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PS2 Appreciation & Celebration Thread, long live the King!

baphomet said:
Of the two xploder gave me a better picture. You lose pixels when forcing above 480p, and it can also cause glitching. I use my external upscaler to upscale it to 1080p and it does a better job than gsm.
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Yeah, I can see how Xploder could do that. I really like how GSM gives you a lot of options to play around with and it can definitely take some tinkering around, but man once you find some settings that really work, they work.
 
Rizzi said:
Should I use the 480p setting?
Click to expand...

That's probably the best to start out with. There's a compatibility list here that has some titles listed on it with the best settings to use, but it's missing a lot of stuff. If you look around for the official GSM forums, you can find a lot of info about GSM and how it works with particular titles.

The great thing about Free McBoot is that you can just run the GUI for Xploder or similar software if you want to try it out.
 
You know what is still amazing to play? Ridge Racer V.

I cannot believe how good the game remains. The PSX games, while fun, really show their age but RRV hits that sweet spot. It's still an attractive, though very jaggy, game with a beautiful aesthetic and good soundtrack.

Lots of great tracks in there too alongside an incredibly polished presentation. The majority of games released today fail to match the perfection with which RRV is presented. Transitions are superb.

It's the handling, though, that really sticks out as king. Everything past RRV become overly simplified with an "auto-drive" feel at times but RRV still demands still and finesse from the player. It really feels unlike any other racing game on the market. Anyone else jump back into this recently?

Just to celebrate, here's a high quality 60 fps version of the realtime intro which, by the way, was pretty damn amazing for its day.

http://www.gamersyde.com/thqstream_ridge_racer_v_intro-fdA7pZ65XVeRH0VR_en.html
 
dark10x said:
You know what is still amazing to play? Ridge Racer V.

I cannot believe how good the game remains. The PSX games, while fun, really show their age but RRV hits that sweet spot. It's still an attractive, though very jaggy, game with a beautiful aesthetic and good soundtrack.

Lots of great tracks in there too alongside an incredibly polished presentation. The majority of games released today fail to match the perfection with which RRV is presented. Transitions are superb.

It's the handling, though, that really sticks out as king. Everything past RRV become overly simplified with an "auto-drive" feel at times but RRV still demands still and finesse from the player. It really feels unlike any other racing game on the market. Anyone else jump back into this recently?

Just to celebrate, here's a high quality 60 fps version of the realtime intro which, by the way, was pretty damn amazing for its day.

http://www.gamersyde.com/thqstream_ridge_racer_v_intro-fdA7pZ65XVeRH0VR_en.html
Click to expand...

I've been wanting to play this, but I'm currently going through RR7. Not a fan of the boost mechanic in RR7, is it gone in RR5?
 
Emperor Bohe said:
I've been wanting to play this, but I'm currently going through RR7. Not a fan of the boost mechanic in RR7, is it gone in RR5?
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RR5 plays much differently from the rest of the series. It's not quite as arcade-y with its mechanics. You'll still be drifting through turns, and it's still fast as hell, but the game's a lot less forgiving in how it handles. Fatally screwing up a turn is a lot easier, and you'll need to be smarter about how you use the break. I didn't really dig the game back in 2000, but I gave it another shot a couple years back and absolutely loved it. It's a unique take on the series, but it's one that absolutely works.
 
dark10x said:
You know what is still amazing to play? Ridge Racer V.
Click to expand...
I've been saying that since PS3 launch - I'd have bought R5 HD over R6, R7, and most definitely over R... whatever that thing on Vita is called. Hell I'd even buy R5 for 3DS if they did one (assuming it kept 60fps).
Particularly because I still remember the TGS'99 demo that was running at full 480 (ie. wasn't field-res like the eventual retail game) and it looked glorious too.
 
Chacranajxy said:
RR5 plays much differently from the rest of the series. It's not quite as arcade-y with its mechanics. You'll still be drifting through turns, and it's still fast as hell, but the game's a lot less forgiving in how it handles. Fatally screwing up a turn is a lot easier, and you'll need to be smarter about how you use the break. I didn't really dig the game back in 2000, but I gave it another shot a couple years back and absolutely loved it. It's a unique take on the series, but it's one that absolutely works.
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Hmm... I might have to do the same. After Rage Racer and R4, R5 felt like a step backwards and I could not for the life of me get into it. Didn't like the soundtrack or the greasy looking new girl either. The game itself looked great, though.
 
The PlayStation 2 is by far one of my most favorite consoles of all time. It used to be the Super Nintendo, but the PlayStation 2 library has a ton of titles that a lot of publishers took a risk on and wound up pleasing a good amount of people.

I'm going off on memory, so here's my list of games for my PS2 that I still have (and am sure that I still have):

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2
Haunting Ground
Rule of Rose
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Dynasty Warriors 4
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil 4
God of War
God of War 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Katamari Damacy
We Love Katamari
ICO
Shadow of the Colossus
SSX Tricky
Persona 3 FES
Persona 4
Okami
Tony Hawk Underground
Tony Hawk Underground 2
Bully
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of hte Millenium
Marvel vs Capcom 2: A New Age of Heroes
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2
Beyond Good and Evil
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts 2
Manhunt
NBA Street Vol. 2
Odin Sphere
Onimusha
Onimusha 2: Samura's Destiny
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly Cooper 2
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Twisted Metal: Black
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Killzone
 
Eterniti said:
The PlayStation 2 is by far one of my most favorite consoles of all time. It used to be the Super Nintendo, but the PlayStation 2 library has a ton of titles that a lot of publishers took a risk on and wound up pleasing a good amount of people.

I'm going off on memory, so here's my list of games for my PS2 that I still have (and am sure that I still have):

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2
Haunting Ground
Rule of Rose
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Dynasty Warriors 4
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil 4
God of War
God of War 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Katamari Damacy
We Love Katamari
ICO
Shadow of the Colossus
SSX Tricky
Persona 3 FES
Persona 4
Okami
Tony Hawk Underground
Tony Hawk Underground 2
Bully
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of hte Millenium
Marvel vs Capcom 2: A New Age of Heroes
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2
Beyond Good and Evil
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts 2
Manhunt
NBA Street Vol. 2
Odin Sphere
Onimusha
Onimusha 2: Samura's Destiny
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly Cooper 2
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Twisted Metal: Black
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Killzone
Click to expand...
What a collection!!! Hope to reach that many in the future.
 
I thought that I posted my collection here before, but I guess I didn't...so, here it is (ignore the PSP games on the left, and the PS3 games on the right, I guess):

ik0kfGVMJR461.JPG

ibe30W9VAVL1yo.jpg
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I took the other picture before I got Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 and Silent Hill 3 (which I got together for like $7 thanks to that huge GameStop discount), so that's why they're separate.
 
I always thought Stolen was an underrated game that got very little press. Though I never beat it, I remember having a blast sneaking about and stealing priceless art.
 
drtomoe123 said:
Yeah, I can see how Xploder could do that. I really like how GSM gives you a lot of options to play around with and it can definitely take some tinkering around, but man once you find some settings that really work, they work.
Click to expand...

One of the cool things about gsm is the NTSC non interlace mode. Forcing 240p is an excellent option when it works. Especially for games like SVC chaos and other 2d games.
 
KDash how much was Gradius 5 for you? Did you get it when it came out? That's the last PS2 game I want and seeing it there made me envious haha.
 
Exr said:
KDash how much was Gradius 5 for you? Did you get it when it came out? That's the last PS2 game I want and seeing it there made me envious haha.
Click to expand...
I think I got it for like $10~$15 dollars at Toys "Я" Us sometime around...2007, maybe? Not sure. It might have been a year or two earlier. But, yeah, I don't remember paying much for it.

It's a really great game, by the way. Definitely worth getting. Not sure how much it goes for nowadays, though...
 
Dimefan3 said:
Dang, I managed to get Silent Hill 4 off eBay last week for 10 bucks (Australian), tried playing it on the weekend, and it was running horridly slow. I tried cleaning the disc using the Toothpaste method I saw on YouTube, now the game won't even load.

Anyone have tips on how to fix PS2 discs? Wasn't even scratched that heavily either....
Click to expand...

If you can't get it to play at all you can have the disc resurfaced. You can normally have it done at mom and pop Game Stores, or if you have a Video Rental store nearby a lot of those used to resurface discs. Should set you back a couple bucks and play fine afterward. If you don't have either option nearby there are places you can send them. That professionally resurface discs though not sure how much it costs or if it's worth it.

I would 't ever try the stuff I've seen on You Tube. Even if it worked in the short term it can't be good on the discs. I wouldn't even advise having a disc resurfaced unless it's non working, but that's probably just me :)
 
Rizzi said:
I've never played a Silent Hill game.
Click to expand...

hardcastlemccormick said:
Play SH2, it's incredible. The tank controls are dated, but the game holds up overall amazingly well - especially the lighting and the genuinely tense and scary atmosphere.

If you like that, play SH3 as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Silent Hill 2 is great. I'd recommend getting the Greatest Hits version, since it has the extra content from the Xbox version (which is what I own, and why it's not in my pictures above).

I personally like Silent Hill 3 a bit more, but that's just personal preference.
 
Fafalada said:
I've been saying that since PS3 launch - I'd have bought R5 HD over R6, R7, and most definitely over R... whatever that thing on Vita is called. Hell I'd even buy R5 for 3DS if they did one (assuming it kept 60fps).
Particularly because I still remember the TGS'99 demo that was running at full 480 (ie. wasn't field-res like the eventual retail game) and it looked glorious too.
Click to expand...
It's a shame they didn't apply the same upgrades to RRV as they did with Tekken. The US release has some of the best image quality on ps2.
 
ho105R1.jpg
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Even more games for the huge pile of unplayed games I already own.
Edit: Ridge Racer doesn't work. Which isn't shocking considering that it has a monstrous gouge in the middle of the disk. Still a bummer though.
 
I tried out RRV on PCSX2 just for kicks and, man, it is awful. In software mode it looks somewhat correct, minus a few glitches that persist, but it doesn't run well and image quality is worse than what you get on a PS2 running through a scaler. Hardware mode supports high resolutions but is loaded with texture corruption. Neither version runs consistently and both look terrible. I'll stick to PS2.

Emperor Bohe said:
I've been wanting to play this, but I'm currently going through RR7. Not a fan of the boost mechanic in RR7, is it gone in RR5?
Click to expand...
None of that stuff is in Ridge Racer V. The actual driving feels completely different. Drifting actually requires some effort to pull off properly. It's a much better playing game and one of the best arcade racers ever made.
 
Holy crap, what's up with Beatmania prices? Glad I bought all of them back when they were available... IIDX 16 is like $300 used now.
 
This thread gets me interested in firing up my old PS2 once again. It's something special about that console.

I need to play through Castlevania - Curse of Darkness. Maybe it will be my summer project...:)
 
IrishNinja said:
hahaha wut
guess im just playing vanilla on that one
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Wow. Glad I got Empress when it was 'only' $90 at PlayAsia. I figured it would be worth it since it was clearly the last. Guess the retailers picked up on that too.

I have the best, anyway. 9th, 10th, 13th, Empress.
 
man i am such a beatmania scrub; have the controller & us release game, that's it. i meant to hunt down the import discs (too late now) but told myself i should at least beat some medium tier track first....
 
IrishNinja said:
man i am such a beatmania scrub; have the controller & us release game, that's it. i meant to hunt down the import discs (too late now) but told myself i should at least beat some medium tier track first....
Click to expand...

Straight up: you won't get good at Beatmania just playing US. The curve is way too steep. I can always let you play on my setup if it helps, or bring my discs by or something.
 
cj_iwakura said:
Wow. Glad I got Empress when it was 'only' $90 at PlayAsia. I figured it would be worth it since it was clearly the last. Guess the retailers picked up on that too.

I have the best, anyway. 9th, 10th, 13th, Empress.
Click to expand...

Those are all good installments. Personally, DJ Troopers is my favorite, but DistorteD and Empress are crazy good. I might pick up 8th Style at some point, though... That's where the series really started getting good.


And yeah, US is wack. Ridiculous difficulty curve. If we get a chance to hang out, Irish, I'll bring over a few of the Japanese games.
 
i swear, must be the mood ive been in after reading Usagi Yojimbo (and re-reading some Lone Wolf & Cub shit) but i'm on this Acquire binge.

I picked up Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven for $5 (played 1 & 2 but not that one, looking forward to analog stick use), am currently looking high & low for cheap copies of Way of the Samurai 2 & Samurai Western. i also messaged a dude on ebay with a cheap PAL copy of Shinobido, hope that pans out!

when i'm inclined, i adore their b-tier jank. you don't find much out there like them.

cj_iwakura said:
Straight up: you won't get good at Beatmania just playing US. The curve is way too steep. I can always let you play on my setup if it helps, or bring my discs by or something.
Click to expand...

fuck its reassuring to hear this, cause for years i assumed it was this or i suck. i can do the early tracks but after that it goes to shit fast, BPMs hit a wall and with a pad or turntable i can't keep up for shit & just lose heart.
 
My first L7 was Attitude. It's probably your best bet to aspire to on US.

There aren't enough 'bridge' tracks though. 10th is fantastic for that.


And no joke, Samurai Western is my favorite hack and slash game.
 
cj_iwakura said:
My first L7 was Attitude. It's probably your best bet to aspire to on US.

There aren't enough 'bridge' tracks though. 10th is fantastic for that.


And no joke, Samurai Western is my favorite hack and slash game.
Click to expand...

Only issue with 10th is that it's on the old difficulty scale, not the 12 point one from 11 on. Personally, I think 13 or 15 are the best for getting good. Light mode has a gradual progression, and the music is awesome. A lot of people recommend Happy Sky, but it's got too much J-Pop for me. More Zektbach, plz.

Edit: Oh, and a very helpful tip: turn up the speed of the notes. It's a hell of a lot easier to read them and time properly when they're more spread out as a result.


Also, Way of the Samurai kicks ass.
 
yeah, found WOTS4 (PAL disc) for $30 and jumped on it.

Samurai Western is so bought, just holding out for $10. WOTS2 didn't click with me when i tried it years ago but after 3 i feel i didn't give it a fair shake.

wait, so which beatmania are you guys saying i should get into then? sounds like X, XIII & XIV, im okay with jpop too.
 
IrishNinja said:
yeah, found WOTS4 (PAL disc) for $30 and jumped on it.

Samurai Western is so bought, just holding out for $10. WOTS2 didn't click with me when i tried it years ago but after 3 i feel i didn't give it a fair shake.

wait, so which beatmania are you guys saying i should get into then? sounds like X, XIII & XIV, im okay with jpop too.
Click to expand...

I'd say 10th or 13th. Empress has a ton of tracks, but yeah, it's expensive now.
 
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