PS2 - Timeline
Tuesday1st Feb 2022
Random This Is How PlayStation Consoles Would Look if They Rendered Themselves
Inception
This is brilliantly random: how would each PlayStation console look if it rendered itself? Electronics Hub sought to answer that exact question, and came up with this stunning infographic. Effectively what you’re seeing is each Sony system – from the PS1 all the way through to the PS5 – rendered within the boundaries of its own...
Saturday22nd Jan 2022
As easy as 1, 2, 3
Update: Just as we warned, it really wasn't worth getting excited over the PlayStation Japan tease — not unless you're a massive fan of popstar Kenshi Yonezu. The now infamous tweet was indeed teasing a new Japanese PlayStation advert — but it has absolutely nothing to do with backwards compatibility. The numbers 1, 2, and 3...
Wednesday1st Sep 2021
Weirdness These PlayStation Sound Effect Acapellas Are Oddly Awesome
Sounds good
Each PlayStation startup sound has defined a generation, so it’s bizarre to see them performed acapella by YouTube group Maytree. From the bowel rumbling bass of the PS1’s intro all the way through to the PSP’s upbeat jingle, this is both spot-on and strange. It’s particularly amusing to see just how much energy is being invested...
Monday16th Aug 2021
Soapbox GTA: San Andreas Is Still an Open World Classic
Aw sh*t, here we go again
The rumour that Rockstar is remastering the PlayStation 2’s trilogy of Grand Theft Auto games for PlayStation 5 and PS4 last week had a profound impact on me: I simply had to return to the fictional state of San Andreas. My history with the 2004 open world is both fortuitous and a little bit embarrassing actually: despite...
News Metal Gear Solid 2 Looks Better Than Ever in 4K Upscaled Trailer
Digital Foundry works its magic
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is a special game, and part of what makes it so memorable is what came before fans could even play it. Prior to the big twist of Raiden actually being the main playable character, Konami introduced the PlayStation 2 sequel with the tanker mission starring Solid Snake. The game was...
Thursday12th Aug 2021
News PS2, PS1 Wireless Pad Kickstarter Beats Pledge Goal with Time to Spare
Pick one up for $34
A Kickstarter for a wireless controller that hooks up to both a PlayStation 2 and PS1 console has flown past its pledge goal of $20,000 with one week to spare. Designed by a family-owned business named Retro Fighters, 1,875 backers have so far raised more than $125,000. Named the Wireless Defender, the pad connects to the two...
Friday6th Aug 2021
News This Portable PS2 Is the Handheld of Our Dreams
Play, beyond
Yeah, the Nintendo Switch is cool and all, but have you ever played a portable PlayStation 2? Probably not, because Sony never actually made one, and while both the PS Vita and PSP had plenty of PS2 ports on them – well, they couldn’t play GTA: San Andreas, could they? This hobby project named the PS2 Eclipse by GingerofOz can,...
Friday30th Jul 2021
Random PS2 Game Boxes Were Nearly Extremely Weird
Look at this thing
PlayStation games have always come in pretty ordinary boxes. The PS1 had its CD-like jewel cases, the PS2 kept things standard with a DVD box, PS3 shrunk things a little to match standard Blu-Ray releases, and it's been roughly the same since. Aside from its handheld machines, Sony's consoles have stuck to pretty regular game...
Tuesday13th Jul 2021
News The Still Excellent Persona 3 Is 15 Years Old Today
Style is permanent
Persona 3 celebrates its 15th anniversary today. It first released in Japan on the 13th July 2006 for the PlayStation 2, and its impact on the RPG landscape has been significant. With its supreme sense of style, outstanding soundtrack, and addictive gameplay mix of turn based dungeon crawling and social links, Persona 3 is really...
Friday4th Jun 2021
News Sony Celebrates the Evolution of Ratchet & Clank
Stunning trailer goes back in time
Sony’s released a stunning trailer celebrating the evolution of Ratchet & Clank across four generations. The clip, designed to promote the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, shows various different titles from the series and their associated console. It also focuses on some of the televisions from the...
Tuesday18th May 2021
News Rockstar Marking Grand Theft Auto 3 20th Anniversary with 'Fun Surprises'
Many for GTA Online
Grand Theft Auto V will be coming to PlayStation 5 on 11th November 2021, but a few weeks before then, Rockstar has a big anniversary to celebrate. 22nd October 2021 marks 20 years since the launch of PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto III, and the studio is already putting plans together to commemorate the occasion. Some of them will...
Friday7th May 2021
Feature Resident Evil's Story So Far, Summed Up in 30 Mind-Twisting Minutes
Fasten your seatbelt
Are you picking up Resident Evil Village today? You should: our Resident Evil Village PS5 review already explained that it’s arguably the best instalment since the outstanding Resident Evil 4. But do you need some kind of story recap to get you up to speed? We can help, as we’ve put together a mammoth 30 minute video that...
Friday30th Apr 2021
Random Alabama Cornerback Patrick Surtain II Swags Out NFL Draft with PS2 Bling
Play, beyond
Former Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II swagged out the NFL Draft last night with custom PlayStation 2 bling, before being selected by the Denver Broncos with the ninth overall pick. The Rose Bowl defensive MVP – and son of a former Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs player – commissioned a custom DualShock 2 pendant, which...
Saturday27th Mar 2021
News Ace Infographic Is the Master of Unlocking 25 Years of Resident Evil X PlayStation History
As series celebrates 25 years
We’ve spoken to some of the biggest developers in gaming about what 25 years of Resident Evil means to them, but for PlayStation the survival horror is symbiotic with its brand. An awesome infographic produced by Sony and shared on social media details the key moments from the two-and-a-half-decade relationship, and...
Wednesday24th Mar 2021
Talking Point Would You Buy a PS1, PS2, or PS3 Emulator for PS5?
RetroStation
The topic of game preservation on PlayStation is a pertinent one right now. Whatever its plans for PlayStation 3’s – and, of course, PS Vita and PSP’s – storefront, Sony doesn’t make it as easy as some of its immediate competitors to enjoy its back catalogue of games. While the platform holder will point to blockbuster remakes...
Sunday14th Mar 2021
News Cory Barlog Admits He Had 'No Idea' What He Was Doing When Directing God of War 2
Still one of the greatest ever games
In news that’s sure to make you feel old, God of War II is celebrating its 14th anniversary this weekend. The game – which launched on the PlayStation 2 after the release of the PS3 – is widely regarded as a classic, with its larger-than-life set-pieces and overall mastery of Sony’s hardware. It also saw...
Monday1st Mar 2021
Criterion's first-person shooter turns 15
Criterion Games was absolutely on fire in the early noughties. Having made an incredible arcade racing series — the brilliant Burnout, of course — it decided to turn its hand to a totally new genre. This is something that you don't see too much of; usually, a studio finds its comfort zone and sticks to...
Monday18th Jan 2021
Random Watch Someone Build an Awesome See-Through PlayStation 2 Console
Clear winner
Remember when console manufacturers had a thing for translucent tech? Whether it was controllers or the consoles themselves, having a sort-of see-through shell allowed you to get a peek under the hood — and it looked cool at the same time. Sony brought this back for PlayStation 4 with the dark blue 500 million edition PS4 Pro, and...
Sunday10th Jan 2021
News PS2-Style PS5 Consoles Withdrawn From Sale After Company Receives 'Credible Threats'
"Our team began receiving credible threats to their safety"
Remember that awesome-looking PS2-style PlayStation 5 console we mentioned a few days ago? This custom system was being offered in a limited run of just 300 units by SUP3R5, and pre-orders went live recently. Sadly, the process didn't go according to plan. Demand was such that the stock...
Monday30th Nov 2020
News Xbox Series X|S Runs PS2 Games Better Than PS5
A sad reality
PlayStation 5 can, in fact, play a handful of PlayStation 2 titles – but only ones that were ported to the PlayStation 4, like Jak & Daxter and Grand Theft Auto 3. Bizarrely, the Xbox Series X|S can play retro PlayStation titles much better – at least, until the inevitable batch of cease and desist letters get posted out...
Wednesday25th Nov 2020
Poll Is the PS5 DualSense Sony's Best Controller Yet?
It's time to Dual
The PS5 has been out for at least a week now (depending on where you live), and we want to know what you think of the DualSense — the console's high-tech controller. Featuring advanced haptic feedback functionality, adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone, it's a premium piece of kit, and a key PS5 selling point. Here at...
Wednesday28th Oct 2020
Talking Point Happy 20th Birthday, PlayStation 2
A toast to the most popular console ever
There's no other way to describe it: PlayStation 2 was an absolute beast. Sony followed up the popular (and industry-changing) PlayStation with a more capable console in the year 2000, and little did we know it would go on to become the best-selling gaming machine ever. It's a record the PS2 holds to this...
Wednesday21st Oct 2020
Feature The Joy of Painting PlayStation 2
Hearts For Hardware
Over the last few years US based artist Randy Gallegos has been painting his way through the history of video game hardware and has recently applied his brush to Sony's PlayStation 2. We interviewed Randy over on Nintendo Life back in 2016 about his Hearts For Hardware series but this time we'll be talking PlayStation. It's...
Saturday3rd Oct 2020
Quiz Can You Name These PlayStation Launch Games?
Day one
How well do you remember the launch of each PlayStation home console? The release of a brand new game-playing machine is always exciting, but at the same time, it can be easy to forget the software that arrived alongside the hardware. And so here we are, with a quiz that'll test your knowledge of PlayStation launch titles. Think you're a...
Thursday17th Sep 2020
News The Dream Is Dead: PS5 Will Not Play PS3, PS2, or PS1 Games
Sony confirms
We’ve known all along that the PlayStation 5 won’t play PS3, PS2, and PS1 games – but apparently some needed it spelling out for them. So here we go: the PS5 won’t play PS3, PS2, and PS1 games. Confirmation comes courtesy of an interview with Sony chief Jim Ryan that was conducted by Japanese game bible
Wednesday16th Sep 2020
Random Here's Super Mario 64 Running on PS2
And on PS Vita
With the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars looming large, we suppose a scrappy PlayStation 2 port of Super Mario 64 isn’t all that interesting in isolation. Except, from a pure curiosity perspective, it is. The gameplay footage embedded below is riddled with texture bugs that make the title almost unplayable, but the homemade port...
Monday31st Aug 2020
News PS5 Won't Play PS3, PS2, or PS1 Games
According to Ubisoft, anyway
In an unpredictable year, this is potentially the most expected article we’ll write in 2020, but the web is losing its collective mind all the same: the PlayStation 5 won’t play PS3, PS2, or PS1 games. The story comes courtesy of a Ubisoft FAQ page, and the information has since been removed. It’s unclear whether...
Saturday8th Aug 2020
Quiz How Well Do You Know Naughty Dog?
Good boy
Naughty Dog is one of Sony's most prolific first-party studios, so much so that it can be considered one of the best game developers in the world right now. That's thanks to the likes of the Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises, but the team actually has a long history that stretches back more than 30 years. So, how well do you know the...
Saturday25th Jul 2020
Quiz Can You Name These PS2 Games?
Say what you see
The PlayStation 2 -- what a machine. Sony's second gaming device was an absolute monster; it remains the best selling console in history, and has an absolutely gargantuan catalogue of software. Some of them are so iconic, you can tell which game they are by looking at a single image. But what about games that look kinda similar to...
Saturday18th Jul 2020
Quiz How Well Do You Know Sony's First-Party Studios?
PlayStation knowledge
Sony's line-up of first-party developers consistently put out some of the very best experiences in the industry, to the point where it's sometimes tough to compete. Earlier this year, the Japanese giant brought every one of its teams under the same umbrella of PlayStation Studios, but how well do you know those developers? Have...
