Putting PlayStations out to pasture - December 16th, 2001 - Drew Cosner
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not neccessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. He'll give you breathing holes. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Ah, yes, the Holiday season is almost upon us. That most wonderful time of the year when Toys R Us will take anything back at full value even without a receipt. Even things you bought on clearance sales at, say, Target. Not that I'm suggesting anything.
| That'll teach you to support foreign markets |
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Is there anyway to make American Playstation 2 games work on a Playstation 2 console purchased in Hong Kong?
Thanks,
Derek Perkins
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Yes and no. Yes if you don't mind spending some cash to get one of these doohickies installed. No if you want to play by Sony's rules and ensure that your warranty remains valid.
Although I should once again point out that the GIA in no way condones, tolerates, or is even aware of the existence of mod chips. Especially this one, seeing as it has around 40 contact points to solder, making it nearly impossible to get right on your first try.
| Take that, you bastard PSX |
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Hey Drew,
Well, what will I do with my PSX now that I have PS2? GET RID OF IT CUZ I CAN PLAY PSX GAMES ON MY PS2! HAHA!
-Espezito
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This is the popular sentiment, to be sure, and I can't fault anyone for it since it's exactly what I did. Yet there's small, tree-huggin' part of my mind balking at the thousands of PlayStations being discarded like so many Styrofoam cups. (PSOnes are getting to be worth about as much in trade-in at this point, too.) When I look around and see all of the cars, machines, buildings, and electronics, I sometimes marvel that the planet isn't hollow by now.
| This's the way |
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I am not really sure what I will do with my original PS. I am thinking about converting it into a miniature shrine devoted to Squaresoft. Yup, Squaresoft. It is because of Square that I purchased the darn thing. I never considered purchasing a Playstation until I saw the commercial for Final Fantasy 7. Most of the games I purchased after beating FF7 were Square games, e.g., Xenogears, FF8, FF9, and the list goes on. Long story short, Square owns me.
Snakeyezz1, salivating at the prospect of finally getting to play FFX
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There's the spirit! Find a creative use for your old PSX rather than trading it in or tossing it out! Why, think of the possibilities. You could use it as a bookend. Or a paperweight. Or you could even claim that it's your "magic encyclopedia" and mockingly inform people that you'll "consult your magic encylcopedia" when they present you with even the most trivial queries.
| It's dead, Jim
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Wh-what's wrong with my PSX? It's...It's not moving. It's so cold. Drew,
what's going on? Why isn't it moving? I fed it, I kept it out of the
rain, I gave it plenty of exercize...Oh God, it's eyes are getting all
glassy...No, PlayStation! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't go into
the light!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
~Ian P.
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I know you're going to miss your PSX a lot, Ian. It was a good pet. And your mother and I know we can't stop the hurting, but, well, we thought maybe a new pet might help. So we went to the store earlier and got you a turtle. It's dead, too, but we figured we may as well get that step out of the way this time.
| Save it for later
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Drew,
Jeez, I live off of old systems, are you kidding me? I still have to complete
Shining The Holy Ark and Magic Knight Rayearth for the Saturn (plus have
another go through of Panzer Dragoon Saga) not to mention the mass of games
yet to complete on the Playstation, N64, Super Nintendo and Panasonic 3DO
(yes, I have one and I only paid $30 for it so don't go calling me stupid
just yet!).
Personally, I love having a backlog of some games. Just because the new
system has some graphical tweaks and things doesn't mean the classics aren't
still classic. For RPGs at least, the story is what makes a game. I can still
have another at Final Fantasy IV just for the good time, even if it looks
like ass by today's standards.
Final word: don't go chucking your old stuff yet, people! There's still a
helluva lot of gaming to be had!
-Purple Monkey Dishwasher
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Yeah, every time I've ever traded in a game or a system, I've come to regret it. At least that's my justification for being such a total pack rat when it comes to game paraphernalia.
| What an awful hat! It looks great!
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Whoh, that the worst looking hat I ever saw. I bet you
buy a hat like that, you get a free bowl of soup. Oh,
but it looks good on him though.
-Sideshow Jeff
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I can't decide if this letter is saying that Nich is so charmingly handsome that he makes an otherwise unattractive hat work, or that it looks hideous, so it complements him well. I'm going to assume the former because I don't want Nich to kill again.
| Totally cress
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Just wanted to say that despite the color, that hat is badass.
~ Brayniac
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I decided to go straight to the man himself to see how he'd react to these accolades. Nich had the following to say:
Thanks.
Haha, no, thank you, Nich.
| Hobo Clown Boxers
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Drew Machine,
I sold my Playstation and bought a PS2 several months after they
first came out (in other words, once it became possible to wander into
an electronics store and pick one up). I'm using it almost exclusively
to play old PS1 games, however, since I'm so pathetically backlogged.
I'm finishing up Valkyrie Profile and slogging through FF9, in case you
care. Which you undoubtedly do, so don't try to deny it.
But as far as what happens to the old game machines, well, this is
the weird part. For a little while, I had my eye on one of those
Gamecube machines the kids are always talking about these days, despite
my inability to afford one. So a couple weeks before the Gamecube
launch, I'm trying to think of non-essentials to cut out of my budget
while singing my Gamecube song when I'm suddenly struck with the
overwhelming desire to play A Link to the Past for SNES.
So I play that for a little while, and it's fun, since it's been a
good nine or ten years since I last played it. Actually, I made that
number up. I have no idea how long it's been, but I'm sure it was a
really long time, since I couldn't remember where anything was. Then, a
few days later, I'm playing Super Punch Out!, which was a brilliant game
because one of the boxers was some kind of hobo clown. Next thing I
know I'm snatching up $15 SNES classics from the little rack at
Funcoland and my old Super Nintendo has, for the time being, reclaimed
the number one spot.
So I guess the moral is that if you hang on to an old game machine
long enough that you forget what all the games are like, and then all of
a sudden you start playing it again, it's like having a brand new
system, only for free! My PS2 may have a fancy pants DVD player and all
kinds of other hi-tech gizmos, but there's one thing it doesn't have:
hobo clown boxers. And in the end, isn't that what really matters?
The answer is yes.
--Pat Szostak
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I think we all do that occasionally. You'd think after 10 years I'd be tired of Zelda 3 and Mario World, but no. Not even close.
Closing comments:
I have an interesting little topic for all y'all bitches: how important do you consider game music? Is it transparent to you so long as it isn't downright grating? Does good music make an otherwise average game exceptional in your eyes? Or is decent music practically a requirement for you to enjoy a game? Why don't you just mail ERIN and let her know, okay?
-Drew Cosner, Mister Raincoat Man
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