All of the Final Fantasy games since the SNES era (with the exception of X) used the ATB (active time battle) system, and are technically not turn-based.

Turn-based battles advance in discrete and ordered turns during which individual combatants are allowed to act. After taking action, combatants must wait for their opponents turn to finish before they are allowed to act again.

Time based systems are based around a perpetually running global clock, and the frequency with which all combatants are allowed act is based on their individual stats (speed,status, attack charge time, etc.) In such a system, combatants do not wait for each other and can take action as frequently as their stats allow.

I never really understood why the FFXII battle system was regarded as such a sharp departure from the rest of the series because it is basically just the same ATB system, albeit with free movement during battle. Personally, I prefer turn-based battle systems, particularly turn-based strategy like in FF Tactics. I am kind of a slow thinker, so I like having time to plan out good strategies. I tend to panic and make a lot of mistakes in real-time battles. I thought the CTB (conditional turn-based) system in FFX was excellent, particularly the way it combined turn-based battles with time based elements that can affect the turn order.

Are you able to boot other PS1 CSs with this PS2? Older systems be a little wonky when booting certain types of disc media, this may be the reason why your copy of MGS1 wont booting properly.

As for MGS2 and 3, that seems like a strange error. It could be that you are not pressing the correct button. In Japan, games typically use O as the "confirm" button whereas this is usually mapped to X in American games. Most of the time they change around the button configuration when games are localized, but sometimes the control scheme is left intact. This can be counter-intuitive and confusing if you are used to things being the other way around.

Pressing X when "Start New Game" is selected will exit back to the title screen, pressing O will start a new game.

*EDIT* Ugh, I type too slow, it looks like you got things straightened out.

When you say the ventilation stopped working, do you mean the fan no longer spins? If this is the case, I don't think removing the top will solve the problem completely. You may notice some improvement, but there will likely still be problems with overheating eventually.

The fan is integral to the cooling process, as it channels cool air through the fins on the heatsink and directs the hot air out of the console. If the fan motor has died, you can order a replacement fan online and install it in place of the old one (best solution). Otherwise you can try leaving the case open and blowing air across the heatsink with an external fan (like the kind you sit in front of on a really hot day).

As to the safety issue, if you are just removing to top of the case you wont be exposing any live wires or high voltage points, so there is not much to worry about. Just make sure you follow a tutorial for opening the case properly, or it could end up like this guys Ps2 :lol:.

If you have RadioShack where you live, it can be found there.

Y-Adapter

...whenever I watch a dvd about halfway through the movie it will be unable to read a disc...bitemeslippy

It sounds like the problem might be occurring when the laser attempts to transition to the second layer of a dual layered disc. The Ps2 is an awesome system, but the DVD laser is definitely its Achilles heel. Many people have also reported disc read errors specifically with dual layered games like Xenosaga or Rogue Galaxy.

As CheeChee_Macko said, disc read errors can sometimes be resolved by cleaning the lasers lens, changing its positioning, or even adjusting the potentiometers that regulate its intensity. You can find online tutorials on how to do all of this, but if you are primarily concerned with playing DVD movies, you may be better off just using a dedicated DVD player.

This question gets asked a lot. There is a very long stickied RPG suggestion thread in the directory of stickied topics at the top of the forum.

I looked at the FAQ on their page, and and the part where they answer "Why do i need a HDCP compliant display?" is referring to what you would need if you were not using the HD Fury. There is no such thing as an HDCP compliant analog connection, so once the signal leaves the HD Fury as analog RGB there is no way for the HDCP signal to continue anyway, meaning this should definitely work for all analog VGA monitors, (providing they can display the resolution being sent from your source.) If you still needed an HDCP compliant monitor then the HD Fury would be useless.