Ben-DutkaSuch a category is immensely subjective in just about every way; hence, the title " Your Top 5 PlayStation Moments."
I'll be kicking things off with my top 5 moments from the three PlayStation eras. As PlayStation is celebrating its 15th birthday , it only makes sense to pay homage.
5. Uncharted 2
It's a moment in and of itself. I loved the first but the sequel took everything to another level; a level I honestly didn't expect to see from video games just yet. With Hollywood-caliber performances, almost unparalleled visuals, and an adventure that was beautifully paced and a pleasure from start to finish, Naughty Dog outdid themselves. I have to say it's my favorite memory of this generation. For the record, I'd also like to add that I really like the addition of demos to the gaming world…if we had had the opportunity to sample before playing from the comfort of our own homes 20 years ago, that would've been amazing .
4. Nailing down 200.6% in Symphony of the Night…without looking at the map
I suppose quite a few people managed to net the maximum map coverage in the best Castlevania ever, but I'm wondering if any have managed to do it without once looking at the castle map. It requires knowledge of every last secret area, plus hoping you utilized the wolf well enough in the water to open up the tricky spots. Still one of my favorite games ever, I didn't really plan this feat; it just sort of popped into my head one day a few years after it came out. I play the game at least once a year and I realized I really didn't need the map, anymore…the only question was whether or not I could get absolutely everything without double-checking. Well, it has been done. And I reveled in that end theme song afterward. 🙂
3. Wandering through Liberty City in GTAIII
In all honesty, I wasn't sure about all the hype. But when I got it home, I just started to wander around and explore…and I will always remember that. It was a living, breathing world, the likes of which we really hadn't seen up until that time, and it just kept getting bigger and more dynamic as one continued to explore. I think I spent hours just driving around looking at everything. It wasn't like the MMOs that already existed; it was a modern city that actually felt like a virtual city. Today, it would appear dated and archaic but Grand Theft Auto III really did something special, especially for me. Just so mind-blowing.
2. Taking down the WEAPONs in Final Fantasy VII
When I first played through it, I was only interested in exacting revenge for Aeris' death; i.e., Sephiroth had to go down as fast as humanly possible. But the next time through – and every time through after that – both Emerald and Ruby needed to die. It required a lot of time, patience, and a good deal of checking guides and FAQs, but it was oh so worth it. And don't try to tell me all that Chocobo-related work for Knights of the Round was possible without a few hints; it was just way too obscure; especially the breeding part. Of course, you can beat the WEAPONs without KotR but I always wanted to be all powerful in my RPGs, so it wasn't an option. I needed to be a God.
1. The perfect save in Final Fantasy Tactics
Now, bear in mind that this is my definition of a perfect save. For me, I maxed all the Job classes with the five characters I would always have in my party (not maxing every Job for every character in the game, which is entirely pointless), did all the side-quests and found all the secrets (Nelveska Temple, Deep Dungeon, Cloud, etc.), and of course, made my party invincible and diverse. Technically, a couple Wizards with Math Skill and some Mimes are probably the most powerful, but what fun is that? No, I wanted to take advantage of the Job variety and still be unbeatable. It actually took me some time to get the exact save I wanted. 🙂
Now, what's yours?
