2. Obsessively Playing Through Some Of The Best JRPGs Of All Time
The PlayStation was home to many fine trilogies (Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, just to name a few) but Squaresoft's seminal trilogy of Final Fantasy games were really the cream of the crop. Final Fantasy VII popularised the JRPG in the West, cementing its place as one of the PlayStation's most important genres. FMVs allowed the developers to tell stories in new ways and the results were breathtaking and at times heartbreaking. The game is so beloved by fans that they continue to beg for a remake to this day. Its sequel took things in a different direction, sporting a much more technically accomplished, realistic art style (that actually gave characters hands with fingers instead of massive blocks) with cut-scenes that made FFVII's look primitive by comparison. Its combat system was much more interactive; Squall's regular attack could do more damage by pressing R1 at the right time to fire his gunblade. Similarly, summons got a boost in power by mashing square and Zell's limit break required rapidly inputting button commands to pull off badass martial arts moves. The final game of the trilogy focussed less on the sci-fi elements of its predecessors and instead took the series back to its fantasy routes, with Final Fantasy staples such as character classes, moogles and black mages featuring heavily in the game. It managed to be traditional while at the same time feeling fresh, new and exciting. Each game in the trilogy is completely different from the last, but they're all amazing in their own way. They took such a long time to complete (dozens, if not hundreds of hours) that they ended up defining a time in the player's lives that can now be looked back on with a warm feeling of nostalgia.
