A rundown on the 10 best games for the original PlayStation
Posted by bedroomcoder on Jun 11, 2010 17:10 (Jun 11, 2010 17:10)
5 - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile Another splendid game criminally overlooked on release, Klonoa is the story of a cute cat with HUGE ears, who sets out to save the world from some villainous invaders. But the plot isn’t important. The gameplay is smooth and enjoyable, the challenge is fairly light but you won’t care as the world is so vibrant and the characters so wacky that you will be absorbed into Klonoa’s world. The main character would have been an obvious shoe-in for the mascot needed for the PS1, but although sales in Japan were high, they were nearly nonexistent everywhere else. Do yourself a favour and track a copy down.
4 - Tekken 3 The culmination of the Tekken series on the PS1, this game improves on the previous instalments in several key ways. The most important addition is movement in full 3D. Whereas before you were limited to 3D fighters on a 2D axis, now you could step into the screen and dodge your foes attacks. This is now standard in fighting games, but at the time it was revelatory and massively increased the possibilities in any match. Loads of fighters to choose from, lots of secrets to unlock – there’s always something to see or do.
3 - Parappa the Rapper In an age where all our games are homogenised and approved by committee, a rhythm-testing game starring a rapping dog would never get approved. But back at the beginning of the PlayStation’s life, someone approved this game. Dealing with the rapping hound Parappa rapping his way through the trials and tribulations of life, what other game pitches you into a rap-battle against a kung-fu onion? And that’s just the first level. Addictive gameplay and truly unique characters, along with a great, catchy soundtrack make this a must-have.
2 - Resident Evil 2 The original Resident Evil was a bolt from the blue. The survival-horror genre was nothing new, but it had never been done quite like this. From the first moment you run into a groaning zombie to frantic battles with hunters and the Tyrant, you were totally drawn in. On the flipside, it had some balance issues and some hilariously awful dialogue. Resident Evil 2 fixed all these issues and gave us a thrilling adventure, with the added bonus of having 4 separate stories to play through, not including the super-secret hidden stories. Still possibly the high point of the series, if you have ANY interest in zombies, horror or just damn good action games, then this game is for you.
1 - Final Fantasy VII Some would argue that FFVIII is better, but they would be wrong. Whilst VIII brought more depth and gravitas to the story, it also lost some of the charm. FFVII also had sheer shock on its side. It was the first game in the series in 3D, and it showed how it could be done in style, with amazing pre-rendered cutscenes and a thrilling opening cinematic that segues without any loading preamble into the game itself. The story was rich, if overcomplicated, and was unafraid to take the series into truly dark territory on occasions. The game’s combat and upgrade system was overhauled for this game, and is arguably the most intuitive the series has ever been. If you haven’t ever played this game, then shame on you.
An odd list although I don't doubt they are all good games. I love the PS1 and can't resist giving my own top 10 games here:
1. Bishi Bashi Special 2. Final Fantasy VII 3. Gran Turismo 4. Metal Gear Solid 5. Tekken 3 (NTSC version) 6. Ridge Racer Type 4 7. Tomb Raider 8. Bust-A-Move 2 9. Wip3Out 10. Parappa The Rapper
Interesting choices, & a decent variety of genres in there. I'm a fan of FFVII & VIII and would just about concur with VII as #1 if I could only have 1 of them, just because it was the first FF I tried & couldn't believe how big it was back then.
I'd probably include one of the Tomb Raiders in there somewhere.
We linked up 2 Playstations at the last event I did. Doom and Ridge Racer seemed to be the games of choice for the link up - what other games are good for this?
While I thoroughly enjoyed Final Fantasy 7, Castlevania Symphony of the Night simply took my breath away from a 2D pixelmonkey point of view. But for me a major contender of best PSone game is Klonoa, Door to Phantomile. It's charm and totally heartbreaking ending does it for me every time.
Jun 15, 2010 20:00:31 (
Jun 15, 2010 20:00
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