This is a guest post from returning contributer, The Gaming Culture. He’s actually a close friend of mine in real life and I’m happy to have him share his thoughts on the recent PlayStation 30th Anniversary! I can’t believe I’ve been around long enough to see it, and what a ride it’s been since the original PS1.
On December 3rd of 1994, one of gaming’s biggest transitions and most impactful eras started! Gaming would go from being regarded as niche and for nerdy kids, to becoming mainstream and a big part of pop culture. We went from sprite-based 8 or 16-bit graphics to full 3D and cinematic cutscenes.
From the PS1 era with mega hits like Final Fantasy VII to the PS5 with Spiderman 2 that rival Hollywood movies in terms of production and cost, PlayStation changed gaming forever. Let’s reminisce together with what made PlayStation great and some of my fondest memories with the console!
During the early 90’s, Nintendo was king. They dominated the gaming industry, and every kid or teen wanted an SNES, but then a new contender came in to dethrone them for quite some time. SEGA gave them a run for their money, but it wasn’t until Sony came in with the PlayStation that Nintendo lost its stranglehold on gaming.
PlayStation snatched the Final Fantasy franchise from Nintendo for many years and their partnership with SquareSoft, and from that move came Final Fantasy VII which revolutionized the outlook of gaming forever. It caused a JRPG renaissance with games like Xenogears and Breath Of Fire III & IV. Alongside it came the start of cinematic storytelling with games like Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil. This era was the start of when gaming went from being a kid’s toy to being more appealing to adults and the mainstream.
The PS1 era launched this industry to a whole new level, but the PS2 forever cemented as part of pop culture. It brought a new generation of technology in terms of much better 3D graphics, but the inclusion of the DVD drive made it a must-have.
Even though the PS2 had capability for movies and shows, the games were still coming in strong! Classics like Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 3 launched in that era among many others, and as a result the PS2 went on to sell a total of 160 million units in its lifetime.
Many would say that those were the most impactful years of PlayStation, but the PS3 and PS4 eras were also successful. The PS3 brought us Hollywoodesque games like Uncharted (which did become a movie), The Last of Us (this became an HBO show), and Metal Gear Solid IV. It also has unique experiences like Journey and Infamous.
Meanwhile, the PS4 era continued that trend and took it to another level with the reboot of the God of War franchise and a cinematic new game series of Marvel’s Spiderman. These were all truly special experiences and memories I’ll never forget.
This brings us to the present with the PS5. We have had many great games, but some truly stand out as new fresh experiences and IPs. Some of these are Black Myth Wukong which has gone on to sell more than 20 million copies, Stellar Blade, a new action game made by an independent Chinese company and Astro Bot which rivals Mario games in fun and creativity. These are some of our favorite games and some important milestones of PlayStation, and we are excited for its future.
Share with us in the comments below or on our social media some of your favorite games, memories, and how PlayStation has impacted your gaming life.
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