Too much hype, not enough fun
Written: Jan 13 '02 (Updated Jan 13 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Backwards compatibility means HUNDREDS of games.
Cons: The console doesn't deliver what Sony promised.
The Bottom Line: Heed my words - avoid this console like the Black Plague. At least until the first price drop, that is.
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| desslok's Full Review: Sony PlayStation 2 Slimline Console |
First - a bit about myself. I've played video games for decades - probably longer than most of you have been on this earth. I remember the first console wars being George Plimpton telling me that Intellivison was superior to the Atari 2600. I've fed quarters in machines since Pac Man was Pac Boy back when Donkey Kong was a bad guy. I've been around the block a couple of times - I know video games. I'm not a Pro-Sega or Anti-PSX gamer - I don't care who wins or loses. The only thing that matters is the game play. Nothing more, nothing less.
When the first Playstation came out, it was a quantum leap in video game technology. Nothing that had come before it could even hold up to the massive graphics that the PSX could deliver. It brought video games a market saturation as never before. The console was truly innovative, as much as the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System were. As much as you might support other consoles, you have to admit that the Playstation was a paradigm shift, changing the face of video games forever.
Could the follow up bring as much to the table as the first console?
Sadly . . . . no.
First - lets address the DVD playback issue. The amount of discs that refuse to run on the player is, in a word - astounding. About a quarter of my discs will not work, or that I have to eject and insert several times them for the system to recognize. Most problems show up as skipping, especially after a layer change - but some lock up, wont play certain features or just wont run. This list includes - but by no mean is limited to
- Chasing Amy
- Clerks Uncensored
- Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
- Legend of the Drunken Master
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Other DVD problems include:
A lack of progressive scan capabilities. The unit has the composite output for games - but doesn't use that functionality for DVD playback.
No zoom function. I cant think of a play that doesn't have the ability to zoom on the picture - sometime up to 32 times the original picture.
No variable speed search.
No remote control. What kind of DVD player doesn't come with a remote? What kind of Sony product doesn't come with a remote - PERIOD. Hell, my computer speakers came with a remote. My Car stereo came with a remote. I'm drowning in useless remotes for every gizmo in my house - and yet Sony can't give me one that I'd actually USE? Nope - just another example of naked greed, making the user shell out another 20 bucks above and beyond the price of the unit.
Turning our attention to video games, we find that the problems continue unchecked. The graphics simply aren't there - or should I say, they aren't as innovated as Sony promised. Even the Nintendo 64 is capable of anti-aliasing - so why cant a machine hundreds of times more powerful handle them? The machine is capable of being used as a missile guidance system, but is swamped by Jaggies? Strike one.
The other big problem - the price point. 300 bucks for a year old system is ridiculous. Both the Gamecube and the X-Box deliver the more power at the same price (or cheaper). The Dreamcast - easily comparable in power and ability, can be had for a song. Of course once you add in the 35 bucks for a memory car, 30 bucks for a controller and 25 bucks for a multi-tap, we're coming close to 450 bucks. And of course after all this money, we haven't even bought a game yet.
While I'm talking about the multi-tap, allow me to point out the major flaw in the console's design. In this day and age of multi-player party games, what rocket scientist decides to only put TWO controller ports on their console? Oh - right, that gets back to the Naked Greed thing. Make 'em buy more stuff if they want the full potential of the console.
Some people defend the console with the logic of "Just look at the games that are coming!" And yes, I'll admit that we're getting into the second generation of games, so things will start to look better - but Sony is proclaiming the console as the best gaming experience ever, as in right now. I want my socks blown off NOW, not in a year from now. I want my online play NOW, not in some undetermined time later. If they impress me later, then they get my money later. But if you don't deliver the good now, you get bupkis.
To sum up - someday the Playstation will shine like a star in the heavens. But for now, it's wallowing in the mud. The price, the lack of DVD functionality, the boring games, the lack of online fun brings the console crashing to earth. There is far too much hype, and not enough content.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
desslok
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 in Movies |
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Member: Tony Case
Location: Seattle
Reviews written: 555
Trusted by: 31 members
About Me:
He likes schlock, exploitation, science fiction, retro 70's funk and disco? What a guy!
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