The PlayStation 2 celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year! A legendary console that has left its mark on a whole generation of gamers. It's quite simple: almost everyone had it. Today, we're telling you its fascinating story.
The best-selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2 has just celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. Released a quarter of a century ago, Sony's black monolith made its mark with exceptional games and memorable experiences. Despite a timid first year, it has managed to hit its stride to deliver incredible works. To mark this event, Phonandroid has decided to take a look back at the behind-the-scenes moments that made the PS2's history one of the most beautiful in video games.
To explain the PlayStation 2's eventful journey, it's absolutely essential to put things in context. At the end of the 1990s, the first PlayStation reigned supreme in the video game galaxy. While the Nintendo 64 was making its way, the Saturn was eclipsed in favor of the Dreamcast, which was there to revitalize the market. Behind the scenes at Sony, the company's managers weren't really afraid of SEGA's console, but understood that they would have to hit hard to repeat the stratospheric success of their first machine.
A console on the verge of collapse since 1996?
In reality, at this time, Sony had already been thinking about it for many months. As early as 1996, Ken Kutaragi, the famous engineer behind the PS1, estimated that technology was evolving so quickly that it was time to establish contacts with companies specializing in semiconductors and graphics chips. Finally scalded by production costs deemed too high, Sony decided to produce everything in-house. It would take several years for the architecture of the future console to take shape. After a first glimpse of its architecture in March 1999, the new machine was finally revealed to the world on September 13, 1999. Its very futuristic design was actually a legacy of a compact version of Atari's Falcon 030 computer that was never released. There was then very little time left for the engineers to finalize the beast.
Launched in Japan on March 4, 2000, the PlayStation 2 was an immediate success, but the games struggled to fully convince. That day, with the exception of Ridge Racer V, which had a good score, the best-selling title on the machine was none other than... the Matrix DVD. For several months, the PS2 encountered some turbulence (technical problems, games less impressive than on the Dreamcast, etc.) which it managed to erase with its arrival in the United States on October 26, 2000 and in Europe on November 24, 2000. In the meantime, the PS2 had indeed benefited from an expansion of its catalog and technical optimizations allowing it to erase certain problems. France will nevertheless be marked by the sad event of the launch of the machine at the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Élysées. Or when the party turned into a battlefield...
The PS2 goes into high gear
By relying on such a powerful architecture, Sony nevertheless had to face problems that the PlayStation did not encounter. Indeed, unlike the gray machine, the black monolith is much more difficult for developers to tame. Mastering its processor, the famous Emotion Engine, requires considerable time and, in addition, it is necessary to fight against a video memory that is much weaker than that of the Dreamcast. For the specialized press and buyers who are relieved of 2,999 francs (around 670 euros with inflation), the pill is a little hard to swallow, despite really cool games like Tekken Tag Tournament, SSX, Midnight Club or TimeSplitters.
Also read – This 21-second video made by Sony changed the history of video games. Microsoft was knocked to the ground and never really recovered
The real turning point came in 2001, first with the release of Onimusha Warlords and then Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. The first, 50% complete on PlayStation, would make the leap to become one of the first slaps of the PlayStation 2. Although based on gameplay similar to Resident Evil with fixed cameras, the game managed to seduce thanks to its solid production, a brilliant atmosphere and two charismatic protagonists. The second, meanwhile, hit hard by taking Gran Turismo into a new dimension. The one that would sell 15 million units was a gem. Divine graphics, mind-blowingly precise settings, even more realistic gameplay... it was flawless and all observers now agree that the PlayStation 2 was shaping up to be a revolution. They couldn't be more right...
Unique games and experiences
At the end of 2001, Sony released a certain Grand Theft Auto III, more commonly known as GTA III. Purchased for a pittance from Rockstar (or rather from its publisher, Take Two), the exclusivity became a phenomenon in a few weeks. Sold at 40 euros, the game would literally eclipse the future State of Emergency, the other game that was part of the deal with Rockstar, but on which Sony was counting much more. From then on, nothing would stop the PlayStation 2 and the machine would literally devour the 128-bit console market, despite the resistance of the Gamecube and the Xbox. During its long career, it would give birth to exceptional licenses and games, such as God of War, Jak & Daxter, Metal Gear Solid 2 and its sequel, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy X & XII, Okami, Devil May Cry, Sly Racoon, Onimusha, Yakuza and Kingdom Hearts.
While the PlayStation 2 has tried to innovate in its catalog offerings, it has also tried some experiences that have left their mark. To diversify its audience of passionate gamers, it turned to karaoke with microphones and Singstar games. The same was true with the EyeToy, a camera that allowed, with a dedicated game, to have fun via motion detection. The PS2 pushed the madness to the point of offering a buzzer with the quiz game BUZZ. At the same time, to combat the emergence of online gaming on Xbox, it tried to democratize online gaming with titles like Final Fantasy XI or a license like SOCOM. And what about its makeover, which is, without a doubt, one of the most successful to date?
An unforgettable console
Sony's second console was full of innovations, and it's no coincidence that it resonates in so many memories. It had a propensity for offering us completely wacky works, a bit like the Dreamcast. We can't count the stunned faces of our friends when it launched titles like Katamari Damacy, Mr. Moskeeto (where you play as a mosquito), Seaman (from the SEGA console), Gregory Horror Show, or SOS The Final Escape. Sony's first portable console, the PSP, continued in this vein. The PS2 was all of that. It sold over 160 million copies worldwide and should, for some time to come, retain its first place on the podium of the best-selling consoles. For our part, we can't wait for you to tell us all your memories with this superb machine in the comments.
0 Comments