Playstation Emulation

By ZehDon on July 18, 2009 5:36:12 AM from

Like any PC Gamer, I'm always hungry for good games - unfortunately it seems that developers aren't able to keep up with the demand for quality titles. While this isn't always a bad thing, as it gives us more time to appreciate what we do have and to replay our old favourites, I often find myself staring at my computer wondering what to play because, frankly, sometimes I don't want to play a multiplayer game and much more like to lose myself in grand single player adventure! I can't claim to have played all of the classics across the years, however it's a very safe bet that I've played the majority of them. So, after fishing around the bowls of the internet for games I either hadn't heard of or had forgotten about, I found a previously untapped well of quality titles.

Enter the Playstation.
Back in the day, I was a Nintendo 64 kinda guy; Goldeneye 007 and The Legend of Zelda were my bread and butter, and games like Banjo-Kazooie always bring back fond memories (and catchy tunes!). It seems, however, that I completely overlooked the power of my modern computer which is capable of handling Playstation and even Playstation 2 titles with ease! A friend of mine suggested that if I wanted to play some quality games, grab a Playstation Emulator and grab the games off of ebay. So, I went shopping and walked away with a bag of bargins; Chrono Cross (!), Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX, Resident Evil 2 and so on. For a mere AU$50 I've got enough quality entertainment to keep me busy until the next Elder Scrolls. Maybe.

Anyway, after some self-educating and a some curse words, my Playstation Emulator now handles all of my semi-new Playstation titles and as an added bonus the games look 100 times better than they ever did on their original platform! I hooked up my wired Xbox 360 controller and I've spent most of today losing myself in Chrono Cross.

Has anyone else emulated games like these before - I'm not interested in Pirated ones - and if so could you recommend me any titles? Seems like I missed some very, very good games!

+115 Karma | 90 Replies

Well, the emulator that I'm using - which has the highest compatibility rate - is still a work in progress, however the problem is that while some games - GT4, FFX - run fantastic, other games - SotC, GoW, GoW2 - run horrible because they were coded in a specific manner to side-step the limitations of the PS2. Because of that, the emulator needs some work so that the plugin guys can do some work so that these games work at least playably. It'll be quite a wait. And frankly, I don't mind paying for a whole new console as long as I'm going to get the some hours out of it. Like, a lot of hours. Problem is, I was an Xbox boy so I missed all the best games on the Playstation completely.

Final Fantasy X
Gran Turismo 4
God of War
God of War 2
Shadow of the Colossus
Dragon Quest VIII
Disgaea (might go DS version, not sure yet)

Are all that I have down which probably isn't really enough to warrant the purchase of a whole new system. I'm skipping Metal Gear entirely; I had number 2 on Xbox and thought it was horrible once you got off the ship. I have all the GTAs already, so I won't be going there, same goes for Prince of Persia (all three). Anything else? If I can get it to around 10 titles I'll consider it money well spent.

Well that still leaves Ratchet and Clank, Okami, Resident Evil 4, Burnout, Viewtiful Joe, Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, Mercenaries, and We Love Katamari. By the by, how are the sequels to PoP? I only ever played the original, because I heard the sequels were a bit of a mess by comparison.

Removed double post. Smartass

A post so nice you sent it twice.

Anyway, I have Resident Evil 4 for the PC and a couple of the Burnouts on the Xbox. I was looking at Kingdom Hearts but I wasn't sure if it was worth it, I know the sequel was horrible but the first one got some interestingly high scores. Is Ratchet and Clank any good? I got directed away from them as they were apparently aimed at younger gamers. Can't say I know much about Viewtiful Joe or Sly Cooper though.

The PoP sequels are a mixed bag. Warrior Within basically emo's the hell out of PoP, but the gameplay is still solid and now with better combat. Much better. The story line is Ok, and works well, it's just a really different atmosphere to the original and not for everyone. Also, the Rock Music is kind of out of place, too.
The Two Thrones is easily the worst of the bunch. It returns to the first one's stylings and adds a new game mechanic, but basically loses itself while attempting to be different. It's not bad, it's just not as good as the other two. The combat kind of falls down a little, too.

Mmm. Well having been a younger gamer when I bought R&C, I just can't be sure. Furthermore I had little to no FPS experience. But I thought they were good games.

The first Sly Cooper is worth consideration if you find it on sale. Interesting gameplay is somewhat bogged down by an irritating storyline and cast, as well as some bad controls, but still a decent platformer. But you don't like jumping puzzles, yes? So that's a No on sly cooper.

Viewtiful Joe is a pretty solid 2D action/adventure that is outrageously difficult, despite the cartoonish look. The combat is mayhem kept alive by a fun fast forward/slow time function, but after the first few puzzles it gets pretty repetitive. Definitely worth a look all the same.

Kingdom Hearts is a bit more of a difficult decision. It came out around the time real-time RPG's were a rarity, and simply being able to literally run away from a fight was a bit of a novelty. The level designs and music were good, and the gameplay was fun, but ultimatley it was dragged down for me by two hard hitters: an annoying story and simplistic gameplay. Gummy ships were an awesome idea, basically completely customizable spaceships, but the builder took some getting used to and ultimately nothing beat a ship that was fashioned in a simple cube design, sucking up every availible space for extra hitpoints. However, some of the game's arena fights are a challenge the first couple of times, and by now it's probably on sale for $15. If you can handle wishing you could skip a couple cutscenes, pick it up. Especially since you're in to Final Fantasy.

Thanks for the advice! I might pass on Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper, but Kingdom Hearts might be worth a look-see. It's not expensive either. That Katamari game looks crazy - if I can find it cheap I'll definatly pick it up.

Any time Katamari was huge in the US and Japan, probably for no other reason than being one of the strangest games ever created. And of course, being stupidly addictive.

Quoting ZehDon,

reply 73

1. Do Playstation 2's work on LCD Widescreen TV's ok with the packaged in stuff, or do I need to buy adapters and stuff to get the best out of it?
2. Apart from the usuals - Final Fantasy, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus - are there any games I should be on the look out for?

1) I have a second hand PS2 and I use it with the standard AV cable that comes with it on a Samsumg LCD TV and no problems (42").

2) If you like the traditional TBS/RPG console mix, and have like one million hours of free time, pick Disgaea 1 and 2. Another good game is Odin Sphere, even if you don't like it (it's a simple hack & slash), it's beautiful. I have heard good things also about Persona 3 and Persona 4, but I haven't got them yet.

Thanks very much! I was worried that it might not work right, or display at some crazy ass aspect ratio. I have a 32" myself, but I always like to check these things first.

Disgaea, like Final Fantasy Tactics, is a game I've been wanting to get into for a long while. I love games that are punishingly difficult and require some serious thought. Finishing them feels like one hell of an achievement and I love being tested to my mental limits. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was a little weak for my liking, and I've been wanting to grab FFTA2 however they're both aimed at much younger gamers so I probably won't. Disgaea on the DS is one I've had my eye on for a while, however the game on a 32" LCD screen would look a lot better
I'll look into Odin Sphere, and Persona, I can't say I've heard of either of them though.

Well, I'm now the proud owner of a PS2 Slim Line and Gran Turismo 4. And my god does it look horrible on an LCD television. I completely forgot to buy the composite cables. Anyway, I'll grab them off of ebay as the PS3 one are pathetically over-priced.

Can't wait to dig into Shadow of the Colossus!

Welcome to last-generation gaming! Weather is choppy with a side of blocky graphics. But at least you won't be chucking out $100 for a game

Quoting ZehDon,

reply 84

Well, I don't find Disgaea punishingly difficult, but artificially long. The game as is forces you to power level a lot if you want to finish it, just playing the main missions one after the other will get you stuck pretty soon.

I really dislike those artificial ways to make games last more, but some people like them I prefer much more Fire Emblem, but Disgaea, if you like power leveling and have a loooot of free time is a nice game overall.

Well, I understand the leveling is implemented in a way which encourages you to experiment and such, which is something I love doing. No one's mentioned that it's lengthened by vast amounts of leveling requirements - I mean, really, what JRPG doesn't require some form of level grind? - however I'll keep it in mind, might hit some forums and see what other people think. I don't want to sit in front of my TV for 2,000 hours watching an XP bar slowly move. I stopped playing WoW because that's just not worth my time.

Also, a little advice on GT4 if anyone can. I understand I'm new, however it's difficult to gauge just how you're supposed to play this. Buy a crap car, even one to 'do up', and you get smashed by the competition. Makes sense, however am I supposed to grind up some credits or win these races with the crap car while saving up for improvements? I mean, I know I can grind, I just don't want to make this more difficult than it needs to be.

First Colossus down. Amazing game, and from what I understand it only gets better from here!

Side note: Playstation one games played in a Playstation 2 on a Widescreen Television = stretched. Glad I investigated this emulation stuff

Quoting ZehDon,

reply 88

Well, you can go pretty crazy with levelling as each item can be levelled (each and every item in the game contains 100 random levels inside it). You can also repeat any mission and you can modify the level of the enemies pretty easily. So you can go nuts if you want

I'm in the middle of the game and so far I haven't needed to go so crazy yet, and I really hope it's not needed, but who knows...

Sounds like a great way to spend my free time! It's either that or getting drunk... if only there was a way to combine the two...

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Playstation Emulation