PlayStation

"The system that ended the 16bit dream...."

Back around the year 1995, the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis were at each others throats for the 16 bit wars. Then Sega had a plan. But as soon as the 32X failed, Sega had another idea. They invented the Sega Saturn. Seeing how the Saturn cost nearly 400 dollars, Nintendo felt secure. That is until a new figure appeared on the horizon, being fully supported with an Arcade perfect version of Mortal Kombat 3. The Sony Playstation came, and ended the 16 bit dream permanently, with its arcade perfect gameplay and graphics.

Holding out until last year (2004), the Playstation, or PSX, or now known as the PS1, was one of the most over hyped and over mentioned game systems of all time. Starting off with the eye catching Mortal Kombat 3, the Playstation started to grab the attention of many people. Not many started to go to the system however, until the most overrated game of all time came out: Final Fantasy VII. When this game hit the market, it was like putting the death sentence on the Sega Saturn, and putting the new Nintendo 64 as a secondary system to just about everyone but people who believed in their system (like me).

Nearing the end of its lifespan, and the creation of the Playstation 2, the Playstation One was released, making one of the biggest consoles of all time portable at an affordable price (only 50 bucks). To make sure the console sold, Sony also created a small screen attachment for 130 bucks (150 in a combo pack that might be sold today somewhere for way less), as well as a car adapter, so you could finally take a home console on the road. This feature was added too late though, as everybody and their dog wanted a piece of the PS2 pie.

The System Designs
Going through two or three system designs, the Playstation has had a various lifespan throughout its eight years of life. Starting out as a system as big as a classic PS2, the original PSX had a Power button, a reset button, and an Open button, which opened up the center of the system for you to put your disks in, all located on the top of the system. On the front side, there were two controller ports, as well as two memory card ports so you could save your game. The problem with this is the fact that the memory cards go over the controller, so if you ever have a memory card in and need to put in a second controller, you'll have to take the card out first, put the controller in, and then put the card back in. They should have reversed the order to make less work, but it did get the job done. On the back side of the classic PSX system was an expansion port, which became known as the Gameshark port, a power adapter slot, and an AV Cable/RF Switch slot to connect the system to your TV. A later version of this system got rid of the Gameshark port, and just went with the other two hook ups.

The PS1 however, being WAY smaller than the original is quite different. There are only two buttons on the top of the system, one being power, the other to open up the CD drive, and the controllers spots remained the same. However, on the back, there were two small holes continently positioned. These holes were so that you could hook the screen attachment on and screw it into the back of the system, allowing access to the screen without having to disassemble it every time you went some place. On the back of the screen, there's even a spot to plug in headphones and your AC adapter to plug into the wall so you can play your games on the 5" LCD screen, complete with stereo sound. The screen is a handy attachment, but not necessary to have.

Graphics Capabilities
During the first few years of its life, the Playstation could only emulate 2D arcade games perfectly. The 3D gimmick that was used looked blockier than anything. Heck, most 2D games on the SNES or Genesis looked better than most of the first generation 3D games on the PSX. For example, the original 3D graphics REALLY show in Final Fantasy VII, with the blocky characters on the main screens. Then as technology got better, so did the graphics. As another example, just two years after Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII came out and had graphics that actually looked like real people. The graphics only got better from this point forward, as some of them started to look a bit like a really old PS2 game. This may have to do with the fact that the PS2 came out that year though.

The controller
Not being completely original at the time, Sony pretty much just ripped off the SNES controller, changed the button names, added two more shoulder buttons, and made some sort of weird grip things on the bottom. This was the original Playstation controller. On the left side of the controller, there are the four directional buttons, an L1 and L2 button on the top, and a mode button that doesn't do jack. On the right side of the controller, you have a triangle button, an X button, an O button, and a square button.

Later on, Sony decided yet again to rip off Nintendo by creating their own version of the Rumble Pack and Control Stick. By adding in a vibration chip into the controller and adding on two analog sticks, the Dual Shock controller was invented. The saving grace that made sure the PSX Dual Shock controller wasn't a complete rip off, was that the sticks could also be used as buttons. As an added bonus, the controllers also work with the PS2, so you won't need to buy a second controller if you ever buy a PS2. Not a bad idea actually.

Extra stuff this system has
Surprisingly, the Playstation really didn't have that many extra things, other than the screen attachment, and the built in CD player. The CD player could be accessed by simply placing a music CD into the drive, closing the lid, and turning the power on. It was a nifty feature at best, but was not that important in the first place, seeing how everything nowadays has a CD player built in, be it alarm clock, or your friggin' computer.

The Games
Of course, no game system can be complete without games. And that's probably where the Playstation succeeds, by giving a wide variety of choice.

Action
By starting out with very little in this category besides the decent Jumping Flash, Sony desperately needed something in this category. And their prayers were answered when many games like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot started pouring in through their mailbox. Pretty soon, we had a vast library of crappy to decent action games. Some noteworthy Action games for this system are Metal Gear Solid (although this really is a stealth game), Grand Theft Auto, and Megaman X5.

RPG
This is why people love the Playstation. By having the sole monopoly on most of the awesome RPGs of today, Sony will stay in the gaming business for quite a while. Final Fantasy VII solely made RPGs cool again, and caught the attention of just about everyone in the gaming business to create at least one for this system. Some noteworthy RPGs to get are Arc the Lad, Final Fantasy IX, and Star Ocean 2.

Racing
Seeing how I'm not a big racing fan, this category never really interested me. But that didn't stop the companies from making about 30 or more different NASCAR titles. I don't know of any real great games in this category, so take your pick amongst the tons of racing games on this system.

Puzzle
By picking up Tetris, and a bunch of other junk from the internet, the Puzzle genre just seems to be getting weaker and weaker as the years go by. Good thing this category has Tetris, otherwise I'd label it completely lame.

Fighting
Seeing how a Fighting game is the sole reason why the PSX sparked the interest of many people into getting the system, its no wonder why this genre gets so much respect. Games like Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and some other things.

Survival Horror
A new genre being created at the time thanks to Capcom, gamers could now experience what it feels like to be chased by zombies and stuff with very limited supplies. Falling into this category is the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill, and Dino Crisis. People just love to be scared to death don't they?

Sports
AKA The garbage category, since every sports game in existence is the same, at least in my opinion. The Playstation is definitely a system known for its sports games, seeing how just about everyone I talk to about Playstation either mentions a sports or RPG game. If you can name the sport, you can find some variation of it on this system.

First Person Shooter
Not coming into play until much later into the systems life (more like after Goldeneye was created for the N64), the Playstation has a few 1st Person Shooters. Too bad most of them were ports from the N64, multiplatform games that played better on the N64, or were ports from the PC. There were a few system only titles though, but they are lesser known. Some titles that come to mind are Doom, Jumping Flash, and The World Is Not Enough.

The Music and Sound
Being a CD based system, this console could do everything that it wanted to do in the music department. This is why a vast majority of people also like this system, just because CD's can have a larger amount of music than a cartridge can. Personally, I see no difference between the music of a Playstation or a Nintendo 64, but there are some people who say they can hear a difference. I personally just like the fact that a CD can hold more tunes in a game than repeating the same music over and over on different levels.

So Is this thing worth getting?
Depends on how far you'll take this thing. If you're only going to use it for a few games, and no car trips, you're better off getting a Playstation 2 due to backwards compatibility. However, if you like a bunch of Playstation 1 games, and really like the idea of driving in your car with a driver that's not you, then you can totally get into the portability concept of the PS1, and take your games with you practically anywhere. This system is not one to be missed on, but can easily be avoided in a purchase due to the PS2. The real question is: would you like to spend 20-150 bucks on this system (provided you buy it used, or new with the screen), or spend 150 bucks on a system that plays the games and some new ones? It all comes down to how much cash you have in your wallet.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/05