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Following a trying start to the current console cycle, Sony appears to have hit the ground running with their next-gen efforts. E3 2013 marked a major victory for the PlayStation brand, inciting the kind of fan-boy fervor usually reserved for the likes of Nintendo Vs. SEGA. With confidence at an all time high, the Japanese giant has embarked upon an all out charm offensive as of late; striking while the iron’s hot to ensure plenty of PS4-related excitement.

And what better way to continue that PR onslaught than with a heady dose of PlayStation One-era nostalgia? Released online earlier today, the ‘PlayStation Memories' trailer is two minutes of unashamed old-school celebration. The fast paced sizzle-reel features a wealth of classic cameos, from Medievil’s Sir Dan Fortesque to Naughty Dog’s much-loved marsupial mascot.

Game Rant managed to spot the following games in action:

  • WipE’out (1995 — Pysgnosis)
  • Crash Bandicoot (1996 — Naughty Dog)
  • Spyro the Dragon (1998 — Insomniac)
  • Syphon Filter (1999 — Eidetic)
  • Destruction Derby (1995 — Reflections)
  • Twisted Metal (1995 — SingleTrac)
  • MediEvil (1998 — SCE Cambridge)

A number of obvious omissions are apparent from the trailer, including the ever-popular Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Tekken & Tomb Raider franchises. It appears that, despite one or two minor exceptions, Sony assembled this latest trailer from wholly owned in-house properties.

PlayStation Memories

Then-ubiquitous developer Psygnosis became SCE Studios Liverpool in 2001, before closing its doors for good in 2012. Naughty Dog has gone from strength to strength since making its PSX debut, releasing the universally acclaimed The Last of Us in June of this year. Insomniac remains an independent studio, albeit one with strong, near-exclusive links to the PlayStation brand. It’s next game, the Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive was revealed back at E3.

Eidetic (now ‘Bend Studio’) followed up their Syphon Filter successes with a series of portable adventures culled from the wider Sony Library, including further outings for Uncharted’s Nathan Drake & the Resistance series. Reflections Interactive became Ubisoft Reflections in 2006, meaning that Destruction Derby likely appears by virtue of the games’ then-publishing deal with Psygnosis. SingleTrac folded in 2000, as did its unofficial successor Incognito Entertainment some 9 years later, whilst SCE Cambridge adopted the ‘Guerilla’ moniker in 2013, becoming Guerilla Cambridge.

So, why might Sony be targeting our retro memory-banks like this? PS1-related downloads were a staple of the PlayStation 3 era, meaning that the feature will likely return in more robust fashion when the PS4 eventually drops. The ploy is probably intended as no more than a simple reinforcement of the positive buzz surrounding the PlayStation brand post-E3. Ultimately Sony knows that nostalgia sells, and they have more history to trade on than most.

What are your favorite memories of the original PlayStation? Which defunct development studios do you miss the most? Let us know in the comments section below.

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You can follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.