1. It hasn't been like that since the start. It's been like that ever since the WotG release and got worse after the point where almost all ps2 users had the HDD issue they had to patch.

2. SE customer service will tell you SE no longer actively supports the PS2. They do not actively work on bugs unless it completely removes the ability to sign on, and the only support for PS2 they show is allowing it to play content, at a greatly inferior level.

3. PS2 is cancer.