Ahh the PSOne! To many, that little device symbolizes the golden age of videogames – a time where platforming was at its finest, where level-saves were charmingly awful, where taking abuse from minors online wasn’t exactly mandatory. Here’s Explosions top 10 list of our favourite games from Sony’s most important console ( according to someone who has never played a Final Fantasy) , but what are yours?
#10 – Tekken III
Who could forget Eddy Gordo and Ling Xiaoyu from the customary PSOne demo disc? Tekken III was a game that, for many of us, opened our eyes to the addictive, competitive delights of head to head combat. King, Yoshimitsu and Law were always personal favourites of mine – who were yours?
#9 – Dino Crisis
Probably a surprise entry on the list, where Dino Crisis bettered other action/survival-horrors was that it seemed to register all the pros and cons of other genre favourites (such as Resident Evil), including the memorable set pieces and polished combat, and spliced them together into a Jurassic frightfest of a game. Who can forget that iconic hallway meeting with Mr. T-Rex? I know I can’t… and probably never will.
#8 – Ape Escape
One of the most satisfying platformers for gamers of all ages, Ape Escape had that wonderful “Disney charm” where children loved the simplicity of chasing monkeys and the adults enjoyed using the array of unlockable weapons to solve the intuitive puzzles.
#7 – Street Racer
Forget Crash Tag Team Racing, forget Gran Turismo – Street Racer was the definitive racing game for the PlayStation. Regardless of whether or not the graphics sucked, the controls were too simple and the level of difficulty was bizarrely judged – Street Racer was a truly addictive, utterly hilarious and wonderfully realized arcade racer. Plus, the heated “rumble” mode proved a nice distraction from regular racing.
#6 – MediEvil
What can be said about MediEvil that hasn’t already be said? This gem of a game was arguably the first time a developer had opted to blend horror and comedy together, and boy did that gamble pay off. I think you’d be hard pushed to find somebody who’s yet to play Sir Daniel Fortesque’s journey – or better yet somebody who didn’t enjoy it! Remember the chalices? The creepy gargoyles? The Stainglass demon atop the Hilltop Mausoleum? Hell yeah you do!
#5 – Crash Bandicoot
Along with one other iconic mascot that will appear somewhere on this list, Crash Bandicoot was arguably the first and only true protagonist developed by Sony to rival Nintendo’s phenomenal Super Mario. Originally intended to be named “Willie the Wombat”, Crash slammed his way through boxes, masks and baddies to conquer Doctor Neo Cortex and, ultimately, our hearts. What a trooper!
#4 – Spider-Man
One of the greatest Spidey games of all times happens to be one of our favourite PSOne games of all times! Who can forget hilariously swinging across the skyline, your web not actually connecting to anything, all the way to the bank to spend hours figuring out how to disarm the bank-heist bomb. A great game which I imagine is available now on emulators world wide – go check it out!
#3 – Rayman
As I’ve previously written, “I think it’s safe to say that Michel Ancel’s prolific creativity has saved the “charming retro platformer” from a dreary future existence in the vaults of online DLC. Yes, the golden age of gaming has certainly gone but that’s not to say it has to be forgotten; Rayman Origins is living proof that charm, universal humour and old-school graphics can still compete with the high-end titles on the market.” And for what do we owe all of this to? Rayman, the original. Your limbless hero sliding though the various themed worlds (such as the Bandland, Candy château or even the stationary-themed zones) proved to be a sure-fire hit for Ubisoft, essentially putting them on the video-gaming map. We owe a lot in this modern day to the original Rayman, so here here! Let’s take a moment to remember one of gaming’s greatest creations.
#2 – Tombi!
Its official, the pink-haired protagonist has stolen our runner-up space! As Chris Le’John recently pointed out in his debut episode of The Finger Fix, this game had everything, from intricate puzzles to a wacky art style to an even wackier sense of humour! Tombi goes for big bucks online these days, making it probably one of the most sought after games of all time – and who can blame gamers when there’s hours of entertainment to be had with this unique 2/3D platform gem. Let us pray for a mobile/viral/handheld release one day!
#1 – Spyro: The Dragon
As referenced in #5, Spyro is another of Sony’s greatest icons. It was the mac daddy of all things platforming, presenting gamers with the task of traversing a diverse universe full of eclectic, interesting and witty characters. Combine that with some frustratingly addictive gameplay, hours of content and bags of collectables – Spyro was a must have for everyone that owned a PSOne. It was, and probably still is, one of gaming’s greatest achievements – we salute you Spyro!
Other Notable Candidates:
- Resident Evil
- Pandemonium!
- Silent Hill
- Tomb Raider
- Metal Gear Solid
- Gran Turismo
This is your top 10 favorite fun games :p
Sure, final fantasy games suck, so they shouldn’t be in the list… are you kidding me?
No R-Type Delta and no Einhander? Bah, the youth of today, grumble grumble.
I kind of feel bad that none of the “Gex” games were included. That Gecko was HILARIOUS.