Rest in PSX -
March 6, 2001 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed
within this column are those of the participants and the
moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the
GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive
material afoot.
Peanut butter and jelly - the Xenogears of foods. I dunno, it made sense
when I thought it up.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Tried to swing by EB today, to pick up a copy of The Bouncer... and lo
and behold, it's not in yet. This is yet another fine example of games
never being in the store on their release date - it's always the day after.
Personally, I think it's all some gigantic conspiracy to
mess with my head... or at least make me mail order my games.
Onward.
| Classic elegance never
goes out of style |
| I don't really consider the Playstation totally
dead(it's more like slowly dying of cancer) untill I
can walk into a store and find the shelves full of
PS2s. The whole shortage thing has become a big joke
to me, and because of it Sony is selling more
Playstations than ever(The PS one). Also the
backwards compatability thing on the PS2 ensures that
many of the games we know and love will keep selling
for quite some time instead of being pulled from
production right away. It'll keep on for maybe two
years or so...at least the games will if nothing
else...
Now since you asked: The best game I've played on
Playstation so far is Final Fantasy 9...but being poor
and unable to afford some things I'd love to
play...that's not saying much though...since I want to
buy a big crop of the last of the Playstation games
and I may find something else that's just more fun...
The Playstation may well be the classic gamer's next
haven...it's this generation's Super Nintendo an it
stacks up just as well...as an era comparsion...it has
games that will be declared classics in short
order...and some that already have been...well later
Double Agent
Shadowcat
|
I dunno - yeah, you can argue that between the lack of PS2s
on the shelf and backwards compatibility, the PSX isn't really gone. But
PSX software has pretty much dried up, and I can't believe that most people
will still be buying PSX games when more advanced stuff is available. Ok,
there will be the endless search for a copy of FFT, but as a serious
economic endeavor, the PSX is gone. Sad but true.
| It was the gaming
system for the rest of us |
| Chris,
How do I rank the psx to the nes, snes etc...? Well, I'd have to commend sony
for creating a machine that pulled the casual gamer away from Mario and Tetris
and showed them that the world of gaming is far more diverse. Hardcore gamers
may scoff at the casual gamer who claims to enjoy rpg's, but if it weren't for
these casual rpg players the big companies would not have the funds they currently
have available for making games. Where would square be if FF VII and VIII only
appealed to previous fans of the series? The psx's real contribution was making gaming
"cool". Before the psx not many 18 year old guys would think it cool to sit around and
play games. While this may be shallow the fact that gaming has become cool is only
helping the industry to expand and grow. Also, on a side note, I'd like to share a little
experience not unlike Cloud-VII's. About a year ago I walked into Cash Converters
[a canadian pawn-shop chain store] and checked out the videogame case. Much to
my surprise there was a mint copy of FF Tactics for sale. I was elated, I clawed at the
case, and finding it unlocked, pulled the game out. Only $20 Canadian! It was one of
my best game related moments ever. The guy working the till was pissed 'cause he
had no idea the game was there and I got it before he did. Now that my psx has given
way to a Dreamcast FF Tactics is the only game that I ever play on the old machine any
more, truly a classic.
~Tyler B~ |
It's strange to say, but while I was more caught up in the individual
games of the SNES (I doubt I'll ever be as addicted to a game as I was to
FF2) the PSX is where I think games started to get interesting. Not just
because the audience started taking games seriously, but because in some way, games started
taking themselves seriously. With the PSX, games started having
music, graphics, and plots that (theoretically) could give films a run for
their money. In a lot of ways gaming was more innocent back in the SNES era,
but I can't see a site like the GIA or a discussion forum like DA
centering around SNES-level titles. And for that reason alone, the PSX probably
deserves recognition as a system on par with the 2600 or NES.
| One final nail in the
coffin |
| You talking about Lunar2 and the end of PSX era got
me thinking...
Arc the Lad Collection... does anyone care?
I can't help but think that Working Designs is throwing money down the crapper
with this one. What's your take?
Xenon... |
Working Designs is a pretty savvy group - I think whatever they put
out will likely be good enough to net them a decent profit. Besides,
it's a point of honor for WD to always put out the last game on a
system, and the fact that we're talking about Arc the Lad as a
near-release game at all should indicate how near the end of the PSX
we are.
| A little behind on the
learning curve |
| Chris,
The PS1 is NOT dead! Like many casual gamers my age, I never had the full
opportunity to experience the best of the PS1. Now I finally do. I recently
bought Front Mission 3 after playing the skillfully marketed demo packed with
Vagrant Story. I'm so damn hooked on the game I don't really care about
Onimusha or ZOE so much right now.
PS1 revisited and it's still damn awesome.
-mista tea |
Matter of fact, I sold my PSX to someone who's in much the same
position - he missed pretty much the entirety of the last three years of
gaming, and only now is he catching up. But that shouldn't have
anything to do with where the system as a whole is at. Heck, I still
haven't managed to play through Front Mission 3 yet, but that doesn't mean
it's still a cutting edge game. Just remember,
you're the freak here, not the rest of us.
| Tactical espionage
goodness |
| Chris,
What the hell is up with all the popup ads on the gia, huh? Every time I
click on pictures (of, say, ZOE or MGS2), I get a popup advertising something
like "the top 100 best search engines" or something. I never look at it for
more than a minute before I close it. It scares me sometimes, just when I
think I'm about to look at something cool, another window pops up right in
front of my face. Host restructuring or what?
And the best game on the PS, I must admit, hardcore RPG fan that I am, was
Metal Gear Solid, precisely because that's what we're set to see more of if
the people who run videogame companies have at least a single pair of brain
cells to rub together. More guns, more stealth, more COHERENCE in plot, more
voicework, more action, more intrigue, and more tactical espionage. I'm
getting sick of 70+ hour questing as of late -- something I never thought I'd
admit. I'm accumulating unfinished RPGs like unfinished books.
On a side note, am I the ONLY person who considers the MGS2 demo a "bonus"
for buying ZOE, not the sole reason? Dammit, I want a super-fast, sci-fi
themed mech action-adventure-shooter. Konami's been doing that stuff
beautifully since Cybernator for SNES. A chance to play MGS2 is just an
extra in my opinion. (Albeit a very, very beautiful extra that I'm looking
forward to immensely...)
--tim rogers, who can eat dry kix, download japanese jazz by miwa
yoshida, and write a book, all at once |
Dunno what the deal is with the popup ads, but I haven't seen any in
the past few days, so they've probably been taken care of.
And MGS, MGS2, and ZOE only go to show what I was talking about
earlier - any one of these games is more advanced from a technical and
storytelling point of view than any SNES game you might care to name. (Ok,
maybe not Ogre Battle.) And that's the legacy of the PSX.
| Rescuing people from
the dark side since 1995 |
| Chris,
Here's a weird perspective on the PSX and its demise. Having been a
Nintendo freak since 1988, I have not ever purchased any systems that
didn't have N's lovely red logo on it. I worshipped Chrono Trigger and the
Final Fantasies, especially for their hand-drawn good looks and
pseudo-medieval settings.
When Square made the big jump to Sony, I decided that it had gone to
the Dark Side. "Well, good riddance!" I thought, since the high-tech looks
of FF 7&8 were a turn-off anyway. Then much later, Square had to go and
churn out some real drool-enducing masterpieces on the enemy's territory,
like Chrono Cross, FF9, FF Anthology (imperfect though it is), Threads of
Fate, Legend of Mana (complete with crack-induced content) and Vagrant
Story.
For a while, I could control myself. "The PSX will overheat! The discs
will scratch!" I kept telling myself. But in the back of my mind was this
annoying little nag, reminding me of all the fun I was missing, while I
played Zelda64 over and over again, pretending that I was playing a
brand-new game each time through.
And of course, the GIA didn't help things, either, what with the
excellent reviews given to the aforementioned games, and the fun-to-watch
empassioned verbal brawls on letters columns such as this one. Finally, my
wife expressed interest in Final Fantasy 9. (unprecedented.) So, I gave
in.
I got a PS One, (dang, it's so cool!) and most of the games I
mentioned all on one purchase. Now, we're about one-third of the way
through these awesome games and loving every minute of it. As far as I can
see, we've got at least six more months of games to go before we even get
to FF 7&8... (well, we've come this far, dangit!!) The PSX is born! Long
Live the PSX!
Dmarsee, Nintendo whore no more |
It's true that the PSX did break a lot of people (me included) of
their Nintendo fixation, but from another point of view, it's become
the establishment it once fought against. The Dreamcast might have done
a lot better if people weren't obsessed with getting the latest Sony
system, as opposed to the best available system. On the other hand,
nobody has the same kind of clear advantage that Nintendo did in the
NES and SNES days, so by the end of the next console cycle, who
knows - Microsoft could be on top, or even Nintendo again.
| Mmm, anchovies! |
| Chris,
Bestill my beating heart, a new Lufia game at long last. That only took
them...I'm not even sure how many years.
Oh well, you know playing it will be bitter sweet. I can't imagine it's
going to be a truly great game what with all the crap that went on. Well
maybe not. Any idea about the development teams? I'm not sure how one
would go about checking who's on the current one.
~Ian P. |
Lufia's an odd series - it never did that much for me, or for a lot
of people, but there's a cadre of devoted fans who worship the games,
despite potential problems with the next iteration. Kinda like
anchovies, or something.
I dunno, it made sense when I thought it up.
Closing Comments:
I've got some kind of flu that's screwing with my head, so sorry if the
column's a bit under par. Can't really think of a good topic for tomorrow
either, so send in whatever. Later.
-Chris Jones, 101 degrees
|
