One of the most amazing things about the PS2 was its long lifespan. A mere year later, Sony had established itself as the ones to beat this generation, with Microsoft’s original Xbox and Nintendo’s floundering GameCube barely considered threats. Capcom debuted the Devil May Cry franchise, Konami finally released Metal Gear Solid 2, and Fumito Ueda’s all-time classic Ico pushed the emotional envelope. Rockstar dropped Grand Theft Auto III, while Square checked in with the visually luxuriant Final Fantasy X. That winter, the console gave owners a wealth of choices across nearly every genre. Most observers pinpoint the 2001 holiday season as when the console finally came into its own. Obviously, the PlayStation 2 didn’t have a lousy software library forever. This was before From found its sea legs in the Dark Souls series, so putting it out front to US audiences was a… curious choice. But Square was nowhere to be found at the PS2’s launch, and role-playing fans instead had to settle for From Software’s pair of offerings: awkward first-person dungeon crawler Eternal Ring and insanely dull action- RPG Evergrace. That game ushered in the modern era of JRPGs and wowed players with its epic storyline and lush CGI cutscenes. One of the biggest factors in the success of the original PlayStation was Squaresoft defecting from Nintendo and bringing Sony Final Fantasy VII. Here are a few of the biggest fails in the PS2’s initial lineup. ![]() What was missing, though, was anything that could even remotely be called a system-seller. In the United States, gamers had their pick of 29 titles to take home at launch. And for the PS2, what came out as a result was… underwhelming, to say the least. They have to make launch games look significantly better than the generation before them while also hitting an immovable release date. ![]() There’s always an adjustment period where third-party programmers have to get up to speed with the new features and functions of a console, and they’re caught between a rock and a hard place. The issue, though, was software development. And the chips at the core of the PS2, most notably the “Emotion Engine,” were capable of delivering high-end performance that no other console could match. It also boasted internet connectivity, which was starting to become a major hook. It was able to include a DVD-ROM drive in the PlayStation 2, giving purchasers access to the hot new home video format at a price that was competitive with standalone DVD players. Sony’s expertise across multiple industries gave it a head start in a number of areas. With their next-generation machine, the higher-ups at Sony had a different goal: make it harder for Nintendo and Sega, its major competitors, to make a comeback. Sony locked down some of Japan’s most accomplished developers to bring established franchises, innovated new hardware like the dual analog sticks, and branded itself as the hot provider for the more mature gamer. The original PlayStation, first conceptualized as a partnership with Nintendo, had succeeded based on a number of factors. That said, Sony had already established itself as a serious contender in the console space. The production pipeline also had issues, with the company underestimating demand and not wanting to commit too much as each PS2 was being sold at a loss, with the profit made up from software sales. In Japan, Sony butted heads with the government about export restrictions, with the military fearing that chips in the console could be used by foreign nations for weapons guidance. The rollout of the PS2 had been rife with problems already. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication. ![]() ![]()
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