Five PlayStations in, Sony is now a gaming giant. But it wasn’t always that way. Yet it’s hard to recall the era of ‘PlayStation none’. That all changed in 1994, when Sony unleashed the PlayStation on the unsuspecting masses.
Finally, you’re covering the moment when gaming became cool.
Cool in a very 1990s way. Being unencumbered by the past meant Sony, a newcomer to the field, could rethink how gaming fitted into people’s lives. Its open approach brought in a steady stream of zeitgeist-snagging hits. Games were infused with banging electronic tunes and peppered with adult themes. For people who’d grown up with games, there was a sense that you no longer had to make excuses for playing them; in fact, it might be something you’d do instead of clubbing. It was certainly cheaper.
Ha! Take that, Nintendo and Sega, with your stupid juvenile plumbers and hedgehogs!
And they’ve only got themselves to blame. The original version of the PlayStation was conceived as a SNES add-on – and Sony was also mulling a SNES-compatible console. At some point, Nintendo realised Sony was primed to eat its lunch, so it teamed up with Philips instead. An incensed Sony was then rebuffed by Sega, whose directors argued it would be stupid to work with Sony because the company knew nothing about hardware and gaming. Still, Sega got the last laugh with the, er, world-conquering Dreamcast…
Although, to be fair, Nintendo was right: Sony really did eat its lunch.
Along with everyone else’s. Sony’s ruthless streak resulted in a level of gaming dominance no one could have predicted. Sony priced its console to batter rivals; PS controllers and games defined new standards; and PC and Mac emulators released during the PlayStation’s twilight years were buried under lawyers until they were dead. We’re not sure all those things were cool, but hey, business. Ultimately, Sony’s efforts created a sea change in gaming that set it on the path to becoming the behemoth it is today.
Six of the best: Sony PlayStation games
Sony wanted – needed – as many games creators to support its new console as possible. And many did, giving it a rich and deep games catalogue. We’ve only got six slots, and so our best-of gives you a taste for the PS5’s great-great-grandparent, but with games that still hold up today.
Driver (1999) shoved a seedy undercover cop movie into your console, but only had you play the good bits – loads of smashy car chases. At least once you got past the psychotic tutorial, which was one of the most ill-judged in gaming history.
PaRappa The Rapper (1996) wasn’t the first rhythm action game, but its bizarre paper-thin characters stood out on a system obsessed with grim and gritty 3D. It was no pushover, though: rapping your way to victory was as tough as rhyming something with orange.
Tekken 3 (1998) came across from the arcades in fine style, even adding some home console exclusives. The huge roster of characters, deep mechanics and feeling of physicality when you were mercilessly repeatedly punched in the face felt great then – and still does today.
Metal Gear Solid (1998) is more of a history lesson than the other games featured here, notably due to controls that feel clunky to modern hands. But its sheer ambition, cinematic clout and deep tactical gameplay make it perhaps the most landmark title on the system.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) bucked the trend of the era, which demanded every game be 3D. Instead, Symphony was a massive 2D Metroidvania, set in a sprawling castle. A smattering of RPG, rather than polygons, added extra depth. It’s aged well. Then again: vampires.
Vib-Ribbon (1999) might seem an odd final entry in a list lacking (among others) Tomb Raider, FFVII and Wipeout, but we loved that rabbit. Vib’s distinct graphics and compelling gameplay have barely aged, and it can even generate new levels from your own CDs.
