PS2 Xploder V4

I think over all the game disk was exilent but i still perfer to compleat the game first before i try the cheats

PS2 Xploder V4 - I have used Action Replay or compatible hardware before for my PSOne and Gamecube as a way of opening up old games which I've completed or started to get bored of.

I never had a problem with my other consoles as my PSOne AR wasn't made by Datel and my GCN one was made in partnership with GAME.

When I bought a PS2 AR2 MAX to use the memory and DVD features, I found that it didn't even boot.

It turned out that the bright people at Datel had supplied an old, crusty AR with AR2 MAX's packaging.

If you don't know, the old ones don't work on newer systems.

So, anyway, I went back to the shop a while later and the Xploder V4 (not pro version) was on offer for £19.99 or buy 2 pieces of hardware for $29.99, so I picked it up.

I was kind of confused when I first opened it as there was only a disc, a manual and a piece of paper with notes on inside.

As someone who'd used newer AR kits, I expected the usual branded memory card, and almost took it back thinking it was missing.

Thankfully, I read the manual and found that it used a standard memory card.

This was kind of a downer as other systems provide a card so you don't end up shelling out for more kit (luckily, I have 2 memory cards).

Apart from that, the system has worked great so far and I have only had 2 faulty boots.

One was FF10 with too many codes (made it black and white) and the other was GTA: VC (black screen of death because of codes).

The memory manager takes a while to boot, but it's obvious why as it lets you choose saves from the disc to copy to a memory card.

This means you can get to a point in a game without actually worrying about getting there.

The memory zipping feature is done by AR as well, but Xploder makes it so easy that I no longer care for Datel or their "you must buy this product because we can't keep up with Sony" approach to such things.

I haven't tested the DVD region free features yet, but that's because I have a PS2, X-Box and region free DVD player, so I don't need to.

The fact you have to pay £14.00 extra for a cable is a bit of a pain, but it's not required if you can handle typing.

The menus are done in 3D and offer some neat features such as the ability to rotate them (pressing select flips to the help and so on) which is quite similar to some X-Box demo discs.

Also, if you press either analog stick, you can activate special water effects on the main menu (left + move for ripples that follow your movements and right for rain fall).

If you leave it alone, it'll rain on the menu.

While the Xploder V4 does have it's flaws, it's still a usable cheat system that looks and feel nice and has some useful features (V5 is looking good too).