In 2003, Sycamore will...

And that's probably a good bet. They're getting ripe for a price drop, mostly to hurt Microsoft. We'll see.

PS2 essentials and prices as seen by Dave

- console, $200
- spare controller, $25
- memory card double pack, $40 (cheaper than just buying two, and you'll want the second one eventually)
- grand theft auto: vice city, $50

Now, if you're just going 1-player for a while and want to trim costs, you can drop the second controller and memory card, which puts your start-up cost at around $275. GTA will keep you occupied for a long while if you really get into it. There are a host of other great games though, many of which can be had pretty cheap. In particular, I would recommend Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ($20). It's not the latest in the series, but it is definitely a steal for the price now that it's on the Greatest Hits lineup. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is also $20 now and should be had if you ever played and liked the first one.

Pretty much anything on this list is worth having - just read the review first and try to determine if you'd like it.

http://ps2.ign.com/scores_9.html