Ps2: Blow the Lid Off! [Paperback]

Brian Underdahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2002

This volume provides information, tips, secrets and advice to expand boxes, enhance performance and maximize the gaming performance using Playstation 2. Achieve a whole new level of game play with this tell-all hardware guide. You'll learn how to network your PS2 and challenge your friends online, and get a glimpse into the gaming industry through "sneak peek" sidebars. Packed with inside tips and advice, this book helps you unlock secret levels, discover hidden characters, and maximize your gaming experience.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Get Your Game On!

Maximize your PS2 with this mind-blowing guide. Author Brian Underdahl reveals the secrets that unlock the full potential of your game console. Learn all about PS2 specs and networking capabilities--as well as cables, controllers, enhancements, memory cards, games, cheat hardware, and more. Plus--informative sidebars and trivia throughout enhance your understanding and enjoyment. With this book, you'll be able to blow the lid off your game machine.

Connect the PS2 to a stereo and a big screen TV for enhanced gaming
Trick out your gaming system, entertainment center--even old gear
Take advantage of great insider benefits using cheat codes, shark codes, and more
Unlock secret levels, hidden characters, and more
Discover all the possibilities offered for multiplayer game options--including online and networked consoles
Utilize memory cards to transport ongoing or saved games between PS2s
Maximize your unit's entertainment possibilities--including audio and DVD playback
Follow online links and magazine game reviews to find the games that best suit your interests

From the Back Cover

Get Your Game On!

Maximize your PS2 with this mind-blowing guide. Author Brian Underdahl reveals the secrets that unlock the full potential of your game console. Learn all about PS2 specs and networking capabilities--as well as cables, controllers, enhancements, memory cards, games, cheat hardware, and more. Plus--informative sidebars and trivia throughout enhance your understanding and enjoyment. With this book, you'll be able to blow the lid off your game machine.

• Connect the PS2 to a stereo and a big screen TV for enhanced gaming
• Trick out your gaming system, entertainment center--even old gear
• Take advantage of great insider benefits using cheat codes, shark codes, and more
• Unlock secret levels, hidden characters, and more
• Discover all the possibilities offered for multiplayer game options--including online and networked consoles
• Utilize memory cards to transport ongoing or saved games between PS2s
• Maximize your unit's entertainment possibilities--including audio and DVD playback
• Follow online links and magazine game reviews to find the games that best suit your interests

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia (October 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072227915
• ISBN-13: 978-0072227918
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,694,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect gift for any PS2 owner, December 6, 2002

By 

Al Boessmann (Cloverdale, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ps2: Blow the Lid Off! (Paperback)

This book really tells you everything you need to know about buying a PS2, picking accessories, setting up your console, and more. It's bound to be a perfect choice for anyone on your list who has or wants a PS2!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A complete waste of cash, November 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ps2: Blow the Lid Off! (Paperback)

This books provides only a little more information than what is described in the PS2 owner's manual. Information provided is very general and the author doesn't go in depth in the sujects treated. In fact, this book may be more handy for someone who doesn't have a PS2 and want a little more information about the console. If you're able to hook-up your VCR to your TV, you don't need this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prying Under the Lid, March 21, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ps2: Blow the Lid Off! (Paperback)

I have to fault Sony for one thing. They really do not want their customers knowing too much about how the PS2 works. For someone like me, who goes back to the Atari 800, this is a bit disappointing. Back in those days there was an entire subculture that lived for tinkering. Times have changed, but I found the manuals for the PS2 almost secretive, when some openness would make good marketing sense.

Well, where there is a niche, someone will eventually rise to fill it. In this case, Brian Underdahl has set down a great deal of information for the newly curious. Early chapters are something of an expanded manual, covering installation, and the basic options needed to make the machine do its best (a later chapter covers playing DVDs and CDs). Then there are chapters on games, connecting to the Internet, and networking machines. The final chapters are on cheating, covering everything from where to go to get hints to gadgets that let you 'fudge' a game. And a chapter on the kind of add-ons that will void your warranty.

The discussion is lucid, honest, and well illustrated. Underdahl deserves credit for going beyond marketing to present straightforward information that will increase you enjoyment of your game machine. I really wanted to find something that took more of a technical deep dive, but I have yet to discover a programmer's tutorial. Even so, I found out several things that will easily save me the cost of the book. For most people who are trying to figure out how to rig their machines, this is a Godsend. Recommended.