Activision & Gamespy got it down..

[J.J. Maxx]

I just want to say that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the PS2 is the perfect online game. Its completely free. No monthly fee, no hidden charges, just use your internet connection that you already have.

I just wanted to say that I've been playing THPS3 online since October and I don't see how I would ever be able to pay to play a game online.

We already pay 50 bucks for the game. I'm glad Activision and Gamespy have it set up like this. They are ahead of their time and its no surprise that Tony Hawk is like the number one selling game on the PS2. ;)

I think all games should go this route.

[Rijuhn]

I couldn't agree more. I wish all online games were like that, unless it's an RPG, because they "heavier" games to play online thank sports or an FPS.

[vegeta1215]

Does your PS2 dial-up to a internet connection, or do you split the current connection you already have? I've always been curious to how online games work with consoles...

[MottZilla]

My question is could I use my DSL service with the PS2... Could I?

[J.J. Maxx]

Well I have cable and I split the cable and I use a USB Etherfast adapter and log in...

[Mak-X]

Seganet was free until it wasn't doing well enough and Sega dropped the ISP and made it a pay service for all seganet games. I'd hate to pay to play for online games too. It also depends on the kind of game it is though. If its a MMORPG like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI its going to be pay because the server that supports thousands of players at once is expensive. Hopefully most games that are simple 2-4 player online games will just allow you to connect to some sever and then host your own game. Just about every PC game should have free multiplayer because people can set up their own servers, unless its a MMORPG where the company needs a giant and well maintained server to run the game. I guess the only reason console online gaming wouldn't be free is that it costs the companies money to run game servers, and maybe they're trying to make money from it.

I wish I had a Dreamcast and a ISP that works for it back when Phantasy Star Online first came out so I could play it for free (and all the other games like Quake 3).

Starcraft and Diablo 2 wouldn't have been so successful if it weren't for Blizzard's free online gaming service, battle.net. Battle.net is payed for by the games sold though, and they don't do advertising anymore besides for their own merchandise.

[MottZilla]

Well JJ, I have DSL through a USB DSL modem. Do you think with it it'd be possible to use on a console suh as the ps2? I've never tried getting online on a console.