Hidden PSX ONE Gems?

[SaturnFan]

Tail of the Sun.

[bangtango]

I guess I just disagree with the concept of 'hidden.'

IMHO, no NBA Live game, as good as they may be, will never be hidden.

I beg to differ for one reason. When was the last time the average gamer even thought of a PS1 sports game with the year 96' in the title, let alone considered purchasing it?

Say Anthony1, how do you think Madden 96 might have shaped up on the PS1 system? Something along the lines of the Super NES or Genesis games with some graphical enhancements?

[Kid Ice]

Skeleton Warriors is a good early platformer with nice graphics and a sort of Castlevania feel. Sadly, they had to throw in some 3D gameplay, so there are atrocious flying sequences thrown in there.

Blast Radius is a nice space combat game by Psygnosis that suffered at the time of its release from comparisons to Colony Wars. Still better than Darklight Conflict IMO.

Crime Killer is like Rush 2049 with guns.

I wouldn't go as far as to call Jupiter Strike a "gem", but it's fun enough for an early 3D shooter.

[Nate Nanjo]

I'm probably going to be the first and only to say, Kings Field I and II.

I enjoyed both of them.

And 90% of the people I talk to have never head of it.

[Classicgamesdepot]

Gotta give a shout out for powerslave - its a first person shooter that takes place in Egypt..pretty uncommon on the playstation.. I've heard the saturn version blows..

If your into old school fps's with a twist, you will dig this game...if you can find it.

[Captain Wrong]

]
Crime Killer is like Rush 2049 with guns.

Now that sounds interesting.

[TurboGenesis]

I enjoyed:

Adventures of Lomax (From the folks who did Flink)
Motor Toon Grand Prix (From the folks who did Gran Turismo)
Poy Poy (great multiplayer fun)

Seconds for:
Qix Neo (Great for Qix - loading times ugh)
In the Hunt (a little slow but still good)

[Aussie2B]

I'm probably going to be the first and only to say, Kings Field I and II.

I enjoyed both of them.

And 90% of the people I talk to have never head of it.

I'll back up your King's Field. It's a great series, but most people, out of the already small group of people who are actually aware of the existence of the series, just don't "get" the games, because they're expecting some sort of traditional RPG or a Zelda-style adventure game. King's Field is a whole 'nother kind of beast, so it takes a lot to adapt to the gameplay and learn to enjoy it. I own all four of the main series - the two US releases on PlayStation, King's Field 4 on PS2, and I even imported the original that never got a US release. I still have to get the PSP games eventually, though.

From Software's other King's Field style games are very good too. Shadow Tower is probably even less known than King's Field, and it's even less appreciated too.

I prefer to watch the games rather than play them myself, though. First-person games tend to make me feel a bit disoriented and sick.

[goemon]

I'll back up your King's Field. It's a great series, but most people, out of the already small group of people who are actually aware of the existence of the series, just don't "get" the games, because they're expecting some sort of traditional RPG or a Zelda-style adventure game. King's Field is a whole 'nother kind of beast, so it takes a lot to adapt to the gameplay and learn to enjoy it. I own all four of the main series - the two US releases on PlayStation, King's Field 4 on PS2, and I even imported the original that never got a US release. I still have to get the PSP games eventually, though.

From Software's other King's Field style games are very good too. Shadow Tower is probably even less known than King's Field, and it's even less appreciated too.

I prefer to watch the games rather than play them myself, though. First-person games tend to make me feel a bit disoriented and sick.

Another vote for the King's Field series and Shadow Tower! I always felt bad whenever I saw Shadow Tower in a "Worst PSX Games" list -- obviously the people didn't play the game right. "I tried to kill everything in sight, my sword broke, and I dies. It can't be my fault, so this game sux!"

[Emuaust]

Gotta give a shout out for powerslave - its a first person shooter that takes place in Egypt..pretty uncommon on the playstation.. I've heard the saturn version blows..

If your into old school fps's with a twist, you will dig this game...if you can find it.

Um the Saturn version Pwns the PSX port. good game but go for the Saturn version.

[jajaja]

Hot Blooded Family. Only came in Japan afaik. A great 2d beat em' up!

[Chadt74]

Kings Field I, I didn't like that game, but I just think that it wasn't my cup of tea. It is different than most PS games and I could see how someone could get into it.

[Anthony1]

I guess I just disagree with the concept of 'hidden.'

IMHO, no NBA Live game, as good as they may be, will never be hidden.

At the same time: Fighting Force, Triple Play, Civ 2, Tetris, Wild Arms 1&2,
Mega Man Legends 1&2, N20, etc etc....

Most people know about all of these games, and are far from hidden


I'll second Mr. Domino though, great game.

NBA Live '96 is a hidden gem, because although the NBA Live name is very well known, and the game was well known at the time of release, very few people know that NBA Live '96 for Playstation was the final sprite based basketball game from EA Sports. If you mention NBA Live '96 to the average person, they would have zero interest whatsoever in it, because they would assume that it's an early polygon sports game that would be absolutely horrible if revisited today. But instead, it's the final sprite based basketball game from EA Sports, and more importantly, it's basically NBA Live 95 from the Super Nintendo, except it has 3D courts and arenas and better sound. Most gamers who have tried NBA Live 95 for the Super Nintendo recognize that it's a classic older sports game, just because of the feel that the game had. But very few gamers have any idea whatsoever that the first Playstation version of NBA Live '96 had the same type of feel, just with some 3D arenas and multiple camera angles, etc, etc. In the same way that FIFA Soccer was transformed when put on the 3DO system, even though it still used sprites, that's basically the same thing that happened with NBA Live with it's first incarnation on the Playstation. The polygon games that followed obviously shouldn't be mentioned whatsoever, but I will stand by my assertion that NBA Live '96 was a hidden gem.


Same thing with Triple Play '97 for all the same reasons. Sprites can stand the test of time, but early polygonal based sports games are just painful to revisit today. I'm sure many of you think "ANY" sports not named Super Tecmo Bowl is painful to revisit today, but if any of you try NBA Live '96 or Triple Play '97, you may be pleasantly suprised. Also, you should be able to find either game for a couple of bucks.

[j_factor]

I second Heart of Darkness. That game was awesome, and really showed the Playstation's supposed lack of 2D ability to be a common misconception.

I'd like to throw out Nanotek Warrior. I've heard that the Japanese Saturn version is superior, but I've never seen it.

[Daltone]

I don't hear Bushido Blade mentioned often enough these days.

Couldn't agree more. It's a shame the series seemed to go downhill after the first one though.

Now that you say that Apocalypse and Tony Hawks Pro Skater do look very similar. Interesting

Wow, I never knew that. I love random bits of triva like this. I wonder if I can find a cheap copy of Apocalypse somewhere.

Whilst I'm not sure exactly how hidden it is, I really liked Parasite Eve 2.

[Keir]

I'm a firm believer in No One Can Stop Mr. Domino, a great game that to this day recieves next to no attention

Hell yes.

Roll Away (Kula World) is a trippy puzzle game that has you collecting objects in an omnidirectional 3D maze and getting to the exit before your time expires. It gets downright devious in the later stages.

Ah, sweet Roll Away. ClubNinja got me hooked on that one!

Should the fact that so many people mentioned Tall: Infinity mean it's not really "hidden"? Definitely a gem though. And I'll add one more:

One Piece Mansion: You run an apartment and have to arrange your tenants so they don't piss each other off! Lots of fun, and it can be quite challenging too.

[RadiantSvgun]

I really enjoyed Panzer Bandit. Unfortunaly it wasn't released state-side and it costs too much now. Reminds me of Guardian Heroes.

I enjoyed Project: Horned Owl way back in the day.

[XianXi]

Racing Lagoon, best racing RPG ever. Maybe the only one?

[theshizzle3000]

I second Heart of Darkness. That game was awesome, and really showed the Playstation's supposed lack of 2D ability to be a common misconception.

I will third Heart of Darkness especially with the 3-D goggles on.

[j_factor]

Racing Lagoon, best racing RPG ever. Maybe the only one?

Final Lap Twin.