PlayStation 2 for Dummies (Paperback)

by Dan Amrich (Author) "That's an expensive toy" is the reaction I sometimes get from non-gameplaying friends when I tell them about my PlayStation 2..." (more)
Key Phrases: Dual Shock, Street Fighter, Everyone Platform (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Don't worry. Playstation 2 for Dummies is not a how-to book about a computer that's sold exclusively for entertainment purposes. Unlike most books in the Dummies series, this one is more of a catalog than a user's guide. Dan Amrich--an editor of GamePro magazine--explains how to assemble and configure a Sony PlayStation 2 system and reveals quite a few cheat codes, but stops short of describing really interesting tweaks (like "chipping" your U.S. PS2 to run Japanese games) in detail. This is mostly an annotated list of PS2 games, weakened a bit by the fact that Amrich almost never writes anything negative about a game.

The burning question is, why? Even though Amrich is clearly a PS2 aficionado, and he's aptly documented the state-of-the-art in PS2 hardware and software, it's unclear what unique value this book provides. The universe of gamers has access to several print magazines and hundreds of Web sites dedicated to the same subjects Amrich covers. Most of them will be more up-to-date than this book, in terms of PlayStation news and game releases, within two months. Browsing this book will mostly entertain those unfamiliar with the PS2 scene ("Hm, a game entitled Bloody Roar, and another called Theme Hospital..."). --David Wall

Topics covered: The Sony PlayStation 2 game unit and DVD player--how to set it up, use it, and win at the games. A long, annotated list of PS2 games fills most of the book. Each write-up includes information about the game's theme, objective, notable features, and sometimes cheat codes, as well as details about publisher, price, and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) age-level rating.

Product Description
With its Internet port, DVD player, and computing muscle -- not to mention its next-generation graphics -- Sony Playstation 2 is today's hottest entertainment platform. Written by the experts at GamePro magazine, this friendly guide shows you how to have more fun with Playstation 2, from the inside scoop on gaming techniques and video applications to a game directory complete with tips, tricks, and cheats.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764508334
• ISBN-13: 978-0764508332
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #935,699 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An incomplete game list, October 17, 2001

By	Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This book disappointed me a great deal. The first five chapters discuss the very basics of PS2 -- while it reads better than the half-baked English in the PS2 user's guide, the information is just too basic. The second part, printed on yellow pages, lists about 200 games and gives game summary info as well as hints for a few of them. No, not all 200 games are for PS2 only; many, if not most, are actually PSX games, but they are here because the author and his collaborators think they are worthy games. Okay, I can buy that, but there's very little about each game -- esp. the ones many people are unfamiliar with -- that tells us why exactly we should spend money on it. Detailed information about all these games can be found on GameSpot.com, so I felt a bit sore about spending $15 on this book which turns out to have so little useful information.

My advice: there's nothing in this book you can't find on any good PS2 fan sites, so save your money and head over to the Net for better information that's also free.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Playstation 2 Info Motherlode!, April 21, 2001

By	Gael Haggison (Scotland, Ontario) - See all my reviews

At last, a Playstation 2 guide that's legible, understandable, entertaining, and above all useful! If you have a PS2 or know that you will be getting one, you need this book. The manual that comes with the PS2 is incomplete and virtually useless as far as the finer points of PS2 useage are concerned. Throw it away and replace it with this beautiful, timely tome. If game hardware manufacturers (and even game developers) would hire the author to write their manuals, the game world would be a much more understandable place for both newbies and hardcore gamers alike. Perhaps one day the reading materials provided with games and game hardware will actually be more entertaining than the games themselves. This is certainly a step in that direction.

1.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, not much here for me, February 18, 2009

By	T. H. Pendergast - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought it for some insight on troubleshooting my PS2, disk read problems. Not much there, unfortunately. That in it's own self wouldn't be a killer, but the fact that the book is 2/3 "guide to games" cinches the deal. It's from 2001, so there are no games since then included in the guide. If you just bought a PS2 (like I did) and you find this for a buck at a flea market, it might be worth it.