Time Crisis II is a 1997 light gun arcade video game developed and published by Namco . It is the second instalment in the Time Crisis series. The game incorporates the same mechanics of its predecessor, with some minor changes, but with the addition of co-operative two-player gaming. The game's story focuses on the efforts of two secret agents, Keith Martin and Robert Baxter, as they attempt to thwart the efforts of an industry mogul's plan for world dominance.
98-651: The game was ported to the PlayStation 2 in October 2001, as part of a bundle to coincide with the launch of the GunCon 2 controller (G-Con 2 in Europe), with enhanced graphics. Ports for the original PlayStation and Dreamcast were cancelled during development. The game received mostly favorable reviews for the arcade and console versions. A sequel to the game, Time Crisis 3 , was released in 2002. The game utilizes
196-431: A Dragon Quest VIII "slime" controller, a Final Fantasy X-2 "Tiny Bee" dual pistol controller, an Onimusha 3 katana controller, and a Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller. Optional hardware includes additional DualShock or DualShock 2 controllers, a PS2 DVD remote control , an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD), a network adapter, horizontal and vertical stands, PlayStation or PS2 memory cards ,
294-678: A digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PS2 games. The device was released in Japan on 13 December 2003, and was the first Sony product to include the XrossMediaBar interface. It did not sell well in the Japanese market and was not released anywhere else. PlayStation 2 users had the option to play select games over the Internet , using dial-up or a broadband Internet connection . The PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor
392-477: A "safe bet" despite not being the "newest or most powerful", noting that the console "yields in-game graphics with more jagged edges". CNET also criticized the DVD playback functionality, claiming that the console's video quality was "passable" and that the playback controls were "rudimentary", recommending users to purchase a remote control. The console's two controller ports and the high cost of its memory cards were also
490-471: A blowback function which simulates real-life gun recoil, this feature isn't retained in the PlayStation port. The PlayStation port can be played either with the GunCon light gun peripheral or by using a controller to aim a cursor around the screen. The port features an exclusive Special mode, in which the player's performance, such as how quickly they can clear an area, affects the path they take through
588-443: A clay pigeon shooting mode (including a port of Namco's Shoot Away II light gun clay shooting arcade game), and a virtual port of the mechanical arcade game, Quick & Crash . In Japan, Game Machine listed Time Crisis II on their June 15, 1998 issue as being the second most-successful dedicated arcade game of the week. It went on to be the sixth Japanese highest-grossing arcade game of 1999 and 2001 respectively. The game
686-481: A decentralized model of online gaming where the responsibility is up to the developer to provide the servers, Sony's moves made online gaming a major selling point of the PS2. In September 2004, Sony revealed a newer, slimmer model of the PlayStation 2. In preparation for the launch of the new models (SCPH-700xx-9000x), Sony stopped making the older models (SCPH-3000x-500xx) to let the distribution channel empty its stock of
784-493: A few weeks prior. There were shortages in more than 1,700 shops in North America on the day before Christmas. In 2010, Sony introduced a TV with a built-in PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 continued to be produced until 2013 when Sony announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production—one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for the console continued to be made until
882-588: A game over. Players can continue from their current position, as opposed to the PlayStation version of Time Crisis , which requires players to restart from the beginning of a section. This was the first Time Crisis game to enable two people to play simultaneously, allowing each player to cover the other. In single player, the computer controls the other character. The arcade version used connecting cabinets to allow another player to join. The PlayStation 2 version features split-screen and System Link functionality, which requires two televisions, two consoles, two copies of
980-534: A limited amount of time to clear each section by defeating enemies. The game's story focuses on Richard Miller, a secret agent, who is sent to rescue a kidnapped woman from a ruthless tyrant seeking to reclaim control of their former country from a new regime. A port of the game for the PlayStation was released in 1997, as part of a bundle coinciding with the launch of the Guncon light gun controller, and featured an add-on pack of additional stages that are set after
1078-438: A maximum colour depth of 16.7 million true colours . When accounting for features such as lighting , texture mapping , artificial intelligence , and game physics , the console has a real-world performance of 25 million polygons per second. The PlayStation 2 also features two USB ports, and one IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port for SCPH-10000 to 3900x models only. A hard disk drive can be installed in an expansion bay on
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#17327867623771176-416: A point of criticism. The slim model of the PlayStation 2 received positive reviews for its incredibly small size and built-in networking but received criticism for easily overheating due to the exclusion of the original model's built-in fan. The requirement for a separate power adapter was criticized while the top-loading disc drive was noted as being less likely to break compared to the tray-loading drive of
1274-434: A second console around the time of the original PlayStation's launch in late 1994. At some point during development, employees from Argonaut Games , under contract for semiconductor manufacturer LSI Corporation , were instructed to design a rendering chip for Sony's upcoming console. Jez San , founder of Argonaut, recalled that his team had no direct contact with Sony during the development process. Unbeknownst to him, Sony
1372-444: A set group of enemies in order to advance to the next battle. Each area features a one minute time limit to begin with, which counts down during battles and transitions between each, and is only extended by clearing a current battle; defeating certain optional enemies also gives a few extra seconds. To avoid running down the clock, the player must take risks, shooting enemies rapidly and hiding only when necessary. Each playthrough sees
1470-425: A special mission known as the "Kantaris Deal", which takes place several weeks after the main story's events. Miller is alerted by V.S.S.E. to the presence of an illegal arms factory posing as a Sercian hotel, with ties to Wild Dog's organization. He is assigned to infiltrate the factory and eliminate its owner, Kantaris. Upon clearing the lobby, Miller has three different paths to his target. The first takes him through
1568-454: A specific task, integrated onto the same die . These units include a central CPU core, two Vector Processing Units (VPU), a 10-channel DMA unit, a memory controller , and an Image Processing Unit (IPU). There are three interfaces: an input output interface to the I/O processor running at a clock speed of 36.864 MHz, a graphics interface to the graphics synthesiser, and a memory interface to
1666-455: A television as long as there is access to mains electricity or a similar power source. These screens can fold down onto the PS2 in a similar fashion to laptop screens. There are many accessories for musical games, such as dance pads for Dance Dance Revolution , In the Groove , and Pump It Up titles and High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance . Konami microphones for use with
1764-429: A total of 10,035 software titles had been released worldwide including games released in multiple regions as separate titles. Initial reviews of the PlayStation 2 from 2000 highly acclaimed the console, with reviewers commending its hardware and graphics capabilities, its ability to play DVDs, and the system's backward compatibility with games and hardware for the original PlayStation. Early points of criticism included
1862-619: Is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, in Australia on 30 November 2000, and other regions thereafter. It is the successor to the PlayStation , as well as the second installment in the PlayStation brand of consoles. As a sixth-generation console , it competed with Nintendo 's GameCube , Sega 's Dreamcast , and Microsoft 's Xbox . It
1960-498: Is available for the system to connect to older TVs. The PlayStation 2 has undergone many revisions, some only of internal construction and others involving substantial external changes. The PS2 is primarily differentiated between models featuring the original "fat" case design and "slimline" models, which were introduced at the end of 2004. In 2010, the Sony Bravia KDL-22PX300 was made available to consumers. It
2058-439: Is confronted by Sherudo's chief assassin, Moz, and his unit. He defeats them and interrogates Moz, who reveals that Rachel has been transferred to the clock tower. There, Miller is attacked by Sherudo, a trained knife thrower, and guns him down, only to find Rachel held at gunpoint by Wild Dog. Angered by Sherudo's death, Wild Dog reveals his intentions to blow up the castle with Richard inside and escape with Rachel. Pursuing them to
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#17327867623772156-426: Is defeated. He commits suicide by explosives, leaving the agents to focus on the satellite. After rescuing Christy, Keith and Robert focus on Diaz, who initiates the launch sequence before activating the defense system of a prototype satellite to engage them. With precious few seconds on the clock, Keith and Robert destroy the prototype and shoot Diaz at the chest, sending him falling to his death. Without him to finish
2254-471: Is distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM; the two formats are differentiated by their discs' bottoms, with CD-ROMs being blue and DVD-ROMs being silver. The PlayStation 2 offered some particularly high-profile exclusive games. Most main entries in the Grand Theft Auto , Final Fantasy , and Metal Gear Solid series were released exclusively for the console. Several prolific series got their start on
2352-419: Is taken to Diaz, Kinisky flees with the suitcase, forcing the agents to pursue him. After killing him during a boat chase, the pair retrieve the case and learn that the experimental satellite is being transported by train. Locating the train, Keith and Robert board and attempt to destroy it, but are thwarted by NeoDyne forces led by Buff Bryant, who manages to extract the satellite by helicopter but dies battling
2450-723: Is the best-selling video game console of all time , having sold over 160 million units worldwide, nearly triple the combined sales of its competing consoles. Announced in 1999, Sony began developing the console after the immense success of its predecessor. The highlight of the system was its Emotion Engine processor, co-developed by Sony and Toshiba , which was said to be more powerful than personal computers. The PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor's DualShock controller, as well as its games. The PlayStation 2 received widespread critical acclaim upon release. A total of over 4,000 game titles were released worldwide, with over 1.527 billion copies sold. In 2004, Sony revised
2548-583: The Karaoke Revolution games, dual microphones (sold with and used exclusively for SingStar games), various "guitar" controllers (for the Guitar Freaks series and Guitar Hero series), the drum set controller (sold in a box set (or by itself) with a "guitar" controller and a USB microphone (for use with Rock Band and Guitar Hero series, World Tour and newer), and a taiko drum controller for Taiko: Drum Master . Unlike
2646-567: The Nintendo DS reached 100 million shipments in 4 years and 5 months from its launch. By July 2009, the system had sold 138.8 million units worldwide, with 51 million of those units sold in PAL regions . By 31 March 2012, over 155 million PlayStation 2 units were sold worldwide, and in the same year, Sony officially stopped supplying updated sales numbers of the system. On 29 March 2024, Jim Ryan (CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment) stated on
2744-431: The multitap accessory. There was, however, some concern about the system's abilities following the lack of anti-aliasing in the two most popular early titles, Ridge Racer V and Tekken Tag Tournament . It was exacerbated for a period of time post-launch amid concerns about the relative lack of new quality software. This situation was eventually turned around following a spate of big and highly acclaimed games in
2842-500: The multitap for PlayStation or PS2, a USB motion camera ( EyeToy ), a USB keyboard and mouse , and a headset . The original PS2 multitap (SCPH-10090) cannot be plugged into the newer slim models. The multitap connects to the memory card slot and the controller slot, and the memory card slot on the slimline is shallower. New slim-design multitaps (SCPH-70120) were manufactured for these models; however, third-party adapters also permit original multitaps to be used. Early versions of
2940-561: The 2001 holiday season with the release of several blockbuster games that maintained the PS2's sales momentum and held off its newer rivals. Sony also countered the Xbox by securing timed PlayStation 2 exclusives for highly anticipated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty . In a 2002 article analysis of the system up to that point, Edge noted: Now, 18 months on, things are looking much rosier for PS2 owners. Developers are coming to terms with
3038-699: The Official PlayStation Podcast, that the PlayStation 2 had sold 160 million units worldwide. This statement was not corroborated by Sony directly until nearly eight months later, with this figure appearing on the PlayStation 30th Anniversary website on 26 November 2024. Using homebrew programs, it is possible to play various audio and video file formats on a PS2. Homebrew programs can also play patched backups of original PS2 DVD games on unmodified consoles and install retail discs to an installed hard drive on older models. Homebrew emulators of older computer and gaming systems have been developed for
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3136-437: The PS2 could be networked via an i.LINK port, though this had little game support and was dropped. Some third-party manufacturers have created devices that allow disabled people to access the PS2 through ordinary switches, etc. Some third-party companies, such as Joytech , have produced LCD monitor and speaker attachments for the PS2, which attach to the back of the console. These allow users to play games without access to
3234-459: The PS2 remained the only sixth-generation console for over 6 months before it faced competition from new rivals: Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox . Many analysts predicted a close three-way matchup among the three consoles. The Xbox had the most powerful hardware, while the GameCube was the least expensive console, and Nintendo changed its policy to encourage third-party developers. While
3332-411: The PS2. Time Crisis (video game) Time Crisis is a light gun shooter arcade game , developed and released by Namco in 1995, and the first title to be released in the series of the same name . The game differentiated itself from other light gun shooters of the time by incorporating a pedal that controls when the player character takes cover to reload and avoid enemy fire. Players have
3430-554: The PlayStation 2 theoretically had the weakest hardware of the three, it had a head start due to its installed base plus strong developer commitment, as well as a built-in DVD player (the Xbox required an adapter, while the GameCube lacked support entirely). The PlayStation 2's initial games lineup was considered mediocre, with a lack of quality games especially amid the expectations of its hardware capabilities (partly caused due to its complex architecture for developers). This changed during
3528-414: The PlayStation 2 version, based on reviews from 21 professional critics. In Japan, Famitsu scoring Time Crisis II with GunCon 2 bundle a score of 32 out of 40. the PlayStation 2 version of Time Crisis II was a nominee for The Electric Playground ' s 2001 Blister Awards for "Best Console Shooter Game", but lost to Halo: Combat Evolved . PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 ( PS2 )
3626-555: The PlayStation 2, including God of War , Ratchet & Clank , Jak and Daxter , Devil May Cry , Kingdom Hearts , and Sly Cooper . Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game on the console. Game releases peaked in 2004, but declined with the release of the PlayStation 3 in 2006. The last new games for the console were Final Fantasy XI : Seekers of Adoulin in Asia, FIFA 14 in North America, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 in Europe. As of 30 June 2007,
3724-409: The PlayStation mode's hotel design. To make the large areas in the hotel work on the hardware, the team left the portions of these areas not visible to the player unrendered. Three planned sequences - an outdoor restaurant, a missile room explosion, and a boat race - were left out because the team eventually realized that creating them was not practical, at least not within the time they had to complete
3822-517: The PlayStation version. New music was recorded for the Special Mission mode by Tatsuro Tani and Tomoko Tat2, using a "synthesized orchestra" of 50 individually synthesized instruments. A soundtrack Time Crisis Arcade Soundtrack was released in 1997. Another soundtrack Time Crisis 3D Sound Ensemble was released later. It contains audio dramas that depict events during and before the first game, such as Miller's battle against Sherudo from
3920-424: The PlayStation, which requires the use of an official Sony PlayStation Mouse to play mouse-compatible games, the few PS2 games with mouse support work with a standard USB mouse as well as a USB trackball . In addition, some of these games also support the usage of a USB keyboard for text input, game control (instead of a DualShock or DualShock 2 gamepad, in tandem with a USB mouse), or both. PlayStation 2 software
4018-406: The agents. Surviving the subsequent derailment, the agents hijack a mercenary helicopter and make their way to NeoDyne's remote oceanic spaceport, encountering further resistance led by Wild Dog - a former crimeboss thought killed in a previous V.S.S.E. operation . Both agents are forced into a firefight with Dog, who keeps them at bay with a prosthetic minigun and additional assistance from Diaz, but
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4116-404: The arcade version and commented: "Not as big a milestone as the first, but definitely a superb game from Namco". They were less enthusiastic about the PlayStation 2 conversion, saying that while it was "great for what it is", wasn't as good as other lightgun shooters. Metacritic , which assigns a normalised rating in the 0–100 range, calculated an average score of 81 out of 100 ("Favorable") for
4214-486: The arcade version's foot pedal was best. GameSpot praised the reload button on the GunCon for forcing the player to use a more realistic two-handed grip, while Computer and Video Games and Electronic Gaming Monthly both said stepping on the standard joypad's buttons offers the best combination of accuracy and similarity to the foot pedal. Electronic Gaming Monthly named the PlayStation version "Light Gun Game of
4312-615: The back of the console, and is required to play certain games, notably the popular Final Fantasy XI . The system has 4 MB of Video RAM in the form of eDRAM . Software for the PlayStation 2 was distributed primarily on DVD-ROMs , with some titles being published on blue-tinted CD-ROM format. In addition, the console can play audio CDs and DVD films and is backward-compatible with almost all original PlayStation games. The PlayStation 2 also supports PlayStation memory cards and controllers, although original PlayStation memory cards will only work with original PlayStation games and
4410-506: The ballroom/casino, where he eliminates Kantaris's boomerang-flinging assassin, Web Spinner. He then pursues her to the swimming pool just as she attempts to escape by air. After shooting down an escort gunship, Miller damages the engines of Kantaris's ship just as it takes off, causing it to crash and explode. Should Miller fail to stop Web Spinner in time, he will instead be taken to the arms factory; and should Miller fail to pursue Kantaris in time, he will instead be taken to Kantaris' office in
4508-431: The castle's exterior to create an entrance. Sherudo hears the resulting boom, but his head of security, Wild Dog, assures him that Miller will not last long against his highly trained mercenaries. Meanwhile, Miller confronts Wild Dog's troops in the submarine hangar and makes his way to the main courtyard against heavy resistance, eventually reaching Rachel's location. She warns him of a setup before being whisked away. Miller
4606-510: The castle's helipad, Miller arrives just as Rachel manages to break free, leading Wild Dog to shoot her. A furious Miller engages Wild Dog in a fast-and-loose gun battle across the rooftop, during which Wild Dog accidentally sets off his detonator, apparently killing himself in a fiery explosion. Richard collects the wounded Rachel and escapes in Wild Dog's chopper just as the rest of the castle goes up in flames. The PlayStation version features
4704-520: The colour black as it represents the infinity of the universe. The blue represents the intelligence and life spouting up." —Teiyu Goto reflecting on the PlayStation 2's aesthetics Sony unveiled the PlayStation 2 at the Tokyo Game Show on 20 September 1999. Sony showed fully playable demos of upcoming PlayStation 2 games including Gran Turismo 2000 (later released as Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec ) and Tekken Tag Tournament —which showed
4802-422: The company's CEO, Ernesto Diaz, plans to launch an experimental nuclear satellite into space and sell it to the highest bidder, and is using StarLine as a front. Escaping to a safehouse with a suitcase of incriminating data, she quickly finds herself tracked down and captured by NeoDyne mercenaries, led by Jakov Kinisky, moments before V.S.S.E. agents Keith Martin and Robert Baxter arrive to collect her. While Christy
4900-601: The console continued to be released until shortly after the end of its life and support from Sony. Released in 1994, the original PlayStation proved to be a phenomenal worldwide success and signalled Sony's rise to power in the video game industry . Its launch elicited critical acclaim and strong sales; it eventually became the first computer entertainment platform to ship over 100 million units. The PlayStation enjoyed particular success outside Japan in part due to Sony's refined development kits , large-scale advertising campaigns, and strong third-party developer support. By
4998-505: The console with a smaller, lighter body officially known as the Slimline , popularly called the "PS2 Slim". Even after the release of its successor, the PlayStation 3 , it remained popular well into the seventh generation . It continued to be produced until the beginning of 2013 when Sony finally announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production, one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for
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#17327867623775096-528: The console's graphic abilities and power. The PS2 was launched in March 2000 in Japan, October in North America, and November in Europe. Sales of the console, games and accessories pulled in $ 250 million on the first day, beating the $ 97 million made on the first day of the Dreamcast. Directly after its release, it was difficult to find PS2 units on retailer shelves due to manufacturing delays. Another option
5194-483: The console, named the "Graphics Synthesizer". It has a fillrate of 2.4 gigapixels per second, capable of rendering up to 75 million polygons per second. The GPU also runs with a clock frequency of 147.456 MHz (which is half the clock speed of the Emotion Engine), 4 MB of DRAM is capable of transmitting a display output of 1280 x 1024 pixels on both PAL and NTSC televisions. The PlayStation 2 has
5292-693: The controllers may not support all functions (such as analogue buttons) for PlayStation 2 games. The standard PlayStation 2 memory card has an 8 megabyte (MB) capacity and features MagicGate encryption. There are a variety of non-Sony manufactured memory cards available for the PlayStation ;2, allowing for a memory capacity larger than the standard 8 MB. The PlayStation 2 can natively output video resolutions on SDTV and HDTV from 480i to 480p , and some games, such as Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy , are known to support up-scaled 1080i resolution. The PlayStation 2 supports
5390-609: The end of 2013, including Final Fantasy XI : Seekers of Adoulin for Japan, and FIFA 14 for North America. The last game to be released on the PlayStation 2 is Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 , which was released in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2013. Repair services for the system in Japan ended on 7 September 2018. The PlayStation 2's main central processing unit (CPU) is the 64-bit R5900-based " Emotion Engine ", custom-designed by Sony and Toshiba . The Emotion Engine consists of eight separate "units", each performing
5488-421: The final quarter of 2001. Later reviews, especially after the launch of the competing GameCube and Xbox systems, continued to praise the PlayStation 2's large game library and DVD playback, while routinely criticizing the PlayStation 2's lesser graphics performance compared to the newer systems and its rudimentary online service compared to Xbox Live . In 2002, CNET rated the console 7.3 out of 10, calling it
5586-439: The following standards: composite video (480i), S-Video (480i), RGB (480i/p), VGA (for progressive scan games and PS2 Linux only), YP B P R component video (which display most original PlayStation games in their native 240p mode which most HDTV sets do not support ), and D-Terminal . Cables are available for all of these signal types; these cables also output analogue stereo audio. Additionally, an RF modulator
5684-403: The foot pedal system, just like Time Crisis , allowing players to hide from enemy fire. The "crisis flash" system alerts players when the enemy's attack would cause a direct hit, a feature not present in its predecessor, Time Crisis . When pressing down on the pedal, the player comes out of hiding and can shoot enemies. Releasing the pedal puts the player behind cover to avoid bullets and reload
5782-424: The fully PAL-optimized Virtua Cop . However, these criticisms had little impact on overall recommendations; Guise concluded that "these factors cannot stop this game from being a High Five" and Next Generation stated that "when compared to other light-gun shooters for home systems, Time Crisis is as good as it gets." There was some disagreement over which of the PlayStation version's three methods of emulating
5880-508: The game, and an iLink cable . Points are deducted for shooting the other player, though neither player will lose lives as a result. The same system is utilized for events in Time Crisis 3 and Time Crisis 4 . In 1997, NeoDyne Industries announces it plan to launch a series of 64 satellites , codenamed the "StarLine Network", that will help to unify the world's communication networks. However, V.S.S.E. agent Christy Ryan discovers that
5978-505: The game, resulting in multiple possibilities and endings. In 1995, the V.S.S.E., an international protection agency, helps Sercian opposition leader William MacPherson engineer a coup that overthrows a century-old authoritarian regime. MacPherson is elected as the Sercian republic's first president. Sherudo Garo, the last survivor of the regime, plots to restore the old order, launching a series of attacks and assassinations that destabilize
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#17327867623776076-570: The game. The Japanese arcade magazine Game Machine listed Time Crisis as being the most-successful arcade game of the month in April 1996. Next Generation hailed the game as being superior even to competitor Sega 's Virtua Cop 2 , primarily due to the unique foot pedal maneuver. The reviewer remarked that "By creating this innovative maneuvering technique, in addition to time-based, predetermined path running, providing Story or Attack mode and challenging end-level bosses, Time Crisis thrusts
6174-444: The gamer, as its debut pricing was less than many standalone DVD players on the market. This made the console a low-cost entry into the home theater market. The success of the PS2 at the end of 2000 caused Sega problems both financially and competitively, and Sega announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast in March 2001, just 18 months after its successful Western launch. Despite the Dreamcast still receiving support through 2001,
6272-579: The internal hard disk drive. It also lacked an internal power supply until a later revision (excluding the Japanese version), similar to the GameCube , and had a modified Multitap expansion. The removal of the expansion bay was criticized as a limitation due to the existence of titles such as Final Fantasy XI , which required the HDD use. Sony also manufactured a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as
6370-570: The lack of online support at the time, its inclusion of only two controller ports, and the system's price at launch compared to the Dreamcast in 2000. PC Magazine in 2001 called the console "outstanding", praising its "noteworthy components" such as the Emotion Engine CPU, 32 MB of RAM, support for IEEE 1394 (branded as "i.LINK" by Sony and "FireWire" by Apple), and the console's two USB ports while criticizing its "expensive" games and its support for only two controllers without
6468-498: The late 1990s Sony had dethroned established rivals Sega and Nintendo in the global video game market. Sega, spurred on by its declining market share and significant financial losses, launched the Dreamcast in 1998 as a last-ditch attempt to stay in the industry. Though Sony has kept details of the PlayStation 2's development secret, Ken Kutaragi , the chief designer of the original PlayStation, reportedly began working on
6566-417: The light-gun genre into a brand-new territory - and develops a whole new way of looking at, and playing, the classic light-gun game." The PlayStation version received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings . Critics applauded the close conversion of the arcade game, and said the special PlayStation mode greatly extended the game's lifespan, and was even superior to
6664-435: The lounge. The second path, which can only be accessed if there are less than 22 seconds left on the clock, instead goes through the shopping mall and down into a garbage disposal. There, Miller uses a claw arm to punch a hole in the wall, allowing him to access the underground arms factory. From there, he makes his way to Kantaris' office in the lounge and defeats her personal security droid, which then malfunctions and rolls out
6762-410: The main story. Both the arcade original and the console version were well-received by critics, in particular the gameplay mechanics. The game proved a commercial success and spawned a sequel, Time Crisis II , in 1998, and a PlayStation-exclusive spin-off title, Time Crisis: Project Titan , in 2001. Time Crisis is a three-dimensional first-person rail shooter similar to Virtua Cop , in that
6860-453: The mission is aborted (canonically, the spin-off game Time Crisis: Project Titan takes place after the mission's failure). Though both the arcade and PlayStation versions were developed internally at Namco, none of the arcade development team had any direct involvement with the PlayStation version. Since the PlayStation's CPU speed is much lower than that of the System 22 arcade hardware,
6958-434: The nation. As the finishing touch, Sherudo has MacPherson's daughter Rachel abducted and imprisoned in his family's castle on a remote island, demanding vital military secrets in exchange for her life. A desperate MacPherson contacts the V.S.S.E., who in turn dispatches veteran agent Richard Miller, the "One Man Army", to infiltrate the castle and rescue Rachel. Miller reaches the island and rams his explosives-rigged boat into
7056-497: The online-capable Xbox. Coinciding with the release of Xbox Live , Sony released the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor in late 2002, with several online first-party titles released alongside it, such as SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs to demonstrate its active support for Internet play. Sony also advertised heavily, and its online model had the support of Electronic Arts (EA); EA did not offer online Xbox titles until 2004. Although Sony and Nintendo both started late, and although both followed
7154-462: The original arcade campaign. And though GamePro questioned the accuracy of the bundled GunCon peripheral, reporting that "there are times when dead-on shots seem to miss", the overwhelming majority of critics deemed it the best light gun yet released for the PlayStation. A number of critics found that despite the innovative ducking mechanic, the game is too simplistic, in particular that it lacks any powerups or innocent bystanders that
7252-423: The original model. Demand for the PlayStation 2 remained strong throughout much of its lifespan, selling over 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2000. Over 10.6 million units were sold worldwide by 31 March 2001. In 2005, the PlayStation 2 became the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its launch; this was surpassed 4 years later when
7350-568: The parallel architecture and fears that the PS2 would suffer the same fate as the Sega Saturn now seem ridiculous. A mixture of hard work, trial and error and middleware tools is also ensuring that development cycles are getting shorter and game quality improving. It's taken much longer than anticipated, but exceptional titles are beginning to come through. Sony cut the price of the console in May 2002 from US$ 299 to $ 199 in North America, making it
7448-416: The pedal from a racing wheel peripheral, or even by pressing a button on a controller plugged into port 2 by hand; some players fashioned home-made pedals that, when stepped on, pressed down a button on the second controller on the floor instead. The game consists of three stages, each consisting of three areas and a boss battle. Each area consist of a series of firearms battles, in which players must defeat
7546-434: The player could unlock alternative weapons, such as a machine gun or shotgun, and had the option of wielding two lightguns at a time (with combinations of both GunCon 2 and original GunCon possible). There is also a Crisis Mission mode, in which the players have to complete and perform various tasks, including a simulated gun duel against Richard Miller, the lead protagonist of the first Time Crisis game. Extras also included
7644-494: The player given a set number of lives, in which one is deducted when the player is hit by an enemy, or fails to avoid being hit by a hazard in the current battle, with the game being over when the player runs out of lives or time. The arcade cabinet's light gun (introduced in Point Blank ) utilizes a special memory chip to synchronize areas of the screen's image as the player rotates the gun around. The light gun also features
7742-468: The player holds a light gun and fires at on-screen enemies. However, it differs from such video games by use of its cover system - a gameplay mechanic in which players can duck behind cover to avoid enemy fire and reload their weapons. In the arcade version, a foot pedal is used to toggle between ducking and attacking positions; in console conversions, a button command replicates the foot pedal's functions. The PlayStation version also allows players to use
7840-407: The player must avoid shooting. The lack of a multiplayer mode was also criticized, since this was a standard feature in light gun shooters. The British Computer and Video Games complained at the slowness of the PAL conversion, with reviewer Tom Guise saying that though he otherwise preferred Time Crisis over Virtua Cop , when it came to the games' respective British home releases he favored
7938-536: The same functionality as its predecessor. However, it includes analogue pressure sensitivity to over 100 individual levels of depth on the face, shoulder and D-pad buttons, replacing the digital buttons of the original. Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller has force feedback , or "vibration" functionality. It is lighter and includes two more levels of vibration . Specialized controllers include light guns ( GunCon ), fishing rod and reel controllers,
8036-457: The same level they did when they were 17. The slogan used was: Live in your world. Play in ours. (Stylized as: "LIVE IN Y [REDACTED] UR W [REDACTED] RLD. PL [REDACTED] Y IN [REDACTED] URS.") Backward compatibility had been widely seen as a desirable feature for consumers since the debut of the first successor video game console, but prior to the PlayStation 2 only one console had featured true backward compatibility (i.e. without
8134-412: The same price as the GameCube and $ 100 less than the Xbox. It also planned to cut the price in Japan around that time. It cut the price twice in Japan in 2003. In 2006, Sony cut the cost of the console in anticipation of the release of the PlayStation 3 . Unlike Sega's Dreamcast, Sony originally placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first few years, although that changed upon the launch of
8232-430: The sequence, the rocket malfunctions and explodes. Christy fishes out Keith and Robert from the waters before the trio are extracted by the V.S.S.E. just as the rest of the base goes up in flames. The PlayStation 2 version of the game featured enhanced graphics and additional cutscenes. It was packaged with the GunCon 2 lightgun peripheral, although it was also compatible with the GunCon 45. When completed enough times,
8330-405: The system memory. The Emotion Engine CPU has a clock rate of 294.912 MHz (299 MHz on newer versions) and 6,000 MIPS , with a floating point performance of 6.2 GFLOPS . The system's I/O processor was based on the PlayStation's CPU and was designed to provide full backward compatibility with the PlayStation. The system has 32 MB of RDRAM . The GPU is likewise custom-designed for
8428-527: The team reduced demands on the PlayStation CPU by cutting the game's frame rate in half, reducing the number of polygons used, emulating the real-time lighting by coloring the polygons one-by-one, and delaying the appearance of enemies so that only a certain number of enemies could appear on-screen at any time. The development team took photos of hotels and factories in the Tokyo area as reference for
8526-709: The units. After an apparent manufacturing issue—Sony reportedly underestimated demand—caused some initial slowdown in producing the new unit caused in part by shortages between the time Sony cleared out the old units and the new units were ready. The issue was compounded in Britain when a Russian oil tanker became stuck in the Suez Canal , blocking a ship from China carrying PS2s bound for the UK. During one week in November, British sales totalled 6,000 units—compared to 70,000 units
8624-484: The use of add-ons), the Atari 7800 , due to the added hardware costs and industry concerns that backward compatibility could cause the console to appear to be a merely a new model of its predecessor or lead developers to prefer making games for the predecessor system. Later, Sony added new development kits for game developers and more PS2 units for consumers. The PS2's built-in functionality also expanded its audience beyond
8722-422: The weapon, though the player cannot shoot while hiding. Certain sections of the game give players a machine gun with unlimited ammo. The player loses a life if hit by a critical bullet or an obstacle, and the game ends when the player loses all lives. Players also lose a life if the time limit (which is replenished after each area is cleared) drops to zero, unlike the first game, where running out of time results in
8820-481: The window, taking her with it. Should Miller fail his pursuit in the arms factory, he will instead be redirected to the parking lot. The third path can be made available if Richard does not activate the claw in time. Instead of entering the factory, he goes directly through the parking lot. After defeating a spider-legged battle tank, Miller disables Kantaris's car, forcing it to crash. If in any of these scenarios Miller fails to take action soon enough, Kantaris escapes and
8918-540: Was Ridge Racer V followed by Geki Kuukan Pro Baseball: At the End of the Century 1999 , Tekken Tag Tournament , Kessen , Dead or Alive 2 and Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball 7 . Marketing for the PlayStation 2 reverted to the same tactic used in the early days of the original PlayStation: use 17-year-olds as the target audience , since younger audiences aspire to be teenagers and older audiences enjoy video games at
9016-510: Was a 22" HD-Ready television which incorporated a built-in PlayStation 2. The standard color of the PS2 is matte black. Several variations in color were produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, transparent blue (ocean blue), and also Limited Edition color Pink, which
9114-509: Was being developed. Chris Deering , then-president of SCEE recalled that there was a degree of trepidation among Sony leaders to produce a console which would recapture or exceed the success of its predecessor. Sony announced the PlayStation 2 on 2 March 1999. Sega's Dreamcast enjoyed a successful US launch on 9 September of that year; fuelled by a large marketing campaign, it sold over 500,000 units within two weeks. "PlayStation 2's real-time graphics have no limitations. That's why I chose
9212-401: Was designing their own chip in-house and had instructed other companies to design rendering chips merely to diversify their options. By early 1997, the press was reporting that a new PlayStation was being developed and would have backward-compatibility with the original PlayStation, a built-in DVD player , and Internet connectivity. However, Sony continued to officially deny that a successor
9310-485: Was distributed in some regions such as Oceania, and parts of Asia. In September 2004, Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision. Available in late October 2004, it was smaller, thinner, and quieter than the original versions and included a built-in Ethernet port (in some markets it also had an integrated modem ). Due to its thinner profile, it did not contain the 3.5" expansion bay and therefore did not support
9408-465: Was met with positive reviews upon release. Edge gave the arcade version the award for 1998 Coin-Op of the Year , above Sega Rally 2 and Get Bass . Edge described Time Crisis II ' s "separate-screen" two-player mode as "one of the most convincing forms of cooperative play ever seen in the arcade". AllGame gave it a score of four-and-a-half stars out of five. Next Generation reviewed
9506-449: Was purchasing the console online through auction websites such as eBay , where people paid over a thousand dollars for the console. The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the PlayStation brand and the console's backward compatibility, selling its entire inventory of 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2000, less than a month after launch. From its launch until the end of 2000 in Japan, its best-selling software
9604-514: Was required for the original models, while the slim models included built-in networking ports. Instead of having a unified, subscription-based online service like Xbox Live as competitor Microsoft later chose for its Xbox console, online multiplayer functionality on the PlayStation 2 was the responsibility of the game publisher and ran on third-party servers. Many games that supported online play exclusively supported broadband Internet access. The PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller retains most of
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