PS2 Appreciation & Celebration Thread, long live the King!

Easily my favorite console of all time. Most of my gaming memories stems from the PS2. My first PS2 game was Orphen Scion of Sorcery. It objectively isn't a good game, but it holds a special place in my heart.

250px-Orphen_Scion_of_Sorcery.jpg
 
IrishNinja said:
glad you're digging it man! post back on your further impressions
Click to expand...

will do! i was super wary of buying it (since it's is a tad pricey for what i like to pay for ps2 game), but it's def. been worth the forty or so dollars i put down for it (and it was a complete copy too, which makes it even better)
 
Cheddahz said:
I started playing God Hand today and I've gotta admit, that game is dope
Click to expand...

I played it this year for the first time. What an experience. I honestly believe that it's the best beat em up I have ever played.

It looks rough in general with the graphics, and the controls and the whole combo system are not easy to get into, but once it clicked it was just awesome.

I felt like giving up many times especially in the beginning but being persistent paid off. It was a crazy ride until the end, very memorable experience.

The worst part is that I bought the game once it came out, I didn't like it and I sold it. Now that I finished it, I had borrowed it from a friend and since then I am looking to buy it, but it seems to be on the expensive side unfortunately. I made a terrible mistake :/.
 
hey everybody,
i grabbed Rogue Galaxy while picking up dinner tonight.

a bonus: some guy was trading in his stuff but the store didn't want to take his ps2. so he gave it to me for free and it came with the HDD network adaptor and monster component cables =) now, i can try out that HDD mod plp were talking about earlier in these posts.
WpeS5JEh.jpg

FW3fGPTh.jpg


Fl2WWht.jpg
Click to expand...
 
David's on a perpetual shopping spree these days.

Looks like a nice ps2. I only had a slim when I was young but the fat is honestly such a good design.
 
sfedai0 said:
dude dat third pic. Did you go on a shopping spree???
Click to expand...
that's just stuff piling up on my gundam table, running out of room. it used to look like this at one point
1ye7xNsm.jpg
dLhmVLsm.jpg


then i got this
QHvIlU1m.jpg
hjK8BaCm.jpg
QE9rOZBm.jpg

i moved the BVM to another spot and now it's just games and stuff piling on top of the table.


NormalFish said:
David's on a perpetual shopping spree these days.

Looks like a nice ps2. I only had a slim when I was young but the fat is honestly such a good design.
Click to expand...
i'm going to try to do that everdrive mod you guys were talking about with the HDD.


RadarScope1 said:
David, can I ask -- what is it about food and buying games that goes together for you? LOL
Click to expand...
so there's this Mexican joint by where i live that has amazing food i get at least once or twice a week. they take about 30-40 minutes to make the food.
literally next door to it is a retro shop and about 10 mins away is another. so i end up getting a game or two while waiting for my food. i usually go to one retro store, call ahead with my order and then go shop around =)
 
For fmcb/fhdb (the ps2 homebrew enabler for a memory card and hdd respectively), psx scene is extremely helpful. Ps2 homebrew has become dated enough that there are many all in one resources, and the information on offer is somewhat sparse and not necessarily indicative of the best solutions to anything. I could help you once you get homebrew running, but I'm not a pro by any means.

Just something to be aware of.
 
almost done SOTC. looking forward to writing a good lttp on it


also fuck pc to ps2 ports. Mafia 1 and Hitman blood money are fucking awful. Mafia 1s first mission is near impossible without luck since the screen is black during the night. Same problems with hitman.
 
Casting a large net, cross posting from the Retro AV thread:

So i'm debating moving almost entirely to OPL via an HDD for my PS2 collection. Figure I should downsize a bit more. Got a kindle for christmas and despite my great love of physical books, the convenience is really wonderful. Thinking I'll do the same with my PS2 collection.

However, I haven't really explored the various options that homebrew like GSM offers. Anyone have a good resource for those things, or feel competent enough to explain the various perks of that homebrew and how I should use it with OPL? Additionally, any quirks to OPL that you think I should know before going hard and ripping all my discs?

PM me if you're not sure the resource you have is gaf-safe. I realize a bunch of homebrew stuff sometimes treads the line. Hope that's alright.
 
NormalFish said:
Casting a large net, cross posting from the Retro AV thread:

So i'm debating moving almost entirely to OPL via an HDD for my PS2 collection. Figure I should downsize a bit more. Got a kindle for christmas and despite my great love of physical books, the convenience is really wonderful. Thinking I'll do the same with my PS2 collection.

However, I haven't really explored the various options that homebrew like GSM offers. Anyone have a good resource for those things, or feel competent enough to explain the various perks of that homebrew and how I should use it with OPL? Additionally, any quirks to OPL that you think I should know before going hard and ripping all my discs?

PM me if you're not sure the resource you have is gaf-safe. I realize a bunch of homebrew stuff sometimes treads the line. Hope that's alright.
Click to expand...
The best thing I did with my PS2 was to put Free McBoot with OPL on it. I love having all my games easily accessible on a HDD. Not to mention it helps with improved load times on most games. I have a 500GB HDD that I use, with about 90 games on it and room for maybe 10-20 more. I'm even more grateful now that my PS3's disc drive died that I'm not putting any more strain on my PS2's drive.

Regarding GSM, it has a really low compatibility rate. A lot of games I try to force 480p on end up with an incorrect aspect ratio (like the image is 360x480 instead of 720x480). For example, I had success with the Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia games, Grandia II, and Suikoden V, but no luck with the Xenosaga games, Tales of Legendia, Wild Arms 4, or Wild Arms 5. For the games it does work with, you have to tweak the screen position as well, as it's usually not centered vertically (but an option is provided for this).

The only other homebrew option I use is uLaunchElf, which is essentially a file manager and text editor. It does its job for what it is, although I would suggest if you are going to use virtual memory cards, never copy more than one save at a time to or from them using uLaunchElf, or else it will corrupt the entire virtual memory card. I found that out the hard way.

OPL is still being updated, and has things like HDL server (install games over network), GSM, and cheat codes built into it now. I've only run into compatibility issues with a couple games. Klonoa 2 works, but is missing audio from certain scenes, and Atelier Iris had voices stuttering/cutting off, but I was able to mostly fix it with some setting tweaks. I also ran into a cut-scene toward the end of Xenosaga II that would freeze the game, but I was able to get past that by turning the access speed down.
 
sounds good. yeah, i've used OPL before but not GSM. Spent a few hours today ripping my games so I'll start sending them to the HDD tomorrow, probably. your experience with OPL compatibility makes me more confident. Thanks.
 
Hey PS2 GAF, sorry to come here to post about my problems but my fat PS2 (model 30001-R) started reading PS2 discs very slowly and stopped reading PS1 games entirely so I decided to open it up and give the laser a cleaning. The problem is that now the PS2 won't even bother to spin the discs and I was wondering if anyone could help? Is the laser busted or is it something else that's causing this?
 
Fallen92 said:
Hey PS2 GAF, sorry to come here to post about my problems but my fat PS2 (model 30001-R) started reading PS2 discs very slowly and stopped reading PS1 games entirely so I decided to open it up and give the laser a cleaning. The problem is that now the PS2 won't even bother to spin the discs and I was wondering if anyone could help? Is the laser busted or is it something else that's causing this?
Click to expand...

You probably just knocked one of those disc drive ribbon cables loose or forgot to hook it back up.

Laser being cleaned might not help even if you fix that. Adjusting the potentiometer is a better fix but annoying to get right. I've heard of people replacing the laser assemby on older models like that one with one from a newer unit to improve reliability.
 
SheepyGuy said:
You probably just knocked one of those disc drive ribbon cables loose or forgot to hook it back up.

Laser being cleaned might not help even if you fix that. Adjusting the potentiometer is a better fix but annoying to get right. I've heard of people replacing the laser assemby on older models like that one with one from a newer unit to improve reliability.
Click to expand...

I'll double check to see that I connected everything correctly then, other than that everything seems to be working, the laser turns on and the laser motor works. I might just order a new laser and replace it if it still doesn't work.
 
Fallen92 said:
I'll double check to see that I connected everything correctly then, other than that everything seems to be working, the laser turns on and the laser motor works. I might just order a new laser and replace it if it still doesn't work.
Click to expand...

I think the cables for drive motor and the stepper motor for the laser are different so it's probably just one cable not hooked up.

God I hate the way the older PS2 models are layed out internally.
 
SheepyGuy said:
I think the cables for drive motor and the stepper motor for the laser are different so it's probably just one cable not hooked up.

God I hate the way the older PS2 models are layed out internally.
Click to expand...

Yeah all the ribbon cables are had to get too and placed in such a way that it seems like they wanted people who were curious about the internals to break their ribbon cables.

Well I checked all the ribbon cables and they're all connected but it still doesn't spin the disc, it spins the disc for a second and then gives up.

Edit: Alright so I took the disc drive apart again and then took the laser apart and was able to clean both the laser and the lens under it and that got the PS2 to spin discs again, that being said this confirms that the laser is pretty much in its last legs and it still reads discs incredibly slowly. I might try to adjusting the potentiometer and see if that does anything.
 
Fallen92 said:
Yeah all the ribbon cables are had to get too and placed in such a way that it seems like they wanted people who were curious about the internals to break their ribbon cables.

Well I checked all the ribbon cables and they're all connected but it still doesn't spin the disc, it spins the disc for a second and then gives up.

Edit: Alright so I took the disc drive apart again and then took the laser apart and was able to clean both the laser and the lens under it and that got the PS2 to spin discs again, that being said this confirms that the laser is pretty much in its last legs and it still reads discs incredibly slowly. I might try to adjusting the potentiometer and see if that does anything.
Click to expand...
Don't touch the potentiometer if you don't have a spinning disc! It just adjusts the strength of the laser. If you don't have a way to test it it's going to be very annoying to get right.
 
SheepyGuy said:
Don't touch the potentiometer if you don't have a spinning disc! It just adjusts the strength of the laser. If you don't have a way to test it it's going to be very annoying to get right.
Click to expand...

Yeah I looked up how it would be done and I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon. I just adjusted it using the white gear at the top of the disc tray and tightened the screw that is on the C shaped arm that holds on the metal rod since the laser assembly seemed really loose and that seems to have fixed my problems.
It reads PS2 discs super fast now but still a no go for PS1 discs.

Thanks for hearing me out, I get to use my PS2 for a while longer at least until the laser completely gives out.
 
Everything earlier than the 50K units has issues with laser longevity. Impressions on how to fix it seem mixed, but if cleaning it and adjusting distance/whatever doesn't work for you, look in to replacement (or getting a newer unit, honestly).
 
NormalFish said:
Everything earlier than the 50K units has issues with laser longevity. Impressions on how to fix it seem mixed, but if cleaning it and adjusting distance/whatever doesn't work for you, look in to replacement (or getting a newer unit, honestly).
Click to expand...

The 390xx units have reliable lasers. And unlike the 50xxx units have a reliable drive tray.

The 50xxx+ original size PS2 units have the worst tray mechanism imaginable. They break really easily, it's actually easier to buy a replacement case with a flip top than to try to fix it (not even sure if you can source that any more).
 
Fallen92 said:
Hey PS2 GAF, sorry to come here to post about my problems but my fat PS2 (model 30001-R) started reading PS2 discs very slowly and stopped reading PS1 games entirely so I decided to open it up and give the laser a cleaning. The problem is that now the PS2 won't even bother to spin the discs and I was wondering if anyone could help? Is the laser busted or is it something else that's causing this?
Click to expand...

yeah the 30001 units are pretty bad from what i read. (i have two on me that failed)
 
Fallen92 said:
Yeah all the ribbon cables are had to get too and placed in such a way that it seems like they wanted people who were curious about the internals to break their ribbon cables.
Click to expand...

Nah. There's specific way to disassemble older PS2. After removing the top just flip the entire unit, remove the bottom, unscrew psu, remove shielding and then you have easy acces to the ribbon cables. Trying to remove them from the top is a chore...
 
Yeah after this incident I think I may just end up buying another PS2 and I'll make sure to buy one of the more reliable models. The PS2 is still my console from back in 2001 though so it has provided me with over a decade of entertainment at least.
 
Fallen92 said:
Yeah after this incident I think I may just end up buying another PS2 and I'll make sure to buy one of the more reliable models. The PS2 is still my console from back in 2001 though so it has provided me with over a decade of entertainment at least.
Click to expand...

Get a good condition SCPH-39001 while people are still sleeping on the PS2 retro scene. Even as a back up system in case your original has issues.
 
My 30000 is still going strong but I owned it from new and started to use the HDD to play PS2 games what must be 10 years ago now. I even used to FTP into the PS2 to rip games and transfer files rather than use the disk drive. It's so easy to prolong the life of the PS2's DVD drive that any reliability concerns can be relaxed.
 
SheepyGuy said:
The 390xx units have reliable lasers. And unlike the 50xxx units have a reliable drive tray.

The 50xxx+ original size PS2 units have the worst tray mechanism imaginable. They break really easily, it's actually easier to buy a replacement case with a flip top than to try to fix it (not even sure if you can source that any more).
Click to expand...

I haven't observed this. I thought the slide tray was identical in all the fat PS2 models. good to know.

I've more or less digitized everything at this point, though, and my HDD is only 50% full, though, So I should be set. Actually loving how my unit looks without a memory card sticking out, weirdly.
 
EmiPrime said:
My 30000 is still going strong but I owned it from new and started to use the HDD to play PS2 games what must be 10 years ago now. I even used to FTP into the PS2 to rip games and transfer files rather than use the disk drive. It's so easy to prolong the life of the PS2's DVD drive that any reliability concerns can be relaxed.
Click to expand...

Oh I had forgotten about that, I should look into just backing my games up into a HDD and forgetting about all the problems that come with the PS2's disc tray.

NormalFish said:
I've more or less digitized everything at this point, though, and my HDD is only 50% full, though, So I should be set. Actually loving how my unit looks without a memory card sticking out, weirdly.
Click to expand...

Yeah thata sounds amazing. How big of a HDD do you have in your PS2 and about how many games have you fit in there?
 
NormalFish said:
I haven't observed this. I thought the slide tray was identical in all the fat PS2 models. good to know.

I've more or less digitized everything at this point, though, and my HDD is only 50% full, though, So I should be set. Actually loving how my unit looks without a memory card sticking out, weirdly.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's not a bad plan but some stuff doesn't work right with the OpenPS2Loader (or any HD loader).

I'm still waiting on parts btw to get my SD card setup going. I think I'm done buying anything direct from China at this point, customs in Canada are getting stupid slow.

Might get my Xbox SD card working with the mod chip that finally came this weekend.
 
Fallen92 said:
Yeah thata sounds amazing. How big of a HDD do you have in your PS2 and about how many games have you fit in there?
Click to expand...
250GB with some 40 games installed as of right now. It's easy enough to remove and add games with winhiip once you get everything set up that I'm not super fussed about size. 250GB seems like a fine amount. If you could get soemthign 500GB+ you could probably hold more or less everything you care about. You can also edit ISOs to remove dummy fluff files, too, which can reduce the size of some 2-8 GB games by half or more.
SheepyGuy said:
Yeah it's not a bad plan but some stuff doesn't work right with the OpenPS2Loader (or any HD loader).

I'm still waiting on parts btw to get my SD card setup going. I think I'm done buying anything direct from China at this point, customs in Canada are getting stupid slow.

Might get my Xbox SD card working with the mod chip that finally came this weekend.
Click to expand...
Yeah, there are some incompatibilities but my laser and tray are still working fine so I'm mostly using FHDB and OPL as a default with disc games being secondary. I still use the disc drive for the PSX games, so it's not like i'm 100% digital.
 
NormalFish said:
250GB with some 40 games installed as of right now. It's easy enough to remove and add games with winhiip once you get everything set up that I'm not super fussed about size. 250GB seems like a fine amount. If you could get soemthign 500GB+ you could probably hold more or less everything you care about. You can also edit ISOs to remove dummy fluff files, too, which can reduce the size of some 2-8 GB games by half or more.
Click to expand...
That seems like a good amount of space, I'll try to find a higher capacity drive but having a 250GB sounds perfectly fine for me specially since my library right now is only about 30 games. I still have my PSX so my PS2 not reading PS1 discs is only a minor setback and having an HDD would vastly improve the reliability of my PS2.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Long live Tango Gameworks! 'Appreciation Thread'
2
63
6K
Hudo replied
HDR appreciation thread
2
60
3K
b0uncyfr0 replied
The Division 2 : 6th anniversary celebration video
Event Trailer 
41
2K
Nankatsu replied
  • Locked
Capcom Remains The King Of Scummy Microtransactions
27
2K
CyberCali replied
Star Wars: Outlaws - Kay Vess Appreciation Thread
4 5 6 7 8
366
34K
GamesDontSuck replied
Top Bottom