Geekscape Roundtable: We Say Goodbye To The Playstation 2
After 12 beautiful years, it seems as though death has come for Sony’s Playstation 2. The console reigned king (or queen!) for the better part of a decade and touched the virtual lives of millions all over the world.
I (Derek) was barely 10 years old on the day the Playstation 2 launched. Today, just days after Sony announced that all production had been halted on the once-powerful titan, I’m just weeks away from turning 23.
The system may be dead, but after over a decade of games and sequels, you better believe there are some memories. We sent the word out to the Geekscape staff of the console’s termination, and these are some of the favourite moments and games that were sent back. Enjoy, and please (please!) share your own below!
PS2, we all thank you for your years of service. Rest now, you’ve earned it.
Molly Mahan
I’ve never considered myself much of a gamer. After my much beloved, ahead-of-its-time Dreamcast turned out to be a failed investment (Editor’s Note: What ‘chu talking about failed investment, I play my Dreamcast all the time! -DK), I more or less turned my back on the whole shebang. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few fond memories of the Playstation 2’s glory days.
TGS trailer for 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3
Unlike many talking about it now, they were more often than not enjoyed with me as a viewer and not an active participant. I would often sit around and watch my brother or other friends play through the latest installment of the Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy franchises and relish in the cut scenes, if not the gameplay itself. While you may scoff at that (call me a “fake nerd girl” or some other tripe), I do believe that this will be a great part of the PS2’s legacy. It helped pave the way to make video games watchable to the non-gamer. Opening up typically one or two player worlds to the voyeur by bringing a level of cinema to the gaming world that may have been attempted in previous consoles, but was not yet up to snuff.
The fact that it plays DVDs and CDs gave it an additional utility to those like me, since I only played non-fighting games about two times a year.
Jonathan London
Like many, I bought the PS2 for one game and one game only: Grand Theft Auto 3. In grad school, I was too broke to own a PS2 during GTA 3’s release, but my neighbor owned it and I would constantly make excuses to go play.Was this really the new version of the overhead GTA I used to love playing on the PC? Yes. It was. And it was so much better.
Trailer for 2001’s Grand Theft Auto III
Not only did the 3/4 view and open world map make Liberty City and every GTA locale after it come to life but it also put you in the action in a way I’d never experienced before. The streets teamed with possibilities, you could spend hours off mission just trying things out or pushing your Wanted Meter and the 80s Scarface inspired soundtrack gave the game an attitude and a pulse that the previous GTA games had been missing. And of course, the game map was massive for its time. It was very easy to get lost in it. While Vice City added a slick style to the franchise and San Andreas blew the doors off of the entire map and made nearly anything possible, I still have a soft place in my cold, crime ridden heart for the original PS2 release.
The PS2 gave me so many fond memories of hunting in Shadow of the Colossus and bouncing around with my friends Ratchet and Clank, but nothing comes close to hitting the hard streets of Liberty City.
Goodbye, old friend.
Shawn Madden
Suikoden III: I really don’t know how many times I’ve played this game in all honesty. I’ve had to replay what is hands down one of the greatest RPG’s of all time numerous times. The game’s complex plot is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, with a plot twist that no one could ever expect. Yes, a PS2 game with an unpredictable plot and beautiful visuals mixed with a superb soundtrack.
Intro video for 2002’s Suikoden III
You thought some other game was the best PS2 RPG? Yeah, you thought wrong. The game won both GameSpot and IGN’s RPG of the Year for 2002. No, but seriously. If you haven’t played this one you should. It rules. The end. This is where I throw down the mic and walk away.
Shane O’Hare
I was never huge Playstation or Playstation 2 fan. I’ve never owned a Sony console other than the PSP. I’ve always been a Nintendo and PC gamer, so when I was asked the question for what my favorite Playstation 2 moment was, I reply with my normal snark. I soon realized I have one vivid and specific moment with the device that I will always remember.
Trailer for 2002’s Final Fantasy X
It was 2002 and I was invited to a friends house for debauchery and games. I had seen a PS2 before but never really gave them a chance. As the night grew on my buddy sat me down with a copy of Final Fantasy 10 and said “HAVE AT IT!”. I was hooked. The graphics, the gameplay, the world, the narrative and the characters were all amazing. I was experiencing a game that was unlike any I’ve really played before at that time. As the night went on my host soon fell asleep and I continued to play long into the night. When he woke me up the next morning, he had a shocked look on his face and said “How late did you stay up? You made it all the way to the airship!”. Turns out I am some sort of FFX savant. I will always remember that night playing my first PS2 game, and ultimately my favorite Final Fantasy game.
Never forget the PS2!
Derek Kraneveldt
As I mentioned above, I was just 10 years old when the Playstation 2 was launched. The system’s introduction and evolution means a lot to me, as this was the first console I ever purchased with my own money, and it was the Playstation 2 that grew me into the gamer that I am today.
That being said, I had too many favourite games for the console to narrow it down to just one. From Okami to every Final Fantasy (well, except XI), every Metal Gear and Silent Hill, everything from Team Ico and more, there are just too many now-classic titles to even list.
Intro video from 2002’s Rygar: The Legendary Adventure
My most memorable moments with my PS2 were also some of my first. It had taken me nearly a year to save up for my own PS2, and after purchasing the costly console, I had little money left for any actual software. I took to the bargain bin, and came across a title that was sent there far too soon: Rygar: The Legendary Adventure. Rygar was a character that was older than I was, and I’d never heard of him.
The game was brilliant, and as it would be some time before I had the funds to buy another game, I play Rygar over and over and over again. Rygar: The Legendary Adventure was far ahead of its time, with gorgeous graphics (especially for a 2002 title), amazing gameplay mechanics (the game felt like a slightly less violent God of War, just three years before that title would see the light of day), and a story deep rooted in Greek and Roman mythology. Maybe it’s drilled into my brain from my dozens of playthroughs, but Rygar: The Legendary Adventure was one of the most memorable titles for me in the PS2’s lifecycle. Apparently a few other people liked it too, as the game later got a Wii rerelease, and is now available on
PSN!
Thanks for the memories, and thanks for never breaking down on me!
