Favourite Sony Playstation Games

March 22, 2005 4:05 PM

I picked up a used original Sony Playstation (PSOne) at a flea market yesterday. It's all working OK, but the only game I have is Resident Evil 3, and I was wondering if anyone could suggest some of their favourite games that are worth seeking out.

I've tried Googling but don't even know which sites offer the best reviews so I'm going to trust you guys.

posted by feelinglistless to computers & internet (39 comments total)

The original Tomb Raider actually had some beautiful settings and music as well as some challenging, original puzzles (okay, you scoff, but someone tell me the "doppelganger" wasn't pretty damn cool.)

I think Myst and Riven were also produced for PS1.
posted by Shane at 4:09 PM on March 22, 2005

Wipeout XL - Fast and challenging anti-grav racing (one player, for all practical purposes).

Bushido Blade 2 - A sword fighting game, no "block button", just counter attacks, no life-bar. I have destroyed controllers and thumbs with this one (1-2 players).

Carnage Heart - A programming game, yes, that's right, a PROGRAMMING GAME! You write a little symbolic program for your group of robots, then send them out to fight another squad of programmed robots. As you advance, you get better hardware. Hard core geekery, but if that's your thing, this is the alpha and the omega. (1 player)

Driver - spiritual ancestor to Grand Theft Auto, a driving/crime game (but you're an undercover cop, so everything you do is justified morally ;). This is the only PS1 driving game I've played that *feels* good. (1 -2 players, I think).

Rival Schools - Straight up arcade fighter. Up to 4 players with a multi-tap.
posted by Capn at 4:23 PM on March 22, 2005

Driver - spiritual ancestor to Grand Theft Auto, a driving/crime game

GTA actually originally came out about two years before Driver came along.

The more you know...
posted by cmonkey at 4:35 PM on March 22, 2005

I loved the original Resident Evil, as well as Gran Turismo 2.
posted by saladin at 4:44 PM on March 22, 2005

Robotron X is one of my all-time favorite games for the Playstation series. It's a remake of an old arcade classic with some great new techno music and 3D effects.
posted by odinsdream at 4:45 PM on March 22, 2005

Syphon Filter I, II, and III.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 4:59 PM on March 22, 2005

Metal Gear Solid - Stealth action, back when the Metal Gear plots still made sense.

Gran Turismo 1/2- both fun to drive, and offers customization.

The first couple of Crash Bandicoot games were fun at the time, not sure how they've held up. I'd add Final Fantasy VII, as it was life-consuming when it came out, but it just seems so cheesy now.

I'm having to dredge up old gaming memories here - Oddworld Abe's Oddysee (platformer/puzzle), Front Mission 3(mech strategy), and Soul Reaver (action), would probably round out my must-plays. I'd suggest looking up some "top 10/25/50" PSone lists, and take the interesting-looking titles to Metacritic to see what *everyone* thought of a game. or just check out their All-time high scores for an aggregate top 20.

On preview- I'd forgotten about the Syphon Filter games, ..ooOOoo.. (scary noises? kilroys peeking over a hyperlink?) Try at least the first one in the series.
posted by sysinfo at 5:04 PM on March 22, 2005

Parappa the Rapper was one of the most enjoyable and original games that I've ever played.
posted by rks404 at 5:05 PM on March 22, 2005

the definitive site on video game rankings is, well, gamerankings. You can filter the results to only show PS1 games, and that should give you a pretty good list.

my personal favorites for the PS1 are Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Final Fantasy VII

On Preview: i too loved Parappa the rappa.
posted by escher at 5:08 PM on March 22, 2005

Tekken 2 and 3 are fun fighting games.
Gran Turismo 2 is a good racing game (but pales next to the PS2 versions)
I enjoy Demolition Racer, too, for a fun racing/crashing into people game.
posted by knave at 5:08 PM on March 22, 2005

I loved, but was pwned by, Colony Wars -- a great space shooter with excellent gameplay and good graphics. I found it very difficult, but it's worth playing. Metal Gear Solid is an excellent stealth action game, and is very similar to the PS2 versions. The original Silent Hill is still one of my favorite survival horror titles. Most of the sports titles (Madden, NHL, etc.) had great gameplay, if the graphics and rosters are a little outdated. I particularly recommend NFL Blitz 2000, one of the best features of which is the fact that you can still tackle the computer players after the whistle has blown. I might actually fire that one up on the PS2 tonight, now that I think about it.

Enjoy!

On preview: Parappa is super cool, but for a no-rhythym guy like me it was more fun watching someone else play. Also, I never tried Syphon Filter 1, but 2 was decent enough at the time.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:09 PM on March 22, 2005

Silent Hill.
posted by lucien at 5:26 PM on March 22, 2005

JUMPING FLASH 2
the most surreal game ever
posted by dontrockwobble at 5:34 PM on March 22, 2005

Let me echo the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night recommendation - the game made me purchase a Playstation after not touching a console for years.

- Vagrant Story was an entertaining game that I blew a summer playing and replaying.

- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is pretty close to a perfect game.

- If you're going to play any of the PS Final Fantasy games, I'd recommend Tactics and VIII. Both are a little less user-friendly than the other games in the series, but finish out with a really rich and rewarding game experience.

- Beware of "rare" cult-following games. I haven't seen a copy of Xenogears (15 on the GameRankings.com list) that runs less than $30 and that game came out like 8 freaking years ago. I've seen Castlevania go for pretty high as well, but eBay tends to turn up pretty inexpensive copies.
posted by one.louder.ash! at 5:34 PM on March 22, 2005

crash team racing
posted by crunchland at 5:37 PM on March 22, 2005

I found Monster Rancher to be strangely addictive. Crash Bandicoot wasn't bad, either.
posted by Ostara at 5:51 PM on March 22, 2005

Wipeout 2097 (Wipeout XL) and Wip3out.

There's an okay Bomberman or two.

I know I've got a bunch more titles, but I just can't remember them. That doesn't say much for their goodness.
posted by krisjohn at 5:55 PM on March 22, 2005

Wow, really open-ended question. No particular genre preferences?

Final Fantasy Tactics. It's not perfect (the translation is hilariously bad during the tutorial, and there are a few balance issues), but it's so close that it doesn't really matter.

I enjoyed Ape Escape quite a bit; it had some real creative use of the analog controller (which was unheard of at the time; it was actually the first game to require the analog controller). Street Fighter Alpha 3 gave me a great deal of fun, too.

A definite second to Symphony of the Night and MGS. If there's a PSOne Canon, those two are definitely in it.
posted by Kosh at 5:59 PM on March 22, 2005

I second the Final Fantasy VII recommendation and add Final Fantasy IX (my personal favorite) to the list.

Final Fantasy VIII is terrible, though. The plot is more incomprehensible than normal and the battle system is extremely tedious.

If you happen to be a RPG, Square, or Final Fantasy fan, Square also released all the old NES and Super NES Final Fantasies (except IIIj) as PSX games, many of which are excellant.

Final Fantasy Chronicles contains Final Fantasy IV (commonly thought of as the "best" Final Fantasy) and Chrono Trigger (an excellant RPG, my personal favorite SNES game), while Final Fantasy Anthology contains V (not that great, actually) and VI (also commonly thought of as the "best" Final Fantasy, I happen to like it).
posted by nmiell at 6:04 PM on March 22, 2005

Final Fantasy VII (just...just great)

Final Fantasy VIII (it's pretty sweet, but you either like it or hate it)

Final Fantasy IX (only if you like FF games, kind of a tribute game...pretty good in it's own right)

Final Fantasy Tactics (I have friends who would kill for a proper sequel for this game. On the PS2, of course.)

Metal Gear Solid (This was awesome, at the time.)

Tekken 3 (Fun stuff) & Crash Team Racing ---the MP stuff

There are a lot of good games on the PS1...the PS2's popularity is partially due to it's backwards-compatibility. Many of them have aged poorly, graphics-wise, but they're still fun. Enjoy!
posted by graventy at 6:20 PM on March 22, 2005

Ape Escape is, indeed, awesome...

... but the greatest game of all time has to be Twisted Metal II. No points... no timer... you go to the next level when you kill everyone else.

Now, that's the way a game should be.
posted by ph00dz at 6:33 PM on March 22, 2005

I'll second Oddworld: Abe's Oddysey, Crash Bandicoot, and Castlevania. Fun stuff. You might check the bargain bins for real cheapies, too. I picked up Killing Zone for next to nothing and, although I suck at and hate fighting games, I LERVE the cheesy monsters and kitschy music.
(I only have a PS1, no PS2, heh.)
posted by Shane at 6:39 PM on March 22, 2005

I liked the Robotron-on-rails-with-a-plot gameplay in "One" [ASC Games] and "Apocaplypse" [Activision], which plays just like One but "stars" the voice and likeness of Bruce Willis as your guy.
posted by britain at 7:18 PM on March 22, 2005

Wipeout 3 -- this is a great racing game. I don't recommend the others in the series before or after it, but this one is amazing.

I'm a fan of the Spyro series (If you're into single player adventure-type games).

Quake II is a fun shooter, though it's a bit gory. It's best with four people, so you would need a multi-tap (make sure it's an original one, 'cos my PS2 one does not work!)

I haven't played it, but the original Tenchu has always interested me (stealth, ninjas, etc).
posted by Camel of Space at 7:50 PM on March 22, 2005

And of course, Gran Turismo is great!
posted by Camel of Space at 7:51 PM on March 22, 2005

Rally Cross (the original, not the sequel). Specifically the Islands and Lost Mines tracks. Mmm. Be sure to play multiplayer.
posted by NortonDC at 7:59 PM on March 22, 2005

Another vote for Final Fanatsy Tactics - a game I still play all the way through every few years.

If you like side-scrolling space shooters, pick up Einhander.
posted by Sangre Azul at 8:33 PM on March 22, 2005

BUST A GROOVE
posted by pinto at 9:31 PM on March 22, 2005

More votes for Tony Hawk (might as well get 3, though) and Bomberman. Ooh, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, possibly the best block-dropping game ever made.

The ideal recommendations depend a lot on what you're looking for. If you're a big video game fan, you'll probably most enjoy hitting the historically significant titles (e.g., Gran Turismo), and the ones that for whatever reason have never been repeated (e.g., Devil Dice), and the ones that peaked in their PSX incarnations (e.g., Twisted Metal, Destruction Derby). If you're just getting into video games, though, or getting into them again after many years, you might check out early incarnations of today's big franchises (e.g., Metal Gear Solid, GTA), or just the PSX's biggest hits from its long lifespan. Yeah... you get the drift.
posted by box at 10:44 PM on March 22, 2005

Tetris plus and Monster Rancher! I also have and use Dance Dance Revolution a lot but I think of it more as a workout than a game.
posted by yodelingisfun at 11:04 PM on March 22, 2005

I always rated Tenchu pretty highly. Lots of creeping about and stalking in the shadows and flinging shuriken stars.
posted by uk_giffo at 11:41 PM on March 22, 2005

Wow, thanks everyone. This'll keep me going....
posted by feelinglistless at 11:55 PM on March 22, 2005

Driver (mentioned previously) was awesome. It's ancient, but I really enjoyed the original Jet Moto.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:24 AM on March 23, 2005

I'd like to second Crash Team Racing. If I had to pick one favorite, that would be it. I also really enjoyed all three PS1 Spyros -- they are nothing like the current incarnation of Spyro, and that's a good thing. Hot Shots Golf 2 is my current love.

You might also considering picking up an LCD Monitor on Ebay. Sony brand is the best and it looks like they are going for around $30. I also picked up a rechargeable battery that hooks up to the base of the PS1/Monitor setup. It was marked down to 10 bucks at my local game retailer.
posted by Otis at 5:29 AM on March 23, 2005

If you like SRPGs, you must get the Arc the Lad Collection from Working Designs. In particular, Arc the Lad 2 (the second of three full-length games in the box) is one of the best SRPGs I've ever played.
posted by Prospero at 6:04 AM on March 23, 2005

Crash Bandicoot & Crash Bandicoot 2 are addictively fun.
posted by contessa at 6:06 AM on March 23, 2005

Tenchu was the game that did it for me. A ninja simulator with clunky controls, but absolutely amazing gameplay. Plus, great music and environments that really immerse you in feudal japan.
posted by lyam at 7:11 AM on March 23, 2005

I spent so many hours playing Abe's Oddysee, it's scary.
Parrappa is fun, but I prefer the sequel, Um Jammer Lammy.
posted by plinth at 7:49 AM on March 23, 2005

For years, the only game I played was Tekken 3. If you're into fighting games, I think it's one of the most intuitive and has some of the best gameplay.
posted by rocketman at 11:29 AM on March 23, 2005