by Jacob Robertson

Created on: July 02, 2008

Ah, yes, the ever illusive 8 mb memory card. If you are lucky enough to spot one of these in the wild I salute you.

How droll, how utterly unique that someone has decided to discuss at length the ins and outs of this magnificent way to store your game progress. Here I am searching through the video game reviews looking for something I've played long enough to have an opinion on and there it was staring me in the face! That little plastic card that goes in the front of my PS2. How long has this little wonder gone unheralded? Too long my friend, too long.

Most people don't spend a lot of time ruminating on game saves. It's just a natural progression when you bought a PS2. You had to get a little memory card so you could play a reasonable time until you reach a satisfactory location in your imaginary 3-D rendered polygonal game space and then you could save, and oh such sweet satisfaction a game save brings! After battling through the digital hordes to run up to that little glowing patch of computer real estate, press start or the triangle button and there you are, safe!

I always get this sense of comfort and security from saving, particularly when the game developers are thoughtful enough to place that sweet succulent save location just before that highly irritating controller tossing boss battle. It is obviously a case of unprecedented altruism that in my sixty dollar game I have these respites to collect my wits about me and what better to do it with than my beloved 8 mega byte memory card.

I had better check my PS2 to see if I do in fact have an 8 MB memory card. Hold on a moment.

Thank the maker! I do have an 8 MB memory card and on its bright yellow plastic exterior reads the following cryptic collection of words.

Playstation 2
8 MB Memory Card
MagicGate
NYKO
Made in China

I remember specifically purchasing this grip bumped, thumb indented ergonomic memory card. It was the cheapest in the store and a solemn duty fell upon the guy behind the counter to tell me with heavy heart and utter contempt for off brand products that he could not guarantee that my game saves would be safe with the cheaper card.

Oh woe. Oh pity. Oh impending doom. I may one day lose my footing in the digital world due to an off brand 8 MB crap memory card! It chills me to this day that my memory card may greet me some long distant future with an error message that it has given up the ghost and has mysteriously banished my God of War saves to the ether from which they sprung. It's a wonder that I can sleep at night with the enormity of this third party 8MB memory card curse that the Gamestop employee had bestowed upon my weary gaming shoulders.

Good thing I bought that optional internal 40 GB hard drive. Boo Yah!

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