Feature: Stephen's PS1 Memories

For me, the original PlayStation is linked quite deeply with my immediate family. We'd always had video games in the house; I don't remember a time before we had a SEGA Mega Drive, which was a popular pastime for me, my two elder sisters, and sometimes our parents too. Video games used to sort of be a through-line for all of us, and while our levels of interest would shift over the years (mine only ever grew stronger), my fondest memories of the PS1 are times spent playing with the others.

The first time I laid eyes on the console, I didn't really understand what I was looking at. I wandered into the playroom to discover my Dad playing Actua Golf on our freshly acquired PlayStation and its legendary pack-in disc, Demo 1. I remember being somewhat baffled; the day before I'd probably been playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure on the Mega Drive, and now suddenly games could look like this? My little mind was blown.

It wasn't long after that when I fully explored Demo 1 for myself, and was instantly fascinated. While we would build up a decent collection of games over the years, something about this demo disc felt truly special, and kept me coming back. I loved playing snippets of Crash Bandicoot, WipEout 2097, Die Hard Trilogy, Tekken 2, and the T-rex tech demo, even if I didn't always understand what I was meant to be doing. It all just felt so fresh and exciting.

As mentioned, the PS1 proved a popular meeting place, particularly for me and my siblings. We played all kinds of games together — mostly single player experiences, with the age old tradition of swapping the controller when you die or finish a level. There were some multiplayer games we dabbled in, like Micro Machines V3 and Worms Armageddon, but we mainly grew up on a diet of shared solo experiences.

I remember playing Croc: Legend of the Gobbos countless times with my sisters, as well as Crash, Spyro the Dragon, Rayman, and the notoriously difficult Casper. My big sister and I would also fruitlessly attempt to play Discworld, a point-and-click adventure game that we never saw more than 10 per cent of, if that — but it was funny, and we were enamoured by the mystery of this seemingly unsolvable thing.

One game I loved a lot was Time Crisis. We had the GunCon light gun controller, and I have very fond memories of playing through the story over and over again with Dad. We'd compete to get high scores and the best accuracy ratings we could, and became incredibly familiar with the Arcade and Special modes. We did it all again with the PS1-exclusive follow-up, Time Crisis: Project Titan.

Mum was never quite as interested as the rest of us, but once she discovered Bust-a-Move 2: Arcade Edition, she was hooked. Even many years later, with a slim PS2 in the living room, Taito's bubble-bursting classic would be fired up, and again, we'd share the fun by taking turns each.

My cousin also had a PS1, but very different games to the ones I had at home. I remember vividly the pair of us perched on his bed as I watched him playing Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy IX, not really knowing what either of them were until later but being engrossed in both.

As I think back, many of our PS1 games were licensed from films or cartoons. As well as the aforementioned Casper, we loved playing Rugrats: Search for Reptar, Toy Story 2, The Emperor's New Groove, Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time, Space Jam, and yes, The Simpsons Wrestling. While their quality varied, I have such nostalgia for this time that they'll all have a place in my heart.

While obviously I did spend a good amount of time playing some of these games on my own, it's clear to me that PS1 represents a period in which the whole household was engaged. I was always the most interested, and of course games are something I've continued to love all through my life, but it can all be taken back to saccharine sweet memories with family, huddled around the TV.