Gaming Memories - Part 18

The mid-to-late 90s were a painful time for me as a gamer. While I wasn't giving the scene my full attention during the year that saw the wonderful 16-bit systems replaced by the dazzling new 32-bit examples with all their polygons, I was still a Sega fan and I knew of the difficulties they had faced while faffing around with the 32X, Nomad, CDX, TeraDrive, and lord knows what else, and I also knew of their troubles concerning the development and release of the Saturn itself.

These collective woes ultimately led to the premature downfall of the Saturn. I still remember one day when I had just bought the latest Official Saturn Magazine on the way home from work and was sat on a bench flicking though it. Times were grim and the magazine staff did their best to give us hope, but there were only a handful of new reviews at best. The news pages brought faint glimmers of hope that some of the PS1's popular games might see release on Sega's ailing system, but I knew they wouldn't (which proved correct) and I think that was the moment when I finally accepted that the Saturn was on its way down. Did I put aside my sadness and frustration and step foot into the enemy's camp? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em - right? I'm ashamed to admit my desire to play new games eventually outweighed my loyalty to Sega and I went in search of a second-hand PlayStation console.

I still remember where I got it too. It was a section of shops in the city centre where half the units are usually vacant, and when someone does open a shop there it rarely stays open for long (not counting an Indian Restaurant which has been there since I was a kid). It was the first and last time I ever visited that shop and I can't remember its name, but I did leave it with a used PS1 along with a single game. I remember the game well - it was Porsche Challenge, a game I enjoyed more than any of the racing games I had for my Saturn (yes, yes, I know), and one that I have enjoyed again when playing it for this post. Oddly, however, I've never been able to remember what my next few games were. Well, not in recent years at least. So here is a look at what was definitely my first game as well as a few others I had pretty early on.

Porsche Challenge (1997)

Racing games benefitted massively from the wonders of the 32-bit era, and since they were one of my favourite genres, it's no surprise my first PS1 game was one. Unlike with my Saturn, there was a wide choice on Sony's console too, and this is the one I went for. I mean, Porsches are pretty cool, right? There are four courses in total here which can each be raced in various ways, and there are six characters to choose from to race over them, although they all drive Boxsters so the differences between them are minimal. There are three play modes though (Championship, Time Trial, or Practice), and you can choose between 'simulation' and 'arcade' driving styles. The handling takes some getting used to in either case as the cars oversteer somewhat, and the brakes are a bit too effective (merely releasing the accelerator is enough for most corners), but when you get good at it, it's an enjoyable and satisfying game to play. It certainly kept me interested for a good while and I was pleased with it at the time as a first PS1 game. I even preferred it to (dare I say it) Sega Rally on my Saturn.

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (1997)

I actually first learned of this game thanks to a playable demo on a magazine cover disc for my Saturn but didn't buy it for some reason. I did buy it for my PS1 though, and rather enjoyed it. Playing it again now, it seems like a game aimed at children, what with its cast of cute characters, notably its waddling crocodilian star, all of whom make cute noises, but it's actually quite tough. This is partly down to the camera - often an issue with early 3D platformers - and its unreliable controls which have led to many difficulties while playing (although it was among the first games to support the 'Dual Shock' analogue controller which helped), but it's still an appealing adventure. The aim is basically just to rescue a bunch of 'Gobbos' (little gonk things) which are spread over the game's four themed worlds (Mountain, Arctic, Desert, Castle) but there are tons of secrets and things to collect including billions of gems which work like Sonic's rings. A big, colourful, enjoyable, sometimes frustrating and surprisingly challenging game that kept me busy for ages. Until I got stuck! Great music too.

Felony 11-79 (1997)

Like many of my early PS1 games, or at least 'gameplay experiences', I first played this now-forgotten game thanks to a magazine demo disc, and I recall playing it over and over before buying the full game. It's a bit of a weird one in terms of backstory. You play the role of a master thief who has to track down and steal various items in order to unlock an ancient Egyptian tomb or some nonsense. What this involves is driving around three big 'game environments' known as Down Town, Sea Side and Metro City. Each is 'open world' in style to a limited extent but there is a specific start and finish point and you have a strict time limit, so fannying around is not advisable. Along the way there are items you need to grab (helpfully shown on a map, and with a big arrow when they're within sight). You get a choice of several vehicles for this, with many more that can be unlocked, and it's basically just a hectic race/smash-a-thon type game. It was and remains good fun, though, and the semi-open nature of the stages gives you decent replay value. Far from an all time great but entertaining enough.

Everybody's Golf (1997)

I'm assuming this was a 'hope for the best' kind of purchase made on the strength of how much I liked Neo Turf Masters on my NGPC but I really don't remember now. I do remember that it was among my first PS1 games and I guess I liked it right away as I recall spending a lot of time with it. There's nothing too fancy about it but there are lots of options and play modes and a good few characters to play as, most of whom need to be unlocked as you progress through the game. There are six courses in total and they can only be accessed once you reach them in the tournament mode. The first is easy but the second is already pretty tough, so lord only knows how hard the last one must be. I never got that far but I did keep trying, and replaying the earlier courses remains good fun as you try to get new personal bests and all that. This probably ended up being one of my most played PS1 games, and the same could be said for most of the later games in the series and the systems they appeared on. Cheap to buy at the time, simple, addictive, and great fun for one or multiple players.

Grand Theft Auto (1997)

Yes, that's right, the now legendary game and progenitor of the ultra-popular series of which I've played none. Except for this original, on my PS1. Again, I didn't own it at first either - it was another one I could play thanks to a magazine cover disc which, I believe, gave you the entire game to do anything you wanted with, but it had a time limit which reset after a few short minutes. I nonetheless spent a lot of time messing around, trying to get various tomfooleries done before that happened until I finally realised that maybe I should just buy the full game! This really saw my career as a criminal take off, performing hits and all sorts of other shady jobs for my boss, but of course, as with many others who played this game, I probably spent just as much time pissing about. Doing enough illegal things to get the rozzers on my back and then seeing how long I could evade arrest/death was always a favourite! This first GTA was never the flashiest game to look at but it brought plenty of innovations to gaming generally, and there was so much to keep you occupied that paying any price for it would be a bargain. Endless fun and there was nothing like it for my Saturn.

Final Thoughts:

I suspect some of you may be thinking what I'm thinking after actually looking at the names in this feature, and indeed, they are hardly games that are synonymous with the glory and success of Sony's all-conquering debut console. GTA, maybe? Even that, probably not. That series had to make the jump to 3D to become really popular. I did have and play such games as Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Colin McRae, Tekken etc, but not for a while after I got my PlayStation. The lesser-known and/or appreciated titles here are among the first I had and I enjoyed them.

Indeed, it was obvious pretty quickly that the PS1 was an excellent console, as much as it might've pained me to admit it. I knew this already, of course, as a friend had one and I had played a couple of games briefly on that, but it's different when you actually own the system in question. Supposedly it was much easier to develop for than the complicated Saturn so it was always going to have a much broader range of games, though this has its drawbacks too. I believe the term 'shovelware' was first used to describe the deluge of crap that ended up on PlayStation clearance shelves soon after being released, for example.

As annoying as that might've been now and then, though, it also meant that you were pretty much always guaranteed to find another game of a similar type you liked when you had finished with your last one. This is something my poor old Saturn could rarely offer. My love for Sega continued through to the Dreamcast which I felt sure would put Sega back on top, but alas. More on that in the relevant future post, I guess. As for Sony, I never really had a love for them or their consoles as I did for Sega or a few other companies, but I suppose that didn't matter. They went on to become an industry behemoth to the extent that, supposedly, the PlayStation brand saved the company from going under, and I've owned all but their latest console. This original example is still probably the one I've spent the most time with. Games were plentiful and fairly cheap. I even worked with a guy who sold pirated copies of games, though I had little need to make use of his services when I could buy second-hand originals for only a few pounds more than his rip-offs.

Accordingly, I ended up with quite a few games for my PS1 and have very fond memories of some, including some wonderful platformers and many of the racing games of which I was and remain so fond. My good friend Luke and I spent much time with Gran Turismo (his yellow Impreza versus my modified Honda Prelude was a contest for the ages!). Anyway, I could probably burble on all day about this stuff, but suffice to say - I felt dirty for betraying Sega, but it was worth it!