I was first exposed to PlayStation at a friend’s place in early 1995. He had recently picked up a Japanese version of the console, nearly a year before it would launch in the US. He had four games, if I remember correctly: Motortoon Grand Prix, The Raiden Project, Ridge Racer, and Space Griffon VF-9. All of them were interesting, but Motortoon and Ridge Racer captivated me. The frame rates were smooth and the games were fast and playable. With the possible exception of the expensive 3DO Interactive Mulitplayer, all of the previous 3D consoles I had experienced were just “proofs of concept” compared to this. 3D gaming had arrived.
You can read my more formal summary of the original PlayStation here on the system page, but in honor of the (slightly belated) 25th anniversary of my favorite PlayStation, here is my (very belated) list of the 20 games I would have put on the PlayStation Classic, by release date, broken down into three eras.
Groundbreaking Early Games and the 2nd Wave
1
A launch title in both the US and Japan, Ridge Racer proved that 3D arcade racing could play on home consoles with no compromises. Full Review
2
An early attempt at the 3D mascot platformer, Jumping Flash drew inspiration from Doom, oddly enough, to become its own thing—a first person hopper. Full Review
3
With 3D characters over prerendered backdrops, a creepy mansion filled with monsters, and B movie charm, Resident Evil introduced console gamers to bad dialogue (and Survival Horror, even if it did rip the concept off from Alone in the Dark.)
4
Blocky as hell now, Tomb Raider took the platforming of the original Prince of Persia into 3D space, increased the exploration, and introduced the world to female Indiana Jones.
5
Wipeout took the hover racing of F-Zero and made it 3D and stylish, but its sequel, Wipeout XL, was even better.
6
Ten Pin Alley not only offered a great physics-based simulation of bowling, it also lovingly captured the inherent corniness of the sport. Full Review
7
The 3D weapons-based fighter Soul Blade was not as refined as its many Soulcalibur sequels, but all of the ingredients were there.
The Banner Fall of 1997
8
Giant robot games general fall into one of two camps – plausibility, by portraying the machines as slow walking tanks; or fantasy, essentially creating gigantic metallic ninjas with missile launchers. Armored Core successfully cherry-picks the best from both approaches. Full Review
9
Bushido Blade isn’t the sole 3D weapons-based fighter on this list, but it’s one of the few fighting games to approximate realistic sword fighting, including the ability to kill your opponent with one good swing.
10
Widely regarded as one of the last great 2D games, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is just different enough from the Metroid series that—even with its few quirks and minor flaws—you owe it to yourself to play through the game at least once. Full Review
11
Colony Wars may be a Wing Commander clone, but it’s stylish, in full 3D, with great feeling space flight and combat that seem custom-made for the dual analog controllers. Full Review
12
Quirky, yet epic, with tinny yet wonderful music. Featuring spiky Chibi characters (sans fingers!) over beautiful 3D prerendered backgrounds, Final Fantasy VII was a study in contrasts. For many it was the game that introduced players to console RPGs, and it doesn’t hurt that Sephiroth is one of the greatest gaming villains of all time.
13
PaRappa the Rapper is a rhythm game in the old Simon handheld’s “repeat after me” mold. That may sound dull, but add infectious music and the charming artwork of Rodney Greenblat, and you’ve got a minor classic on your hands. Full Review
Firing on All Cylinders and Last Hurrahs
14
Mega Man Legends took the Mega Man premise and reimagined it as a 3D adventure game. Story driven and featuring wonderful Saturday morning cartoon aesthetics, many purists scoffed at the genre change, but players that gave it a chance found a great game in its own right. Not to mention it introduced the world to Servbots!
15
Battle Arena Toshinden may have been the first, but the Tekken series quickly became synonymous with 3D fighting on PlayStation. All three entries on the system are great, and Tekken 2 may be my personal favorite due to its roster, but Tekken 3 is clearly the best of the bunch.
16
Wearing its love of Escape From New York on its sleeve, Metal Gear Solid set new standards for stealth action and cinematic storytelling in gaming, making auteur game director Hideo Kojima a household name in the process.
17
While the Resident Evil series is scary in a monster movie way, Silent Hill is disturbing psychologically. From the lack of people in town to the earthquake-like fissures in the roads to the creepy alternate realities that start appearing, reality in the game seems to be unraveling as you search for your missing daughter in the strange titular town. Full Review
18
In Suikoden II, you are once again a boy who, through circumstance, is thrust into a grand conflict and eventually must recruit the 108 stars of destiny. The story concentrates on two childhood friends and the choices they make, as they become adults. Not many videogame plots would make a good novel, but add one to the list. Full Review
19
Letting you drive real world cars—including economy sedans—on race tracks, Gran Turismo brought a level of simulation to console racing. With more cars (including many more makes and models from the US and Europe), licensed rock music, famous real world race tracks, and just an additional level of polish and sheen, Gran Turismo 2 was a worthy sequel by all measures that pushed the PlayStation to its limits.
20
Spartan. Minimalist. vib-ribbon’s vector graphics would seem more at home in an early ‘80s arcade than the polygon-pushing PlayStation. But therein lies the charm. Full Review
Cheers,
Ben