Playstation 2 Games: Dec 20, 2009

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Wireless Bundle - PS2

By Kurt Sample (Rochester, NY United States) - reviews

The gameplay is GHIII is fantastic (The Boss Battles in career mode are a little silly, but they are thankfully optional). The track list is awesome and the songs are extremely well implemented and fun to play.

The wireless controller included in this PS2 bundle, however, is a big step backwards from the wired SG controllers bundled with GH I and II. I have experienced several random drops in response from the green and yellow buttons (not due to proximity from the receiver, I was less than four feet from the console). The buttons just stopped working. Also, the whammy bar is much closer to the strum bar, and my fingers on my strumming hand kept getting caught in it. Finally, the tilt sensor on my controller only worked intermittently, which was doubly frustrating because they moved to start and pause buttons directly behind the whammy bar, so the alternate method of triggering "Star Power" (hitting the start button) is almost impossible because you have to take your strumming hand off of the strum bar and bring it up and over the whammy bar. I'm returning the bundle and buying the stand-alone GHIII game, and I'm ordering a wired GH2-style controller directly from Red Octane.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

PlayStation 2 DVD Remote Controller Kit

By D. Wilkerson "DtL" (Richmond, VA USA) - reviews

simply put, this is a great product, if it doesnt work with your ps2, its because you have an "old" one. that doesnt make this a bad product. i own own(and a slim ps2) and it works just fine. better than all the reviews i've seen claim.

PS2 Glow Slim Stand

By Max "Gamer" - reviews

This is the best stand for Ps2 systems. I bought it several weeks ago and all nights and whenever I am playing Ps2 I turn the light on. That blue color is super. The installation is very easy, even a 4 yeaar old kid can install it. And the price, is very cheap compared with the Sony stands that are only black.

Playstation 2 DDR Dance Pad

By B. Perkins - reviews

At first, the pad seems like it would be a difficult one to play on due to it's surface, but it's actually a little better than the regular pads from 2003. However, it still inches across carpeted floors with extended use.

The only problem that comes to my mind while writing this review is getting the corners to lay flat when playing on it. They still tend to curl up as if it's just been taken out of the package.

Playstation 2 Rock Band Special Edition

By N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - reviews

We all knew that we'd be getting a stripped-down version of Rock Band for the PS2, but let it be said that despite it's last-gen flaws and missing options, Rock Band still manages to be a spectacular rhythm game. As one could guess, Rock Band is best enjoyed as a party game with others, as the instruments included in the Special Edition work wonderfully to their purpose. The 58 included songs here, including cuts from Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Jet, and the Ramones among others; are all implemented well, and the in-game screen is flawless as you perform these tunes. While nearly everything about the PS2 version of Rock Band is spot-on, there are moments where you will notice just how stripped-down this conversion is. Most notably is the fact that you will not be able to download new content, and an incredibly stripped-down Band World Tour mode is what really hurts the PS2 version of Rock Band, but this was expected to begin with, which doesn't make these lackings a surprise. What is surprising is how spot-on spectacular the PS2 version of Rock Band ends up being, as there are still a variety of options to explore and modes to play, whether it be alone or as a party game as intended. All in all, if Guitar Hero got you into rhythm gaming and a PS2 is your only option, Rock Band is an essential pickup.

Playstation 2 Dualshock Controller Ocean Blue

By Tiffany Tallar "cajunbliss" (Pleasanton, CA) - reviews

Anybody out there with a controller hog who perhaps gets your controller sticky or messy or does something to it you don't even want to know about? Different colored controllers are the key to solving this problem. Mr. Messy has his and you have yours! It works out awesome! I love my teal green controller and he loves his blue one! You also get a year warranty, which comes in the box with this controller, in between the yellow cardboard so if there is a problem with in a year they will fix your controller. Anyway it is the same size as the ones that come with your original PS2. The buttons are the same, they move the same, and feel the same. The only difference is the color, but still it's worth it to get a nice new non-sticky controller and to get your self some distance from that controller hog. I love this one, they also make a teal colored one, and I have seen a sponge bob controller out there as well but if its not made by Sony its probably not that reliable. Stick with the best, get a Sony controller and get in the game!

PlayStation 2 Console (Slim Line Version 1)

By Jon Folkers (Silver Spring, MD United States) - reviews

The Playstation 2 has been out in the USA for four years now, and has gone through a number of subtle redesigns, but none as dramatic as this. This new PSTwo is remarkably tiny, and you almost need to hold it in your hand to appreciate just how much Sony reduced the size of the machine. The design feels a lot like a laptop computer -- especially the top-loading optical drive -- and is doubtless cheaper for Sony to produce. This time I feel that we the consumers get a slick product in return for the company's increased profits. It's delicate, but no more so than the original PS2.

There are no major compromises in this machine: like the previous design, it has two memory card slots, two controller ports, two USB slots, a progressive scan DVD player, a built-in infrared remote receiver (for controlling and watching DVD movies), and the AV outputs as the original PS2. Optional video cables can change the signal from the default component to S-Video or composite, just as before. An optical audio jack is also present for digital sound output.

What's missing? Not much. The Firewire port of the launch PS2 has long been abandoned, and is also absent here. You will need to use a new multi-tap if you want to play one of the few games that support more than 2 simultaneous controllers. You'll also be unable to plug in the "PS2 HDD," the hard disk drive albatross that will likely never be supported by Sony again outside of the online Final Fantasy game. No great loss there.

As a DVD player, the new PS2 is at least as good as any other lowend machine that does progressive scan and has DTS and Dolby audio and digital output. I'm using it paired with an official Sony remote and plan to return the cheapo machine I bought when my old DVD player wouldn't change layers on the new Star Wars set properly. My new PS2 not only performs just as well, it also plays hundreds and hundreds of games for both Playstation 2 and the original Playstation. It also plays DVD-R movies, though not MP3 CDs or VCDs.

The machine has a built-in modem and Ethernet port for online play. There is no additional cost for most PS2 online games, but in my opinion Sony's online implementation is not nearly as easy or smooth as that of the XBOX.

Even after this redesign, the PS2 is still the "weakest" of the current game consoles (compared to Microsoft's XBOX, Nintendo's GameCube) in terms of graphical power, and despite this new design, is still the most expensive since you will need to purchase an 8MB Playstation 2 memory card in order to save your games and settings. Nevertheless, it's a great system even if you already own one of the competitors, because of the large software library with many exclusives and lots of quirky Japanese titles. The new design is cool enough to even warrant getting a second PS2 system even if you already own the original.

If you don't have a current-generation video game system yet, and you want one, this would be a good one to start you off. The PS3, when released, is likely to be little more than an evolution of the types of games represented on this system. There's a huge number of excellent low-cost games on this platform, with something for almost everyone who loves games.

PS2 Memory Card 128MB for Playstation 2

By William Tucker - reviews

I was hesitant to buy this memory card because of the inconsistent reviews of "my carrying case" memory cards, but this thing is working perfectly. Saves and Loads games with no problem. Sony made a fortune with their puny 8MB cards. This is the exact same dimensions, and it holds 128MB. It seems they ran out soon after I bought mine. Sorry! I would definitely recommend this company and their memory cards based on the price and mine working perfectly with every game I've played so far. I'll update this review if the status of my card changes.

PlayStation 2 Dualshock 2 Analog Controller Satin Silver

By D. Christensen "Jesus Freak" (Mancos, CO, US of A) - reviews

This is a great controller. Maybe I'm too picky, but Sony PS2 controllers are the only ones that meet my standards. The rumble motors are very responsive- in football games, if you get hit hard, this thing gets a little hard to hold on to! The buttons, analog sticks, D-pad, and triggers are very responsive. I love this thing! The only reason I knocked off a star was that when I recieved the controller in the mail, I immediately opened it and began using it. But, after 5-6 hours of use, the R3 and L3 buttons became unresponsive, which in some ways is not a big deal; but a lot of games utilize them. You just don't get the extras that the L3 and R3 buttons control. This may have just been a dud, so don't let this make you think twice about purchasing this product. Enjoy!

Playstation 2 Memory Card 8MB 2PK Red/Blue

By Burke Schneider (Lancaster, Ohio United States) - reviews

After thousands of reviews and E-mails complaining about the price of a Sony Memory Card, this little packaged was created. Included are two colored memory cards. They are made by Sony and include Magigate Technology. The only drawback is the fact that they are colored so if you like everything to match then you gotta buy the black ones. This is a great product and is a needed item if you are going to be buying a PS2. All games need a memory card to save your progress. Without one, then you will always start from the beginning of the game. I highley recomend this product as it is made by Sony and works just as well as the original.