PS2 Online . . . yay or nay?

It seems to me that all you have to do is buy the adapter for $39.99 and you're good to go. It doesn't say on the Sony Playstation Network web site about having to subscribe to any kind of service like you have to do for XBOX. Does anybody know about the ins and outs of PS2 online? One of my really close friends in New Hampshire is making some pretty serious assumptions about his Madden skills.

i say a big resounding YAY!

midnight club 2 was hard enough racing against the computer, but having to race 8 humans all better than you is even more of a rush.

there's 0 subscription cost (but i think there will be for fina fantasy 11, but it's supposed to be really cheap) just buy the adapter and get some games. especially tony hawk, and ssx3 if you're into extreme sports stuff.

a great chunk of the online stuff for the PS2 is well worth your money and when the hard drive comes out there's even gonna be downloadable stuff like expansion packs and such... so far the xbox is really dragging ass on that.

wow, i totally sound like a sony rep don't i? but i really just love my ps2, and the online adapter.

oh, and also make sure you're using a broadband connection, dial up is teh SUCK

tofu ""

[Edited on Jan 13, 2004 by delete_yourself]

aside from some games (everquest, champions of norrath, ffxi), it's completely free. each game just has it's own sign-up kind of deal. it's not like xbox live where you set up a username for every game. ea lets you use the same account for all of their games, though. the whole thing is even better when you know people who want to play (like in your situation). finding people and making challenges is kind of a pain with all the quitters out there.

i hear its good for sports games. socom 2 looks pretty badass as well.

If you can buy the adapter USED...it's worth it

Depends on what you're looking for.

PS2 is cheaper, and has Madden, SOCOM 2 and Tony Hawk, but there are fewer features and not as many non-sports games to play online.

XBL is more expensive, but has some great features that PS2 Online doesn't have (or doesn't have consistently), and has games like Crimson Skies, Top Spin, Capcom Vs. SNK and Project Gotham Racing 2.

I'd say get 'em both. Right now if you buy any XBL game you get 2 months of XBL free.

And X-box live will (in April) give you the chance to play Halo 2 online. Which is reason enough.

i still don't get the hullabaloo about halo... it's really just another shooter.

but really, tony hawk online alone is enough reason to get a network adapter.

then of course there's resident evil outbreak coming out in may, and final fantasy XI in march, and metal gear solid 3 is gonna have online content when that's finally released.

tofu ""

I still need to get a network adapter for PS2, but PS2 really doesn't have any games I want for online. Madden? Not a big sports game fan (though I did enjoy SSX3 and still want to try Tiger Woods 04 and Top Spin). Final Fantasy XI? Already got it for the PC. EQ? Hell no! Hated it on the PC, why would I like this version (even if it more action oriented). They need more games that interest me. Last time I spent extra money for a modem adapter was for my GC and PSO...and that was not really all that worth it.

Granted I only got 3 games for Live (MechAssault, Capcom vs. SNK 2, CS...and I still want to get Project Gotham 2 and Crimson Skies), I really like the service. And also, you can do some tunneling to play system link games like Halo online for free (though it seems the tunneling for XBConnect doesn't like to work all the time).

Too bad Hunter: The Reckoning Redeemer isn't online, though. And the PS2 is still great for the RPGs (Disgaea!).

[Edited on Jan 13, 2004 by RuneLateralus]

i got it originaly for the original socom. i havent played it in quite some time though

but yes it is free and ony start up cost aside from you having to have PS2 s the network adapter.

nay!

x-box.

Um, hopefully it is yeah. I bought the PS2 and the adaptor solely for the reason to play Tiger Woods against a buddy of mine in Boston. I literally just got it like four days ago so we have not done it yet, but I fuckin hopes it works like a charm!!!

PS2:

free
must buy adapter
EA exclusivity
shitty, unreliable service

xbox:

subscription-based (even moreso if youre playing phantasy star online)
over 50 games
non-shitty, reliable service

nay.

xbox live is so much better. not to mention the xbox is soo much better.

The fact that an xbox didn't appear under the tree leaves me with few options. Even if it is crappy service, it's only 40 bucks (much less on ebay) and no subscription . . . as long as it works. Besides if Santa hadn't been so generous, I'd still be sweating Abe's nuts.

don't listen to them, get the network adapter. if you took the advice and bought another console just for online play, you might as well just upgrade to a gaming-class pc and say "nay" to xbox, since that will always be the best option. besides, you can't play madden on xbox. you'd be stuck with the awful nfl fever.

I have a computer.

So I haven't gotten around to buying one of these PS2 network adapters.

I mean, the only thing I could use it for is to play Tony Hawk "against" a few other people, or to play a game of NBA Street Vol. 2 against a total stranger. And console FPS, well that's just silly.

A guy I know was a beta tester for the PS2 online service before it was officially released in the UK and he gave it a big thumbs up. Get an adaptor off eBay like you're thinking of doing, eBay is brilliant for 2nd hand console stuff.

I hope Nintendo sort out the online capabilities of Gamecube but at the moment the games that had online capabilities in Japan have them removed from UK releases (I don't know if it's the same situation in the US, if not then I'll have to start importing US versions of these releases) and there's no way that I'm buying a Broadband adaptor just to play Phantasy Star Online...

pso is still the only online game for gamecube here too. i don't think nintendo is planning on releasing anymore games that support it for the remainder of the cube's lifespan. they've said that they still don't see online play as a necessary or profitable business option. supposedly there are third party apps that will let people play lan games "online", like with halo, but that's about it. nintendo also recently said that they plan on "going back to basics". they're already just about as basic as they can be, so i have no idea what that means.

They've stated that upcoming online 'cube games will have no online features when released in the UK because of 'network differences'. They will release more online games in Japan though, they just don't care that much about sales apart from in the home market though. Just as it's always been unfortunately.

Yamauchi-san retiring was a very bad thing for innovation and expansion of the company it seems.

i don't think nintendo really would benefit from the online market as it is... it's already the underdog (for some odd reason) in the consel market (which sucks, because i think the cube is a fantastic system and has the lisences to some of the greatest classic franchises that keep pumping out game of the year after game of the year).

i don't understand the big fuss over the xbox actually... there's only 3 games i've seen for it that made me say "i'd buy an xbox strictly for that game", and i'm still wishing that knights of the old republic would get ported over to PS2. as far as online goes, yay, there's more xbox live titles available, but really, how enjoyable are they? not very. of course that's just my opinion.

tofu ""

From what I have been reading on the games you can play online, broadband is required (which is cool for me).

I refuse to buy a game that I'm going to have to pay someone in order to play it. I've always been a Final Fantasy fan, but even if they're only charging $1, I'm not going to get it. Games cost enough as it is, without having to pay a monthly service charge.

Socom is cool online...if you like having your ass handed to you by kids half your age.

yea!

I own an X-box, and it's doubly infuriating because it has a lot of potential with the quality hardware that's in there. But like you said, there is a definite shortage of games (released ONLY on that platform) that make it worthwhile - PS2 has a
much better selection.

Of course, you can always hack your X-box and use it as a very cheap file server, which is a nice option.