So you've broken into the back offices of your local Toys ‘r Us and looted your own PS2. But what is there to play? Well, after looking at the mixed bag of titles accompanying this launch, you may start wondering why you risked arrest for this piece of hardware. After a couple of weeks with the PS2 and a stack of the early titles, I'm still drawn back to much more compelling ones on the old-tech platforms. Add some of the very impressive PC titles already streaming out this holiday season, and the PS2 is even less likely to get a great share of your gaming time.
In this article we give some capsule impressions of the PS2 games line-up after putzing about with the console for a couple of weeks. Not all of the titles have made it to us yet, but most of the majors are represented. Generally, it turns out there are a very few really impressive titles in the batch, (SSX and Madden perhaps would fall into that category) and a lot of good (not great) entries for most of the requisite genre categories.
RPG as life. The medieval towns, markets and castles are so rich with townspeople, market stalls and side quests, it makes Ultima IX look like an empty Hollywood set. While the game suffers a lot of pop-up and limited horizons, it is the most graphically detailed third-person RPG ever on a console. The towns seem to go on forever, and the architectures your characters explore are thoroughly convincing. The battle system is an interesting turn-based “chain” approach. Party members and foes alternate attacks but the active player can make an uninterrupted “chain” of slashes if you continue to hit the right variety of buttons. The game is quite short and has an intricate storyline that is just as likely to confuse as immerse the player. Summoner is the best RPG available on the PS2 for now, but with Evergrace and Eternal Ring the only alternatives, that's not saying much.
This is the crown jewel of the PS2 launch. Even non-snowboarders will love the tremendous animation of the figures, the good use of the PS2's surround sound capabilities, and the tremendous control. Part snowboard trick contest, part race, and part hot-dog adventure with hidden shortcuts and breakneck drops, SSX immerses the player with stunning tracks and a pounding music score. In addition to flat out races, players collect extra points for in-air tricks (spins, holding the board, riding a rail, etc.), which are assigned logically to the controller. Despite the highly sophisticated graphics (probably the best on the PS2), framerates stay high in split screen multiplayer contests. On top of the great gameplay, the instant replays of your last race are beautifully rendered, with impressive camera angles. In an otherwise mediocre line of launch titles, SSX is the one that will blow you away.