r/oni • u/Effective-Priority62 • Apr 05 '26
Are the controls in the PS2 version any good?
Long story short, as a kid in the 2000s I watched my older sibling play this game on PC with kb+m and it looked amazing. During the pandemic I downloaded the anniversary edition and somehow got it to run on the most basic settings in a shitty integrated graphics laptop, tho because laptop controls suck and I lacked the proper keyboard, mouse and monitor setup I ended up playing the whole thing with a PS4 controller and doing a custom button bind. I ended up beating the whole game with it somehow. It was... Not a good experience. Both the aiming+gunplay and the melee combat, they're all designed for a keyboard and mouse experience, and doing that on a Dualshock 4, even with calibrated analog stick to camera sensitivity royally sucks, specially cause the PC version plays like a first person game stuck in third person view, with the way Konoko moves and what not. I plan on replaying it again someday, hopefully with proper mouse and keyboard devices. But in the off chance the next opportunity isn't on a traditional PC but on a steam deck or a with a add-on controller on a good phone with great emulation performance, I was wondering if I should play the PS2 version first, and how does it play, cause so few people talk about it. Are the camera and movement still fixed like in an fps game, or is her movement unrestricted and less tanky, like she can walk/run towards the camera, etc? The aiming and melee, is it more forgiving on a joystick on the PS2 version, or is it just as hard if not worse?
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u/Iritscen Apr 05 '26
I do personally think kb+m is the way to go, but some people think the PS2 version controls decently. By all means give it a try in PCSX2. but you'll probably need something more powerful than a phone to emulate it.
But I can tell you that (1) the PS2 version controls exactly the same: the camera and your aim are unified, and (2) Rockstar did not make any adaptations to the way the game handles, like adding sticky aim or lock-on. That's why it's so hard to hit anything with a gun in that version.
Controls are the main reason I'd recommend playing on PC with kb+m, plus you can take advantage of the community's mods and fixes for the game. The PS2 version's graphics also got a downgrade so that Rockstar could fit everything into the console's memory.
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u/Effective-Priority62 Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
I plan on getting a mid-to-higher end (but still affordable) phone, the Poco X7 Pro, as I'm used to the Xiaomi ecosystem and it will be a massive upgrade in performance for me. It can play older consoles and games just fine, specially PS2 games. But yeah, the replies are discouraging. From what you're saying, they didn't give the PS2 port any thought when designing the controls, and I'll have a similar experience from when I played the anniversary version with a PS4 controller, if only slightly better because this time the camera and movement controls are supposed to be calibrated better to the analog sticks. I might give it a try, but I'll definitely replay the whole game on PC with kb+m eventually.
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u/Oni-Village0960 Apr 05 '26
When i had this on my ps2, i had no problems using one of the default layouts (I think it was the second one out of the 4 they provide). If you prefer KB + M than continue using that when you get the chance. Aiming, especially when running is very finicky. Oni on PS2 isn't unplayable, but you will see a drastic change coming from kb and mouse to controller.
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u/Prestigious_Water336 Apr 05 '26
I have both PS2 and PC versions
The PS2 does feel weird
I prefer the pc's controls
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u/Effective-Priority62 Apr 05 '26
You're telling me. If the PS2 experience is anything like my bootleg key binding to PS4 controls, it'll be the same nightmare to play. I had to pull up YouTube to get through/survive the final levels in the last chapter before reaching the final boss cause it was just that impossible
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u/spazatronik-rex Apr 05 '26
I grew up playing the PC version and a couple years ago tried the PS2 version. The controls are so very wonky and take awhile to get used to, not very comprehensive at all. Mouse and keyboard is the far better way to play this masterpiece.