My #PlaystationMemories

Ok Sony, you asked for it. With the PlayStation 4 announced, and #PlaystationMemories floating on Twitter here is a journey down my personal, Playstation memory lane.

The only PS1 shot I could find in my photos (that’s @Howrobot in the pic)

I got into the PS1 pretty late in the game. I don’t remember the exact year (1995? 1996?), but it was a birthday present from an ex-girlfriend. Up until that point I was 100% a Nintendo gamer.

Despite the late start I still played the hell out of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus, Resident Evil 2 & 3 as well as Parappa the Rapper. I also have fond memories of Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi multiplayer though apparently that game is widely reviewed as shit. Other notable games that come to mind from my PS1 days are Syphon Filter, Coolboarders,  Hot Shots Golf & Tomb Raider.

My Nintendo consoles were all but abandoned during my PS1 days and I remained tight with the system until the Dreamcast launched on Sep 9, 1999. Not so much the same for my ex who gave me the PS1, but that’s another story.

Finally home with my PS2 at 2:40am after a midnight launch at EB Games

Post-Dreamcast, my Playstation didn’t get much game time. That didn’t stop me from pre-ordering and picking up a Playstation 2 at a midnight launch though in October of 2000. I grabbed the console for $299.99 as well as Dead or Alive 2, Midnight Club, and SSX to get things rolling (games were $49.99 each).

Though I was there at the start of the PS2, I’m having a hard time remembering the games I played on the system. Katamari Damacy, Taiko Drum Master, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution come to mind as favorites – but I know I played more than those.

I went through IGN’s Top 100 PS2 Games list to try and recall some of the titles I played, but I’m still coming up short.  Not a ton of #PlaystationMemories with the PS2 for me I guess.

It wasn’t long before the PS2 shared the space under my TV with a Gamecube and Xbox and my game time drifted between those two consoles instead.

One of me, one for the wifey

I was there for Sony on launch day once again in March of 2005 when the Playstation Portable (PSP) debuted on shelves. I didn’t know it at the time, but the PSP would eventually become my favorite Sony system to date.

I bought a ton of games for the PSP including a couple of imports as well as a handful UMD movies. Valkyria Chronicles 2, PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, Patapon, Killzone Liberation, Lumines, God of War, Field Commander, Syphon Filter, Ratchet & Clank, Hot Shots… The list goes on and on. Some good, some great, and some legendary (I’m looking at you Valkyria Chronicles 2).

In the pre-smartphone days, the PSP was my device of choice handling all of my portable media needs in addition to  kick ass gaming. Eventually I upgraded to a PSPGo which despite the Internet’s opinion, I was pleased as punch with.

While Sony may have been losing me in the living room, they had 99.9% of my portable gaming on lock down. I stuck with my PSP right up until a successor launched in 2012. Great times, thank you PSP!

By the time Sony’s ‘next gen’ console, the Playstation 3, rolled around I was firmly a Xbox 360 gamer. It wasn’t until the irresistible charm of Sackboy & Little Big Planet that my interest in a PS3 perked up.

Eight years after picking up my PS2 I snagged a PS3 in October of 2008 – two years after the system had been on the market. In addition to Little Big Planet I got acquainted with Uncharted, Infamous & Killzone to name a few. As much as I love my Xbox 360, I have to admit there is nothing like Uncharted available for the system.

Games on the PS3 also looked phenomenal. Not that Xbox 360 graphics were bad, but games I played on the PS3 all seemed to have an additional level of shine to them. Unfortunately, I still to date have not played too many games on the system – leaving my PS3 vastly neglected.

Sorry Sony, I think the PS3 is an incredible machine with a slick OS, but my Xbox 360 still remains my go-to system for multi-platform games.

While my enthusiasm for Sony’s home consoles might be tepid, it is quite the opposite when it comes to their portables. So much so, that I was in for the PS Vita on day 1 when it launched in February of 2012.

Currently, I am glued to the system thanks to Persona 4 Golden logging over 80 hours so far on my Vita. In just over a year I’ve already racked up more games & gametime for my Vita than I have in the 4+ years with my PS3. It is by far the best portable gaming console there has ever been offering near-console gaming quality wherever you are.

When PS+ came to system I immediately signed up and have already reaped the benefits to the tune of nearly $200 on the Vita alone.

The state of the PS Vita might not be too optimistic at the moment, but I’m hoping tonight’s Sony event has a few Vita-centric surprises in it. I would love to see the Vita survive and flourish but I have grave concerns on the systems extended viability. I’ll be looking to Sony for some encouraging words tonight for us Vita faithful.

And there you have it – my #PlaystationMemories from the start. Looking forward to tonight’s event to see what Sony has in store for the future Playstation.