For now, using the PlayStation 2 is like using your Aston Martin to go to the corner store. The PS2 leaves its predecessor in the dust with a new 300 MHz chip and a 150 graphics synthesizer – making it the fastest console around, and faster than most PCs.
The reason you need all this speed is so backgrounds and textures can be “redrawn” more quickly. The effect is fluent kicks and somersaults in the PS2 version of the fighting game Tekken Tag, and shimmering cityscapes in the bike game MotoGP.
While these games were fun, they still weren’t up to arcade quality.
And while there are some good titles available now – including SSX, the boarding game; Madden 2001 (football); and Summoner, a role-playing game – there just aren’t enough.
Among the 26 games supposedly ready by PS2’s Thursday release, there’s no real killer app – a Mario or Sonic – to change your life.
Fans of the regular PlayStation will appreciate the improvement in graphics – but no one with a Sega Dreamcast will notice much difference.
One benefit that made this sell like hot noodles in Japan was the built-in DVD player. The same drive that plays game disks also plays movies and audio CDs. The idea is to hook it up to a home theater and make it your one-stop shop for entertainment.
Two brand new movies I tried in my unit suffered from interference, although they played fine in a laptop’s DVD drive. Also, you have to use the game controller, which is limited to it’s 10-foot wire, as a remote.
But the PS2 is back-compatible, which means the 700 or so old games play in it, too. Sony didn’t want to alienate its customer base.
Obviously, the $299. price tag is just the start of it. Parents will be lucky to get out of the store for less than $500.
All in all, the PS2 is something of a work in progress. Unless you have a game nut in the house, hold off until the madness – and the prices – die down later next year.
Rating: ** ½ stars out of ****