I remember standing in line at Yongsan to pre-order the PS2 as soon as it launched in Korea. Back then, were there only like 4 launch titles? Tekken Tag, ICO, and maybe a Jack Nicklaus golf game?
I bought ICO, but I couldn't beat it because it was too hard back then (fun fact: they gave out arcade sticks for pre-ordering at Yongsan). I sold my PS2 before joining the military, rebought it after discharge, then sold it again when I went to study in Japan. 10 years later, I picked up another PS2 for 30k KRW on a secondhand market... but it was a Slim model, and I heard only the 30000 series (Fat) could be modded with an internal HDD. So I sold the 7000 series and bought a 30000. But right after that, I got a job and completely stopped gaming for over 20 years. Maybe a game of StarCraft every now and then.
The weird thing is, despite living alone for work, I actually brought that PS2 with me. But since TVs are gone and I only have an LCD monitor, there's no AV port. I bought a component cable, but it was a cheap knockoff, so the screen only showed up in black and white...
Then this year, while browsing AliExpress, I found a PS2-to-HDMI converter. I plugged it in and booted up the PS2 that hadn't run in over 20 years, and it worked surprisingly well. Plus, the network adapters for HDD modsโwhich were impossible to find back thenโare all over Ali now. I grabbed one and turned my PS2 into a 'Hard PS2' using an old drive I had lying around.
Hooking the HDMI up to a projector and playing felt just like being in an arcade. It was a blast.
I bought an arcade stick from Ali too, and playing Metal Slug with it really made it feel like the old arcade days.
During the Chuseok holidays, I finally had some time, so I started playing in earnest. I finished SOS: The Final Escape 2 and Super Robot Wars 3rd. I even beat RE4, bought a Saulabi stick for 10k KRW on Karrot Market, and got a wireless PS2 pad from Ali. Gaming became super comfortable.
ICO suddenly popped into my head, so I tried to run it... but ICO is a 30Hz game, so it wouldn't work on my LCD monitor. I had to use a mod tool to force the monitor to 30Hz to get it running. But man, the puzzles were still tough....
I put it away again, but then I had to get surgery and stay in the hospital for over a week. I decided to play PS2 emulators on my Galaxy Tab S9. I even bought a DualShock 4 for this... I have tons of pads at home like the OG PS2 and Xbox ones, but since Iโd be in a cast after surgery, I needed something wireless and small enough to fit in my bag, so I went with the PS4 pad.
I tried to play ICO, but the cast was on my wrist and thumb, so I couldn't grip the pad. Plus, I had an IV drip in my left hand, and if I raised my wrist, the blood would flow back up the tube. It was impossible to play normally. So, I put the controller under the bed covers and played by pressing the right-side buttons with my toes.
My legs were cramping and it was a struggle, but being stuck in a hospital for a week makes you feel like you're dying of boredom, so I played like that anyway.
I was genuinely moved when I realized Iโd made it right to the end playing with my feet. But the final stretch had no save points, and my feet were giving out, so I just left the game running like that.
Playing with my feet was brutal, but the next morning, they adjusted my splint while disinfecting the surgical site. It gave my wrist some room, and I could finally move my fingers enough to use the controller properly...
Going from toes to fingers felt like I had wings. I pushed through and saw the ending in one go. To think I bought this game in 2002 during the World Cup when the PS2 first came out, and I'm only seeing the ending now in 2025... Itโs emotional. When I first bought ICO, I hadn't even gone to the army yetโI was a fresh-faced college student. Now I'm a total 'ajusshi' playing games alone in a hospital room. Itโs a bit lonely. Once Iโm discharged, Iโm gonna try to beat RE2 Remake on my new PC.
"A nostalgic trip down memory lane that turns into a hardcore survival story of a gamer playing with his toes in a hospital bed. Users are touched by the dedication to finishing a 23-year-old masterpiece."
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