PlayStation as a brand has been one of the most important and widely celebrated icons of video game greatness for generations, with none of this rich history of exceptional gaming existing without the impact and strengths of Sony’s debut home console. While the PS1 was originally conceived as a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo, a collapsed deal with Nintendo led to Sony marketing and releasing the console independently, in the process becoming one of the largest titans in the home console industry.
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With dynamic 3D graphics and the starting point of many iconic franchises, the PS1 and its selection of all-time classics are among the most beloved and appreciated games of the era. While the PlayStation brand would reach higher highs and market dominance with subsequent consoles, there is a humility and charm to the PS1 and its selection that still makes it a fan-favorite all these years later. The console’s very best games are among the best games of the era, if not some of the greatest games of all time.
10
‘Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!’ (1999)
3D platformers were all the rage in the mid to late 90s, with one of the PS1’s most prominent and celebrated platformer icons being Spyro the Dragon. Insomniac’s charming trilogy of action platformers proved to be some of the most approachable and joyous experiences on the console, and while each game in the trilogy has its own strengths, time has proven Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! to be the best of the trilogy and the entire Spyro franchise.
The game manages to find the best balance between gameplay variety, storytelling, and impactful moment-to-moment action that makes it enjoyable from beginning to end. It builds upon everything that made the first game great with a larger scope and understanding of the intricacies and strengths of the Spyro world and character as a whole. It also helps that the game features easily the most memorable and defining villain of the series in Ripto, with a great dynamic between Spyro and Ripto that makes taking him down all the more enjoyable to players.
9
‘Gran Turismo 2’ (1999)
While they may not immediately stand out to hardcore gamers, the Gran Turismo series has consistently been one of the PlayStation brand’s most impactful and successful franchises ever since its first console. While the original Gran Turismo is the best-selling game on the PS1, many die-hard fans say that Gran Turismo 2 is the better game in terms of the series’ PS1 offerings. Not just that, but the game’s exceptional gameplay, overwhelming roster of vehicles, and an absolutely addicting gameplay loop make it easily one of the best racing-sim games ever made.
Part of its inherent greatness comes from the fact that, while it still adheres to and contains a lot of the same realism and craft that made the original game and the franchise as a whole so compelling, it added so much more nuance to make it an experience that traditional gamers could still greatly enjoy. With a great single-player mode and a robust progression system, the game proves to be incredibly fulfilling to play and one of the best racing experiences gaming has to offer.
8
‘Silent Hill’ (1999)
An absolute icon of horror video games that completely defined the genre and what it means to be a part of the horror genre in the realm of video games, Silent Hill is one of the most important and highly influential games of all time. While a great deal of the praise that the series gets is given to the exceptional PS2 sequel, Silent Hill 2, the original game was still exceptionally crafted in its own right and is still one of the most well-crafted horror video games of the 20th century.
With masterful worldbuilding and tension-building that amplify the dread and mystery of this foggy town, Silent Hill is a masterclass in setting up the terror of its iconic location and keeping players on the edge of their seats, scared of what nightmare could pop out at any moment. Rarely had other horror games up to this point gotten close to recreating the impact and power of psychological horror in gaming, taking the world by storm in its striking originality within the medium.
7
‘Tekken 3’ (1998)
Few video game genres are as endlessly replayable as the fighting game, as there will always be fun to be had by facing off against friends in a great expression of skill and character. While the PS1 had many prominent fighting game releases and arcade ports, Tekken 3 is easily the best fighting game on the system and one of the few that saw a considerable improvement on consoles compared to the arcade. It solidifies the strengths of previous entries in the series to create not just the definitive Tekken experience, but one of the best 3D fighting games of all time.
It has a vast and intricate cast of characters, timeless gameplay that is still striking and compelling to this day, and a greater emphasis on everything that makes Tekken such an invigorating fighting game experience. The PS1 version of the game even managed to have two iconic bonus characters in Gon and Dr. Boskonovitch, as well as fun side-modes in “Tekken Force” and “Tekken Ball” that further added to the replayability of the game.
6
‘Crash Bandicoot: Warped’ (1998)
The absolute king of platformer experiences on the PS1 was undeniably Crash Bandicoot, as Naughty Dog’s original masterpiece trilogy proved to be some of the most versatile and celebrated 3D platformers that the 90s had to offer. Each game in this legendary trilogy is iconic in its own right, yet the final Crash Bandicoot platformer developed by Naughty Dog, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, acts as a culmination of everything that the series has to offer on the PS1.
By this point, Naughty Dog had the dynamic platforming level design and fun of the franchise down to a science, allowing for Warped to go all in on wild sci-fi concepts and memorable level designs to create the definitive platformer experience on PS1. With exceptional graphics for the era and a top-notch soundtrack that players are still jamming to almost 30 years later, it’s about as perfect a 3D platformer as one could ask for.
5
‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2’ (2000)
The PS1’s prevalence in culture largely coincided with the prominence in renegade skater culture, resulting in many different skateboarding games being released during this era of video games. While many different games found success in this genre, the Tony Hawk’s franchise was easily the face of the genre, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 subsequently being the absolute height of what skateboard video games are capable of.
While Neversoft’s highly addicting display of extreme skateboarding fun would eventually be ported to various other consoles of the era, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 first rose to prominence and success through its initial release on the PS1. The game amplifies the most idealized fantasy of being a pro skateboarding icon and ramps it up to absolute extremes, with a focus on player expression and skill while never feeling too difficult to do wild and over-the-top tricks. It’s a playground of skating fun that has never lost its charm since its release and is still celebrated as one of the best games of all time.
4
‘Resident Evil 2’ (1998)
Image via Capcom
While many people may think of the iconic 2019 remake that elevated and evolved the game for a new audience, the original PS1 version of Resident Evil 2 still has its place as one of the most important and widely celebrated games in horror game history. Long before the franchise was defined by hardened action or intricate storytelling, this expressive survival horror game made the absolute most out of enclosed locations, resource management, and terrifying enemies that made each fight more tense than the last.
It takes the fundamental elements of the original game and sprawls them out into a dynamic, much more compelling video game experience, taking place across an entire city overrun by the nightmares that have taken it over. With a great mix of puzzles, horror, and gun-centric combat, Resident Evil 2 was one of the earliest faces of greatness within the franchise and is still celebrated as one of the best horror games ever made.
3
‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’ (1997)
Image via Konami
One of the fundamental games in the Metroidvania genre, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a glowing example of how 2D gaming still had a place on the primarily 3D console of PlayStation. This brilliant exploration of gothic fantasy and charm builds upon and massively elevates the inherent platforming action strengths of the franchise, expanding them to an intricate maze of upgrades and bosses within the imposing Dracula’s Castle.
The film is an absolute masterclass of visuals, sound design, and gameplay that has only grown more striking and effective in the decades since its release. This legendary title didn’t just completely reinvent the Castlevania franchise, but it helped place into motion an entire subgenre of action platformers that followed in its footsteps. Legendary games like Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Dead Cells simply wouldn’t be here without the impact and legacy of this iconic title.
Image viaKonami
Releasing 8 years after the previous game in the Metal Gear franchise, Metal Gear Solid is a masterfully woven experience of espionage, storytelling, and character that is one of gaming’s very first truly cinematic experiences. Its usage of top-of-the-line voice acting and a layered story of twists and turns on top of stellar gameplay made it a complete game-changer for the entire video game industry. Inspired by action movies of the 80s and 90s, the game pushes the console to its absolute limits to create a truly special work of art.
The impact and stature of Metal Gear Solid have only continued to grow in the time since its release, with director Hideo Kojima continuously proving himself as a visionary of the medium and this legendary 3D game oftentimes considered his magnum opus. The game completely reinvented the concept of stealth in video games and has an overwhelming influence that is still felt in cinematic action games to this day.
1
‘Final Fantasy VII’ (1997)
Image via Square
One of the most iconic aspects of Final Fantasy VII being the undeniably best PS1 game is that it originally started life as yet another SNES game, much like previous entries in the legendary JRPG franchise. However, the technical advantages of the CD-ROM format of PlayStation made it the perfect fit for the intricate vision of this legendary sequel. As such, the game became this legendary icon of gaming whose reputation precedes itself, being the face of perfection in the JRPG genre and one of the most important and influential games ever made.
Final Fantasy VII is the type of absolute masterwork game that hasn’t lost even an inkling of impact or strength in the time since its release, as its groundbreaking story, dynamic gameplay, and endless heaps of content have made it a true beacon of video game perfection. It’s one of the few games whose endless praises and strengths have been talked about ad nauseam for nearly 3 decades now, from the beauty of its presentation to the absolute shock of one of gaming’s greatest plot twists.
