Playstation 30th Anniversary

[telekill]

I've been with the Playstation brand since Christmas 1995... essentially from the start for N. America, and I thought it would be neat to have a Playstation appreciation thread, celebrating 30 years of the brand. We can get a discussion going on what our favorite Playstation era was, which games come to mind when thinking of each system, and where we think the platform is headed. While I'm going to be starting with PS1, this thread is for all Playstation systems across the 30 years, so dive into the conversation however you want.



Before the PS1 released, I was a Sega kid and looking forward to seeing what the Saturn had to offer. When the E3 editions of GamePro, EGM and other gaming magazines came out for their launch years, I read every detail for both systems probably a dozen times.

I looked at what each system offered in terms of games but also price, and I was only 14 years old at the time. I had no job to speak of and I had no reason to believe that I would be given one for the upcoming Christmas season.  Sony announced the Playstation would be a hundred bucks cheaper than the Sega Saturn, at the $299.99 mark and that caught my attention first.

Then I saw the games and accessories coming to the system. I thought the controller looked much better than the Saturn's. Then the memory cards looked like a fun piece of tech to own. Frankly, I wish Playstation still used memory cards like that. The game that really made me turn from Sega though... was Oddworld. Sure, they showed a CG video of the game followed by gameplay, but the graphcis at the time blew my mind. Then adding Wipeout, Ridge Racer, Destruction Derby and quite a few others they showed... and there was no way I was getting a Saturn.

Other notable games:
 - Dino Crisis 1 & 2
 - Resident Evil series
 - Tomb Raider series
 - Need for Speed series
 - Twisted Metal 2

[kamikazekeeg]

Fun note for PS5 folks that haven't found out already, but there's a limited time option that they just added that lets you tweak the theme abit so you can have a kinda goofy banner, but also audio from all era's of Playstation as your startup and menu.  Might just stick with PS1, but PS2 is also a possibility for me.  I really hope they change their mind on it being limited, it should be a permanent option.

As for my history, I didn't own a PS1, but I played it at a buddies house, the game I remember most there being Final Fantasy 7 as we played through that together.  I mostly played PS1 at a local card shop who had one so I would hang out there and play some of my favorite games on the system like Twisted Metal 2, Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot, etc...

I went in proper with Sony on PS2, as I did eventually get an Xbox, but that was mostly just for Halo,  so I played most games of that era on PS2 and stuck with it with an original that I got for my Birthday and then bought myself a slim later on as I didn't need the HDD option for anything that I remember.

After that, I skipped PS3, went 360 that era, and didn't get a PS3 till sometime before the PS4 came out as family grabbed me a slim on the cheap and while there weren't a lot of games I was interested in, there were a few decent ones.

For PS4 I came back and got back into things for Sony, stuck through that, though I don't remember exactly when I got a PS4, maybe a couple years after it came out I think...It was probably a couple years before the Pro came out as I upgraded to that at the time.

And I'm here for PS5, enjoying certain games for sure, though not as much as in the past, but a lot of that is also because I'm a PC gamer primarily, meaning I mostly just go to console gaming for when very specific exclusives come out or I feel like it's a game that doesn't matter if I get it on PC or not, like most retro collection releases I tend to just buy for Switch or PS5 now.

[kashell]

Fun note for PS5 folks that haven't found out already, but there's a limited time option that they just added that lets you tweak the theme abit so you can have a kinda goofy banner, but also audio from all era's of Playstation as your startup and menu.  Might just stick with PS1, but PS2 is also a possibility for me.  I really hope they change their mind on it being limited, it should be a permanent option.

Thanks for the tip! I'm using the PS2 option since it's my favorite console of all time.

[telekill]

When Sony announced PS2 would play all my PS1 games, continuing with the brand was a no brainer. Most of what I was excited for didn't release until the following year (2001) so I waited until early that year to pick one up. Regardless of waiting the six months, the system was still insanely difficult to find but I managed.

The first game I got for it that really excited me was Onimusha. Absolutely incredible game for the time. I found that games like Midnight Club and Smugglers Run were also a lot of fun.

One of my favorite games of the generation was Resident Evil Outbreak. It was the first online multiplayer Resident Evil game and it was a blast. Capcom had also announced it would support the PS2's HDD add on so to play it at its best, I picked up the HDD, the network adapter and a USB keyboard to communicate with the other players. To this day, it was the only game I ever used the HDD for.

Other notable favorite games:
 - Prince of Persia SoT
 - God of War
 - ICO
 - Max Payne
 - GTA Vice City
 - Amplitude

[dhaabi]

I've been wanting to delve into the PlayStation's library—especially its earlier titles and more iconic franchises—so the thirtieth year anniversary for the brand seems like a good time for it. I've played so little of what the system is known for and where many series synonymous with the brand made their start. After coming up with a list of forty titles or franchise debuts that I think most exemplify the system, I've only played played and beaten four. I own seven others, so perhaps playing through some of those will be a personal goal for the upcoming year.

The game that really made me turn from Sega though... was Oddworld. Sure, they showed a CG video of the game followed by gameplay, but the graphcis at the time blew my mind.

Did Oddworld meet your expectations? I tried playing through it probably close to ten years ago but was having difficulty with it at the time, so I retired my playthrough. I'd like to start it again sometime, though.

[telekill]

I've been wanting to delve into the PlayStation's library—especially its earlier titles and more iconic franchises—so the thirtieth year anniversary for the brand seems like a good time for it. I've played so little of what the system is known for and where many series synonymous with the brand made their start. After coming up with a list of forty titles or franchise debuts that I think most exemplify the system, I've only played played and beaten four. I own seven others, so perhaps playing through some of those will be a personal goal for the upcoming year.

The game that really made me turn from Sega though... was Oddworld. Sure, they showed a CG video of the game followed by gameplay, but the graphcis at the time blew my mind.

Did Oddworld meet your expectations? I tried playing through it probably close to ten years ago but was having difficulty with it at the time, so I retired my playthrough. I'd like to start it again sometime, though.

It's definitely a punishing game, but yes, it lived up to my expectations. Beat it once about a year after release. It all came down to memorization.

[wolff242]

I'm using the PS3 theme (I also really hope they keep these) because I've never touched a PS1 or PS2 so there is no nostalgia there for me.

I only found out this year that my PS3 could play PS1 games, so I picked a few up since then. Someday I may get a PS2 since I have a nice stack of games.

I started with the 360, then a year or so later picked up a PS3 (Uncharted 3 launched so I bought the UC3 console as it looked way too good to resist...still barely played the game though...lol

PS4 was OK, but I'm loving my PS5 so far (Using it to play my PS4 games anyway)

[bikingjahuty]

The Playstation has been my goto console of choice more or less since the PS2. I've always primarily games on Sony consoles when it came to multiplats, and up until the PS5, it had the bulk of console exclusives I had any interest in. While back in the 90s I was primarily in camp Sega or Nintendo depending on the console generation, the PS1 has been a long time favorite of mine, and is likely a top 5 console of all time for me. I have so many wonderful memories of each Playstation console, with maybe the exception of the PS5 on account of how new it is and I'm honestly not a big fan of it. I'm really hoping Sony gets its act together and doesn't ruin the Playstation brand with the inevitable PS6, which I fear will be free of physical media, heavily subscriber based, and likely have few worthwhile console exclusives, at least in the AAA space. Still, overall, Sony consoles have been among my favorites for a very long time and that'll never change even if the future of the Playstation brand is grim. Here's how I'd rank the Playstation consoles, including the handhelds.


1. PS1
2. PS4
3. PS2
4. PS3
5. PSP
6. PS5
7. PS Vita

[Cartagia]

Fun note for PS5 folks that haven't found out already, but there's a limited time option that they just added that lets you tweak the theme abit so you can have a kinda goofy banner, but also audio from all era's of Playstation as your startup and menu.  Might just stick with PS1, but PS2 is also a possibility for me.  I really hope they change their mind on it being limited, it should be a permanent option.

Thanks for the tip! I'm using the PS2 option since it's my favorite console of all time.

Twinses!

[starwindamada]

My first experience with Playstation was playing Crash Bandicoot and Battle Arena Toshinden at my friend Kyle's house. At the time I only had an NES. I was blown away by the graphics. Then I discovered FF7.

[marvelvscapcom2]

I first started playing playstation brand consoles maybe when I was 3.  My dad used to play gran turismo 2 on PS1 and had the puma graphics on the mitsubishi 3000gt.  Then I began a crash bandicoot ganer.  My brother brought over the mini screen with a game called loaded! It was so gorey and really got me into Playstation.  PS2 is my childhood.


Favorite game for each


PS1 - Crash Team Racing
PS2 - GTA Vice City and Kingdom Hearts
PS3 - Ratchet And Clank And Guitar Hero 5
PS4 - Spiderman Miles Morales and Stray
PS5 - Resident Evil 2 remake

[kashell]

The only reason why I wanted a PlayStation was for FFVII. Everything else I played prior to that point weren't my vibe or very fun: some sports game, Jump Flash (?), Twisted Metal...

And then, it gets announced that FFVII is going to the PlayStation and that was all the convincing I needed that I had to get one. It took a while, and in that time, A LOT of other RPGs headed to the console. Four of my top ten games of all time are on the PlayStation. I guess the rest is history because I've been a fan ever since. I'd rank the consoles like this:

1. PlayStation 2
2. PlayStation
3. PlayStation 5
4. PlayStation 4
5. PlayStation 3
6. PS Vita
7. PSP

Note that I really enjoyed my PSP. It just hasn't aged well and stood zero chance against Nintendo's handheld market.

[telekill]

Continuing the celebration, I honestly feel the PS3 and its generation as a whole was the pinnacle of gaming. Series like Uncharted, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Witcher were born, among many others that were just incredible. The leap to HD was fantastic and honestly, I had underestimated how much difference the clarity would be.

If you were lucky enough to get one of the original models, then you had the ability to play the two previous gens on it. I still question why Sony removed the PS2 playback, but whatever.

Aside from the above mentioned, the reimagining of Warhawk was an incredible game. I still consider it one of the few games that did motion controls right and there's no convincing me otherwise. Not even the original Uncharted did a good job with motion controls (throwing grenades).

I can't believe PS3 will be 20 years old in 2 years. 

[turf]

The ole PlayStation. I wasn’t a Sony guy back in the day. We never had one in our house, but my teenage buddy turned hetero-lifemate (we’re still super-tight) had one. We were huge into In the Zone and NBA Live. We played a little Twisted Metal and Tekken. It wasn’t my console of choice. Honestly, it still doesn’t do much for me.
When PS2 came around, I was a broke ass college student. A different friend found one. This thing was pretty cool. It played DVDs! It had some killer games. I was lowkey jealous of a few of the releases. I was an Xbox guy anyway. We eventually got GTA3 and Vice City.  Eff Sony.

I had my big boy job when PS3 hit. I tried the buy one the night it launched, just to flip it. No dice. I wanted the XBox 360 anyway. I got one of those. About 2 years later I bought one for $5 at a yard sale. It wouldn’t come on so they were selling it as broken. It had been pulled off and hit the floor. I reseated the bed and did a hard reset. She fired right up. I still have it. There were some cool games on this thing. I loved Dragon’s Crown and all the Sony collections that helped me catch up on things like God of War, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper. I’m not mad at this console at all.

This was about 2014. There was a glitch on Amazon. It showed a PS4 for $89. I figured it would be cancelled, and I knew Walmart price matched Amazon. So, I took my phone and matched into the Walmart electronics department. I came home with a PS4. I’ve played a lot of it. I’m in the PlayStation world now. GTA 5, Spider-Man, and the Greatest Game of All-Time, Red Dead Redemption 2. I’m for it. It was the console this generation.

Now, I’m about a month deep into the PS5. I waited and got the Pro. Games are what matter and there’s not a ton for me so far. Spider-Man 2 is all I’ve made it to. I have Avatar and I’m wanting Indiana Jones and of course, GTA 6.

I didn’t have a past with Sony, but here we are. I’m a PlayStation fan. They won me over, and it was a long fight.