While the PS3 provides a level of graphics that the last-generation of systems can't touch, there are still many great PS2 games out there worth playing. Unfortunately, playing a PS2 game on the PS3 can be somewhat aggrivating on an HDTV. But, many games have options to improve the graphics somewhat, if you know what to do.
The first option many games have is to set a "widescreen" or "16:9" mode. This is usually found within the settings/options menu. On a widescreen TV, this will keep your graphics from getting "stretched" to fill your TV, and instead display a normal-looking image that is as wide as your TV. That alone can be a big improvement.
But, if you live in an NTSC area (North America/Japan), then there is another way to imrove some games' graphics even further. (Since the PAL PS3's use a software emulation method, I don't know if this method works at all on those machines. I believe they scale games in software anyway.) On North American/Japanese PS3, the first step is to make sure you are connecting your PS3 to your TV using either an HDMI or component cable connection. You should definitely be doing this anyway, as it's the only way to play PS3 games in HD.
The trick on some PS2 games is to enable "480p" or "Progressive" mode from within the game itself. This can, in some cases, make a pretty significant difference in the quality of the picture. Games that support 480p mode, usually use one of two ways to enable it. The first is simply a "480p" or "progressive" option within the games settings or oprion menu. Simply enable this mode and you're ready to play. On other games, a "trick" button combination is pressed when the game loads to enable progressive mode. For those games, when the "Playstation 2" logo is displayed, you want to press and hold the "triangle" and the "x" buttons simultaneously. If you do it right, you be shown a screen asking if you want to test and then enable progressive mode for that game.
Below is a partial list of PS2 games that support 480p resolution, using one of these methods.
Games with 480p (progressive mode) available in the settings/options menu:
ESPN NBA 2K5
ESPN NFL 2K5
ESPN NHL 2K6
God of War
God of War II **(see note)
Gran Turismo 4 (1080i mode also)
Grand Theft Auo: San Andreas (in the "Greatest Hits" release only)
Gun
Hitman: Blood Money
Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Jak 3
Jak X Combat Racing
King of Fighters 2002/2003
Mortal Combat: Deception
Mortal Combat: Armageddon
Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Aresenal
Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
Rise to Honor
Sega Genesis Collection
SOCOM: US Navy Seals
SOCOM 2
SOCOM 3
Star Wars Bounty Hunter
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain
Tekken 5
** God of War 2 has a hidden "high-res" 480p mode (available in the U.S. version) that you can access by holding down L1, L2, L3, circle, and square buttons as the game is booting. You have to do this VERY quickly, and it seems to be easier if you connect the controller to the system witht the USB cable. That way you can hit the PS button very quickly, and then immediately start holding the button combination above. If it works, the legal/copyright screen that comes up before the menu will be in a deep purple color instead of white. You still need to go into the options screen to enable progressive and widescreen output as well.
Games that use the "triangle + x" trick to enable 480p (progressive mode):
24: The Game
Atari Anthology
ATV Offroad Fury 4
Black
Burnout 2
Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout Dominator
Burnout Revenge
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
FIFA '06
Gundam cs. Z Gundam
Juiced
Magna Carta
Mega Man X Command Mission
Mega Man X8
MVP Baseball 2004 and 2005
Primal
Resident Evil 4
Seag Rally Championship
Simpsons: Hit and Run
Soul Calibur 2
Soul Calubur 3
SSX 3
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Tekken 4
Urban Reign
That list is in no way exhaustive. If you want to see if another game is supported, you can check at http://hdgames.net/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Progressive_Scan_PS2_Games to see if others' report that a game supports' 480p mode.
One thing that you should remember, also, is that many PS2 games don't save your preference for 480p mode or widescreen mode, so they will likely need to be reapplied each time you start the game.
Another thing worth mentioning if you have your PS3 connected to a home stereo is that many PS2 games also support Dolby Pro Logic (or, in a few cases DTS) surround sound audio output. Again, the option for this is often off by default, but can be enabled in the games settings/options menu.
In the end, a PS2 game will never look like a PS3 game, but knowing a few tricks can make them look better than they have in the past on an HDTV.
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