MEMBER BLOG

Farewell to a Legend
Posted on Thursday, November 15 2007 @ 01:23:25 Eastern

In this day and age, it is rare to find your perfect match. Someone to spend your time with, someone who understands you. I am of course talking about my friend, the Playstation 2.

I’m no fanboy because I could care less about the PSP and PS3. In fact, I think Sony is going down the drain, but I’ll save that for another time. I am sad that the next generation of gaming has arrived because it means that the PS2 will eventually become obsolete. Everyday that I see great games come out (Bioshock, Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed, Orange Box) it seems as if “eventually” isn’t so far away.

It’s funny because the PS2 has been out for so long, I can’t remember a time without it. I was given my PS2 as a present for Christmas one year, it was so long ago, I don’t even remember what year. My console before was the SNES and so this jump in technology seemed more like being shot out of a cannon. The new polished graphics blew my mind, I knew from that day on that there was no turning back. Graphics and game play improved vastly and after some years, we reached the peak of the generation. This was a glorious time, Final Fantasy XII, God of War, Okami, Resident Evil 4, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas were just some of the games which I spent hours and hours procrastinating life all due to experiencing the pure joy of gaming.

Time can be a cruel mistress and as the sand in the hourglass keeps flowing, the days of the PS2 fall with each and every grain. I know the PS2 is reaching the end because I can feel myself becoming more and more attracted by the new, shiny systems. All these awesome new games are unobtainable in my current situation. I don’t think I can coax my PS2 to play Bioshock, no matter how many chocolates I buy it or how many roses I give it. But still, because I haven't bought a new system, because the PS2 is still fun and has lasted for so long with new and improved systems around, shows just how good of a system Sony created so many years ago.

We must all come to grips with the fact that time is coming to a close for this awesome console, but we can’t forget the good times we have shared with it. Some of my fondest moments with video games have been playing Jeopardy until 5 am with two of my best (real world) friends. No internet, not headsets, just three delirious guys huddled around a TV, yelling obscenities at each other about how stupid everyone and their mothers must be. The PS2 also birthed some of my favorite video games. These include such wonders as Katamari Damacy and God Hand. I don’t care what anyone has to say, these are awesome games that I should be playing right now instead of writing about their splendor.

So what if the graphics are showing their age, with pixels becoming more and more apparent, in need of some serious plastic surgery? Games were and still remain damn fun to play and isn’t that what ultimately counts? This was an epic system, that shall remain embedded in our minds for generations to come. The PS2 is the best console in my mind and because it is the number one selling console ever (over 120 million units sold world wide) I think some people out there agree with me.

I would just like to be the first to give my official send off to this beloved system. In doing so, I must ask for some help. In the words of Boyz II Men:


Farewell my friend, we have had fun; enjoy retirement.