PS2 dead, hints Official PlayStation Magazine
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Mar 1st 2006 at 3:00AM }
The Official PlayStation Magazine (readership numbers here) is on news stands, where we snapped a photograph of the cover, shown above. There are a few reasons that the headline copy, which claims that Black is "the last great PS2 game" is curious:
- You can only claim that a title is the "last great PS2 game" once. You can be sure that the editors won't be doing it again, not if they hope to retain any credibility with their readership. This indicates that there really will be no more "great games," assuming the eds have any insight whatsoever into the remaining PS2 pipeline.
- Isn't it a little early to announce the last stop on the PS2 train if the PlayStation 3 is still six to nine months away? If PS3 delays are as extensive as folks speculate they are, wouldn't a promotional rag want to save such an emphatic proclamation till fall?
- Think of the poor developers! How many PS2 games are still in development? How does this cover make them feel? There's tears in our beers at the thought of it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
vazel @ Mar 1st 2006 3:08AM
haha, what a stupid embarrassing declaration. isn't god of war 2 slated for the ps2?
bv @ Mar 1st 2006 3:12AM
Nice find. Hopefully this won't decrease the confidence of shareholders since i've got quite a bit invested in Sony stock. I myself am actually thrilled by this tagline. I really want to see Sony move on and focus on releasing the Playstion 3. I think its important to support your legacy since such a huge PS2 fanbase exists, but come on already, we're in the next gen lifecycle and i don't want to see Microsoft gain any more ground!
Brody Brooks @ Mar 1st 2006 3:24AM
They're probably due to make a statement saying it was a typo or what they did to get as big a subtitle on the page without decreasing the font size. You see, LAST is spelled with the first and last two letters in the word LATEST, see?
LAteST
Jago @ Mar 1st 2006 3:25AM
Umm...I just got done playing a little bit of Black on the Xbox and sorry but the game isn't THAT great. So it has destructible environments...woop-de-freakin-do!
SonicTH @ Mar 1st 2006 3:39AM
*Ahem* Kingdom Hearts 2, anyone?
Fools...
RabidMoose @ Mar 1st 2006 3:49AM
Umm... Final Fantasy XII anybody? It's going to have to fall pretty hard not to be "great".
osrevad @ Mar 1st 2006 3:59AM
This has got to be a joke. I just can't believe the OFFICIAL ps2 magazine would put this on their cover.
Yar @ Mar 1st 2006 4:03AM
A handful of games anybody. Black isn't one "final great hits". Not all FPS is super great, Black is just another one of those on a gaint stack of "Ho hum" FPS. But yeah, Final Fantasy 12 is going to one of the last great PS2 titles.
TITO @ Mar 1st 2006 4:13AM
I am still expecting Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence which will have online play. I can't see how they can claim this to be the last great game. The ps2 won’t be dead until the ps3 officially comes out.
Ralidore @ Mar 1st 2006 4:14AM
I got that magazine in the mail days ago. The cover says "The Last Great PS2 Game?" The question mark is missing from the above image. A little strange.
osrevad @ Mar 1st 2006 4:22AM
I found a picture of the actual cover, but it's small. The question mark makes a huge difference.
http://www.1up.com/flat/newsletters_v2/cover_OPM_150x200.gif
Vince @ Mar 1st 2006 4:42AM
i disagree with that cover theres still a lot of great titles coming out for ps2 yet that im actually excited about such as Final Fantasy XII and Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Black isnt even a great game so i dont know why they would say that.
in5ane @ Mar 1st 2006 4:53AM
Photoshopped question mark? Busted Joystiq!
ooda @ Mar 1st 2006 4:53AM
Ignore me as I get excited about Liberty City Stories on the PS2.
Vince -UK @ Mar 1st 2006 4:57AM
Well "Black" used to be "The next great PS2 Game".
Now it's out, it has become "The last great ...".
So now we can look forward "The next great...". again.
and yes, the question mark spares OPSM's blushes a bit.
Troopa @ Mar 1st 2006 5:01AM
Wow, what a stupid cover, and it's from the OFFICIAL magazine. Haha!
Anand @ Mar 1st 2006 5:15AM
Actually, the point of the article was that this isn't the last great game on the PS2 and there are many great games on the way. Its like the first sentence of the article where they say that Black isn't the last great game.
Shannon @ Mar 1st 2006 7:05AM
Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, Okami, Rogoue Galaxy, what a silly comment to make. In fact I think there are more PS2 games coming out within the year I am hyped for than any other system, except maybe the DS.
I'm not even sure how the question mark helps much. Except they aren't for sure saying that Black is a great game. They still imply that black was the last contender for being a great game.
vc @ Mar 1st 2006 8:26AM
Guys: the photo is untouched and isn't photoshopped. This is what's on the news stand in a Philadelphia Barnes & Noble. Magazines often have multiple covers.
Agent X @ Mar 1st 2006 8:56AM
There's no question mark after "The last great game" on the plastic outer wrap, which is what is pictured on the Joystiq post. If you rip open the wrap and pull out the magazine, you'll see there is a question mark on the actual magazine cover (see link that osrevad posted in post #10 above).
No doctoring of photos was done here. The outer wrap and the magazine cover are two different things.
ck @ Mar 1st 2006 9:02AM
I was in Barnes & Noble and saw the magazine. The bag cover is black and it says The Last Great PS2 Game. But the actual cover of the magazine puts a question mark at the end of that statement. I flipped through the article and they really are not claiming it's the greatest nor the last greatest. It's just an excuse for people to buy the magazine. They're being cleverly deceptive and they're really hyping the games coming soon (God of War 2, KH2).
As for a comment by BV,
Are you serious when you say when in the next-gen life cycle? X360 has very few games for it (none of which are actually must haves) and we don't even KNOW when PS3 or Revolution will be out. For all we know it might be the NEXT fiscal year! So to say we're already in the next gen life cycle and to abandon the current gen would be doing Sony and game developers a disservice and being utterly ignorant.
2Kings @ Mar 1st 2006 9:20AM
Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence with online! geeze i dont think they should have said that.
JodyAnthony @ Mar 1st 2006 9:20AM
What about Suikoden V?
I don't care what any of you say, its going to be great.
Kizza's gynecologist @ Mar 1st 2006 9:24AM
Who gives a hoo-hoo? Whether it's on Xbox,PS2,or that other little kiddie console, it's an awesome well done f.p.s. and Criterion deserves mucho praise for a splendid effort [sorry Kizza-it just looks BETTER on Xbox!]
Jon @ Mar 1st 2006 10:06AM
I don't understand you PS2 fans...I stopped playing with the PS2 about a year after it's launch. It's hardware is so lagging behind every major and non major competitor including consoles and PC for many many years now.
No cohesive online functionality.
Why in the world would you continue to keep gaming on such a dissapointing console given the plethora of choices now on the market?
Ken @ Mar 1st 2006 10:19AM
Just want to thank everyone who already mentioned KH2 and FFXII. You'll be hard pressed to impress me more than KH2 surely will. Any game that both I and my son can enjoy equally is going to be tough to beat.
Obviously, the missing question mark on the outer wrap is much needed.
ct @ Mar 1st 2006 10:24AM
What? because we love the playstation 2. do you have any idea how many great games you missed by not playing ps2 a year after its launch? don't even get me started, man. it's your loss.
Jay @ Mar 1st 2006 10:29AM
Lol, then Sony shot them in the foot by announcing GoW2 for PS2.
Eric @ Mar 1st 2006 10:32AM
@Jon
Well...I play my PS2 as apposed to my PC sometimes because well...I dont know....
$150 is a shit load less than $3,000...on top of the fact that you have to throw 500 plus dollars at it every year to keep up with the advance of graphics in games...
Not that I am poor, but I just can't justify that kind of money to see the HDR lighting in the new Half Life 2 sequals for example.
Antec @ Mar 1st 2006 10:34AM
#24 = definition of ignorance. hardware doesnt matter. its the GAMES that matter. so you mean to tell me you would never play an SNES game ever again due to its hardware limitations? please.
Levi @ Mar 1st 2006 11:05AM
"You can only claim that a title is the "last great PS2 game" once. You can be sure that the editors won't be doing it again, not if they hope to retain any credibility with their readership."
OPM has credibility? I always thought OPM was Sony's version of Nintendo Power.
Darth Pixel @ Mar 1st 2006 11:15AM
I don't know what you call this...
OPM indulges in sensationalism...and Joystiq adds some by pretending they did not recognize it was sensationalism.
Piggybacking on the sensational headlines of traditional media in order to create even more sensational headlines online. That's a new concept!
Matt @ Mar 1st 2006 12:30PM
Final Fantasy 12, anybody?
epobirs @ Mar 1st 2006 12:44PM
Perhaps it would have been a bit too wordy for the cover to read, "The last great PS2 game that isn't a sequel or part of an existing franchise. Oh and doesn't already have a next gen version announced to make people think twice about buying the current gen version. So, keeping all that in mind, THE LAST GREAT PS2 GAME."
They'd have to reduce the type face for much of it but it would be more accurate.
This gets me thinking about the way many of the last major PS1 releases did much or even most of their business on the PS2. Which in turn gets me thinking about backward compatibilty ont he PS3. So far I haven't seen one word fromn Sony as to how this will be achieved. Neither the Cell or the RSX have been described as containing any elements to aid this nor has any other such hardware been described. We've yet to see a complete description of what is inside the PS3 beyond those two chips and the two forms of RAM. A solution like that used in the PS2, which was a chip that incorporate most of the earlier machine's silicon but also performed a variety of I/O functions for the new platform, but we just don't know yet. Being so close to the supposed launch the secrecy is eating away at us tech geeks. Will the BC solution be primarily emulation? If so, will we see a situation similar to what is happening on the Xbox 360, where BC is a work in progress not expected to fully achieve its goal for many more months?
Stuka @ Mar 1st 2006 12:50PM
Black isn't that good anyway. It sure isn't 'great'.
bd @ Mar 1st 2006 1:16PM
Conrad Quilty-Harper posted this article a few days ago:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/27/the-games-not-over-yet-for-current-gen-consoles/
So not only is this a repeated article, but it fails to explain the reason why it says so. On the other hand, the link above explained clearly that the content of the Magazine contradicts the title, which is obviously meant to be controversial so you buy the Magazine, and then realize how many great games are coming out for PS2. I hate to have to explain everything, but here are a few great games coming for PS2:
Mortal Kombat Armageddon
Final Fantasy 12
Kingdom Hearts 2
God of War 2
Among others. Just think a little.
Thomas @ Mar 1st 2006 5:28PM
@34
From early on Sony has atleast stated that the PS3 will be backwards cap. Now where MS screwed up is that they didnt look at doin it till the product was finished, which from my basic understanding of the 360 (no i dont own one so Im only going on Hear-Say) but the HDD is needed bcuz all MS did was add an EMU to the mix, which of course was too much to just put on a chip.. MS jumped too fast.. Remember Sony really (in my eyes) was the ones who started Backwards Cap. and Ive never had a problem with any of my PSone games workin in my PS2, therefor Mission Complete.. Theyve done it right b4, theyll get it right again..
Eric @ Mar 1st 2006 6:45PM
Seriously Joystiq...didn't next-gen, engadget, or Gamespot already run this story? I don't expect journalistic standards from a weblog on the same level as cnn or something, but at least try and look into it a little. Even the other article on this said the actual PSM article's answer was "no, there's still alot of great stuff coming."
Isagani @ Mar 2nd 2006 1:16AM
KHII and FFXII are going to be the last great PS2 games... Subsistence is a contender, but since it's just an updated snake eater i don't consider it a full on game on its own. Maybe Black is the last great EA game for the PS2 mainly in terms of graphics from my point of view
Jago @ Mar 2nd 2006 1:51AM
@ epobirs:
Who cares how they achieve it...if it works it works. It doesn't matter if they show us all the hardware b/c no one will be able to fully understand how it does stuff b/c they won't release such detailed information.
jaffa @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:26AM
The pic provided by osrevad is the Official UK mag and the one without the questionmark is the US version.
Steviepunk @ Mar 2nd 2006 7:50AM
Possible that they mean Black is the last original game aiming big on the PS2.
The other games mentioned the comments are all sequels, not new games/names, so might not be getting counted.
Of course, they could just be jumping the gun on their announcement, with so long to PS3 launch there is plenty of time for a stunning new game to appear on PS2.
Jago @ Mar 2nd 2006 12:41PM
"Black" is hardly an original title...even the idea of having destructible environments isn't new either b/c the Red Faction games had that long before Black even came out.
Kemorak @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:28AM
Ladies & Gentlemen, we all know this is not the last of PS2 event is PS3 Come Just Like In The Past Psone
Is Make some games I am Sure Ps2 Will Got some Extra
Project Still Coming Or way..
God Of War 2.. God This will Rock!!!
Kingdom Hearts 2 .. Prepare your Self For more SE Fan
Action went This Game Hit the Stores!!!
Onimusha 4 .. The Demons Will Hunt us Again :D
This Is Not The End This Is the Beggining Of More Fun to Come Our way and Besides PS2 Legend Will Always Live In the Mind heart & Soul Of All us Is not over yet Playstation 2 Still Has Great Games to Come!!!
Anton @ Mar 3rd 2006 1:05PM
Doesn't matter what any of u "Hardcore Gamers" think about black, it's the last great PS2 game bar none. Nothing else pushed the limits of my surround sound system or my roommates patience, and it doesn't have any metrosexual japanese he-she's dressed in pleather and belt buckles (Devil May Cry, KHII and FFXII). It set in a realistic time and world, a world we live in and can relate to without the demons and hellspawn. Plus it's really cool to look at in 60 inch HDTV. Control: Solid.
Visuals: Solid.
Sound: Solid.
Can it be matched? Not till the PS3!
Felix @ Mar 3rd 2006 8:17PM
Hmm are you not reading well? it is saying the last great game which mean that wll be the last games for PS2 which mean more game will still come before that come.
FFXII
Splinter Cell:Double Agent etc
Jago @ Mar 4th 2006 3:48AM
So if a game is set in realistic times, has solid visuals, great sound, no real replay value and no story then its a great game...WOW...no wonder games have been so "ehh" lately.
Hate to break it to you, but the Devil May Cry series, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, etc. are waay better games then Black can even dream to be. Why? They have something that is essential to a GOOD game...GAMEPLAY!
Brock @ Mar 4th 2006 6:31PM
Geeze, are all you guys too young to have been around for the last days of the PS1, before the PS2 launch? There were about 6 different "The Last Great PlayStation Game" cover stories, all about different games. As an example, I have a copy of Next Generation magazine, April 1998, with a cover story on Metal Gear Solid, sub-heading: "The last great PlayStation game?" Later installments of FFVII (1999) and FFIX (2000), Vagrant Story (2000), Gran Turismo 2 (1999), and quite a few more dispel that theory pretty quickly. It's all just hype, nothing new.
lungbuster @ Mar 6th 2006 8:40PM
HELLO? Has ANYBODY heard of Jaws Unleashed, which will be coming out very soon for PS2 and is estimated to be one of the biggest sellers for PS2 ever! You controll the shark and attack people that are on Jet Skiis, um....can't get much better than that!
JB @ Mar 11th 2006 8:02AM
The greatest thing about sony and the"play station"brand is that when they updated from 120 to 240 the old games could still be played on the new system. So although the graphics may have been outdated the games the original PS were still playable on the PS2. Now assuming that they make the PS3 so it can also play the PS2 Games, is the PS2 really dead?