View Full Version : Underrated PS1 Games
GhostDog
03-09-2014, 06:50 PM
What would you say are some underrated PS1 games that come to mind?
For me, it would have to be Test Drive 5 because it was way more fun than Gran Turismo.
What would you say are some good and underrated PS1 games?
LaughingMAN.S9
03-09-2014, 07:37 PM
I don't know if the games I'm going to mention are so much underrated as under appreciated but I'm going to go with 2xtreme, overblood & fear effect series
Fear effect, especially part 2 holds up remarkably for its age and has a really cool cyberpunk feel mixed with Chinese legend. It sold decently but no one ever talks about this game anymore. Even when it released i don't remember too many people talking about it or when they did it wasn't to praise it.
2xtreme was the best in the series in my eyes partly due to still using sprite based graphics, 3xtreme was fun too but the soundtrack is literally rape in your ears. Hands down worst soundtrack of all time, the game also lost something in the way of charm when it went full polygon.
Overblood just needs to be played more, never met anyone in my life who's played it or even heard of it. One of the first games that ever hit me right in the feels (pipo, nooooooooooooooooo!!!)
Arkanoid_Katamari
03-09-2014, 08:11 PM
Fear Effect definately does hold up, the graphic style is real great. I have trouble with those games tho cuz they have the same sort of controls as the early Resident Evils where it takes u forever to turn the character around. Idk why, I just always found that so frustrating in Resident Evil, and I suck at it.
I'm gonna mention Speed Punks, which is a great kart-racing game, and Mort The Chicken. Mort is a nifty little platformer that's pretty ignored, cuz it's no Crash Bandicoot, but it is a lotta fun. The levels don't vary too much, but the story and humor to it just keeps u playing cuz its real funny, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Jet Moto. When my mom passed away in January, 1997, I stood in my room for about a week and pretty much didn't do much of anything. Well, long story short, my best friend Vinnie picked me up and took me to his apartment to stay in NJ for a week, to get me out of the house.
His roommate Kenny had the PS1, which I hadn't played much before. While I played most or all of his games while I was staying over, there are only two games that stood out enough to remember fondly. Jet Moto was one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and every time I bring it up to someone, they always say they never heard of it.
Just in case anyone is curious, the other game I remember playing over there was Crash Bandicoot, but that at least is known by almost everyone.
PizzaKat
03-09-2014, 11:38 PM
Nice. More Fear Effect fans. I really like the game I still haven `t passed it. Due to being too tough for me. I got stuck near the zombie island or village. I tried playing again and that first boss was a pain, so Im like fuck it.I remember picking it up randomnly just after school and on my way to work.
Niku-Sama
03-10-2014, 12:46 AM
I really like demolition racer for some reason on PSX
PreZZ
03-10-2014, 12:56 AM
Rogue trip. It's like twisted metal, but better! I remember me and my friends played this game a lot, I will have to pick it up when I see it havent played it in a decade.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZspfGuSK-Q
Rickstilwell1
03-10-2014, 01:16 AM
I am a big fan of Beyond the Beyond though most people look at it as mediocre in terms of RPGs because they don't like having to do a lot of grinding. I on the other hand find the grinding to be the fun part of the game. It's a rewarding challenge to make it through a dungeon alive. I also really like the art style which fans of the Shining Force series should recognize.
Do the King's Field games get much praise? I love the exploration involved.
Super Bubble Pop is a fun addictive puzzle game and very cheap to buy too.
Roll Away is a great maze-like puzzle solver too.
And Vandal-Hearts... why doesn't it have more fans. It's like Final Fantasy Tactics before Final Fantasy Tactics existed, except it has a much more interesting story.
Courier Crisis is a pretty fun newspaper delivery game with a great soundtrack if you like punk rock.
Incredible Crisis is a really quirky game full of multi-genre mini games with a story and character reactions that would make plenty of people laugh.
I always thought Spider: The Video Game was a fun platformer even though I never had a chance to finish it.
Leo_A
03-10-2014, 01:27 AM
I thought that The Italian Job was excellent. Fun game and technically impressive.
Arkanoid_Katamari
03-10-2014, 02:10 AM
Theres so many. Punky Skunk is a cool 2D platformer, great graphics sorta like Tomba, only not expensive. Fun game. Jet Moto is great, so is San Francisco Rush. Idk how it compares to the N64 version, but its a fantastic arcade-style racer a lot like Cruisin' USA. Idk how well-known it is, but I hadn't heard of it.
The Driver series is fun, altho not really too underrated.
Asteroids is actually really stylishly done on the Playstation.
2xtreme was ok, altho I was a huge Tony Hawk player back then. I also had Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, cuz I was into skateboarding back then. It was Thrasher Magazine's video game. Again, tho, Tony Hawk was the only one to really do it right.
Coolboarders was a fun series, idk if those were unknown.
We also used to play a buncha Criticom, which is an early 3D fighing game, also on the Saturn. We used to laugh at how bad it was, but thinking back now, it wasn't so bad.
GhostDog
03-10-2014, 02:42 AM
Theres so many. Punky Skunk is a cool 2D platformer, great graphics sorta like Tomba, only not expensive. Fun game. Jet Moto is great, so is San Francisco Rush. Idk how it compares to the N64 version, but its a fantastic arcade-style racer a lot like Cruisin' USA. Idk how well-known it is, but I hadn't heard of it.
The Driver series is fun, altho not really too underrated.
Asteroids is actually really stylishly done on the Playstation.
2xtreme was ok, altho I was a huge Tony Hawk player back then. I also had Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, cuz I was into skateboarding back then. It was Thrasher Magazine's video game. Again, tho, Tony Hawk was the only one to really do it right.
Coolboarders was a fun series, idk if those were unknown.
We also used to play a buncha Criticom, which is an early 3D fighing game, also on the Saturn. We used to laugh at how bad it was, but thinking back now, it wasn't so bad.
Cool Boarders seemed like a well known series up to Cool Boarders 3 and after that became irrelevant. I remember seeing Cool Boarders 2 everywhere and then Cool Boarders 3 came out and I remember really liking it. I played the demo a ton of times before I actually purchased the game.
Arkanoid_Katamari
03-10-2014, 02:51 AM
Cool Boarders seemed like a well known series up to Cool Boarders 3 and after that became irrelevant. I remember seeing Cool Boarders 2 everywhere and then Cool Boarders 3 came out and I remember really liking it. I played the demo a ton of times before I actually purchased the game.
Yea my friend had Coolboarders 2, and I told my mom to get it for me when she was asking what games to get me or the xmas she got me the PS1. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Among those games was Metal Gear Solid, which blew me away. Then I bought 3 from my friend for $5.
I bought a whole buncha games from him, like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, even Point Blank and Time Crisis with the Namco guns. Wish I still had those. I sold off my collection, and later on bought back almost all the games I owned from Gamestop, or EB Games or whatever it was then, when the Ps2 hit the scene. The few that I'm missing are Point Blank, Time Crisis, Criticom, and Jet Moto 2. I still have all of those Gamestop games, the most valuable being a black-label Silent Hill, that I paid maybe $10 for. It's not a super valuable game now, but it's definately gone up since then, which is cool.
Does anyone else remember this time?? EB Games was actually selling NES games.
gunswordfist
03-10-2014, 03:46 AM
So many PS1 era games need to be revived. Is there any good reason why there hasn't been another Jet Moto game?
GhostDog
03-10-2014, 03:53 AM
So many PS1 era games need to be revived. Is there any good reason why there hasn't been another Jet Moto game?
Who knows but reviving popular games from the past doesn't work as well as it sounds. Too many people are into current popular franchises or want new franchises. I don't see a Jet Moto game selling well these days if it's brought back. Most of the gamers from the 90s that grew up with Jet Moto probably don't follow gaming as they once used to and selling an updated Jet Moto to a new audience will probably fail. Jet Moto seemed great in the past but making a new one will just seem silly and will probably flop sales wise and hit bargain bins almost instantly.
8-Bit Archeology
03-10-2014, 05:34 AM
Intelligent Qube - my favorite ps1 puzzle game with an epic soundtrack.
Vigilante 2nd Offence - a funTwisted Metal style game with fun levels to play on.
And even though it has a large cult following. I think Abes Oddworld games should get more praise than they did. Oddworld for some reason has the Tim Schaefer effect. Great games, but its almost as if people dont take to the games quick enough. Its like the developers move on and abandon the idea for sequels before the fans can tell them they did a great job. Oh well.
RoleyDre
03-10-2014, 06:45 AM
parasite eve, i have never played the second one ,but this game is pretty good rpg,i do like the story as well, its about mitochondria,pretty interesting....
few more that i think are good
dino crisis,was one of my favs to rent and play
raiden project,total awesome topview airplane shooter,awesome game!!!!
need for speed :high stakes
Alianger
03-10-2014, 10:02 AM
Blood Lines was a pretty fun, simple multiplayer game back in the day. Not sure how it holds up though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocK5V-Mx8kI
Also spent a lot of time on the yaroze games Super Bub and Gravitation.
Natty Bumppo
03-10-2014, 05:25 PM
I have always considered Nectaris to be way under appreciated - with the various modes of play it offers a lot of bang for the buck. The original Military Madness is as fun as ever and the new scenarios are (mostly) much more challenging than the older ones. In addition to the need for strategy, the new scenarios often play out as puzzle scenarios - exactly how do you get to the factories you need in order to muster enough strength to win? The only complaint I have with Nectaris is that they didn't add Neo-Nectaris (I would gladly have paid more if it needed an extra disc).
Another one that I have always liked is Echo Night - it is very slow paced game that has no sense of urgency other than learning more about the storyline. When I saw the 2002 movie "Ghost Ship" it reminded me a lot of Echo Night in the way that the crew's interactions with the ghosts unfolded the storyline. The one really odd thing about the game is the race style ending that was tacked on in a rather jarring fashion. Just didn't fit the rest of the gameplay.
GhostDog
03-10-2014, 09:56 PM
Anyone ever play Sled Storm? It seems like a fun game and I remember got a 4 out of 5 in PSM and got really good scores from EGM.
Natty Bumppo
03-11-2014, 08:34 AM
And Vandal-Hearts... why doesn't it have more fans. It's like Final Fantasy Tactics before Final Fantasy Tactics existed, except it has a much more interesting story.
Vandal Hearts was certainly a good game - the Vandalier was way too strong though. Vandal Hearts II had a much deeper story (although it got tedious on replays) IMHO and would have been a masterpiece if it hadn't had that miserable battle system.
Sammelhammel
03-11-2014, 09:06 AM
As I read the topic title, the first game which came to my mind is Rapid Reload.
I am from europe and it was one of the first games for this console over there....and it is still one of the best for me, even if I am more the RPG guy...this game is so awesome. A bit too easy, but it is THE Metal Slug for a Sony console...
Greg2600
03-11-2014, 07:36 PM
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/best-undiscovered-playstation-ps1-psx
Well written list from RacketBoy, all genres.
GhostDog
03-11-2014, 07:55 PM
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/best-undiscovered-playstation-ps1-psx
Well written list from RacketBoy, all genres.
Nice list but they missed Test Drive 5 for the racing genre. :D Test Drive 5 has to be one of the most underrated games on the system by far. I had a ton of fun with this game and wondered why it never got the attention I thought it deserved. Just type in "Test Drive 5 PS1" on Youtube and see for yourself.
Rickstilwell1
03-11-2014, 09:14 PM
Vandal Hearts was certainly a good game - the Vandalier was way too strong though. Vandal Hearts II had a much deeper story (although it got tedious on replays) IMHO and would have been a masterpiece if it hadn't had that miserable battle system.
Yeah sometimes the best way to play Vandal-Hearts but still have a challenge and see everything there is to see is to go ahead and do all the trials but just don't ask for advancement after you get the holy prism. It's pretty awesome having infinite of every useable item in the spell list though.
ggallegos1
03-12-2014, 10:34 AM
Vandal hearts is one of my favorites as well as brave fencer musashi. I don't hear much about BFM and its not really in anyone else's radar but it's a great game to pass time if you can get past one frustrating part
bigbacon
03-12-2014, 11:12 AM
power shovel.
GhostDog
03-12-2014, 01:33 PM
Silhouette Mirage
Supposedly the PS1 version gets trashed because it's nowhere near as good as the Japanese Saturn version which obviously had way better 2D sprites than the PS1 version.
Scissors
03-12-2014, 04:40 PM
NanoTek Warrior and Silhouette Mirage come to mind.
Supposedly the PS1 version gets trashed because it's nowhere near as good as the Japanese Saturn version which obviously had way better 2D sprites than the PS1 version.
I think you mean the American PS1 version got trashed due to the gameplay changes. The Japanese PS1 version isn't much different from the Saturn version. It has some less detailed backgrounds, but still looks pretty good and even has an extra boss not included in the Saturn version.
GhostDog
03-12-2014, 07:31 PM
NanoTek Warrior and Silhouette Mirage come to mind.
I think you mean the American PS1 version got trashed due to the gameplay changes. The Japanese PS1 version isn't much different from the Saturn version. It has some less detailed backgrounds, but still looks pretty good and even has an extra boss not included in the Saturn version.
Maybe. All I know is the Saturn was 2D king and North America missed out on a ton of great games and the PS1 version of this game doesn't stack up as well as the Japanese Saturn version just as this case with many other PS1 2D games.
RoleyDre
03-12-2014, 07:47 PM
nuclear strike- pretty fun overhead helicopter shooter
Assault Rigs.
This game was a classic from Psygnosis, that somehow ended up totally ignored by most PS1 gamers. I think it was an early 1996 Playstation game, very early in the lifecycle of the PS1, and it somehow got lost in the shuffle. I think the graphics and music and presentation are fantastic. It's kinda like this weird puzzle game, where you are a tank exploring these different indoor mazes looking for gems, to get to the exit, and a new level. I remember the music being pretty fantastic, and there was this kinda funny announcer dude, that would do announcing. You'd drive this tank around in Tron looking maze stages, looking for these gems that you would collect. You'd have to collect like 4 or 5 gems, and then the exit would open up, and you find the exit, and then start another world. Of course there were enemies trying to kill you, that you have to avoid.
biggzy
03-13-2014, 12:39 PM
WWF Smackdown (the first one). Was really shitty as a wrestling game compared to the AKI games on the N64, but if you thought of it more like an arcade fighting game instead of a grappler, it was pretty good. And the commentary is so choppy and bad it's hilarious. Hell, play it just for that.
FrankSerpico
03-13-2014, 01:26 PM
Ehrgeiz-I prefer the arcade version like a lot of other people, but it was a fun diversion from the regular fighting game formula.
Judge Dredd-Fun light gun game that follows the comic, not the shitty Stallone film, that seems mostly forgotten.
Shipwrecked-Fun sort of rts-lite where you play as crew of pirates.
gunswordfist
03-24-2014, 01:52 AM
Who knows but reviving popular games from the past doesn't work as well as it sounds. Too many people are into current popular franchises or want new franchises. I don't see a Jet Moto game selling well these days if it's brought back. Most of the gamers from the 90s that grew up with Jet Moto probably don't follow gaming as they once used to and selling an updated Jet Moto to a new audience will probably fail. Jet Moto seemed great in the past but making a new one will just seem silly and will probably flop sales wise and hit bargain bins almost instantly.
Probably so but there should have at least been one sequel on PS2. It's like the series dropped off of the face of the Earth.
jefis
03-24-2014, 08:32 AM
Rogue trip. It's like twisted metal, but better! I remember me and my friends played this game a lot, I will have to pick it up when I see it havent played it in a decade.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZspfGuSK-Q
Rogue Trip definetly! It was one of those games that I've played non-stop and beat like hundred times. There's tons of destructible stuff, unlockables and awesome levels.
Tanooki
03-24-2014, 09:50 AM
I can think of a couple, but I never had a lot of PS1 games as the system didn't do much for me. :P
Gundam Battle Assault would appear to be some lame anime game, but it's actually a fun and competent fighter that came out late in the systems life.
Another and it would be divisive among some who either got tainted by the mixed reviews or have a low patience threshold, but Blaster Master Blasting Away. The big problem here on this one is that there are load times, they're not long, but they're super often as it buffers each room you pop into which kind of sucks but not as it gets a bit more detail into the objects and terrain I suppose doing so. It's a solid game and follow the feel of the 2D Blaster Master titles pretty well. I remember it not being too terribly easy at all, yet it wasn't cheapo either so it fits.
retroman
03-24-2014, 11:24 AM
Anyone remember Blasto, or Jersy Devil? Those were 2 good games back then that you dont hear about now days.
Alpha2099
03-24-2014, 12:22 PM
What about Legend of Dragoon? That game was extremely underappreciated at the time of its release because of competition from Final Fantasy. It was the first epic-length RPG I've ever played, and to this day I still enjoy it.
gunswordfist
03-24-2014, 05:06 PM
I loved the Jersey Devil demo! It was a pretty solid and creative looking platformer from what I remembered.
I still want to play Brave Fencer Musashi. I loved its demo as well and its probably my most wanted PS1 game (either that, FFVII or Strider 2). PS1 really set the stage with great demos. That's also how I found out about Einhander. Those demo discs rocked.
I still want to try Legend Of Dragoon too.
Did anyone mention Tomba! yet? The last time I played it, it held up well. It's certainly better than LBP which plays kind of like it. I also want to get Tomba! 2.
Last, I had Blaster Master Blasting Again. I like the dark-esque feel and it was one of the first third person shooters I've ever enjoyed. I got nowhere near beating it though.