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When people say things like, "Playstation 2 is the greatest console ever"... why do they even bother buying subsequent hardware?

I guess my question is, why do people even bother playing the newer games or getting hyped for PS5/Series X when they already have their favorite so readily available?

Because you need to CONSOOM, dood! How else am I going to show off my new shiny-box-thing to my circle of totally hip friends!? I don't want to be that , you know, outsider or something, just because I don't have the latest new shiny-box-thing, do I?

Less sarcastic, general answer:

Honestly, the range of variety and creativity of that specific period remains unsurpassed to this day imo. I perceive it as probably the apex of creative video game development where budgets and pure creativity met at an intertwined, adequate level. I wouldn't actually strictly attribute it to the PS2 only though, its my general perception of the zeitgeist. The PS2 just happened to be the most dominant console of the period which manages to encapsulate this the most, probably because it attracted the largest talent pool. I think that most people point to the PS2 as being a better/best console purely by association and what it represents.
 
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EDMIX

Member
I guess my question is, why do people even bother playing the newer games or getting hyped for PS5/Series X when they already have their favorite so readily available?

I don't know, I guess my question is, why do people think that a statement about a favorite system is in absolution? Why did you assume the phrase means they couldn't like other platforms? It would be like saying burgers are your favorite food and then be like "why do people even bother eating other foods".

So I'd assume people are allowed to like more then 1 thing. You might be exaggerating that term to maybe a ridiculous and unrealistic degree.

To the point of why folks like the PS2, the PS1 was a rough draft to what the PS2 would be. It lays out the blueprint in what mainstream gaming could be and what a console maker's job actually is. They behaved more like the canvas to the artist and allowed content to be created regardless of a demographic to reach the widest scope while providing content on their own too with their studios.
 
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EDMIX

Member
The PlayStation 2 I believe gave people a very small peek into what console gaming would end up being for the mainstream consumer. I remember people questioning at the time who's the mascot was for the platform as Nintendo had Mario and Microsoft coming into the industry had Master Chief but I believe the genius in what Sony did was not really allow anyone property to dictate whether or not somebody wanted to purchase the system or not they wanted to leave it open enough that no one really felt they needed to like one particular property to justify buying the system.

So back then people loved using this weird argument about some device needing "a killer application" aka da "Killer App", I think Sony's goal then which is probably what their goal is right now is to not really look for one but to have many and to always refresh those teams to new properties to continue to gain and new consumers. Nothing is wrong with having a Mario or a master chief but something like that could be detrimental to the system's success if people begin believing needing to like those specific properties is a prerequisite to buy the system or not. So I think PlayStation 2 begins to evolve that approach they had with PlayStation 1 with simply designing the canvas for Developers.

On a personal note I think a lot of us also have so many great favorite properties on PlayStation 2 stuff like the Metal Gear Solid series or God of War or Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts or Yakuza series or Persona series or the Grand Theft Auto series. It truly was a system that had an extremely wide variety of content. So when someone ask WHY those gamers feel this way about PS2 yet buy new systems? PS2 being our favorite has to do with those IPs being our favorite too. So buying a PS5 to play Persona 6 or the next God Of War or the next Final Fantasy or GTA etc clearly would make sense to such a fanbase. We like the fucking system cause those games, thus we'll like the sequels if they continue to maintain that quality.

The only thing the PlayStation 2 really lacked severely in my opinion was lots of top first person shooters. What it did not have in that genre they made up in other genres greatly.
 
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bender

What time is it?
WTF what a nonsensical thread, am I on Era?

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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
How would they know ps2 is the best if they didn't bought other consoles to compare. Now they know
 

teezzy

Banned
I have PS2 (had around 15 different consoles of them, sold 6-9 away)

I had over 900-1000 PS2 games, still have maybe 350-500 left

I have 14" crt for ps2, gamecube, snes, nes on side table

I have multiple systems above those, and hundreds of games

I rarely play those games, I havent even booted 90% of my ps2 collection

I drown in games, send help :messenger_neutral:

You selling anything?
 

Pull n Pray

Banned
Well they are grading on a curve. They are saying the gap between the PS2 and the competition at the time is the largest of all consoles. It was in terms of sales, but not quality of experience. I owned the PS2 and Xbox and spent way more time on the Xbox. I liked its exclusives better (Halo, Morrowind, Fable, KOTOR, Riddick), and all multiplats were significantly better on the Xbox.

Based on quality of experience compared to the competition at the time, I would give the greatest console award to the original Nintendo.
 

drotahorror

Member
On the other hand I have a buddy who's very nostalgic for games, movies, entertainment, electronics etc. He will say Goldeneye or some shit is the best FPS ever made, which is fine. Then I play it at his house on the n64 and it's complete trash due to controls and framerate. Every genre of a game you can think of, he'll say the best one is during the ps1/n64 era, which is really just nostalgic reasons imo.
 
I feel like the ps2 was this really awkward era. Even though 3D was really bad during the ps1/saturn generation it had amazing 2D. The ps2 generation however was like this super depressing and low quality in high numbers experience. Honestly the only thing which saved that generation was the gba and DS. Somewhere between the early-mid ps2 generation and really late ps3/360 generation it was like developers were still figuring out what works and what doesn't for 3D so there was a lot of mixed of shite that didn't really fit well or sort well. An overall bad experience tbh. PS2 generation will always be the beginning of the end of me when things started to go downhill.
 
S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
Just because I think Pizza is the best dish in the world doesn't mean I only want to eat that for the rest of my life.

Just because I think Pretty Hate Machine is one of the best albums ever doesn't mean I won't listen to other music.

Just because Kill Bill is my favorite movie doesn't mean I won't watch anything else.
 

Kerlurk

Banned
 
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SSfox

Member
Maybe because they played the games on PS2 millions times already and want to play something new?

I can say Michael Jackson is the best artist of all time, while still sometimes listen to somebody's else music.
 

Mabdia

Member
Because people really love to be amazed and always will try to be amazed again.



The PS2 is the best console ever made because a myriad of things. The most important aspect is that it is the last console that you had a game, that was a complete experience. Final Fantasy X, Fallout, Fifa, PES, Metal Gear, it doesn't metter. All games released to that System was a complete package.



Nowadays we have a lot of shinny (Graphics wise) games. But we have to buy it at slices. That alone is something that devaluates nowadays games. When your game is just a service, it does not have the same value as a complete package.


It is not impossible to have an amazing generation as PS2. But the people that run huge business just don't care about it. Just do de minimum at max profit and we call it a day.

That's why a lot of mediocre games got huge scores, that's why reviews just don't metter to me anymore. That's why I cancelled my subscription of a game magazine.

Well... that is my short take into this.
 

Ten_Fold

Member
The ps2 had one of the GREATEST variety of games. Tons of shooters, jrpgs, some western rpgs, fighting games, AA games, AAA games, it’s pretty hard not to find something to like on the ps2. Also it could play ps1 games which had a good variety of games.

The 360 did feel more like a continuation of the ps2 an from 05-09 it had a good variety of games as well, they just fucked up an went the Kinect route and stopped making exclusives tbh.

OP I’m not sure if you was around for the ps2 days but man that was a great time.
 

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
The ps2 had one of the GREATEST variety of games. Tons of shooters, jrpgs, some western rpgs, fighting games, AA games, AAA games, it’s pretty hard not to find something to like on the ps2. Also it could play ps1 games which had a good variety of games.

The 360 did feel more like a continuation of the ps2 an from 05-09 it had a good variety of games as well, they just fucked up an went the Kinect route and stopped making exclusives tbh.

OP I’m not sure if you was around for the ps2 days but man that was a great time.
Hell yeah it was. 2001 was an amazing year, so many great games that felt like they were coming out back-to-back. There was sooo much variety with PS2 too. You could play From Software's weird ass Cookie's and Cream one second and then Kessen or MGS2 or ICO or GTAIII or Onimusha or Silent Hill 2 the very next. Just so many great titles. Also it being a DVD player was a huge boon for everyone, especially considering that at release no-one really had DVD players and the PS2 was for a while the most economically best choice to get one, and then we got The Matrix and LotR coming out on DVD. PS2 was just such a great all-around piece of tech that didn't have much competition in regards to variety and options. It being Backwards Compatible too was a big deal as I couldn't WAIT to play MGS again and it even looked better! Still vastly preferred playing my Xbox at the time, but there was no doubt that PS2 had the most varied library around. Playing SSX on launch felt like a whole new paradigm in gaming.
 
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OrtizTwelve

Member
The Playstation 2 has an amazing library, and so much of it perseveres in terms of overall quality to an insanely strong degree to this day. The sixth generation of consoles all hold a very special place in my heart, and the Playstation 2 was undeniably the hands-down winner of that generation, despite not packing the most horsepower inside the plastic casing when compared to either the Gamecube or Xbox. The library was phenomenal, including full PS1 backwards compatibility, and had more exclusives than you could shake a stick at. So much so, that I'm still discovering new favorites on PS2 in 2020 that I never got a chance to play previously.

For these reason, people often consider the Playstation 2 to be the greatest console ever. I've read this opinion stated objectively countless times on this forum alone. In my opinion, Xbox 360 absolutely gave it a run for its money and if you consider that Xbox One plays a good amount of Original Xbox and 360 titles as well.... you could even make an argument there too - but so few do.

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This argument isn't exclusive to the PS2 though. People will say this about SNES, Dreamcast, etc.

I guess my question is, why do people even bother playing the newer games or getting hyped for PS5/Series X when they already have their favorite so readily available?

I don't buy the story that most people have played all there is to play on a library as diverse as PS2/PS1 combined (or 360/Xbox for the sake of argument) yet. Both Sony and Microsoft spent a lot of money on research and development towards new technologies and studio acquisitions to secure that their upcoming products continuously provide a superior gaming experience to their previous iterations. Shouldn't this ensure a better gaming experience overall? Doesn't the truth of GAF focusing so heavily on next gen and current gen right now reflect that directly? Why aren't we all still talking about Dark Cloud 2?!!

As much as I love the now-classics, there's plenty of modern QoL features which retro titles just can't deliver on, and sometimes formerly well regarded games age like milk and feel awfully clunky compared to their modern counterparts.

So, why do we bother with the new consoles when the so-called 'greatest ever' already exist? How many people here apart from myself still even have a PS2 hooked up? What about your original Xbox? Gamecube? Do you play them more than your PS4, Xbox One, and/or Switch?

My personal opinion is that PS2 in the 2000s when it launched was great relative to the times. I feel that PS2 was peak PlayStation for me, hardware was really cool looking and it played DVDs, which was new at the time and everyone wanted in on it — and the games were plentiful and entertaining, a lot of franchises were born during the era and a lot of classics were released during the PS2 era as well.
 
I think the creator of this thread is telling us about himself, more than he realized.

I can barely able to even understand the kind of state of mind one has to be in, to believe in things the way he does.
 
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Krappadizzle

Gold Member
My personal opinion is that PS2 in the 2000s when it launched was great relative to the times. I feel that PS2 was peak PlayStation for me, hardware was really cool looking and it played DVDs, which was new at the time and everyone wanted in on it — and the games were plentiful and entertaining, a lot of franchises were born during the era and a lot of classics were released during the PS2 era as well.
So many options. I remember when Onimusha came out I thought, "these are the greatest character models ever made!" and then Silent Hill 2 came out and thought, "No, THESE are the best character models ever made." and then Metal Gear Solid 2 came out, "NO THESE ARE THE BEST CHARACTER MODELS EVER MADE." So many amazing looking games(relative to the time) that kept getting better and better.

My ps2 was fine but i preferred my gamecube

I literally just hacked my Wii U so I could play Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Squadron 2 on my Wii U with progressive scan and forced wide-screen. Kinda happy with how it all came out, I must have close to 15 Gamecube games on my Wii U that I can't wait to find the time to play through again.
 
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JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
Well they are grading on a curve. They are saying the gap between the PS2 and the competition at the time is the largest of all consoles. It was in terms of sales, but not quality of experience. I owned the PS2 and Xbox and spent way more time on the Xbox. I liked its exclusives better (Halo, Morrowind, Fable, KOTOR, Riddick), and all multiplats were significantly better on the Xbox.

Based on quality of experience compared to the competition at the time, I would give the greatest console award to the original Nintendo.
thread_necromancer_card_5.jpg

You waited months to prove them wrong.
 

Bragr

Banned
Why do people watch color TV, that's what I wanna know, what's the point if you enjoyed black and white movies?
 
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Rac3r

Member
It was the best console for the time, but obviously isn’t ideal anymore with the advancement of tech. That’s why people want BC on the PS5. It’s not really about the PS2 being the best “console” but more so that the PS2 probably has the best library of games, and people want to revisit them on relevant tech. Even if people overestimate how much they’d utilize BC, as Jim Ryan stated, they’d still like having a choice.

Unfortunately the vast majority of gamers don’t give a shit about legacy titles, so Sony won’t invest in it. The people that say PS2 is the best console are the vocal minority.
 

Griffon

Member
Back in 2007 the only reason I let go of the PS2 was because there was no more new games released on it.

If new PS2 games kept coming, I wouldn't have cared about next gen for a while.
 
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I consider gaming my primary hobby in which I have both old favorites like the PS2 while seeking out new experiences. Something like music listening, however is a secondary hobby for me and don't mind liking primarily one band, Black Sabbath. I guess it depends on how invested you are in something to want to keep up with the new experiences or stick to one thing only (the PS2). But you shouldn't let people make you feel bad for liking something old since they moved on to newer things, screw em
 

Methos#1975

Member
I think the high point of cinema was between 1960 and 1990, films released today with few exceptions just aren't as good, especially action and comedy films which reached their zenith in the 80's. I still watch new films though along with the my favorites of earlier. Gaming is much the same, one can pursue new experiences while still enjoying older ones. It's not a either or situation
 

Daymos

Member
How would you know that the ps2 is the best console ever if you didn't play ALL the consoles?

Best not to be one of those people who claims that facts are determined my large numbers of people shaking their heads in unison. Gamers are better than that, we are people of passion.. and addiction! There must be a way to go higher!
 

Thabass

Member
What a silly thread. Why would I not play newer games and have newer experiences just because I think an older console was better than the current stuff. I can always go back and enjoy the old stuff while experiencing the new hotness. It's a silly thing to even suggest that people shouldn't experience new things and love newer games just because, in the minds of certain people, the older stuff was good.

What a weird thought process.
 

Genx3

Member
I think when they say greatest console ever what they really mean is greatest console ever for it's time.
IMO, each subsequent console gen was significantly better than the previous ones.
 

SegaShack

Member
Add a network adapter with a sata to IDE adapter on a phat ps2 with a large harddrive and you will have the entire library on your ps2.

For those game collectors out there, PS2 is starting to sky rocket in prices. If theres anything you want on this system I'd buy it in the next few months.
 
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