credit. Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: This was another Circuit City $8 game, and I think I spent too much. I don’t care for Ecko clothing, and the only reason why I wanted this set was because it came with a CD. It also came with a special Sharpie, and a sketchbook so you too can be a tagger. The game is terrible.

 

 

Think Fast: This was a trivia game that used the Buzz controlers. I didn’t open this one because it’s a Disney game. Crash Action Pack: Another set I didn’t open. I was going to but somehow got side tracked and never played any of the games.

 

 

Legends of Wrestling II: I bought this so my brother and I could play Royal Rumbles with wrestlers we know. Lego Batman: This was my first Lego Batman game and I got a 100% game save. X-Men Legends: This was the first game I played that had that four player team that you can switch on the fly, and I loved this game. I played through the whole game in a couple of weeks but for some reason never got into Legends II. XIII: I actually bought this game as a joke because my cousin bought his copy for $8 or something on the Gamecube, and I picked my copy up for $3 at a Toys R Us. I played a bit of it using the God Mode Cheat on a GameShark *ducks from people throwing things but never got past the halfway point.

 

 

Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer: Remember when Tony Hawk games were huge so Activision released more Extreme Sports games? Yeah this is the surfing game. It isn’t the greatest, but for a bit I had fun. Klonoa 2: I used to hear tons of good things about this game and when I found it I had to give it a try. It isn’t a bad little platformer. Indigo Prophecy: This game is so much fun because it was different from other games I’ve played up to this point. It had choose your own adventure type decisions. It’s a shame I never finished it. Ico: everyone raves about it, I didn’t see the appeal.

 

 

Devil May Cry: Yeah this game was fun. How do you not like running around and shooting everything? Crimson Tears: I actually played through this game because so many people were talking about how good it is. It was ok and there was a lot of walking. Dead to Rights: I enjoyed this game more than the sequel. I liked the concept of being able to control your dog to take down the enemy. I didn’t get to see this again until COD Ghosts. FRIENDS Trivia: I’ve seen every episode so you would think I could answer the majority of the questions. I got my lunch handed to me a lot by this game. Dave Mirra 2: I loved the original DM game on the Playstation because it was Tony Hawk for BMX. This version was kind of a let down from the original. Yakuza: Yeah I really enjoyed this game, and one of the more random missions was to go to a 7-Eleven type spot and buy dog food. When you walk out you get harassed so you fight. That was fun. Katamari Damacy: This game was so quirky that it is worth playing. Zone of the Enders: Ok so I have two copies. The first one I bought didn’t have the Metal Gear demo, so a couple of weeks later I found it at Game Crazy with the demo. The case without stickers is now complete. As for the game itself, its not bad. Buzz Mega Quiz: If you want a fun party game, these Buzz games are perfect. The questions aren’t Jeopardy! level but they are challenging enough. Random Asian Game: Yeah I don’t know what it is but I spotted it at a thrift store and bought it. Lego Star Wars I & II: I think these came out before Batman and might have been my entrance into the Lego games. Onimusha Dawn of Dreams: I became a big fan of the series by playing the 3^rd one, and this was I believe the last one on the PS2. Crazy Taxi: This game and NBA Jam were the first two games I bought for the PS2. Game Stop in Lemon Grove (down the street from SDSU) had a 2 for $40 sale and I bought those games. Looking back it wasn’t much of a sale considering Greatest Hits games are $20, but for a broke college kid, this was perfect. LA Rush: This was an underrated racing title that had this huge Los Angeles map to play with along with West Coast Customs to customize your ride. Such a good racing game.

 

 

King of Fighters: I was never big into this fighter until I tried this game. The set also came with a DVD on the making of the game. Killzone: remember this Halo killer? I thought it was ok, but never finished it. Kill Switch: Another FPS Shooter. I played through this one, and from what I remember the story was really cheesy. GTC Africa: This I believe was my 3^rd PS2 game. I bought it at Horton Plaza (the big mall in downtown SD) and I remember I also got my parking validated at this GameStop. It’s a solid rally racer and this was the game I used to play at night after class. Hunter The Reckoning: Wayward: Yeah years later I finally bought this game, and passed. Thank goodness I didn’t spend $50 on it. The Hustle: I originally bought this on PSP but when I found out the trade in value for it at FYE was twice the price I paid, I traded it in, and got something like $15. I bought the PS2 version for something like $3 a week later from Best Buy. It’s a pool game with a story about you trying to get back on your feet so you hustle at pool. Gungrave Overdose: I actually liked this game where you run around and shoot. I think it might be based off a cartoon.

 

 

The Guy Game: You have a guy asking trivia questions to girls at Spring Break. You go on a run and if you answer a hard question correctly, the girl he’s asking the question to takes off her top. Yeah not my finest moment buying this game. Midnight Club 3: This is the game I first created all the cars from Fast and Furious. This is also a solid racing game that is spread over San Diego, Detroit, and I think Tokyo. Red Dead Revolver: Since I was big into Gun this was the next game I played. It was good but there wasn’t any free roam. Gun: The first game I called GTA with Horses. The only drawback with this game is that I wish there was more to do after completing the story and side missions.

 

 

Ribbit King: This is such a quirky golf game where the golf ball is a frog and the courses are unique. I got stuck on a course where its on an industrial planet where there are a lot of moving ramps. Onimusha 3: The game that got me hooked on the series. I like the switching between Feudal Japan and Modern Day Paris. This was such a cool game. Onimusha Blade Warriors: Think Mortal Kombat with Onimusha Characters.

 

 

Splinter Cell: I have no problems saying this, I enjoyed the game much more with the Game Shark. R: Racing Evolution: This is kind of a Ridge Racer with a story mode where you follow this ambulance driver as she becomes the top racer in the world.

 

 

Total Overdose: Remember when GTA became a huge hit so all the clones started popping up. This is one of them. Your character runs around Tijuana taking down bad guys, and if you did something like beat up a guy you can steal his hat. It was interesting to try, and kind of easy to play through. Transformers: This wasn’t the series I grew up with. I’m a bit disappointed with that. True Crime Streets of LA: I actually liked this game. This was a cop version of the GTA like games but it was good. UFC Sudden Impact: This game was my first UFC game and it had a health bar like a fighter. It was interesting to see women fighters go against male fighters in this game. If you like button mashing, this game was made for you.

 

 

Viewtiful Joe 2: I liked the first one because of the art style and this one was more of the same except you could unlock Dante from Devil May Cry. Tony Hawk’s Underground: When I had surgery I was supposed to stay in bed for a couple of days. My then girlfriend picked this game up for me, and this game was all I played. This was such a good TH game because there was a storyline that went with all the crazy tricks. I never went online with this game. TNA Impact: Oh so this is one wrestling game I decided to finish so I played through the career mode of this random “Superstar”. The career mode was pretty good, and it had the drama of people interfering with your match as you climbed the ladder to become the world champion. There were some moments I felt the AI went into cheese mode but overall I enjoyed this game.

 

 

Midway Arcade Treasures: I love this series because there were a bunch of games I remember playing in the arcades. So much good content in these three games. I spent the most time playing Hydro Thunder, Smash TV, and Rush. Mister Mosquito: This is such a random game I found at GameStop. The objective is to get this mosquito to suck blood from this family. Easily one of the creepy levels is when the teenage daughter is in a bubble bath and you swoop in and suck blood from her without her getting upset. You would slowly land on the person, and with the right stick rotate it in to suck blood. You couldn’t go too fast or else the alarm meter would raise and then the person would get angry and try and swipe at you.

 

The final games for today’s Part I,

 

Evolution Skateboarding: There is only one reason to buy this game and that is to skateboard as Snake on the oil platform. I haven’t tried anything else in this game but that. NBA 2K5: There was one mode on this game that was called 24/7 and everyday you had to play as your character or else his stats would drop. This was annoying. College Hoops 2K5: I think this was the game I played with North Florida and turned them into a National Power. Think Kentucky if you placed them in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Games got ugly fast. Enter The Matrix: For a bit I was caught up in the Matrix Universe and this was the game that was supposed to bridge the second and third films or something like that. You played as Ghost and Niobe and you help out Neo and the gang. I think the big freeway scene was part of this game. NFL 2K5: This was the game that sold me on the 2K series. I loved this game, and it was head and shoulders above Madden.

 

Well there you go Pixlbit, part I of my PS2 library. Tuesday will be the second portion and for you folks who celebrate, Happy Chinese New Year!

 

That’s all for now, more tomorrow!

-Chris