| 07 April 2009
The original Playstation is where video games "grew up". Sega was barely hanging on, and Nintendo was thriving off its first party franchises. The consumers were growing up, and Sony took advantage by releasing the Playstation. Its library went in stark contrast to Nintendo's. Enter realism and violence.
A ton of now extremely popular franchises were started on the PSOne. While the originals were great, the sequels often took the games to a new level. Using only one game per franchise, here are my top 10 original Playstation games:
10 - Crash Bandicoot 2: The Wrath of Cortex
Crash Bandicoot was Sony's answer to Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. Lets be honest, it isnt nearly as good as either of those. However, while Mario and Sonic had some of the best games of all time, Crash Bandicoot still had some good games in there. The linear 3d platforming elements are well done and the animations and colors are appealing.
The game may be an inferior platformer, but it still had its charm barely giving it a place in this top 10.
The game switches between full 3D, and 2.5D (side scrolling 3D). Both are well done and fun. On the PSX, Crash bandicoot 2: The Wrath of Cortex took the original and improved on it. Like many games in this list, the sequel will win out over the original due to improving on the original concept.
9 - Hot Shots Golf 2
There are many great sports games on the PSX. However the problem is that most come out with yearly updates., While games like Madden 2000 could easily have made the list, its tough to consider them because Madden has never stopped improving each year.
Hot Shots Golf is a pure fun sports game on the PSX. It reminds me a lot of Mario Golf in its simplistic fun. It is an arcade style golf game, with unrealistic players, shots, and courses. I always seem to find one fun unrealistic sports game on each console that remains fun today. This is the Playstations 'NBA Jam' or 'Tecmo Bowl'.
Hot Shots 2 only slightly improved on the first Hot Shots, but it is still an improvement giving it more options, courses and golfers. My gripes with the game is its over Japanese-isms, and its elevator musak soundtrack.
8 - Resident Evil 2
Another example how an original concept is improved upon. Resident Evil was the first of its kind. It defined a new genre. This game was perhaps the most copied formula on all systems after the PSOne. It was legitimately scary. You actually had to conserve your ammo, and strategize your inventory. The graphics are beautiful, however that is mainly due to the pre-rendered static backgrounds.
Resident Evil 2 takes the game out of the mansion and into the streets of Raccoon City. The game is bigger, their are more enemies, and there are two campaigns. You pick between two main characters and play the campaign from both perspectives. You unlock campaigns as you progress through the other.
This game was later ported to the N64, but the Playstation version looked and played better.
7 - Twisted Metal 2
Twisted Metal was one of the first games to come out for Playstation. Basically, Twisted Metal is a demolition Derby with supernatural characters and vehicles, and a shitload of weapons. Twisted Metal 2 improved significantly on the first and remains the best in the entire series.
The battlegrounds in Twisted Metal 2 were all over the world in areas like Moscow, Antarctica, Los Angeles, New York, Amazonia, Holland and (my favorite) Paris. There were secrets found in these boards and you could change the level. For example, in Paris, you could destroy the Eiffel Tower, and it would create a ramp and a new level of the battlefield.
Each character had a unique vehicle, which had a unique weapon. There were also key combinations to shoot special missiles (like freeze) and to jump.
This game is one of the best multiplayer games on the PSX.
6 - Tony Hawk 2
Who would have thought that a skateboarding game could be so much fun? The Tony Hawk franchise has been milked to death nowadays, but back when it was new, it was amazing. Every version of the game came with a new combo linker. The best game in the franchise on the PSX was Tony Hawk 2.
Tony Hawk 2 was the first in the series to be set in an open ended world. You progressed your professional skater through the ranks moving to new skate parks and areas.
Tony Hawk 2 is the highest rated game for the Playstation according to metacritic. In fact, only 2 games all time scored higher (Ocarina of Time and GTAIV).
5 - Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo was the most realistic game on the Playstation. The GT series remains the most realistic racing game series you can find. The attention to detail is astounding.
After playing for a while you realize how addicted you become. The control is so realistic, you will find yourself trying to hit the perfect lines trying to cut 1 second of your time.
The license modes are insanely hard and addicting as well. You cant go off the track or you are DQed, you can't slow down or else you will not hit your goal. You have to hit every turn perfectly or you will spin out, or hit a wall and be DQed.
This game can suck away the hours like few others. After a while it can get frustrating, but the sense of accomplishment when you finally pass all the license exams is definitely present. With over 650 cars and 27 tracks, this game had a lot to offer.
4 - Castlevania: Symphony of the NIght
The reason I didn't include Castlevania games in my NES and SNES countdowns, is because Symphony of the Night blows them all away. It threw away the level by level formula and brought the series into an open ended world. You had to explore the castle finding powerups and weapons that would allow you to enter new areas.
This game was the first to be treated as an RPG as well. Instead of just leveling up your whip (Castlevania 2), you would also level up your character. You would find, buy and sell equipment, accessories, and weapons. Sure, past Castlevanias had SOME rpg elements, but this was the first where your character got stronger, and you had to micromanage your equipment and spells. The attacks damage was numerical based, like true RPGs, multiplying the weapon damage with the character level. ... im sure you guys dont care, only a nerd tool would care about this RPG argument. The weapons would change up the gameplay also with axes swinging overhead slowly, and swords being fast and straight ahead, etc.
The game encouraged you to explore every area of the castle. Secrets were plentiful, and leveling up your character was necessary when fighting higher level bosses.
3 - Tekken 3
I have spent more hours with this game than any other game on Playstation. It was the ultimate pick up and play game for dorm rooms in 1998. I know most wont agree with me, but this is the best fighting game ever! Everyone had their own style and their own character. Some characters had reversals, some had leg only reversals (king). Some had parries.
Characters all had several 10 hit combos, and some characters like King, could chain throws.
When you play with someone enough, you know what they are going to throw at you. This is when the game goes to a whole new level. Matches become all defense, and even small kicks to the shin can turn the fight. If you can land just one kick, you can turn that into an air juggle, finishing with a ground stomp.
Fantastic game, and I dominate with Xiaou, the underage japanese chick that likes cuddly bears.
2 - Final Fantasy VII
This was the first Final Fantasy game I really got into. Perhaps that is why it is so high on this list. These games are epic, and really demand a lot of time. I was lured in by its graphics and impressive cut scenes. However once I got beneath the surface I got sucked into the story,
The game is so complex, the leveling of characters, the micromanaging of the items and equipment for each, the spells, the chocobos, etc.... I had to stay away from Final Fantasy VIII and IX because I just couldn't invest the time again.
This game was unbelievably impressive at the time, and I have been toying with playing it again. I don't think I could find the time to play it again though.
I was never big on turn based combat, but I didn't mind it in this game. I was also a sucker for the Summon spells. They looked so cool, i didn't care that I was watching them for the 30th time.
1 - Metal Gear Solid
Probably a lock at #1 on most Playstation lists, Metal Gear Solid deserves its place.
The game takes place in Alaska near the Bering Sea. Snake infiltrates a facility that is harboring nukes and robots names Metal Gears. The game focuses mainly on stealth. It is aided by a convenient radar that shows locations of enemies as well as their site radius. The game is played from a top down perspective, but when you lean against a wall, or look through binoculars or a gun scope, switches to first person.
You can mess with the enemies which is a great touch. You can lure them with knocking, hide in boxes, etc.
The game is full of Easter Eggs, and the level of detail is second to none. For example, you fight one boss that is a mind reader. He tells you what games you play by taking them from the Playstation's Memory card. The way to beat him is to unplug your controller, and plug it into the second controller slot. He cant read your thoughts then. Brilliant! This is just one example of the creativity in this game. The game is as original as they get.
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/king nerd
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Madden 2000
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ok
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Could be #10
/2 cents
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