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40 |
Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior |  |
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| From Darkstalkers 3 onwards Capcom did a real turnaround with their PS1 fighting releases (which had previously been disappointing to say the least), and started to put some real effort into optimising them to the Playstation hardware, as a result of their hard work Darkstalkers 3 turned out to be a very respectable version of their excellent monster themed 2D fighter. Here we have a game which is every bit as playable, and well made as any of the Street Fighter games, the artwork is very distinct, and beautifully realised and the enemies are all wacky and a joy to play. For anyone looking for an offbeat alternative to Street Fighter, this is the game to check out. | |||||
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39 |
Rayman 2 |  |
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| At release Rayman 2 stood out as one of the more brilliantly designed 3D platformers of the era. Instead of directly copying Mario 64 and its ilk, the game struck up a happy medium between large explorable worlds, and more a straightforward, action focused gameplay. This creates a fun to play game more akin to the 2D games of old, with excellent elements like the grappling hook swinging adding even more to the experience. Truth be told, the PS1 version is probably the weakest version of the game, but credit where its due its still one of the best 3D platformers on the system (which really stands to the quality of the original material), and it does have some nice extras which may be appreciated, such as the new voiceovers for all of the cutscenes. | |||||
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38 |
Time Crisis |  |
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| One of the most popular Lightgun games of all time, Time Crisis added a very cool cover system of its own to the formula (essentially you automatically hide between objects but have to press a button to break cover to fire at enemies), and makes the player follow a strict time limit, which keeps the action moving. Its everything you'd want from a good lightgun title. | |||||
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37 |
R-Type Delta |  |
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| Having played a lot of the classic scrolling shooter R-Type whilst growing up I initially had high hopes for this game when I first booted it up, never did I expect R-Type Delta to be anywhere near this good though! The design and gameplay here is just so clever, and excellently well judged, the tactics have been tweaked, with level layouts perfectly set-up to compliment the versatile Force Pod power-up, there's some new ships (each of which gives a different gameplay experience), and the set-pieces are a joy to behold, on top of all this is some really superb direction, with the in-game music carefully timed with the onscreen action to create an experience which often verges on cinematic. | |||||
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36 |
Syphon Filter 2 |  |
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| The Syphon Filter games are mission based 3rd person shooters which have you controlling a special agent named Gabe Logan. I had trouble deciding between the 1st and 2nd games of the series, as gameplay wise there's not a whole lot between the two, but in the end I think the sequel, with its slightly more polished controls, and multiple playable characters just about edges out the (also excellent) original. Gameplay is mainly focused on shooting the enemies, but each level has missions to be carried out which vary in objectives and keep the game interesting. | |||||
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35 |
Threads of Fate |  |
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| This is the Square RPG for those who want a little more action and a little less number crunching, and as such is probably the most accessible of their PS1 RPGs. Unlike most of Square's other titles on Playstation, this is a pure action based RPG (think Zelda with leveling up, or Secret of Mana), you run through the levels hacking at the monsters, solving the odd puzzle, or doing platforming sections, on top of that you have the ability to morph into the monsters you defeat, each of whom have their own abilities and attacks. Threads of Fate is a very nice title that has a lot of charm, and a pure emphasis on fun. | |||||
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34 |
Super Puzzle Fighter II |  |
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| One of the best competitive falling block puzzle games out there, here you have to match the crash gems with their respective colours. The aesthetics and presentation here are first rate, with a jokey Street Fighter II styling, and Puzzle Fighter II's gameplay has clearly been refined to produce some of the deepest competitive puzzle thinking out there, with matches between two experienced players often turning into tense, heated contests. | |||||
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33 |
Tobal 2 |  |
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| This fantastic sequel to one of the deeper of the 3D fighters on the PS1 unfortunately never got a release outside of Japan, which is a truly great pity, as this was a huge improvement of what was already a very good game, and is definitely among the best of the 3D fighters available for the system. Tobal 2 produces an excellent, fluid combo driven fighting engine, it has some really impressive graphics (with a reported 60fps), and a bunch of different modes, with the RPG style quest mode from the original making a welcome return (with improvements too). All in all a great package and a must have for fighting fans. | |||||
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32 |
Final Fantasy Tactics |  |
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| Turn based strategy edition of one of the most beloved videogame series', Final Fantasy Tactics has you moving units around on a grid based isometric map. Whilst the game goes for a very different gameplay style, its as deep and involving as you'd expect from any title in the series, and as always the presentation, story, and music all shine through in their high quality. | |||||
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31 |
Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 |  |
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| With Colin Mcrae Rally Codemasters aimed to create a much more realistic rally experience, doing their best to mimic the kind of handling you'd expect from real dirt roads. They succeeded admirably, and with this sequel managed to wholly improve, and build on the original, creating a deep, and challenging realistic racing title. | |||||
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