Is The PS2 Retro?

 And look at why that generation needs collectors

and bootleggers to survive as playable media.

 

 

 

 

     I think beyond FF& many of my favorite gaming memories came from the PS2. I KNOW sounds strange right, I mean what about the Super Nintendo? The N64? Or even the Game Cube and original X Box?  

    Well when I was young, like every 80's kid I started with a yard sale Atari, playing games like the horrific Pac Man port, the classic Asteroids, River Raid, Pit Fall, and to any to count. The simple graphic, joystick and ONE button, it could still hold my young attention long enough for my single mother to get a break. 

     Then in 1987 I believe, I had what I still remember as the best Christmas ever. I got the Nintendo Power Set, the box was huge to my young mind. It came with the gimmicky Power Pad, a grey Zapper (this was before Nintendo got their sushi in a wad and started producing bright orange guns) the system and hook ups of course, and most importantly, the multicart featuring Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and Wold Class Track Meet. I officially became a NES junky. My humble colection grew, slowly of course as we were never rich. I never could afford a power glove which in retrospect was probably a good thing. But games like Pro Wrestling with its cheating GREEN Amazonian wrestler, C Pro Am, Kung Fu, Mike Tysons Punch out, the list goes on, and on. Of course trips to the local video store where heaven. After staring and looking at the blurbs on the back for 30 or 40 minutes mom would be honking, threatening to leave me, so I would quickly grab a game. Most of the time it being the first game I even looked at.

     But within a few years a system called the Genesis, and especially its second pack in game Sonic the Hedgehog where changing the landscape. I remember calling almost daily to my fathers house and reminding them "I WANT A SEGA GENESIS! PLEEEEEASE!" 

     After months of begging the big game came and of course there it was. My coool, black, 16 bit power house. Blast processing was now in my hands ;)

     As I said before we where NOT a rich family and having one system engendered a lot of bias in the 16 bit era. Although now I must admit I enjoy playing SNES games more than I do the Genesis . Especialy do to the SNES having a decent library of JRPG's while the Genesis has barely a handful. I held onto my Genesis threw the 32x,, never buying one even when they where almost giving them away at toy stores. I rented but never owned a a Sega Cd and besides a few gems such as Snatcher, and some VERY expensive shooters, I found the system very unimpressive and the graphics uglier than Mitch McConnell.  

     When the Saturn, and Playstation where finally released, I jumped ship. Tomb Raider looked amazing for the time, and looking at Saturn's launch titles, and games at the Video Store I could see the Playstation was certainly the better of the two systems. Little did I know that thsi wascaused by Sega developing a machine which took rocket scientists to program properly for. In Japan however they recieved many add ons which helped the Saturn greatly in both its graphics and general use as an entertainment machine and not just a gaming machine. 

     The Dreamcast was just that a dream. Although I had lost a lot of faith in Sega as a brand after lack luster hardware and horrible marketing and game support, the Dreamcast was ahead of its time. The graphics where amazing for its day and many still hold up when played right now. Everyone knows about the controlsers and the little hand held which popped into it acting as a memory card. Some peole hate the controllers some love them, I'm in between, it works and thats what matters. My EX had one, and I played it every chance I could. 

     The dreamcast had two major flaws, one for the company, and one for the consumer. The PS2 was fast approaching and it was announced it would have a DVD player built in. NOT GOOD NEWS FOR THE DREAMCAST! And let us remember the context of the Dreamcasts release. At teh time, many home computers did not ome with a cd burner, and external cd burners could be expensive. So Sega chose to not add a protection against playing burnt games made from cd images found online or saved using special equipment. 

     The result, the PS2 hit like an atom bomb. Selling millions of units, and between the lack of game sales, and the PS2 taking over the market. Sega finally threw in the towel and started doing what they do best. Producing kick ass games again. 

     The console generation of the PS2, Gamecube, and the OG X Box, was a gamers dream. The PS2 was the only system I purchased opening weekend and for my first game I chose an adventure/town building game called Dark Cloud. It blew my mind. The graphics where amazing, smooth, and a glimpse at what was to come withe the following generations. 

     I didn't get a Game Cube or and original X Box til much later after their replacements had been on the market at least a year. I find playing that strategy let me buy systems cheap, games even cheaper, and most importantly I knew the games to buy and the absolute shit in the shape of round disks to avoid. Since that generations systems where visually appealing, and he game play stellar, many of them hold up very well and are extremely fun even today. 

      However lately I have been seeing a disturbing phenomenon taking hold in some games known as "Disk Rot" games that look fine, either few superficial scratches or no scratches at all, and the games began not to play. First it was a PS1 game...... Crono Cross :( Then it was the Thrown of Bhall Expansion disk for my Baldurs Gate 2 PC game. Perfectly good disks, which would either not play entirely,  or start, but glitch out shortly into the game. These games are only a few years older than most PS2 era  games and soon the plastic in them will start to break down as well.

What This Means To Collectors

 

     We all want to play our games on the original system. But what happens when you own the game, but can't play it. This is where things get complicated. As far as collecting goes a person is going to have to test any disk based game he buys that is ten years or older just to be  safe. Beyond that a collect doesn't have much of a choice.

     Even then some day, these games will become unplayable. But legally we all have the right to make a back up copy of any media, games, music, movies, anything you own. The problem then is how would one play this back up? Sure if you have a computer with enough power you could run an emulator. They even make adapters so that one can use the original controllers to play the games on their computer. Personally I enjoy emulation , and advocate it whenever I can. 

     Of course you could always mod your PS2, not an easy proposition but one that would ensureyou could make a copy of any of your games and play them on their original system. Personally, I am not tech savvy enough to mod a Hot Wheels Car, and depending on the model moding could be damn near impossible.  

     Instead the game companies have given us a third choice, on which of course makes them money. Buy the game again! This time not as a disk, but as data saved on any of the systems in the post PS2 generation. You already own the game. Why pay again? Shouldn't you be able to send proof that you own this game, andyou wish to have your LEGALLY FINE back up copy? 

    Its just a pipe dream, money is the name of the game, and it doesn't matter if your favorite childhood game sudely goes to hell, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, would all love to see emulation stamped out. But beyond people just pirating games, many of us download games we either have or had, or even games which where never released here and had to be translated by loyal fans such as  Mother 3, A dedicated group of fans from the Mother/Earth Bound series have worked extremely hard to do a translation that is MASTERFUL. Please click the link and download the patch for the rom, the site DOES NOT host the rom and you will have to find it on another site such as www.coolroms.com (This link will take you directly to the Mother 3 download page)

     There are plenty of ways to play older games, but until the bigger companies realize that backwards compatibility, customer appreciation in the form of GIVING players games they already own, but have been the victim of time not mistreatment. Sure it would take some system for them to see and be assured that the games are truly unplayable and I have no clue how that could work.

     And what of the value , and the fun of collecting for everyone who buys these games expecting to some day give their collection to their own kids or grand kids. Its a fun time to collect these games I admit. They are cheap, there are tons of awesome games, and while many wouldn't consider that era as retro or nostalgic, they must have forgotten that the PS2 itself is pushing 15 years old, andhas had two consoles and two hand helds from Sony to come out since its release. 

     YES, THE PS2 IS RETRO!...... My only hope is someone finds a way to build a machine something like the Retron 5, only with the ability to play burnt PS1, PS2, X Box, and even those cute lil Gamecube games. It may be years away as patent laws hold such things back for so many years, but eventually they will come. Sure a lot of people will just download every game they can, but others, like me, we want the games that made us happy years ago, games we had and never beat, or games we beat but never mastered. NO INDUSTRY can stop piracy......... its just part of our modern day tech life.

     But this goes beyond piracy, this is about being able to play a game you OWN. 

     I know this tirade never really had a conclusion....... but thats because the future isn't written yet. Its obvious the gaming industry is on the cutting edge of graphics, but they are as dul as a butter knife when it comes to the way people ACTUALLY play, collect, and feel about their games.  If they won't listen.......... the fans wil always find a way. If you don't trust me PLEASE check that site dedicated to Mother 2............. its a JRPG , the 3rd in the series , in which only number 2 was released in North America and then as Earth Bound. A flop on release, but now considered one of the greatest RPGs on the SNES. The third, released in Japan as Mother 3 on the Gameboy Advance was never translated for the North American audience by Nintendo even though a large campaign was raised to convince them it was wanted by the fans. After Nintendo basically told them to buzz off. The group decided if they won't do it , we will. They posted an OPEN LETTER to Nintendo stating at any time, if Nintendosaid they wouldrelease Mother 3 In America they would stop. Nintendo never did, and after a couple years of hard work, the patch was done. One of the greatest RPG's on the Gameboy Advance was only available here because WE...... AS GAMERS UNITED and did it. 

     If we wanted i guarantee we could build a machine that could play these games the companies have seamed to call  obsolete except as data to make you pay for online. FUCK THAT..... If I pay my money, I want a physical copy! And I want to play that physical copy twenty years from now if I still have working hardware. 

     In conclusion, YES I do consider the early 00 generation of games as retro, they are no longer supported by their companies, and they harken back to a time when gaming was just starting to get to that level where they could make things look almost real, and graphics that would astound.  Some games are starting to get rare quickly, and unlike the older games which have been polluted by shows making idiots thing their copy of Super Mario is worth big bucks, PS1 and PS2 era games can be found at yard sales, and flea markets at great prices and in large quantities. 

     If you want to grow a large collection of great games quickly go dig out your Slim Model PS2, pop the top and play some Dragon Quest 8.  :) 

 

 

 

Everyone have a wonderful day, hope you enjoyed my lil rant, and i Hope it made you both think, and inform you on some of the ins and outs, and options we could develope if we stuck together as a group.  I enjoy comments, and trolls, spread the word and help me make this page even bigger. If your a write and would like to write for Just Another, please send me a message on fb, Michael_wallen2002@yahoo.com, look me up and well talk about starting a new article. 

Till next time, stay groovy :)