PS2 Multiplayer Mayhem

PlayStation 2 Multiplayer Mayhem

By Le Chupacabra

Being able to snuggle into a sofa with a DualShock 2 controller in hand and a bowl of popcorn on your right side and then becoming lost in a world of high-stakes espionage, blood-and-sweat drenched martial arts battles and epic, sweeping storylines – single-player gaming is surely a great experience.

But there’s still something missing, right?

You’ll find that it’s honestly way more fun when there are other people watching you play. It’s the way they applaud when you pull off an impossibly cool combo in Devil May Cry or as they gasp alongside you with the earth-shattering revelations in MGS3: Snake Eater. That’s when the experience becomes so much more enjoyable.

And even after that, there’s another way to raise the bar for gratification: multiplayer.

Whether you’re fighting for the freedom of Earth alongside them or battling it out furiously over a single black-and-white-chequered ball against them, multiplayer is one of the highest levels of stupor-inducing fun a videogame can offer.

Here’s a small guide to help you get started on some great PS2 Multiplayer Mayhem.

You’ll need:

• A PlayStation 2 console (the surprise is overwhelming, innit?)
• A TV (likewise) – preferably 24” and up especially for 4-player splitscreen, but even 20” works although it’s not recommended for your preciousssss eyeses.
• 2 (two) to 8 (eight) controllers
• In the case of more than 2 controllers – a PS2 Multitap (max. 4 players. If you want to go further to a max. of 8 players, then you’ll need two PS2 Multitaps.)

The set-up is as usual with the A/V (Audio/Video) and power cables being connected at the regular locations. If you’re not sure about this (that is, if you’ve just bought a PS2) then please refer to the PS2 manual for guidance.

For two players, just attach the first controller as you normally do and the second one to the second port. See, easy huh? The PS2 didn’t bite, did it?

For four players, you need said Multitap. The Multitap is attached to the first controller port (the head will take up the primary memory card slot as well). Then add the controllers to the ports on the Multitap itself. Memory cards also have to be inserted into the respective slots on the Multitap to be used.

For eight players, it’s more of the same. Attach the second Multitap to the second controller port, after connecting the first Multitap. Then proceed as usual.

Now that’s done, let’s head on to the actual gaming bit!

(If you’re already versed in all things multiplayer, then skip the next two paragraph and head on to the games list below!)

Now there are essentially two kinds of multiplayer. One type is part of the main story or game mode usually in the form of Co-operative gameplay. Here, you and a friend get to play through the normal single-player mode together as two characters. The story will usually disregard the existence of the second character in that cutscenes normally show one character. It’s not a big deal and since you’re having so much fun, it’s a piddling concern.

The other mode is of course what you normally regard as Multiplayer itself. You get to take on a group of people (or one person) in the form of teams or individuals (referred to as ‘free-for-all’). This mode has a wide variety of options and gaming archetypes. For sports games, it usually ends up as team or free-for-all affairs in normal or tournament-style match sets. For action titles and First Person Shooters, you get a lot more flexibility. Common modifications include free-for-all/team Deathmatches (kill everyone/the opposing team as much as possible while sustaining minimum casualties on your side), Capture the Flag matches (capture the item – usually at the enemy ‘base’ – and bring it back to your base; victory is by scoring more captures than the opponent), Survival matches (where it’s one person versus the rest of everyone else) and others. You can also have bots which are essentially computer controlled AI characters. Bots aren’t usually as intelligent as human opponents are but they add to the numbers and do make the challenges more entertaining. Well, that’s about it in a nutshell. You can take this onto the online arena, but given the abysmal state of the ‘broadband’ (the term is putrid with the smell of sarcasm) connections here, it’s not advised. I tried it and it doesn’t work – and that was with a good ISP. If you want online gaming, stick to the PC.

Right.

Now for the games themselves! While there are literally thousands of games that support multiplayer, not all of them are good. Some are quite pathetic so I’ll list the ones that will truly kick butt and make it worth the trouble. This is still a small fraction of the great multiplayer games that the PS2 can offer. This makes an ideal starting list and if you want more, then please refer to the Internet.

• 007 James Bond: From Russia With Love – 4P, MP
• Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance – 2P, Co-Op
• Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu – 2P, Co-Op
• Brian Lara Cricket International – 4P, Co-Op, MP Vs.
• Burnout 3: Takedown – 2P, MP Vs.
• Burnout Revenge – 2P, MP Vs.
• Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest – 4P, Co-Op
• DarkWatch – 2P, Co-Op
• DragonBall Z: Budokai 3 – 2P, MP Vs.
• FIFA 06 – 4P, MP
• Gran Turismo 4 – 2P, MP Vs.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – 3P, Co-Op
• LEGO Star Wars – 2P, Co-Op
• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – 2P, Co-Op
• Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks – 2P, Co-Op, MP Vs.
• Need for Speed Underground – 2P, MP Vs.
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted – 2P, MP Vs.
• Pro Evolution Soccer 5 – 8P, MP
• Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal – 4P, MP
• Sniper Elite – 2P, Co-Op, MP Vs.
• Soul Calibur III – 2P, MP Vs.
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory – 2P, Co-Op
• SSX 3 – 2P, Co-Op
• Star Wars Racer Revenge – 2P, MP Vs.
• Tekken 5 – 2P, MP Vs.
• The Chronicles of Narnia – 2P, Co-Op
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect – 4P, Co-Op, MP
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 – 2P, MP Vs.
• Top Spin Tennis – 4P, Co-Op, MP Vs.
• We Love Katamari – 2P, MP Vs.
• Winning Eleven 9 International – 8P, MP
• WWE: SmackDown Vs. Raw 2006 – 8P, MP
• X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse – 4P, Co-Op
  

Terms:

xP (where x is the maximum number of players, e.g. 2P = 2 Players)

Co-Op = Co-Operative gameplay for the main story mode

MP = Normal multiplayer options as stated above

MP Vs. = Usually for fighting games, 1-on-1 gameplay