The PlayStation officially turns 30 this year, and it just so happens that we share the same age. Released before the turn of the millennium, 1994 was bang in the middle of the nineties and a pivotal moment in gaming history.
Companies like Sony and Nintendo (and SEGA, R.I.P) were competing with one another in the heydays of their blooming empire. It’s safe to say that among all the companies that went on a gaming gold rush back then, Sony and Nintendo dominated the industry.
The official PlayStation website has the timeline of all PlayStation generations.
December 3, 1994, was a turning point for Sony. They released the original PlayStation in Japan, a powerful console that could run the best 2D and 3D games. After the consoles shipped outside Japan to North America and Europe, a whopping 102 million were sold.
While others grew up with the GameCube or the NES, the PlayStation was the first foray into gaming for many, including me.
In this series, we will examine the PlayStation, its successors, and its impact on the gaming landscape. We will also explore my picks for the best games for each console generation.
Starting with the five best original PlayStation games:
Resident Evil 2
No, Resident Evil 2 wasn’t my first game on my PSOne, but it certainly left an impression. CAPCOM’s sequel to their successful survival horror series didn’t quite capture my attention initially, but the moment I stepped inside the Police Station, I knew I was in for a dreadful (and fun) time.
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+ 5Zombies were everywhere. I was in perpetual fear, from mutated dogs to a giant man with a bowler hat. Mind you, I haven’t played any horror games before this. Resident Evil 2 was the first game that scared the crap out of me. I can’t forget the sheer terror of running away from the Lickers and Mr. X.
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
The first time I wore Aku Aku’s mask, I felt like I could take over the world. It was a pure, unadulterated videogame moment where I could bum-rush myself through everything. I was invincible. Then, the succeeding levels got harder, and I realized I was terrible at platformers. I wasn’t sure if I finished the game, but I had a hell of a good time with it.
click to enlarge + 5I still remember the soundtrack playing and the dopamine rush of getting all the Wumpa Fruits. Warped was my first Crash game, so I had no idea who these characters were and why Dr. Neo Cortex was so dangerous. Looking back, I enjoyed how varied the gameplay mechanics were. One moment, I was running from a falling boulder; the next, I was swimming underwater. It was like a fever dream, to be honest.
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 was definitely a major highlight for my PlayStation days. It showed me that video games can tell a good story while retaining its video game elements. I wasn’t into turn-based combat back then, but FFVII’s unique spin on that mechanic grew on me.
Cloud’s inner turmoil left a strong impact on me. It was the first time I was introduced to flawed characters in gaming. Cloud was no hero, but he eventually became one, all thanks to his friends.
click to enlarge + 5I was impressed when I left Midgar after dealing with Shinra; the game suddenly turned into a massive, open-world, globe-trotting adventure to hunt a silver-haired weirdo. I didn’t know a game could do this at the time.
Sure, the Remakes are fantastic, but none can capture the magic of the OG.
Metal Gear Solid
I wasn’t personally invested in Metal Gear Solid back then, but my childhood friend got me into it. He brought a copy to my house, and we played it together on our busted CRT TV. We had no idea what the game was about, and nothing could prepare us for Hideo Kojima’s first sign of brilliance.
click to enlarge + 5Shadow Moses was a cheeky facility with tricky hallways and experimental weapons designed for war. We roamed around, hoping to find answers.
Then the alarms tripped, and the iconic Metal Gear Theme played. That's when we knew we needed to use the environment to our advantage. After that, it taught us patience was key.
It was a stealth game that kept us on the edge of our seats, even when there was no real-life risk. It felt like watching a movie, but you were in control. While everyone remembered their first encounter with Psycho Mantis, I remember fighting Sniperwolf. I lost repeatedly but never gave up. Good times.
Tomb Raider
When talking classic Tomb Raider games, you never forget about Lara's polygonal 'assets.' That’s one of the main things I remember from the original, apart from the frustrating camera and shooting controls.
It was a difficult game. I didn’t finish Crash Bandicoot because I was terrible at platformers, but Tomb Raider also tested my patience. Navigating through the tricky temples was a nightmare, and the fear of random animals trying to ambush me wasn’t very fun.
click to enlarge + 5What made Tomb Raider appealing, however, was that it was a game about adventure. It encourages you to scour every nook and cranny to find keys and items worth your time. It was the first game that taught me situational and environmental awareness. (My time with Tomb Raider taught me how to navigate Elden Ring’s Lands Between.)
There are still more PlayStation games that greatly impacted my childhood, but these five introduced me to things I never thought possible in video games.
In the next article of this series, I will take you on a walk down memory lane once again, this time looking at the follow-up to Sony's debut console with a look at the mighty PlayStation 2.
For more articles like this, take a look at our PlayStation and Lists page.