My Gaming Story 3 - The Playstation Era

1997 to 2001. These 4 years marks my "Golden Age" of console gaming. Everyday after school is playing games, mainly RPGs. That was my favourite genre at that time, and I've played almost every major RPGs out there... and I've brought at least a few dozen gaming guides.

4 of my favourite RPGs at that time...


1. Suikoden - My favourite RPG series of all time. I've played ALL 5 games (which are all inter-connected in the same world) and I've got the strategy guides for the majority of them. Although there were some downfalls after the move to PS2, Suikoden V brings back all its former glory. I can't exactly pinpoint what I love about this series... I love everything about it. Awesome storylines, superb gameplay, and unique elements (like recruiting 108 characters) that truly defines a great game.

2. Lunar - There's only 2 games in the series, and they're both unmatched. I've even got the full box package of Lunar II due to influence of the first game (costs me over $100). This game features the most memorable characters I've ever seen. When you play this game, you can really feel for each and every character. And the villian in this story is my favourite. He's not just your typical "I want to destroy the world!" guy. Watching the entire plot unfolds is like watching a top graded movie. By the way... this is the ONLY video game I played, which made me cried. Serious. Was so touched by the ending (the romance story between the male/female lead) when I first completed Lunar II.



3. Final Fantasy - Of course I can't miss out the most renowned RPG series ever! I've played ever game in the series and of course FF7 is the ultimate breakthrough in the RPG industry. I felt that the later FF tends to neglect the story for the graphics, but that's just my opinion. The gameplay and quality is still among the top in the industry. My favourite story goes to FF10 on PS2.

4. Wild Arms - I think it's one of the most underrated RPG series. So far there's 4 games in the series, and again I've played all of them. The "tool and puzzle solving" element is the most unique feature of this series. And it contains a lot of innovative ideas like battle cancel system. I have to admit though, that I don't' really understand the story a lot due to tons of technical jargon. It's the gameplay that makes the game stands out.

Well I can't named all the games I've played on PS and PS2. It'll take years. Here are some screens of some of my favourites ~



In order: Chrono Cross, Star Ocean, Brave Fencer Musashi, Thousand Arms, Harvest Moon and Monster Rancher...

It wasn't until late Secondary (2002) that I kind of gradually stopped playing console games. It's partly due to the fact we couldn't afford PS2 (only got it around 2004) at that moment, so I switched to PC gaming, as the games were more "easily accessible".