We at IGN are no different, and that's why we wanted to celebrate today by remembering the console that started it all. The PSone was a gray rectangle that made us cry, cower in fear and live out our dreams in games that were unlike what we had ever seen before. Today, take a stroll down memory lane as we relive one of the great videogame consoles.

This is the PlayStation 15 years later.

Daemon Hatfield, IGN Senior Editor Favorite PSone Game: Rival Schools Favorite PlayStation Button: The right analog stick on the DualShock. Favorite PSone Memory: In college, I lived in a castle. No, really. It was a big white house that looked like a castle. This was the hangout spot for all my crew. In this castle, we had an amazing game room. Between my roommates and myself we had about 10 TVs, so we set them all up in one room stacked on top of one another and connected them together so that our games would be displayed on each one. On most nights, after the bars or the parties, we would retire to the castle to play Rival Schools on PlayStation until the early hours of the morning. Our game room was fairly small but we would crowd 10, 15, or more people in there, finding a seat wherever we could (girls were allowed to sit on my lap!). Everyone – EVERYONE – would play Rival Schools. The deal was you kept playing until you lost. As long as I had Shoma and his baseball bat I was hard to beat.

Ryan Geddes, IGN Managing Editor Favorite PSone Game: Final Fantasy Tactics Favorite PlayStation Button: R1 Favorite PSone Memory: I wouldn't say this is my favorite memory, but it's definitely my most vivid. I had been playing Final Fantasy VII for weeks, grinding away and loving every minute of it. I was knee-deep in the story. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, their travels and the larger conspiracy at hand. But I wasn't the only one having fun with FFVII. My roommate was engrossed in the game too, and we each had separate saves on the same memory card. Can you see where this is going? I had reached the final battle, the one where I would finally face Sephiroth and beat his emo ass down. I prepared. I saved. I went away. When I came back, my save was gone, and my roommate was all apologies. Somehow (the details are murky to this day), he had erased my save. All that work, gone. It was a disaster. I was crushed. The good news is that we're still friends. But no, I've never forgiven him.

Martin Robinson, IGN's Super-Cool Brit Favourite Button: R3 Favorite Game: Metal Gear Solid PlayStation Memory: Sometimes a game can really grab you – whether that's playing so much Tony Hawk that next time you leave the house you can't walk past a handrail without subconsciously grinding it or burning through so many racing games that when you're next in the supermarket you're hitting the apex of every aisle with your trolley.

But it was the first PlayStation that inspired the most worrying example of games bleeding over into the real world for me. Metal Gear Solid had just come out and I, like everyone else, dedicated every waking minute to playing the thing with a housemate. One week in and it was time for a well-deserved break, so the two of us head out to a friends to polish off a bottle of Absinthe.

A few too many shots later we decide to head home and get back to Metal Gear, but as we waited at a bus stop I turned to see my friend had disappeared; just plain vanished in the blink of an eye. It left me confused and a little frightened, but I went home alone and retired to bed. Three hours later there was a rapping on my first floor window – my friend, inspired by a little too much Metal Gear mixed in with a head full of lethal spirits, had decided to stealth his way back home. For an entire two miles. Without being spotted by anyone. The fact that he succeeded both impresses and bewilders me to this day.

Marc Nix, IGN DB Guy Favorite PSone Game: Jet Moto Favorite PlayStation Button: R2 (because having two sets of triggers on the PS pad seems like overkill, but it actually holds the room together.) Favorite PSone Memory: There's no one single memory I have of PlayStation in my formative years with the system in college because every day was PlayStation Day – unless there was a high-speed cop chase on the 405, our communal room's PSX was on from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m.

However, I do have a pretty vivid PlayStation memory from back when I was an intern here at IGN. The turn of the millennium was an awesome time for gamers. Dreamcast was already out by then, and PS2 news had broke. PlayStation had totally hit its stride, N64 had some really impressive titles, and even Game Boy was delivering some worthwhile portable experiences thanks to Pokémon reinvigorating the platform (and if GBC wasn't enough, new platforms like NeoGeo Pocket were available, too.) There was excitement for the future of gaming. And at the center of it was the emerging Internet – exploding with free resources for information, media, assistance and passionate discussion. At the center of that, for me, was IGN.com. So I'm in the office of this group of fanboys who love games like I do, and we are stupid-flush with venture cap cash… or maybe we were just stupid (as everybody would find out just a bit later), but still, especially when it came to imports, we bought every game we could because we wanted them and our audience wanted to find out about them.

So we got this big box of whothehellknowswhat from, I think, Lik-Sang, our contact for Japanese titles. Everything else in that box has long been forgotten, but the one that caught my eye was this nondescript game with what looked like a child's crayon scribble on the cover; the pictures on the back of the box looked even less like a professional production. What was this thing called "Vib-Ribbon?" What the hell was Japan thinking, making something so … so not-NextGen? Oh, and of all companies, SONY – how could they possibly justify putting time into this ridiculous thing for when there were Gran Turismos and Syphon Filters to make?

But then, we stuck Vib-Ribbon in the PlayStation and played it, and my eyes were forever opened to the vast potential of videogames to go where no other art form can…

Greg Miller, IGN PlayStation Executive Editor Favorite PSone Game: Metal Gear Solid Favorite PlayStation Button: X Favorite PSone Memory: Mine's a roundabout one; my favorite PSone memory is me ditching the Nintendo 64. See, I was late to the party on the original PlayStation. I bought the N64, and while I enjoyed it, things were getting bleak for the system in 2000. Still, I stayed true and bought WWF No Mercy for the 64 – one of the best wrestling games of all time. I had been hemming and hawing about making the jump to PlayStation to try the new WWF SmackDown!, but I believed in the N64 wrestling engine. I got the game, ditched school for two days straight, and played every hour I was awake.

Then a funny thing happened – the cartridge reset. I lost all my progress. I returned it, got a new one, and the same thing happened dozens of hours into the game. I checked message boards, and the same thing was happening to other kids. I returned it, got a new one, and got another reset. I went, returned it and vowed that if it happened again, I was selling the N64 off.

It happened again, I traded the N64 in, and I bought a PSone alongside SmackDown. I never looked back.

Stephen Ng, FAQs Editor Favorite PSone Game: Castlevania Symphony of the Night Favorite PlayStation Button: No preference; Joker commands rule. Favorite PSone Memory: The best memories were using a Gameshark 2.0 via the I/O port to jack up the items and stats and what-not in Castlevania SOTN (practically the only game in the library I bought at full retail price, $50 at the time). Because there's an on/off switch on the Interact Gameshark, you can "post-patch" codes after a game was loaded to get what you needed (or literally activate the effects when you wanted while a game was in progress).

Well, I had activated so many address value changes, the game literally refused to boot (the PSX was probably out of memory), and even with the manual on/off switch, the game refused to save. So, rather than endangering my data (see Greg Miller's memory) I spent about an hour dividing the codes into four workable sets (this was inputting codes by a controller – I had no keyboard for the PSX).

That done, I loaded my file, booted in the items (99 Duplicators was excessive, but what the heck), turned off the code, saved, then cold booted the system to do the next set. It took 90 minutes, but in the end, all the integers on my sub-screen was either a 9 or a 0.

On the topic of SOTN, I found out my brother wasn't a good speller or didn't check his work. For the "Richter" unlockable in SOTN, he spelled his filename "Richtes". He wondered what the hell went wrong until I pointed out his mistake. It's now a neat in-joke for all of our data-related screw-ups.

Richard George, IGN Executive Editor Favorite PSone Game: Metal Gear Solid Favorite PlayStation Button: Square Favorite PSone Memory: I suppose I'll always remember the PSone in three distinct ways. The first memory is when I rented the system just after its launch because I was desperate to play Battle Arena Toshinden. Was it a particularly good game? Not at all, but all I wanted to do was experience 3D gaming… and rush my opponents and try to push them off the stage. The second memory is related to one of my favorite games of all time – Metal Gear Solid. That was the first game that really convinced me that movies and games could operate in the same arenas. And the stunning gameplay innovation… I'll never forget the first times I squared off with Psycho Mantis or the Cyborg Ninja.

And the third? That's actually happening right now. I've just started pulling PSone Classics to my PSP to relive or experience them for the first time. Case in point: Final Fantasy IX. Though I played plenty of VII and VIII when they were originally released, like many folks, I never bothered with the PSone's last FF installment. I'm changing that now, and I'm glad I did – the game absolutely rocks.

Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Guides Executive Editor Favorite PSone game: Wipeout 3 Favorite PSone button: X (accelerator button) Favorite PSone Memory: Nowadays, I'm known for my fandom of 2D arcade fighting games, but I actually cut my teeth with fighters on the first PlayStation… in chunky, polygonal 3D. I spent countless weekend nights exchanging 10-hit combos with my high school buddies in matches of Tekken 2 before I up and decided I hated the game. It was quite sudden.

I'd moved on to Dead or Alive, which was super novel for the fact that every character had a counter move. My two best friends were brothers, and intense competition often led to real-life violence. Naturally, we all gravitated to characters that matched our personalities. One brother desperately wanted to be a ninja (probably still does) and he typically played as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja. The other was a talker and chose Jann Lee, a Bruce Lee impersonator who obnoxiously vocalizes every strike ("Wahhh!"). I usually picked Lei Fang or one of the other female characters. Huh.

Meghan Sullivan, Team Database Favorite PSone Game: Final Fantasy VII Favorite PlayStation Button: X Favorite PSone Memory: Although Final Fantasy VIII is not my favorite in the series, there's no denying that it has the most epic opening in Final Fantasy history. Between Nobuo Uematsu's breathtaking Liberi Fatali (still his best work to date, IMHO) and the amazing cinematics, I still get chills watching Squall and Seifer battle it out in a storm. Fantastic.

Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor and former IGN PSX Editor Favorite PSOne Game: International Track & Field Favorite PSOne Cheat: Play CD audio in Ridge Racer Favorite PSOne Memory: This should be a "fond" memory so I'm not even going to mention having to review Punky Skunk three separate times for three separate magazine publications simply because no other writer wanted to even touch the game…

No, my fondest memory is spending hours perfecting the art of the button mashing with International Track & Field. For weeks I played the game with a buddy of mine learning the best way to hold the PlayStation controller and finding the best buttons to assign in the options menu for run and jump. All that practice has come in handy for other Olympic-style games – I've even used my rapid-fire skills to help developers of a couple of lesser known sports titles know where to set their games' run calibrations when those games were still being programmed.

My skills have waned over the years, but every so often I'll boot up the PSN release of the game on my PS3 to see if I can still dominate the world records. The answer? Damn right I still can.

Dan Iverson, IGN Entertainment Database Manager Favorite PSone Game: Metal Gear Solid Favorite PlayStation Button: Square Favorite PSone Memory: When it comes to the best videogame systems of all time, PSX is right up there with the SNES in my book. With a wealth of great titles and graphics that hands down beat the competition, the PSone holds a special place in my geeky gamer heart. And while I have multiple memories from the system (i.e. being wowed by Battle Arena Toshinden, Warhawk and Ridge Racer at launch, being absolutely floored by the preview videos for Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3 parties, finding out about the second half of the castle in Symphony of the Night, dumping weeks of time into Final Fantasy Tactics, being blown away by Final Fantasy VIII's cinemas and incredible ending, and so on and so on and so on), there are two in particular that stand out.

First one was the release of Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VI may be my favorite videogame of all time, and VII now challenges that title, but at the time the amount of hype that was built up for that game was intense. So much so that I remember being in a bowling league, yes a bowling league, and ignoring my turns while I waited on line holding on the phone desperately calling every electronic shop and videogame store to find a day one copy of the game. I think that may have been the moment that videogames trumped physical activity in my life… good times.

And my favorite PSone memory of all time, which I will never forget, was renting a PSX system with my cousin and tossing away ESPN Extreme Sports immediately in lieu of scaring the piss out of ourselves with Resident Evil. While complications immediately arose from not having a memory card, we played that game until well into the night, and couldn't get to bed due to the newfound fear of a zombie invasion. That may be the most scared I have ever been in my life, and I have the PSone and Capcom to thank for that.

Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Guru Favorite PSone Game: Wild Arms Favorite PlayStation Button: Triangle Favorite PSone Memory: The acquisition of my PlayStation in the summer of 1997 was bittersweet. With Final Fantasy VII on the horizon, I knew I had to scramble to get a PSX, but the only way I could do so was to sacrifice my entire SNES cartridge collection in the process. Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Actraiser, A Link to the Past, Secret of Evermore, on and on and on… I sold them all to get the precious PlayStation and preorder Final Fantasy VII. Was it a good move? It's hard to say. Those SNES games are worth a fortune these days, and I got mere pennies for them, but the PlayStation was such a dominant system with such a robust catalog of games that it's hard to truly believe that I made the wrong decision, finances be damned.

But it's that painful memory that opened me up to what can arguably be considered the best five or so years of gaming to ever be had in the history of our industry. I was a huge RPG nerd at the time, so drowning in excellent games like Wild Arms, Tales of Destiny, Thousand Arms, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy IX, Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, and many more… it's hard to pinpoint an absolute favorite PSone memory when I had five solid years of them. Sony's industry-wide dominance started in those fledgling years of the late-1990s, and I'm glad to say that I was there from the beginning (well… not the very beginning, or I would have been cursed with Battle Arena Toshinden boxed with my PSX, just like my poor brother).

Levi Buchanan, IGN Editor Favorite PSone Game: Resident Evil 2 (or Spice World, it's a toss-up) Favorite PlayStation Button: X Favorite PSone Memory: Talking the woman who I would one day marry into playing Darkstalkers 3 with me. And I would show her no mercy. But every time I would get really good at a character, she would find a reason why I should no longer be able to use it. Pyron's flashing hurt her eyes. Lilith was too similar to her Morrigan and was confusing. Sasquatch was too powerful. Eventually, she declared that the entire game was poorly balanced and would not play with me anymore. And so she went back to running around on Epona for hours on end in Ocarina of Time.

Ryan Clements, IGN Editor Favorite PSone Game: Final Fantasy VII Favorite PlayStation Button: Square (It always has a crazy use!) Favorite PSone Memory: I will absolutely never forget the opening cinematic to Final Fantasy VII. I still consider it to be one of the greatest introductions of all time, and even if I suffer massive head trauma, I'm sure that memory will stick.

The unorthodox camera spin through the stars which brilliantly transitions to a serene shot of Aerith/Aeris is a smashing way to start one of the PSone's finest titles. I remember the feeling of complete awe – a feeling of plunging into a world I knew immediately I'd be invested in. This experience just wouldn't have been the same on any other console, so I'll take a moment now to salute my PSone – may it live forever in the broad ethers of videogame space.

Nicole Tanner, IGN Associate Editor Favorite PSone game: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Favorite PlayStation Button: Square Favorite PSone Memory: The PSone and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo are at least partially responsible for solidifying my relationship with my husband. When we first started dating, we would spend hours playing Puzzle Fighter at my request because I wanted to beat him. He was really good, and I wasn't, so it took a long time for me to win a match, but when I did, it was super-sweet!

Charles Onyett, Executive Editor IGN PC Favorite PSone Game: Final Fantasy IX Favorite PlayStation Button: Triangle, because it usually opens menus in RPGs. I love menus. Favorite PSone Memory: My fondest memory of the PSone isn't playing any single game. I got into the system a little late since I initially went the N64 route and was near constantly broke at all times. Pretty much all my money earned from enduring awful jobs went toward videogames and beer. Because I'm a big fan of role-playing games and always wanted to dig into the PSone's extensive catalog of awesome genre entries, I spent a lot of time traveling to used game shops around the Cleveland, Ohio area (thank you CD Game Exchange on Coventry, I miss you) and using my last dollars to snatch up glorious 80-plus-hour experiences. Vagrant Story, Valkyrie Profile, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross were all on my list, and I tracked them all down and more. Peering through dirty glass displays at worn crystal cases in dank establishments wasn't exactly the most glamorous use of free time, but as soon as I found the objects of my obsession and exchanged crinkled bills for a partially scratched disk, I knew it was worth it. Work sucked, but I always had a fantastically developed fantasy world to jump into after I punched out.