It may be a little premature of me to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation. In Australia our 20th anniversary is in November . Regardless of that fact I just can’t wait any longer! I have seen so many amazing people post their history with the console. From their favourite games they played as a child to moments they shared playing with friends and family. The little PlayStation One holds a place in many people’s hearts.

The Playstation console was my second home console and the first console where I started to take gaming seriously. The first home console I owned was the Sega Master System II and although I loved the console, I would often need my mum to help me get through the tricky areas of Alex Kidd. I suppose I was just too young to appreciate the system.  With the PlayStation I started to spend hours trying to beat games, begging my parents to leave the console on overnight when I couldn’t save. There was nothing worse than waking up early, running to the lounge room and seeing that the power light was off. It was devastating.

Here are my top five games that I invested time into as a youngling. Nostalgia may or may not be present.

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

One of my favourite games of all time. I can’t even begin to understand how people can say that Rayman Origins is the best Rayman game. To me Rayman 2 was the pinnacle of the Rayman series. That isn’t to say that Rayman Legends isn’t a good game. You don’t spend hours speedrunning Dragon Soup for the platinum when you hate the game. My PlayStation stopped reading memory cards so I was forced to beat this game without a save. A scary feat for a primary school child! I would beg my parents not to turn the console off when I went to bed as I was almost at the end of the game.
The first time I got to the final boss I couldn’t beat it. The second time I tried – I did it! I remember my little brother watching me as I twisted and turned avoiding all of the oncoming missiles.

I can still remember some of my most hated areas. ‘The Sanctuary of Water and Ice’ still haunts me. As well as the final level where you have to ride on the missile – looping in the air. I felt like a real hero when I finally did that. Phew!

I really hope one day they make another Rayman game like this. Something a little more serious. I miss it.

2. Final Fantasy VIII

My favourite game of all time. In no way can I fault the game at all. Even the story that is highly criticized – I loved. The characters and the settings were lovely. The story really sucked me in. I was so incredibly invested in the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. It helped that this game was not only my first Final Fantasy but also my first serious RPG. I had never played anything like this before and I was amazed that you could become so involved in a gaming world.

The most important feature of Final Fantasy VIII to me is Triple Triad. I absolutely love the mini game. Even down to Shuffle and Boogie being my favourite track from the OST. I spent hours collecting as many different cards as I could. When I stopped playing Final Fantasy VIII, I moved my love for Triple Triad online. I spent so many afternoons versing people from all over the world. Thanks to the Triple Triad app, I am now doing exactly that again!

3. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

Lights out. Guerrilla Radio. So many fond memories of co-oping this with my brother. At the time we were almost evenly matched. With him beating me just a little more frequently that I would beat him. We spent so many school afternoons roaming around the school area – trying not to get hit by the crazy buggy. There was something hilarious about being taken out by a psychotic person in a buggy.

When we weren’t harassing that poor guy we would find ourselves playing Graffiti and Horse. I remember Graffiti being a lot of fun. Definitely more enjoyable than Horse. I suppose that just may be the fact that I was incredibly bad at Horse. That sure does suck the enjoyment out of things.

 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

My favourite Crash game as a child purely due to the fact that you got to ride on Polar. Those were my favourite segments of the whole game. Trying to dodge the Orcas while speeding through levels.

Over the years I have almost meant to go back to the Crash games and go through them more thoroughly. Taking the time to collect the gems and see if I could 100% the games. I wonder if the games would hold up to how I viewed them as a child.

5. Spyro the Dragon

I think everyone had to have loved this little purple guy as a child. I thought he was amazing. (Please use him for more than Skylanders.)

Spyro also brings me back awful memories of trying to catch those nasty little egg bandits and very rarely succeeding. I am sure to this day they would still elude me.

Special Mention – Rugrats: Search for Reptar

Mini golf. Mini golf. Mini golf. Mini golf.

Isn’t that why everyone played this game?

I still find myself looking for PlayStation games that I have missed. I feel that I am blessed due to the fact that graphics don’t impact me at all. I am confused by the people who refuse to play games with dated graphics. They are missing out on so many wonderful games.
What are your five most played games of the PlayStation era?