Alakaizer said:
For one, this isn't about which is better between the N64 or GCN, as that's more a matter of opinion. I personally found the Gamecube to be superior, but that's, obviously, just my point of view.
PS2 was super hot shit in the early 2000's it had a DVD player... A DVD PLAYER!!I don't know how many people remember the days of VHS but those were some sucky days, DVD was a MAJOR selling point.
Oh and it was backwards compatible! That was another huge selling point as it launched with PS1's entire back catalogue. People would either sell their PS1 consoles or if they hadn't got a PS1 already buy a PS2.
It also beat all the others to the market and it's utter crushing blow against Dreamcast while launch for the same price as PS1, ignoring all the inflation of the late 90's.
So in summary it was:
-2 consoles in one
-a DVD player
-Competitively priced
-beat Microsoft/nintendo to market
But all those are irrelevant now.
PS2 actually had a pretty hard time in the early 2000's in terms of actual content. MGS2 was a big deal but ultimately a load of tosh. Ratchet, Jak and Sly games were nice but not really broad enough.
The only PS2 exclusive i really really liked of the early 2000's and thought was really significant was Devil May Cry. Also Code Veronica but that was really on DC first and arguably better.
Oh yeah, and Onimusha. But not quite as engaging as Metroid Prime.
PS2 didn't really become a truly worth its while GAMES CONSOLE in itself till 2005 with over the next 2 years:
-God of War
-Soul Calibur 2
-Metal Gear Slid 3
-Okami
-Shadow of Colossus
-Killzone
-God Hand
-Killer 7
-God of War II
until that time PS2 was NOT an essential console. It was highly marketable but mostly multi-platform games that were better on the more powerful GC, Xbox or PC. Interestingly by 2005 Xbox and GC had completely run out of steam in quality games with Xbox 360 rising to the occasion.
IMHO, PS2 was not a popular console in the 2000's for its games but its hardware features that in early 2000's were great value.
But for contribution to gaming, PS2 took half a decade to really prove its worth.