Console buying advice needed.

[Icy]

I have been resisting the urge to buy a console for some years, as i play mainly text sims and wargames and nothing beats a pc for that, but...

....the thread about MLB 06 The show has changed my mind. I want to play that game, plus a good boxing one, the EA college series and a F1 one. The problem is that those games are only available in consoles. My doubt now is which one to buy. Of course the new Xbox 360 should be the best one, but the lack of available games is not a good selling point. Also as i said before, i want to play MLB the show asap, and it's only available on PS2/PSP.

So the options now are PS2 or PSP. I have found an online shop that sells PS2 with the chip mod installed to be able to play USA games in an Euro PS2. I know it's not so legal to have that chip, but it's a must for me to play USA sports games that are not released in Europe. The price of that modded PS2 is 250€. The main advantages are that you can play in a big TV and the big amount of games available, but on the other hand, i'm afraid of buying it and then to not to find any new game after the PS3 is released in like 6 months or less.

The PSP is another option, the MLB06 game is available, FM06 is available too and just with that two games plus some EA sports titles i could have hours and hours of entertainment when i don't have a big TV or PC available. Also great to play while sitting in front of the TV with my wife as i don't like the reallyties etc. The main problem i see are again the amount of available games and the small screen, i'm not sure i'll enjoy the games in that screen, for example, the FM06 text must be so small to read. A good thing is that you can use it for wireless IE surfing and watching movies. The price in Spain is 250€, exactly like the modded PS2 so the price is not the issue.

What do you guys recomend? do you think that there will be still new PS2 games in the incoming 12 months? Do any of you own a PSP? how is the playing experience on it? isn't it too small? why isn't there an adapator to plug it in a TV? that would be great. About the games i would play in any of those systems would be mainly sport or racing games not available in PC format.

Thanks in advance.

[Kodos]

I'd get the PS2. There will be new games coming out for quite some time. Sony learned from PS1 that having a huge user base for an older console means you can still sell a lot of games.

[Raiders Army]

I'd go with the PS2 over the PSP as well.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'm heavily biased by the consoles my games are landing on so feel free to ignore me ....

BUT seeing as you mentioned FM being present on the PSP as a plus, its also being released on the Xbox360 (and is region free so will be fine to import, same as with the PSP). The GUI has been redesigned so it works fine regardless of the TV used, we use really poor ancient 14'' portable TV's here for screen design testing to ensure that it'll be as usable as possible upon any user setup.

Outside of my natural bias I'd have to suggest the PS-2 if its sports arcade games you're after - simply because its got the most currently and often their PS-2 implemented (imho) is slightly better playabilitywise than other platforms (for instance ISS is imho best on the PS-2).

[Marc Vaughan]

I'd go with the PS2 over the PSP as well.
I'd go with the PS-2 if you're planning to play sitting on a sofa at home, but PSP if you've planning on playing a lot while commuting into work (which is when my PSP gets its workout).

[Eaglesfan27]

If I was making the choice between only getting the PSP or PS2, I would buy the PS2. There continue to be good games of just about every genre made for it.

[Icy]

Thanks for the advice, i just ordered a PSTwo modded to play import games and a 19" TFT TV that should be here at home tomorrow. Of course i would prefer to play in our 32" TV but that would be a fight everyday with my wife and that is why i just bought that smaller one to fit in my computer room.

I was very tempted about the PSP as i like the portable idea, specially now that my wife will give birth in 2 weeks to our new baby and i guess i won't have a lot of time to plug the PSTwo, but definetly to play in a big screen and the amount of sport games reelased, is what made me chose the PSTwo. Dear Marc V, I'll miss playing FM anywhere but i have the PC version and for that kind of detailed games i prefer the PC, i'll use the PS just for action games.

Now, which games do you recomend me to buy?
I already have in my list the following:

MLB06 The Show
EA College Baseball
Nascar 06 Total Team Control
Fight Night Round 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 05

Any other recomendation?

[Eaglesfan27]

Do you want any other genres besides Sports?

[Icy]

Do you want any other genres besides Sports?Action or RPG's i guess, not RTS or strategy games, i prefer the PC for those.

[sabotai]

Action or RPG's i guess, not RTS or strategy games, i prefer the PC for those.2 RPG's I would suggest for PS2 are Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts. (Both are older games so you will be able to get them cheap)

[Eaglesfan27]

Not a cheap older game, but Dragon Quest VIII is a fun RPG for the PS2 as well.

[Marc Vaughan]

If you haven't played it already and want something other than sports which is easy to pick up and fun to play (and if I can finish it then anyone can ;) ) .... get "Destroy All Humans" ... its been out for quite a while, but is still one of the best console FPS sstyle games I've ever played (I played the Xbox version but presume the PS-2 one is pretty similar, most are).

[rjolley]

If you're getting a college basketball game, I would recommend College Hoops 2K6 over EA March Madness. CH2K6 is a lot of fun.

Otherwise, I've got nothin...

[sabotai]

Second the College Hoops 2K6 suggestion. IMO, easily the best console sports game out there (and I'm not a college basketball fan).