Playstation 101

[Guest]

[Sharon]

I got a Playstation 2 for Christmas and have loads of question    The last games consol I had was the original Megadrive so as you can see I am slightly out of date  .  So as I get stuck I will put my really silly questions here and if a kind soul would take pity.......

Memory Cards

I have put a card in the Playstation (8MB).  Do I

1.  Leave the card in all the time
2.  Take it out before I switch off
3.  Need a different card for for each game I am playing or can I save different games on the same card

Also do any Shackers buy games off Ebay and if so are there any things I should out for.

Thank you 

[rns91294]

First, congratulations!!  I am excited for you!!  Now, to answer your questions:

I have put a card in the Playstation (8MB).  Do I

1.  Leave the card in all the time
2.  Take it out before I switch off
3.  Need a different card for for each game I am playing or can I save different games on the same card

I leave my card in all the time.  The 8MB holds a lot of games.  If you turn the system on without a game disc in it, it will pull up your memory card (which you click on "x" to enter).  It will show the games you have saved there, how much room they are taking up, and how much space you have left.  Here, you can delete saved games, move them to a new memory card, etc.  I have like 6 cards now for my MANY games, but one card should last you a long while.

Also do any Shackers buy games off Ebay and if so are there any things I should out for.

I buyt hem on eBay all the time.  You save loads of money this way, but games can get too scratched up to be played.  Ask questions before you buy.  I try to get them all new, but on occassion, I get used.  One was pretty bad looking, but the PS2 played it just fine. That thing seems to be tough, but if you are concerned, just ask questions.

As for games to recommend.  I HIGHLY recommend Kingdom Hearts (the second one comes out in March).  It was the game that got me addicted.  I like to watch my husband play horror games and FPS, and RPGs (First person shooters and role playing games - which I just got in to as well), but Kingdom Hearts was not difficult to control, had loads of fun characters, and was just all around great.  I am positive others woulf agree with me.  Feel free to ask me anything else.  I am gamer, and proud of it.

[Sharon]

Thank you 

I got so confused with the memory card because the book said not to keep switching the machine on and off with it in but it seemed daft to keep taking it out.  There was also a warning about the paint coming off (the PS2 is the pretty new silver one and the memory card matches).

At the moment I only have a driving game that came with it and the new King Kong which is excellent.  I am not very good at games so I tend to go for low age ratings - they are usually easier.

What sort of game is Kingdom of Hearts?

[Nienna]

I'll nudge Adam on to here Sharon as he's a PS2 player too and will probably rattle off a few (hundred) games you might like to try!
He got ... Jax2, Star Wars Battlefront2 and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire this year and I haven't seen much of him since then!

[Sharon]

Oh don't talk to me about GOF    I was given the PC version which will install on my PC and Boglegs but as soon as you try to play it it promptly removes the entire DVD drive!  And I mean entirely - you can't even open the draw    Luckily it plays on Dads PC so we are playing two person at the moment    Can't decide if I like it or not yet though 

Has anyone got the other HP's on PC and PS2.  I have the PC versions but want to know whether it is worth getting the PS2 ones (if they are basically the same I won't bother).

[HPfamily]

My oldest son got Burnout Revenge and all of us have a good time with that one!!

I have bought games on ebay and I have never had any problems with used games!!  

We have HP COS and POA on PS2 and PC. My kids prefer to play it on PS2. 

[MakTheYak]

An excellent PS2 game is Shadow of the Colossus with some jaw dropping graphics, even at this stage in the console's life. I also recommend Kingdom Hearts (I have just picked it up again after getting a bit excited about some videos and stuff of Kingdom Hearts 2!) but I suppose it really depends on what sort of games you like. If you like platform games, you could try Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter or Sly Raccoon, for FPS I'd recommend Half Life (although I play most FPS on the PC) and for RPG there's of course the Final Fantasy Series...

[rns91294]

Love all the games Mark recommended.

Kingdom Hearts is a Disney and Final Fantasy character game, but you visit all the different Disney worlds like Little Mermaid, Alladin, Peter Pan, etc.

As for the memory card, they mean to not remove it while saving and things like that.  We never take our out unless it is time to switch to a new one

Oh, and I like the PS2 HP games, but I can't compare them to the PC versions for you.

[Sharon]

Thank you to everyone for the advise 

I have been checking out all the sales and Kingdom of Hearts is one of the cheapy games so I will definitely go for that one. 

The sort of games I like are the HP / Tomb Raider type games.  I have the Prince of Persia ones which I love but I find them very hard and unfortunately I am not very good at games.  I tend to go for the suitable for 3 year old ones so that I have a fighting chance.  Which probably explains why I am struggling with GOF - they upped the age to 7 years old    

One of my other favourite games was Dungeon Keeper so if anyone knows of a Dungeon type game I would love to hear from you 

For the time being I will content myself with being eaten continuously by a T Rex in the King Kong game.  Little tip for anyone else playing this game - don't waste your ammo trying to shoot the annoying camera man.  You will be better served saving it for the dinosaurs as punching them doesn't seem to work 

[banditwolf]

For the mem cards I alternate between the colors and black, so I can tell which one is which once I fill them up. I always leave the current mem cards in. I also have mine plugged into a GOOD surge protector and leave the on/off switch (on the back) on, and turn the console on/off by the top button on the front. I've had my ps2 for almost 5 years now with no probs. I can recommed a bunch of games as well. it depends on what kind and how difficult. I play a wide variety of games. Some games like Final Fantasy and Legend of Dragoon I'd recommed the guides for.

There have been some Tomb Raider games on ps2, but I can't think of any dungeon games.

Some of my favorite ps2 games are:

Red Faction 1,2              first person shooter
Gran Turismo 3,4            in depth racing
Final Fantasy X (ten)        role playing                    40-60 hours
Tekken Tag                   fighting/boxing type
Smuggler's Run              driving
the Mark of Kri/ Rise of the Kasi    fighting
Metal Gear Series           stealth/fighting               short to play through, but many items to collect

Some favorite ps1 games:

The Legend of Dragoon    rpg                              forget how long, but my favorite by far
Gran Turismo 1,2             racing

I'm sure I can think of others.

[Geek Boy]

I'll offer Ratchet & Clank 2 on the PS2.  Cutesy kind of platform game but it's a third person rather than side scrolling 2D.  Third person means the game "camera" sits behind your on screen character.  This game has some fantastic weapons!  They start off basic but once you power them up the pyrotechnics are superb.  And if you complete the game, playing it through a second time reveals some brand new weapons that are even more stupidly powerful than the first lot.  Highly recommended and one of the few games I've completed and played through a second time.

[jediknight]

did somebody say PS2!

I'll nudge Adam on to here Sharon as he's a PS2 player too and will probably rattle off a few (hundred) games you might like to try!
He got ... Jax2, Star Wars Battlefront2 and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire this year and I haven't seen much of him since then!

for starters whats this Jax2? its Jak x mum!(i love it when i can correct my mum(she usually corrects me!)) second congrats on getting a PS2
now, question answering:1)  i do the same thing that rns91294 does i keep my memory card in and it never comes out. 2) you can take it out if you want but its Best if you leave it in. 3) if i bought a memory card for every PS2 game I've got in my room it would cost a lot so just one memory card will do
a game (if you like Star Wars that is) that i would highly recommend is (compliments to my mum for mentioning it) Star Wars Battlefront II. whats better about Battlefront II is that you can play as a Jedi(and die) and you can fly an arc-170 starfighter in space! theres even a training option for any beginners a defiant 10/10
love ya mum!

[rns91294]

I have been checking out all the sales and Kingdom of Hearts is one of the cheapy games so I will definitely go for that one. 

The second one comes out in March I think.  I need to preorder.

The sort of games I like are the HP / Tomb Raider type games.  I have the Prince of Persia ones which I love but I find them very hard and unfortunately I am not very good at games. 

There is one Tomb Raider game for PS2 right now (Angel of Darkness) and you can get it really cheap used at a game store, or on eBay.  Why?  It was not that great.  I still enjoyed it, but it was nothing like any of the others.  There were glithces and everything.  To think, I paid $50 for it and now you can get it for less than $10.  They actually fired the developers and hired new ones.  Tomb Raider Legends comes out in April (I already paid for it in full), and is supposed to be great.  It is supposed to be similar to God of War, which is another I highly recommened.

I too like the Prince of Persia games, but i stick to childrens type games (or cartoony) for myself.  My husband plays the TR and PoP games and I watch.  Although, he did just get me GUN (my first rated M game) and I love it!!  He opened up a whole new can of worms for me.  I started with Kingdom Hearts, and I sucked at games too, but you really do get better and start to challenge yourself.

 If you want a scary game, my all time favorite is Fatal Frame.  Just try not to play this game a lone.  A friend of mine in Florida played this alone, and called me, long distance, for 4 hours because she was so scared. It really is scarier than any horror movie I have ever seen...and I don't scare easily (I am a fan of freddy Kreuger).  In fact, I can't think of any scary movies that habve ever scared me like this game.  I

[Sharon]

Well I have Kingdom of Hearts but haven't even opened it because I was given GOF    I was really shocked that it is exactly the same as the PC version so I am still stuck on the same bits    I will be posting some pleas for help soon, or losing my sanity, whichever comes first 

I was tempted by Angel of Darkness but I played the PC version and it was awful.  Well to be precise I played half of it, the only Tomb Raider I never finished!  There were loads of huge errors - I had to buy the game guide for one bit because the blackboard with the clue on just wasn't there.  But I will definitely go for the new Tomb Raider.

As for scary games I am the worlds biggest coward.  I remember in the first Tomb Raider, the bit where the T Rex first comes in, I had to get my brother to stand next to me    And I have started the lastest Doom and stopped again at the bit where they all turn into monsters    Like you this is totally silly because I can watch very scary films.  Although I have to admit sleeping with the light on the first time I read Stephen Kings ' IT ' 

[Eve Harrington]

The Silent Hill series is an awesome franchise(although I haven't played #4) There's a movie coming out at some point this year. I think it's my favorite of all time, that and the Splinter Cell series. Plus, Silent Hill 3 is only available on PS2.  I also hear, but haven't played, Resident Evil 4 is amazing.  Have fun, Sharon!

[rns91294]

My husband just finished Resident Evil 4 and it was a great game.  Silent Hill is great too.  Number 4 is "the Room", right?  If so, I will say it too was possibly the best in the series. Lots of neat things.

My husband started Fatal Frame 3 last night.  We got to the first cut scene and it started skipping.  Luckily, Gamestop took it back without a receipt and gave us a new one.  And to be honest, it was an eBay purchase, but the game was brand new and sealed...still with the Playstation seal on it. No scratches on the disc at all!! This was not the first time this happened.

I bought RE4 at Gamestop, and it wouldn't play at all.  Like it wasn;t there. They exchanged that for us.  And Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness...same thing (of course, for this game, we realized somethng was wrong with our PS2 and it ended up in for repairs...but RE4 and Fatal Frame were legit problems)....but the best, which reminds me of Sharons missing blackboard....Tomb Raider 3.  We were so stuck that we went and bought the guide.  It tells us to pull a lever.  Well, the lever wasn't there.  So we couldn't open the door.  We took it back, and the store exchanged it for us (they are really good at that) and wouldn't you know, there was the lever!!  So games can have problems.

[jediknight]

well Sharon if you like any of the following:

1.you are a big fan of star wars

2.you like blowing stuff up( but then you find its of your own team)

3.you want to conquer the galaxy (or a galaxy)

then starwars battle front is the one for you!
hope this helps

[Sharon]

Thanks young Jedi.  I don't mind blowing things up but I also like the more puzzle based games - a bit of fighting and a bit of problem solving is my idea of heaven    Roll on the new Tomb Raider - my first Lara on PS