This story is more about how I got my PS2. I was 15 when PS2 launched here in North America. I had been saving spare change for maybe 2 years. I didn't really know why I was saving it. When I had read an article about the PS2 in EGM, I knew exactly what I'd be spending that money on.
I didn't get one at launch, but did get one shortly after. I had a little over $400 when PS2 released, except pennies cuz screw that. This was before Coin Star, so me and a friend had to roll the change the old fashioned way. We didn't have a car so we had to walk it to a bank. We stuffed it all in a gym bag, but it was too heavy and ripped the bag. The bank was too far to carry all the way to the bank, so I used my skateboard to roll it there. The clerk at the bank told us she wasn't supposed to exchange money for change in that large of quantities unless I had an account. I explained what it was for and the effort we'd put into getting it there and she gave us a break. We then walked to my friend's house to get his skateboard and rode them to the nearest place that carried a PS2, which was about 40 minutes away on a skateboard. When we got there, we bought one along with SSX, an extra controller, and a memory card.
We played so many hours I couldn't count. I of course got a few other games later for Christmas and rented several more. I'll always have a place in my heart for the PS2 and so many of the great games released for it. Especially, some of the earlier games like Onimusha. That's an HD collection I'd love to see.
