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10 |
Civilisation 2 |
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| Civ 2, I feel has to be considered the premier strategy title on the PS1. This classic PC game where you need to create and raise your own civilisation was transferred with aplomb to the machine. All the options and features you could hope for are provided, and the rival civilizations and fight for dominance involved give it a level of urgency and addictiveness unsurpassed by other titles of its time. | |||||
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9 |
Ape Escape |
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| This brilliant game has you exploring through its levels tracking down and re-capturing a bunch of super intelligent monkeys who've escaped and are causing trouble. Ape Escape was one of the first games to properly use the dual analogue set-up of the then new Playstation controller (the second analogue gives you control over your net), and it managed to be consistently fresh throughout by slowly giving you access to new equipment and items (all of which are a joy to use) as the game progressed. This definitely has to be my favourite platform game for the PS1, the game is just so full of wacky charm. | |||||
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8 |
Ridge Racer Type 4 |
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| For anyone who leans more towards the fun, exciting and uncomplicated thrills of arcade racers over the ultra realistic ones, Ridge Racer Type 4 is where its at on PS1. Here you'll find nothing but fast racing with tight controls, over the top powerslides, and some of the classiest aesthetics and presentation to ever come out of a videogame (truly a lot of the style here has hardly dated at all). Type 4 keeps the pace going quickly, with very little frustration throughout, as such its not the most difficult game out there but the huge numbers of unlockables help to keep the enjoyment going for a long, long time. | |||||
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7 |
Soul Reaver |
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| Where it comes to 3D action adventure games the PS1 doesn't exactly have a glut of titles, but luckily Soul Reaver is clearly one of the absolute best available for the time. Soul Reaver is a huge, ambitious title, the world in which it takes place is detailed, and well imagined, and each area of it blends pretty seamlessly into the next. Story wise the game also excels, its plot about a world overrun with vampires, and decay, whose only hope is the resurrected vampire Raziel, who himself is only really interested in revenge against those who killed him, is easily one of the best of its time. Gameplay is tight, and inventive, with fluid movement, a plethora of different attacks, and well constructed puzzles. | |||||
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6 |
Xenogears |
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| Here we have a sci-fi RPG of grandiose scale, and yet another great RPG from Square (yeah I know, this article is starting to read like a Squaresoft advertisement). With this game Square have gone with a fully 3D environment (unlike most of their other RPG titles, which used pre-rendered 2D backgrounds), they've created two separate battle systems (one for the characters on foot, and one for them whilst piloting the huge mechs), and they've created a huge, detailed plot spanning hundreds of years, that incorporates psychological, and religious themes. All in all I think Square's work paid off, as what they're created here is a tour de force. | |||||
5 |
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night |
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| Its ironic that midway through the anti 2D 5th generation Konami released their 14th Castlevania game, as it turned out that not only was it one of the best, and most important Castlevania releases, but it was also one of the best 2D games ever created too. Symphony of the Night was a pretty big departure for the series, it was the first to fully embrace the deep, Metroid style gameplay (one huge environment to explore, with new abilities giving you access to different areas), and subsequent releases in the series wisely stuck with this winning formula. Everything comes together very well here, the level layouts are clever, and inventive, the monster designs were memorable, there's some amazing orchestral arrangements, loads or atmosphere, a good plot, everything you could really be expected to hope for. The best 2D game on the Playstation bar none. | |||||
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4 |
Tekken 3 |
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| With their third Tekken outing Namco refined everything that made the previous games so good, the fluid, combo driven gameplay, the memorable characters, the impressive environments and FMV, and then added several coats of polish to create one of the most graphically impressive titles for the PS1. Where it comes to the Playstation Tekken 3, is the last word in fun, accessible fighting games. | |||||
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3 |
Final Fantasy 7 |
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| The game which pushed the Final Fantasy series into the western mainstream consciousness, and made the series into one of the biggest moneymakers in gaming history. After weighing up the pro's and cons of each of the Final Fantasy games on the PS1, I decided to agree with the masses and take the predictable route, placing FF7 firmly at the top of PS1 RPGs. For me, 7 represented one of the biggest turning points for the series, Its story was engrossing and well paced, throwing you straight into the action and grabbing hold or your attention throughout (8 was notably worse in this area, with a slower start and high and low points), the battle system was accessible, and well thought out, and the aesthetics and art design had the perfect mix of themes and emotion. This game was many peoples introduction to the world of RPGs and to be honest, at the time you probably couldn't find a better ambassador. | |||||
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2 |
Gran Turismo 2 |
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| With Gran Turismo Sony created a racing game of unparalleled realism (for the time). They went to town on making the physics and handling of all the cars as good as possible, they created some of the most impressive graphics for any game of the time, and they filled the whole thing with lots of content. Amazingly Gran Turismo 2 managed to one up its predecessor in most aspects, and raise the already high bar laid down by the first game, even higher. | |||||
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1 |
Metal Gear Solid |
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| So here we have, what is, in my opinion the number 1 game on the Playstation, Metal Gear Solid. This game was probably the first that I can remember which had a real "movie like" quality to it, straight from the excellent opening this was a game which screamed high quality. When it came to the gameplay itself the game did not disappoint in the slightest, containing all the action, set pieces, and inventive levels that you could hope for, the stealth, and sneaking elements were a really fresh idea when the game came out, and anyone playing it must've wondered why nobody else of the time had already provided a similar game, the concept was so perfect. One of the most memorable pop culture experiences of the entire decade. | |||||
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