Immortalizing A Legend
You said it, Duke.
As I turn on my PS4 with just the press of a button on my DualShock controller, it reminds me of the olden days. I remember having to get up, grab a disc out of a case, unravel my controller, and turn my PS2 on by hand. The memories of doing that countless times, each moment having me in anticipation of hearing that wonderful jingle as the console boots up. It created a special bond between me and my PS2, one that will never be forgotten. It may just be collecting dust nowadays next to my other consoles, but it will forever be a trophy on that mantle; a king sitting upon its throne.
Best Selling Console of All Time?
You read that right, the PS2 is THE best selling console of all time clocking in with more than 155 MILLION copies sold worldwide. I’m responsible for 5 of those, and i’m sure many of you are contributors to that figure as well. Now statistics look great on paper, but selling a ton of copies of something doesn’t always equal success outside of monetary value. Let’s look at its varying different hardware capabilities shall we?
The PS1 could do more than just play games, it also doubled as a CD player; so then, does the PS2 double as a DVD player? You bet it does, and then some. This baby can play DVDS, CDS, PS2 Games(obviously) AND PS1 games. Back then this was absolutely ludicrous, a major industry breakthrough. A gaming system that was also an entertainment system? Preposterous, gaming systems were just for gaming, or so we thought. Yes the Xbox also could play DVDS but not without special hardware sold separately. Hm, PS2: 1 Xbox: 0
An Ungodly Library of Games
(Shadow of the Colossus 2005)
Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Psychonauts, Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Okami, Klonoa 2, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, God of War, Twisted Metal Black, Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid 2, Socom, Burnout, Grand Turismo 4, and FINAL. FANTASY. X. Need I go on? I think you’ve got the point, this lineup blew every other consoles’ out of the water.
There were so many revolutionary titles that shaped the game industry into what it is nowadays. These games have laid the foundation for its successors. At the peak of the platforming era of games, massive trilogies like Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and Jak and Daxter pioneered the genre and secured themselves as legendary IPs that everybody knows about. Even if you have never played these games, chances are you’ve heard of them.
Let me make an example of how these games still prosper even as the genres they represent lay dying out. Run and gun platformers like Ratchet and Clank are few and far between nowadays, but let me ask you this. The soft reboot Ratchet and Clank 2016 released 7 years after Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time released, beloved by critics. You want to guess how well the reboot did? It absolutely smashed franchise records, being the fastest selling entry in the series. These IPs are timeless, like Mario, like Sonic but far more abundant, they will never be forgotten and will always be beloved.
The PlayStation Console Aesthetic Groundwork
There’s a reason the PS3 and PS4 drew heavy inspiration from the PS2’s design. Its simple slick black design stands out. Even the PS2 Slim looked cool, and nobody ever talks about that thing. The cosmic black main layer of color with the almost iridescent gradient engraving of the characters “PS2” will forever be one of if not the most aesthetically pleasing video game console designs ever made. They never had to redesign or do a complete overhaul of the console, nor the controller. The DualShock 2’s design laid the foundation for PlayStation controllers, and its design can be recognized in the DualShock 3 and 4’s almost instantly. Each subsequent console was always just improving on the previous console’s design, as if the PS2 evolved alongside its successors. The PS2 will vicariously live on throughout its successors, always reminding us of where it all began.
Closing Statement
We all grew up with different consoles in the early 2000’s, whether it was the Gamecube, Xbox, Dreamcast or the PS2. You can still love them, and be attached to whatever console you spent most of your childhood with, but I think we can all agree on the fact that the PS2 truly is, the king of consoles.
