PS1 Games That Hold Up?

[Family Computer]

No doubt at the time, PSX was a console with a TON of good games at very nice prices. When PS2 rolled around, it was nice to have the backwards compatibility. I haven't bought any new PS1 games for awhile, and I am trying to make a list of what I want. The problem is aside from RPGs, there is not much that hasn't been either released in a better version on a different console or has been eclipsed by newer games. I am not a fan of 3d fighters in general, but Tekken 3 for example has newer iterations on PS2. All the good 2d Fighting games are better on the Saturn/DC/or PS2.

Also racers, while cutting edge at the time have been eclipsed by the newer generation...is there a reason to own GT1/GT2 anymore if you have GT3/GT4?

Anyway, here is a list of what I like and own. Based on it, could you guys remind me of some stuff that I might be forgetting. I already took a look at some top 25 lists, and honestly, they didn't really impress me with games like Twisted Metal 2. Great game in its time but I highly doubt I'll have any urge to go back and play it.

Imports highly welcome!

-Metal Gear Solid Integral
-Einhänder
-Brave Fencer Musashi
-DoDonPachi
-Vib Ribbon
-Intelligent Qube
-Rakugaki Showtime
-Silhouette Mirage
-Strider 1+2
-Castlevania: SOTN
-Tenchu
-Tenchu 2
-Tenchu expansion pack
-Bushido Blade
-Bushido Blade 2
-Gunner's Heaven
-Policenauts
-Snatcher
-Ghost in the Shell
-Samurai Spirits RPG

Things I like, 2d fighters, shooters, ninja, samurai, giant robots, and funkiness, beat-em ups

I almost never look for filler to my collection, but I have to believe that there is more than 20 games for PS1 that I would really like!

Feel free to add random recommendations for anyone participating in the thread.

[Gapporin]

If you like random Japanese quirkyness, I heartily recommend picking up a copy of Incredible Crisis post-haste.

[Family Computer]

Wow, seriously? I actually saw that at the local game shop and thought the cover looked pretty cool. Does it go beyond it's quirkiness and provide a fun game? Looks like the type of thing I need in my collection ;p

[Gapporin]

It's basically a series of random mini-games strung together with a fairly decent (if not far-fetched) plot. The games themselves are pretty fun, except for the fact that they tend to recycle the same ones over twice or 3 times (even making it a in-joke for the game itself). They also tend to get really, really hard in the latter part, and not a "fun" hard, but like a "frustrating" hard. Plus, if you fail a minigame and lose all your lives, you not only have to go back to the beginning of that game, you have to go back to the start of that section of mini-games, which is also frustrating.

I know it sounds like I'm harping on it, but those (in my eyes) are small squibbles. Pick it up, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Family Computer]

Cool, Gapporin. This exactly is the type of stuff I am looking for, as it didn't just fall off my radar but was never ON it.

How are the first 2 Grand Theft Auto games on PSX? I remember playing them on my friends PC & they were pretty amusing actually. Is the PC version better?

[ProgrammingAce]

Because of it's distinctive shape, they called it... Einhander!

[Shrooin]

PSX sure does have a lot of classics although I can't think that many right now. Anyway you should get these

Discworld
In the Hunt
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
Final Fantasy Tactics
Metal Slug
Road Rash
Theme Park

HM, FFT and MS and so good in fact they are all rereleased on PSP (FFT isn't out yet) and theme park was rereleased for DS. Theres a fair amount of good PC ports but as far as I know all the ones I mentioned aren't inferior to them.

[Family Computer]

Discworld (not into fantasyish stuff so much)
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature (no into RPG)
Final Fantasy Tactics (might think about this although not too huge on it)
Metal Slug (better ports elsewhere, own the PS2 pack)
Road Rash (not a fan of this series)
Theme Park (1000s of versions and I don't like sim type games)


In the Hunt.....this looks like the one I'd be most interested on your list. I am gonna check it out, thanks!

**I did some searching but it looks like as with most other 2d games the JPN Saturn version of In the Hunt is the one to go for :(

[Fuzzball24]

MTV's Celeberity Deathmatch...



...but seriously, try:
Wild 9
Star Wars Dark Forces
Klonoa
Rival Schools (heard it is good...haven't played)
Spider-man (surprisingly fun...)
Marvel VS Capcom (I don't like fighters too much, but this PWNS)! :D
Myst (if your into that kinda thing)
Road Rash 3D

Just kinda threw some stuff in....I buy a lot of just medicore games though, so they're defiantly not AAA titles....(besides Klonoa)...

[Shrooin]

yeah I knew that all the games I mentioned had ports on PC, Saturn and such but I thought the PSX counterpart wasnt inferior. for example I played both the 3DO and PSX versions of Road Rash and noticed no difference so the PSX version is just as good. and I figured discworld would be the same no matter what console it's played on. I wasn't sure about MS and ITH as I only played the arcade versions.

[sirhansirhan]

How about:

Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
No One Can Stop Mr. Domino
Skullmonkeys
Boombots

And I second Wild 9 and third Incredible Crisis.

[bangtango]

Just throwing a couple out there based on the genres you listed.

Iron Soldier 3
King of Fighters 99

[Pezcore343]

If you like adventure/puzzle games AT ALL then you should definitely pick up Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exodus, and also Heart of Darkness. Amazing games.

[James8BitStar]

Hmmm.... I was looking through my own PS1 collection just recently, because I was thinking of ditching my console. But there's probably one game IMO that makes it worth keeping:

King's Field.

[Tommy]

Pez said what I was going to say. Well shooters would be Raystorm, Raycrisis and a few imports.

[bangtango]

Hmmm.... I was looking through my own PS1 collection just recently, because I was thinking of ditching my console. But there's probably one game IMO that makes it worth keeping:

King's Field.

Bah, hold onto it. It's a good little system. I prefer to play all my PS1 games on a PS1 anyway, regardless of the fact my PS2 is compatible with most of them. Better to slowly wear out a $10 system than an $80-100 one.

[Dangerboy]

Figured I'd chime in, all things considered :)

Without having referenced anyone else's list:

Intelligent Qube
Klonoa
Vandal Hearts
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBLA Version blows)
Guilty Gear (original and still ass-kicking)
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy IX
RayStorm
RayCrisis
Raiden (mother lovin') Project
In the Hunt
Metal SLug X
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (World Tour Mode)
Tetris Plus (can design your own puzzles)
Valkyrie Profile
Tempest X3
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
X-Com (cumbersome relic by today's standards, but god man, the depth...)
Gekioh: Shooting King
Tales of Symphony
Alundra (difficulty - insane)
Metal Gear Solid
Ace Combat 2 / 3
Rage Racer (till the day I die)
Worms
Zoop

...

...

and more

There's just so many @_@;;

[VACRMH]

Tales of Symphony

I know you meant Destiny, but did you mean to say 1 or 2?

[j_factor]

For shooters, the absolute best PSX had to offer were G-Darius and Einhander, IMO.

I still love Syphon Filter.

[Pezcore343]

I loved tazing people in Syphon Filter

[Dangerboy]

Er, yeah..Destiny. #1, never got to 2.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'll add Front Mission 3 and Legend of Mana. All the Worms titles are fairly solid as well. Metal Gear Solid anyone?

[Shrooin]

If you like adventure/puzzle games AT ALL then you should definitely pick up Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exodus, and also Heart of Darkness. Amazing games.

I would say Abe's Odyssey is more like action/adventure with some puzzle solving in it. That definately is a good game it was what I played most often when I first got a PS1 because it was the best game on the demo disc and I didn't own any games yet. Also I played the Grand Theft Auto demo a lot thats another good game. The PC version isn't superior as far as I can tell.

[Pezcore343]

Q*Bert is also quite a good arcade style game on the Playstation. One of the few games to get a high quality remake on a home console at the time.

[j_factor]

The first two Oddworld games are kind of ripoffs of Flashback. Not that that's a bad thing.

[Pezcore343]

I'd have to say Oddworld adds enough in terms of story, humor, and style to not be considered ripoffs. Perhaps homage is a better word. =)

I don't like people messing with my Oddworld games. It's a personal thing. I need to check out Flashback though. If it's as much like Oddworld and Heart of Darkness as people say I'll need to pick it up.

[j_factor]

I'd say Heart of Darkness was closer to Out of this World.

[Pezcore343]

I'm not sure if I'm too fond of Heart of Darkness giving you weapons. I kind of prefer Oddworld where you are armed only with your wits, dim as they may be. But yeah, Out of this World and Flashback are two games I have heard are excellent in that genre.

[sabre2922]

Wipout XL :rocker:

and

Metal Slug X:rockets:

Are two PSone games that I still play on a regular basis.

and of course there is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night:whip:

There are MANY other PSone games that actually hold up surprisingly well.

Only a jaded technophile or one of them "youngster graphic whore Halo kids" would disagree.

Hell I even still prefer the original Metal Gear Solid with its dated graphics over the "update" the Twin Snakes since the original has such incredible music almost perfect cutscenes better voice acting and most importantly PERFECTLY BALANCED GAMEPLAY when compared to the Twin Snakes.

and yea I have both games.

[Family Computer]

I'm definitely not a jaded technophile, but I just feel that it is one of those systems that holds up least well in the long term.

If I compare to NES/FC, SNES/SFC, PC Engine, Neo Geo or Saturn, it has the LEAST amount of games falling into the "not eclipsed/best version" category in my mind.

Tekken 1, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Soul Edge, Ridge Racer Series, GT 1, GT2, Resident Evil Series, shooters, & 2d fighters. All of these games were huge hits at the time, but all of these games have either been superseded by a newer version or are better on a different platform to begin with (GT3, Tekken 5, Soul Caliber, Resident Evil Series, Metal Slugs etc. etc. etc.).

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the original Metal Gear Solid, there are some exclusive 2d shooters on the system. However, when you own all the other systems, it kind of gets lost in the middle.

If I liked RPGs, I would probably be more attached to the game library of the PSX, but I just don't find that many games attractive compared to other large library systems like the NES or SNES.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Wipout XL :rocker:

and

Metal Slug X:rockets:

Are two PSone games that I still play on a regular basis.

and of course there is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night:whip:

There are MANY other PSone games that actually hold up surprisingly well.

Only a jaded technophile or one of them "youngster graphic whore Halo kids" would disagree.

Hell I even still prefer the original Metal Gear Solid with its dated graphics over the "update" the Twin Snakes since the original has such incredible music almost perfect cutscenes better voice acting and most importantly PERFECTLY BALANCED GAMEPLAY when compared to the Twin Snakes.

and yea I have both games.

I can't agree with you more on these points!

I easily second the opinions of many of the games listed already (although I think Wipeout 3 holds up even better than XL). Games like Symphony of the Night are still a wonder to behold.

I've always felt the same about Metal Gear Solid. I can not STAND the GC remake and I easily play the original over that one. When I play it on a PS2 with the smoothing option on, it still looks damn nice to me :)

[Cyan]

For all of us twitch-action players, TempestX3 is a must have. I was worried that I'd have to leave a Jaguar hooked up all the time just so I could play Tempest 2000. Fortunately, with this PSX release, that's no longer the case :)

-RS.

[Promophile]

I've always felt the same about Metal Gear Solid. I can not STAND the GC remake and I easily play the original over that one.

I think it would've been fine if they didn't go overboard on the cutscenes. Snake is a hell of a fighter but nothing in any of the other MGS games would lend credence to his ability to ride a missile like a surfboard...

[deaditeash2]

I still play Castlevania Chronicles and SOTN, Adventures of Lomax, Strikers 1945, and Metal Slug X (although I'll get the new PS2 Anthology soon). I also think Civ II, Risk, and Diablo are all still playable which I just haven't had time to play lately...

[courtesi96]

Bushido Blade (my favorite 3D fighter of all time)
Colin McRae Rally 2.0 (best rally game on the system)
Destruction Derby (avoid the sequel)
Jumping Flash 1 & 2 (hey, I liked it)
Lemmings / Oh No More Lemmings! (compatible psx mouse!)
MDK (probably the only FPS I liked on the system)
Super Puzzle Fighter Turbo (pretty fun puzzle game)
X-Com UFO Defense Force (compatible with psx mouse!)

[robo3355]

I can't really say alot about the playstation library, however I can second Rival Schools as one of the best fighters on the system. It's very stylish and I always found it to be way better then the ported fighters that just didn't seem right. It's kind of hard to find now and fetches a bit on ebay.

[Dire 51]

You mean to tell me that this thread is on its second page and no one's mentioned Gradius Gaiden yet? How is this possible?

[courtesi96]

You mean to tell me that this thread is on its second page and no one's mentioned Gradius Gaiden yet? How is this possible?

Different strokes for different folks! A lot of people like Einhander but I couldn't stand it. I'd much rather play Strikers or Metal Slug instead!

[j_factor]

If I compare to NES/FC, SNES/SFC, PC Engine, Neo Geo or Saturn, it has the LEAST amount of games falling into the "not eclipsed/best version" category in my mind.

Tekken 1, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Soul Edge, Ridge Racer Series, GT 1, GT2, Resident Evil Series, shooters, & 2d fighters. All of these games were huge hits at the time, but all of these games have either been superseded by a newer version or are better on a different platform to begin with (GT3, Tekken 5, Soul Caliber, Resident Evil Series, Metal Slugs etc. etc. etc.).

I love the PSX as much as I ever did, and I think it's partly because I always thought Tekken, Ridge Racer, and Gran Turismo sucked. These games were never in consideration for me to begin with. Same with 2D fighters, since they were almost never exclusive to or better on PSX in the first place. Shooters have generally not been superceded by new versions; if there's any better version of a PSX shooter, it's probably on Saturn, and it probably came out around the same time. There's only a few games on the system that I ever cared about and later became outdated -- mainly Guilty Gear and Metal Slug X.

And yet, discounting all those games, I'm still a fan of Playstation. I own about 65 games for it (that I actually think are worth keeping/playing) and there's a good 25 or so on my 'to get' list. That's 90+ games, none of which are Tekken, Ridge Racer, Gran Turismo, or Resident Evil. And I've always been very conscious of what games have better versions on other systems, always trying to opt for the better version. So all of them are either PSX exclusive, or no better on anything else, or only better on PC, which I don't count.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I never understood the following,
Strikers 1945
Wild 9
Tempest X3 Decent, better graphics, but pales in comparrison in game play to the Jaguar version.

I would recommend
Spider the Video Game, great little 2 1/2D platformer.
Running Wild, interesting racing game very similar to Sonic R for the Saturn
Rollaway, only if you like puzzles.

[Moo Cow]

What?! No Tomba! 1 or 2? Blaspheme!

[Apollo]

What?! No Tomba! 1 or 2? Blaspheme!

I know, I was about to say Tomba also...

I can't believe no ones mentioned it, but Legend of Dragoon has to be one of the best RPG's, if not the best I've ever played.

[Chuplayer]

I liked the Ghost in the Shell game. It looks like ass, but it doesn't hinder the excellent gameplay.

I still like Soul Blade/Edge better than the Soul Calibur sequels.

[GrandAmChandler]

I am Also for Alundra.

Zelda a Link to the Past + Crack = Alundra.

Just stay away from Alundra 2.... :shameful:

[8bitgamer]

I really enjoy the Crash Bandicoot games and the Marvel fighting games.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

[Tommy]

I have to agree with you on that 8BIT, Crash Bandicoot Warped was really fun. I don't know about you all but I usually play games with my wife and I really liked taking turns playing this game with her.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I forgot to mention another one of my favorites in my last post... Omega Boost. How could I have overlooked that? :shameful:

I'll second Ghost in the Shell. It was alot higher on the wowzers factor when it was new but, it still has some legs due to it's unique setting and gameplay. Plus, the training cutscenes are a hoot! :)

I'd like to second Gradius Gaiden but, I can't as I have yet to play it. Probably would have brought it up in my first post if I had. I hear nothing but goodness about it.

[bust3dstr8]

This what gets the most use outta my PS1 collection

Parodius(all of em)
Salamander Pack
Gradius Pack
Puzzle Fighter(more the wife and her friends than me)
Bust A Move
Einhander
R-Type Delta
Gradius Gaiden
Buster Brothers
Raiden Project(Why did I even bother with III:smash:)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Gaia Seed
Dodonpachi
ThunderForce V
Sotn
Castlevania Chronicles (gameplay is tankish, love the music in this one)
Panzer General

[Raccoon Lad]

"No one can stop Mr. Domino!" Fun AND quirky.

[SaturnFan]

I'll give you a couple games I like and still play to this day.

Jackie Chan:Stuntmaster ( one of the greatest platform jumpers and beat em ups ever made)
Dino Crisis 2(the best of the Dino Crisis series)
Jet Moto(series)fantastic racing games, though 1 & 2 are kinda hard on the eyes now. 3 still looks good.
Streak:Hoverboard Racing(great hoverboard racing game, made by the Jet Moto guys.
Planet of the Apes: fun game, one of the last ps1 games released.
Fear Effect. Awesome game, still looks good to this day.

and a lot ps1 games I can't think of. Though the listed games above are some of my favorites.

[tom]

I loved Wild 9, very satisfying game.
SF The Movie (just to win the game as Cammy/Kylie Minogue)
Steel Harbinger, that was a strange game
Spice Girls
Gex
40 Winks
X-Com Enemy Unknown
those singing and dancing games (although I'm crap at them)
Fear Effect (lezzy gameplay)
and of course:
Barbie Explorer

[Barbarianoutkast85]

From your list I'd add Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, and Castlevania: Chronicles. Some other good PS1 games that havent been redone and are worth going back to play are:
Croc: Legend of the Gobo's
40 Winks
Heart of Darkness
Rayman
Dino Crisis
Resident Evil
I think all of those games are worth going back and playing for the PS1. Thats just a handfull I could think of off the top of my head, before I get another game to cover for work (I'm a sports writer at a newspaper.)

[j_factor]

Speaking of Croc, has anyone played the sequel? I really liked the first one, but I never even saw Croc 2 in a store.

[Atarian75]

If you like lightgun games, Elemental Gearbolt and Point Blank 3 are damn fun.

-Atarian75