301: Playing for Pennies

[Ghengis John]

I don't know. Two of the characters pictured, Gordon Freeman and Kate Archer, are available on PC. Their old games are dirt cheap with tons of free mods. Speaking of backlogs the pc's is the extreme in terms of size and diversity and I'm sure most of us over 20 could compile a huge list for you of games from 1990 to 2000 that range from "good" to "don't miss" to "classic". The PC isn't a bad option for broke gaming, provided you don't expect to go top of the line.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

this weeks articles really hit home for me

im one of those poor, budget gamers that can hardly afford a game from 3 years ago (even gears of war and crackdown set me back a lot)

its why PC gaming never appealed to me, there's no way to afford that on my budget (and without a credit card, i'm screwed anyways)

 

[Solo-Wing]

I have had my Playstation 2 for about 7 years now, and have accumulated about 65 games for it. And I seriously doubt I will get rid of it seeing how I got games from nearly every genre. From Shadow of the Colossus to God of War 1 and 2 to Jak and Daxter to Call of duty to Need for speed. Now if only I could find Ico...

Anyways I have gotten nearly every game for about $30 and under. PS2 really is cheap if you get down to it.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I can't help but feel vaguely cheated by this article - I mean, I see Cate Archer, protagonist from the sublime and frequently overlooked No One Lives Forever games sitting there in the artwork for the monthly issue, and I think "Awesome, an article about No One Lives Forever (or one that at least mentions it), just the thing to get some kid somewhere to give those games a look!".

But no, it turns out she's just part of a somewhat amusing illustration along with other "iconic" characters that I'm willing to bet are all far more well known and instantly recognizable than her, and not mentioned at all anywhere. Obviously if the audience is going to include folks like me, the illustration served its purpose just fine - knowing what I do about the demographics of the Escapist forum community though, I can't help but wonder how many other people read this and then wondered who the hell the woman in that picture was [small](just the protagonist of one of the most awesome (and hilarious!) FPS games ever made, not that the Call of Duty obsessed adolescents would recognize that)[/small]. And then of course I get a hankering to fire up my copy of a game that came out when most of the people on these forums were still in elementary school (and the youngest in the crowd (that are actually allowed to be here) would have been 2 years old).

All of which only serves to remind me that I am old, and I certainly can't get enough reminders of that!

 

[Sartan0]

I still use the old p2 from time to time. I picked up Dragon Quest VIII a few years ago for 12 bucks and enjoyed the heck out of it. I still play Culdcept now and again.

 

[farscythe]

eh i loved my ps2 but had to give it to my cousin when i left the country (having to choose between taking my ps2 n games or clothes n such took a while)

on 360 now wich i like tho the ammount of times xbox live gold has caused my bank to have fits at me by changing they're subscription fee's due date to before payday without warning me is getting ridiculous....meh

 

[veloper]

snip

The Xbox360 arcade version is $200 on amazon. The PS2 is 100. Just with that cost right there, you have 100 dollars to spend on games. New games on the 360 are 60 dollars. New games on the PS2 are 40 dollars.

That's still too much.

Compare a PC with roughly the same graphical capabilities of a PS2, has no value and is the sort of thing any enthousiast with a newer rig, will just give away to a friend.

The games if you must stay legit for some reason are $5 in bargain bins and on online DL stores like GOG.

 

[Frizzle]

snip

The Xbox360 arcade version is $200 on amazon. The PS2 is 100. Just with that cost right there, you have 100 dollars to spend on games. New games on the 360 are 60 dollars. New games on the PS2 are 40 dollars.

That's still too much.

Compare a PC with roughly the same graphical capabilities of a PS2, has no value and is the sort of thing any enthousiast with a newer rig, will just give away to a friend.

The games if you must stay legit for some reason are $5 in bargain bins and on online DL stores like GOG.

You can get $5 games on the PS2 as well. The games that are 40 bucks are the *brand new* ones like Madden '11. If you want something like God of War, it's currently $17.19 on amazon.com. Granted that's not $5, but it's a critically acclaimed game for under 20 bucks. that's pretty legit. You can purchase 3 games like that for the price of 1 Xbox360 game, and still have money left over for ice cream.

As for people already having a PC, I agree with you. You can most certainly get the same graphical product out of today's bargain computers. But then there's the fact that you can't do a 2 player shooting game, or many other party games at a computer, which is some of the appeal of the console. Especially the PS2.

 

[Carl Watkins]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Writing this article almost made me want to go hunt down a PS2!

snip

Yeah friend, I think you missed the point of this article. Really what I was getting at is that there is nothing stopping you from playing the current gen if you don't spend that extra money, but you really are only getting a partial experience if you do so. Whereas the Sony PS2 is more fulfilling experience for gamers on an extreme budget.

I'm also not saying anyone shouldn't buy a PS3 or a 360. They are both great systems and have a lot to offer people if they have the coin to invest. I personally only have a 360 these days; two in fact. I've long traded in my PS2 and Wii. I just happen to deal with budget gamers all day with my day job and every single point in my article is an issue that has been raised by my customers or myself in a practical setting.

Don't get me wrong, you all the points to raise are correct but many people still think they need an $80 HDMI cable or don't know they need a hard drive for their 360 if they want to download the newest map pack for Halo 3. There are local multiplayer games, they're just hard to find. You can get by with a $199 Xbox, but many people don't realize it might turn them into a second class citizen when it comes to 360 owners.

Thanks for taking the time to read it and comment on it.

All of which only serves to remind me that I am old, and I certainly can't get enough reminders of that!

Or how about people asking who Duke Nukem is? Or kids that think Donkey Kong isn't fun because it's old... When I was a kid, I had a wood paneled Atari and was happy with it! Bah humbug!

 

[vxicepickxv]

Between bargain bins, Steam & Gog sales, the dreaded gamestop buy 2 get 1 free, and older generations of games/consoles, you can go without that newest AAA title on launch day.

There is such an amazing backlog of great games out there, you just have to go find them at a price you feel you're willing to pay.

 

[108Stitches]

I can say that my PS2 went off for bigger and better things, having been boxed in my attic since the arrival of the 360. A coworker had stated that he was looking for a game system for his young sons. I told him he could have mine and all of the games (40+) with brand new inbox controllers for nothing. (He ended up giving me $100 for it).

The funny thing about it. When I unboxed it and plugged it in to make sure it all still worked, I came home and found my son (17) playing a game on it (Drakken). He played that game for the entire weekend, and when I went to gather up everything to bring to work on Monday, I noticed the game and the memory card had been removed and placed in his room.

Those old games and old systems really do tend to hold someplace dear in everyone's hearts. I'm just glad that I was able to make the 'year' for two young boys and their first foray into video game consoles. I'm sure their dad will hate me as that begins to fester into "PS3" or "Kinect" land...

 

[Hungry Donner]

It's always nice to see Cate Archer again, hopefully some day Monolith will revisit the series

 

[BehattedWanderer]

That's an important point. Just getting the console isn't enough anymore. Controllers are now around a quarter of the price of the console, which means the age of four player co-op ended as few people had four controllers for their console. An off-the-shelf AAA title, a console, maybe a single extra controller, you're already talking a considerable expenditure. Throw in a TV capable of getting the most out of the experience, and we're talking months of savings just to be entertained. HDMI cables aren't a sizable expense, though, since they can easily be bought for under a dollar online. Being anything more than a casual gamer takes quite the dedication of income.

 

[ItsAPaul]

$20 for a PS2 game? I haven't paid more than $10 for a game since the new gens came out, and I have every game I want besides Dark Cloud 2. The system really hasn't aged as well as nostalgia fanatics will have you believe (graphics are bad, ai is bad, etc), but I guess if you're not used to newer games then it'd be fine.

Oh, and most games on PS2 have unskippable cutscenes. I can't play FFX again thanks to that.

 

[Carl Watkins]

$20 for a PS2 game?

Yeah, mainly the games that cost $20 are the brand new ones like Madden 11 or MLB: The Show 2011. You're really hard pressed to find a PS2 game over $20. I also don't think the system has aged quite as poorly as you think. Sure the graphics are dated, but the gameplay is as solid as ever and AI in games is still a common problem. I mean, at least in my opinion.

 

[MyNameIsNowNotMyName]

Well, I can honestly say that I get more enjoyment from games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas than games like Call Of Spamcamp that come out today, and when the PS2 becomes boring, I root up my N64 from the closet and enjoy some Goldeneye 007, the game of GOLDEN multiplayer.... ahh... memories....

 

[Jim Perry]

Why wouldn't a poor student just use the campus internet access and play the tons of free games out there? Or am I missing the point of this article with seems written by a Sony fanboi?

 

[Dooly95]

Agreed wholeheartedly.

All of these generations' consoles are moving away from the people that don't/can't go online and such. The author's right - you're hard pressed now to find a split screen game, when split-screen games would display better (instead of a tiny little box inside the 24" TV)

I feel cheated somewhat, but then again, I knew what I was going in for, paying that money to Sony.

 

[Logic 0]

The ps2's power is nearly unrivalled not only in price ex: I got a brand new copy of maximo vs the army of zin for five dollars. but also it's ability to have lasted so long that games are still being made for it to this day.

 

[Carl Watkins]

p.s feel special this is my first response or post for... anything

Oh, I feel very special. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment on my article

Why wouldn't a poor student just use the campus internet access and play the tons of free games out there? Or am I missing the point of this article with seems written by a Sony fanboi?

Because this isn't a story about college students. This is a story about people that are low income or prioritize their money to things other than video games. You seemed to miss the entire point of the article. Also, if I was a "fanboi" I think I would currently own at least one Sony console. Personally, I am more of an Xbox 360 guy.

All of these generations' consoles are moving away from the people that don't/can't go online and such.

Yeah and I personally love the connectivity of current gen systems. I hope that no one takes my article as knocking the application of online features in gaming, but it's important that people realize there are some that can't afford or simply can't get high speed internet in their area. I live in South Eastern Ohio. I know *many* people that simply don't have a valid internet solution in their area besides satellite and that is often times worse than dial-up. It's something very easy to take for granted.