Playstation PS1 Top 5 List

[Lirael]

We have a thread for the PS2, PS3 and PSP, but I couldn't find one for the PS1! (Apologies to the mods if I've just missed it.)

So, I am thinking it would be good to have two lists!

1. What were your favourite PS1 games in the age of the PS1 and why?

2. What are your favourite PS1 games now and why?


In the age of the PS1:

1. Spyro: Year of the Dragon - I loved the wackiness and variety of this game. There was so much to see and do. You could race, skateboard, swim through fast moving tunnels, sabotage a fort as a kangaroo, play ice hockey, chase thieves, fly a small ship, shoot rhynocs from a moving boat, time your glides to reach far off places, admire the view, talk to strange creatures, swim through the level (after finding a glitch), use rocket launchers whilst flying as a penguin, swing your club as a yeti to hit seals with snowballs...
2. Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer - Same as above, but with a few more restrictions. This is the game in which Spyro learns to swim, climb and hover. It was a little frustrating being without these at first (since I had to get used to not accessing certain places), but the game is great in and of itself. Again, there's a lot to do. The levels are extremely varied and the story is interesting.
3. Spyro - My least favourite in the series, partly because the voice acting is terrible, but mainly because Spyro can't swim or hover! Regardless, it's another varied game. It does show its age when compared with the Spyro games Insomniac made in the years after this, but it's nice to see the series' origin.
4. Disney's The Emperor's New Groove - I had a thing for Disney games when I was a kid... I wasn't really the best kind of gamer. I was certainly more casual. Still, this game was reasonably fun. There were puzzles, Kuzko did kung-fu, the levels were sort of varied...
5. 102 Dalmatians - Same as above.

I didn't play FF until 2005, so...



Now:

1. Spyro: Year of the Dragon - I know, right. I prefer Spyro to FF. I should leave now. Honestly, I think part of the reason I love these games so much is the nostalgia. Having said that, a recent playthrough showed that they're still as fun and varied as they were when I started them! There's just so much to see and do in these games. The combat/fighting isn't that tricky; it's all about enjoyment, puzzles and wacky characters. I miss platformers like this!
2. Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer - Same as above.
3. Final Fantasy VIII - I love the story of VIII and it's my preferred FF combat system on the PS1. I also prefer the realistic characters in this game and the world. I adore the romance between Squall and Rinoa, and Laguna's story is an added bonus which makes this game all the more fantastic.
4. Final Fantasy VI - I'm actually playing this on the PSP, but I absolutely love the story. The combat system is simple but works extremely well in 2D.
5. Final Fantasy IX - The story is a little tedious in times, the Trance system is abysmal, and some of the battles are slow, but apart from that, this is a pretty solid game. It contains some of my favourite FF characters, has a nice world, a great story (overall), and beautiful music.

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

1. hogs of war
it was like worms, but (i think) it was in 3d first, and unlike worms 3d was a lot of fun to play for a long time. the voice overs were brilliant and some of the lines that they came out with were stereotypically superb. me and my mates used to spend entire days playing just this, and championship manager 03/04.

2. muppets race mania
not many people played it, which is a shame because it's probably my favourite racing game from the ps1. the adventure mode on it was fun, and it was one of the few games back then that i was actually bothered about doing everything on. plus it had clips from the films which made it all worthwhile.

3. crash bandicoot 2
it set a high bar for platformers in those days. pretty much everyone from our generation has played it for at least an hour, and it's one of those games that modern games are compared to

4. medal of honour underground
from back before analogue sticks were invented, so it was a lot harder. i think it was probably the hardest shooter i've ever played, i don't think i ever did manage to complete it despite putting in a lot of hours.

5. grand theft auto 2
another game that pretty much everyone at least had a go on. the new gta's don't hold up to its greatness, because it was back when they got away with being quite daft with gangs like the elvis impersonators. i haven't played it in years so i don't know how well its held up over time, but i doubt it's well, but in its day it was an excellent game

 

[Thomas_87]

I dont remember my list back then so ill just focus on the list right now. One game per franchise!

1. Final Fantasy VII - Still engaging after all these years, perfect story, amazing characters, awesome music and the materia system is the best magic system ever.

2. Suikoden II - A dark political story with lots of twists combined with great music and lots of characters to collect, but mostly the story, damn is this story good.

3. Metal Gear Solid - This was the closest you could come to play a movie, and to date I think this is the best MGS game out there. The story is great, the atmosphere is so perfect and the boss battles are awesome.

4. Wild Arms - Western themed JRPG that sadly got overpassed because it was released the same time as FF VII. Great story, fantastic music and awesome game overall. Too bad none of the seques ever matched this one.

5. Klonoa - A Door To Phantomille - Among the best of the 2D-platformers I have played. Just pure cutesey fun, the sequel on PS2 is also amaizng.

 

[Marcus]

This is going back some years. this is gonna take some thinking. Let see:

Number 1: Tekken 2 hahaha still remember Christmas day when I got this game with my PS1. King was and perhaps still is my favorite fighter in this game and kazuya annoyed the hell out of me at stage 10.

Number 2: Crash Bandicoot 2 Cortex Strikes Back, got this on Christmas too, still love this game even too this day. actually bought it off ebay earlier in the year. got to love that animal.

Number 3: Final Fantasy IX, there was a video game store near mine back in the day, that use to have 100s of PS1 games to rent for 2 or 3 days. and this seemed to be the only game I played as I was about 10 at the time £40.00 was alot to pay for this game. I still remember running about not knowing what I was doing.

Number 4: James Bond, tomorrow never dies. if your a Bond fan you would of played this game at some point of owning a PS1 think this was one of the first FPS games I ever played.

Number 5: Tony Hawk Pro Skater. used to stay around my cousins house alot in my youth, and used to take this game whenever I stayed I remember playing HORSE with my cousin on this game for hours ans hours. god this is bringing back some fantastic memories.


These are just the first 5 I could list of the top of my head, there are 100s more that I used to play. so glad that most of them are on the PSN store these days. love getting to relive my youth.

 

[Squid]

1. Final Fantasy IX.
This is my most favourite game in the world, ever and forever. I am sure most people on this FFF site know all about this game so I will not bother explaining it any further. It is probably the only FF game I am still interested in though and can still play without getting bored.

2. Bust'a'Groove.
This is a simple game, you pick a character and you make them dance to the music. I love it, I have many great memories with my childhood friends playing this together, I used to be so good at it too but when I went back and played it not long ago I sucked massive donkey balls. I still love it though.

3. V.I.B Ribbon.
Not many people will know of this game. It is also simple.. I seem to have a thing for simple games It is about a rabbit made of lines who walks along a tight rope and you press the buttons to the music so he can go over different shapes. You only use 4 buttons the entire game, I'm a pro at it. I really enjoy the lame-o Japanese shite music in it too

4. Harvest Moon.
I am sure everyone knows of Harvest Moon. You're a little farmer boy sent off to some town because you had some farmland left to you and you farm...and do house chores.... and get married and all that lame shite. It's great

5. Chocobo Racing.
This game is a bit shit but I had a lot of fun with it as a kid so it'll always have a special spot in my heart and in my top 5. It's pretty much as it sounds, all the minor characters from FF games (like fat chocobo, black mages etc) driving about in go-karts.

Special Mentions go to Spyro the Dragon games, Crash Bandicoot games (Specially Crash Bash), Suikoden II, Tekken 3, Rat Attack, Sheep, Dog and Wolf (<3) that's all I can think of for now

 

[Terra Branford]

Preferring Spyro over Final Fantasy is alright. Spyro is just awesome.

Back then I would have to say:

1. Spyro The Dragon; It was the first PSX game I could play for my age besides Crash Bandicoot and Secret of Mana and Legend of Zelda games. But not only that, but because it was fun and really weird. I always wanted burn the the norcs (?) that mooned you. Stupid things!

2. Final Fantasy VI; It is my absolute favorite game, then and now. I very much enjoy the battle system and magic/Esper system they had set up in the game. It made you think about battles and leveling up, like using the Espers or not. The story, I think, is fantastic too. I remember when it was called III and on SNES, so the memories of playing and my brothers playing sorta carried over to the PSX. xD

3. Final Fantasy VIII; First PSX FF title I played and actually beat with my siblings. The music, characters, bosses and more constantly reminds me of the 90s, so it has become a definite favorite. Though if I had played FFIX before, it probably would have taken 3rd.

4. Digimon World 3; Usually I come across people who dislike the game or prefer 1 over it, but I very much enjoy this game. Its what started my digilove for Bearmon (depends on the translation). Very hard too. >.>

5. Digimon World 1; Basically the same reasons, only I remember getting it for my birthday with a HUGE box of digimon toys. Collectables now, probably, but oh-so fun. Cards, toys, pillows (I had a Matt pillow xD), movies and games. It was awesome and is a fond memory.

Chrono Trigger was close to kicking the digimon games out of the list, but I felt that if I only got to play the game for a few days in the past, it shouldn't be counted. lol

Now? The list would be:

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Final Fantasy IX (A truly brilliant FF title)
3. Final Fantasy VIII
4. Digimon World 3
5. Chrono Trigger

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Wing Commander The production quality and plot of the games video clips were so much better than the movie. I think the director of the wing commander movie wound up majorly embarrassed and had to dig deep to justify why the game cut scenes were so much better than a big production movie. I think it might've been one of the first series to begin the transition to real life fmv. Good gameplay, too. Total package.

Final Fantasy 7 Amazing game for its game. Graphics, music, characters. Romance, adventure, everything.

Metal Gear Solid "I excel at the earpull." Try saying it with a mean, scary, face. Kojima broke new ground with this title &........ it was good.

Tekken This was like the ps1 version of n64 goldeneye. Multi-player, multi-player, multi-player...

Bust a Groove Amazingly original & fun for its time, even for people with no rhythm like me. Spawned a massive number of clones & copycats.