Easy Way to Play a Japanese PS2

Selecting the Game

• Your best bet is to select games that have English in their menus. Many Sony PlayStation 2 games produced in Japan actually have menus combining English and Japanese. This makes navigation of the menus much easier for players who cannot read Japanese. To ensure you buy games with English in their menus, ask to play a demo of the game at the store. If this is not possible, check the back cover of the game case for screen shots showing an English-language menu.

  In the short run, playing by trial-and-error may not be the quickest or easiest way to play a Japanese PS2. However, in the long run, trial-and-error will familiarize you with the common Japanese menu options, and render future game play easier. The trail-and-error approach is best because it will enable you to purchase a wider variety of games, and will does not necessitate the illegal downloading of software or modification of your game console's hardware. As an added benefit, the trial-and-error approach can lead to a player becoming familiar with some of the basics of the Japanese language, making further game play even easier.

  For the most part, arcade-style games, shooters, racing and puzzle games lend themselves to this trial-and-error approach. However, the more complicated role-playing games (RPGs) and strategy games, or any game with a very involved storyline, may soon prove frustrating. For example: You might make it all the way to the end of the samurai RPG ̶0;Tengo 2̶1; only to find that finishing the game requires you to read through three screens of text and then choose the appropriate response out of three choices.

Using Online Guides

• Many websites provide guides to PS2 games. By consulting these online sources, you should be able to find out if the game you wish to play includes English instructions or not. The surest method is to find a source that provides screen shots of the menu screens in English. Comparing these screens to the one on your TV will help you through more complicated menu choices. These online guides also will provide you with valuable walkthroughs, or detailed instructions on how to get through each level or scene of a game, and storyline details. Print out the walkthroughs and keep them close when you play.

Moding the System

• Japanese PS2 consoles read and play only NTSC-formatted discs. NTSC is the standard of video formatting used in most Asian countries; North America and Europe tend to use the PAL formatting standard. NTSC-formatted software or video cannot be read on PAL hardware and vice versa. To get around such region-specific formatting standards, many people have chosen to mod consoles so they can read discs produced in non-NTSC regions. However, such mods--requiring altering the internal hardware of the console--can be difficult. Moding will invalidate your warranty, and there is no guarantee that such mods will work: Sony has built many methods of detection into their hardware and software to protect against moding and bootleg software.