What PS1 games do you think still hold up well today?

[bob]

So I recently picked up a PS1 for $5.  Mint shape, cords, 2 controllers, couldn't pass it up considering I didn't have one.  Always used my PS2 for PS1 play.
Anyway, now I have it and I have slowly cobbled together about 30 games for it.

I'm finding a lot of them suck.

Now... I understand I have only shelled out a few bucks per game so I can't expect to find too many diamonds, but man, some of them are rough.

For example, I was pretty amped for Battle Arena Toshinden (don't ask why, no clue) but I didn't realize the whole game was in slow motion.
Second, I turned to a FPS, Quake II.  Mind you, I have never played Quake before (again, don't ask why), and I don't think I ever want to again.  I assume the PC version is a great time, but this port is NOT the way you want to experience it for the first time.
My most recent one is Akuji the Heartless.  Um, what the fuck?  It's an action/platformer thing where the textured polygons were giving me a headache when in motion.

I know there are some great games on the PS1, but the whole aesthetic of the system and games just don't feel like they aged well.
I'm also aware that the RPG's were some of the best (and still are), but what other PS1 games have held up?
So it doesn't sound like I'm just bashing the system, I always enjoy me some Tony Hawk 1 & 2!

/retro/akuji.jpg[/img]

[TheClash603]

If you don't have nostalgia for the games on the system, it will be very difficult for you to get into any of them.  The PS1 was basically a piece of practice hardware, before they figured out how to make 3D games.

You should pick up Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Tomba, maybe Twisted Metal 2?  There isn't a lot that is easy to recommend.

I assume some of the RPG fans will disagree with me though.

[roflmao]

The first Spyro game is pretty awesome.  Haven't played the others.  I still find the Gran Turismo games fun to play every once in awhile just to marvel at how well they still look and play considering it was created, what, 15 years ago?  The Raiden Project is excellent if you like shooters.  Metal Gear Solid is still... solid.  I love the Jumping Flash series, but the control now is awkward and I don't know if I would have the patience to get good at it these days.

But yeah, most of the other PS1 games I can think of that I dig are heavily influenced by nostalgia.

[SignOfZeta]

The best cheap US PS1 game that has aged well is probably Gundam Battle Assault 2. I see it for less than $10 all the time.

Other than that, you're probably going to have to actually shell out some cash. There are quite a few good 2D shooters on PS1. Symphony of the Night is fantastic, obviously. Rakugaki Showtime, Super Robot Wars Alpha/Alpha Gaiden, Choro Q 3, the Namco Museum series, Love and Destroy, Touge Max G, Motor Toon GP 2, Kamen Rider...a bunch of stuff.

These days I would avoid any game that was high end from a major publisher. Stuff like Tenchu and Metal Gear Solid seemed amazing for the time, but those are the ones that have aged the worst. The stuff that's still fun is usually 2D or cartoony 3D or a port/classics collection.

[Deletion]

Einhander... a brilliant horizontal shoot-em-up made by SquareSoft.

[Ji-L87]

Ace Combat 3 is still a complete departure from anything the series have seen since and feels fresh even today. A flight game that comes on TWO discs? With branching story paths and some occasionally really, really impressive graphics? Yes, please.

...ignoring the western release, of course.

Also, Ridge Racer Type 4. Many still believe this is the pinnacle of the entire RR franchise. I don't know about that but it's certainly good, plays well, has a very characteristic and memorable soundtrack and is beautiful even today.

...Oh and every game in the Mega Man Legend series

[Bernie]

Aside from FF IX, I would say Legacy of Kain.

[VestCunt]

I still like MGS, but I haven't really played any video games made since '00. Maybe I just like crawling under the tanks and determining where roaming guards are by listening to their footsteps with headphones on.

R-types is good. I picked up R-Type Delta and Dragon Warrior VII awhile back, but haven't given them a chance yet.

IMO, the 3DO has aged better than the PS1. The technology is basically the same, but the 3DO was blessed with a lot of good ports from the 2-D era simply because it was released earlier. The 3DO caught the FMV crap, but the PS1 really got bogged down in the early 3-D experimentalism.

[Bernie]

Shit!  How could I forget Dragon Warrior VII?!  Play it vestcunt!  Its one of the best, IMO.

[PikachuWarrior]

The 2D games have held up much better than the 3D specific games on the PS1. 2D games like:

Legend of Mana
Saga Frontier 1 and 2
Xenogears (to a certain extent, i'm impartial to it)
Valkyrie Profile
Rayman
Thousand Arms

[meka]

I normally don't like fps but I thought that Disruptor was good, it had full motion video in between the levels.

[SignOfZeta]

I still like MGS, but I haven't really played any video games made since '00. Maybe I just like crawling under the tanks and determining where roaming guards are by listening to their footsteps with headphones on.

R-types is good. I picked up R-Type Delta and Dragon Warrior VII awhile back, but haven't given them a chance yet.

IMO, the 3DO has aged better than the PS1. The technology is basically the same, but the 3DO was blessed with a lot of good ports from the 2-D era simply because it was released earlier. The 3DO caught the FMV crap, but the PS1 really got bogged down in the early 3-D experimentalism.

Yeah, you should probably run the numbers on that idea. The PS1 has way more/better 2D games than the 3DO. Puzzle Fighter alone is probably better than any 3DO game made, and by "probably" I really mean "massively". Then you have Dodanpachi, Raiden Project, Gunner's Heaven, Namco Museum, Lunar 1&2, Symphony of the Night, Super Robot Wars Alpha/Gaiden, Megaman 8, Silloutte Mirage, Poplocrois, that one Tales game (name escapes me), Magical Drop 3, that Midway collection, Arc the Lad 2, and more and more and more.

3DO...please, the PS1 has aged badly, but it doesn't just outright suck. 3DO has Super Turbo, Policenauts and Samshow 1...but so does the PS1.

I didn't even mention the huge truckload of mediocre Capcom and SNK ports that I personally think suck but %90 of people are fine with.

And as for Legacy of Kain...this has to be a joke, right? That things was a drab crusty mess even by the standards of the day.

[Bernie]

Sorry, but I enjoyed the Legacy of Kain series. 

[PCEngineHell]

I mean, if you're strictly talking about the systems and how they hold up visually still in retrospect, and are not simply talking about number of games released, the 3DO tends to hold up better to me visually in the 3D department when it comes to older titles, esp if you stick with the EA titles, Pc ports, and similar and want something on par with what was going on with Pc gaming back then. 2D wise neither system was really above the other one. Anything done on PS1 could have basically been done on 3DO in the 2D department. Sadly though the 3DO did not get many arcade ports outside of ports of Laserdisc based titles and fighting games, mainly due to the system not trying to cater to the arcade crowd. Typically any 3D title done on both systems was better on 3DO (Road Rash, StarFighter, NFS, Shockwave, Wing Commander III, Off World Interceptor). The PS1 did excel at moving low res 3d at somewhat fast FPS though, which was great for companies like Namco that wanted to do mostly arcade ports, and great for people that wanted to play said ports.

[SignOfZeta]

What the machine can do is interesting, but what the guy who owns the machine can do is much more relevant in the end.

[TheClash603]

Dragon Warrior VII was a good pick.  I don't really play RPGs and that game's job system had me coming back for about 100 hours.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Jumping Flash 2
Ghost in the Shell
Street Fighter Alpha 2
pretty much any RPG, because who fucking cares if they look doofy.
Project Overkill
Contra: Legacy of War
Blood Omen: Legacy of Holyfucklookatalltheblood
Tomba
Klonoa
Crusader: No Remorse
Oddworld 1 and 2
Heart of Darkness


Those are the PS1 games I still play constantly.

[Tatsujin]

Donpachi
dodonpachi
Harmful park
Ridge racer type-4
R-Types
X-Multiply
...

[TheClash603]

Arkhan needs to be playing Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the Saturn.

[BlueBMW]

Ace Combat 2 and to a lesser extent Air Combat.  Both games play fantastic and are great fun even when compared to their more modern sequels.

[Bernie]

Oh shit!!  I almost forgot, the ole point and click games, DiscWorld and DiscWorld 2.  I play them a lot.  I think they hold up pretty well, for what they were.

[SignOfZeta]

I haven't played that GitS game since it was new. As long as your TV isn't too huge I bet it's still a lot of fun.

[VestCunt]

Yeah, you should probably run the numbers on that idea. The PS1 has way more/better 2D games than the 3DO.

I don't doubt that you're right about the PS having more good 2D games. Still, I think the 3DO library has endured better. It seems like 1:3 3DO games are still enjoyable, while the PS is something like 1:5. Or maybe I'm just biased and I hate the Playstation. I don't know.

Off topic, I suppose the 3DO didn't have enough exclusives to justify its existence at the time, but as a console gamer who never got into PC gaming or arcades, the 3DO ports give me access to a lot of classics I can't get on the TG16 or early Nintendo consoles.

[PCEngineHell]

There is a solid number of imports on 3DO also that are fun that vary across the board from RPG to FMV stuff to puzzle games and fighters like Sailor Moon and what not. There is even a pretty good arcade style wrestling game on there that you can import. If you open up to the import selection it really adds charm to the system and compliments the classic pc gaming feel the US selection gives.

[SignOfZeta]

1 out of 5 Playstation games is still like...300 goddamn games. The ratio is pretty bad, I agree (much worse than 1:5, IMO) but people who want to actually have fun playing games should absolutely not avoid the PS in favor of a 3DO.

[bartre]

The best cheap US PS1 game that has aged well is probably Gundam Battle Assault 2. I see it for less than $10 all the time.

This. great game, loads of fun, and still holds up today.

other than that, i'd say the final fantasy series, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, persona 2 (though you can get the remake on psp), and the mega man legends games.

though, there are a lot of sprite-based rpgs, those are usually at least decent.

[bob]

The best cheap US PS1 game that has aged well is probably Gundam Battle Assault 2. I see it for less than $10 all the time.

This. great game, loads of fun, and still holds up today.

other than that, i'd say the final fantasy series, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, persona 2 (though you can get the remake on psp), and the mega man legends games.

though, there are a lot of sprite-based rpgs, those are usually at least decent.

What is this Gundam game?  (members, please don't post a vid of youtube, I know I can look it up, but would rather hear an opinion)
Also, and don't run me out of town, but I don't care for Mega Man.

[SignOfZeta]

It's a one on one 2D fighter where all the mecha are made of rotating multi-jointed sprites. The effect is *incredibly* cool. It's like the ultimate 16 bit game that no 16 bit console could actually do.

There are actually 5 of these games, but the US version of Battle Asault 2 is probably the best.

[bob]

It's a one on one 2D fighter where all the mecha are made of rotating multi-jointed sprites. The effect is *incredibly* cool. It's like the ultimate 16 bit game that no 16 bit console could actually do.

There are actually 5 of these games, but the US version of Battle Asault 2 is probably the best.

sounds cool.  thanks for this.  you are gentleman and a scholar.

[CrackTiger]

The games that have aged well are mostly in from genres that existed pre-32-bit and aren't done radically different than how they were previous. Even if an RPG or war sim has 3D that has aged poorly, it shouldn't affect the gameplay in most cases. Unfortunately, too many have long drawn out and unskippable dialogue scenes that have aged poorly. 2D shooters with 3D graphics that are good shooters will still be good. I think that ports and compilations have aged better than anything.

[WingZeroKai]

It's a one on one 2D fighter where all the mecha are made of rotating multi-jointed sprites. The effect is *incredibly* cool. It's like the ultimate 16 bit game that no 16 bit console could actually do.

There are actually 5 of these games, but the US version of Battle Asault 2 is probably the best.

This is the best description I have read of the game. Its a fantastic game, don't even need to be a fighting game fan to enjoy it.

[bawitback]

Ghost in a Shell
Destrega
G-Darius
Harmful Park
Jumping Flash II/III
I.Q.
Trap Gunner
Team Buddies

[soop]

Ummm...
Syphon Filter (though that's from memory)
Street Fighter Alpha 1,2,3
Metal Gear Solid
Point Blank 1 and 2
Red Alert.
Maybe Silent hill.

[SignOfZeta]

Oh hell yeah, Point Blank series.

Need an SDTV to play them now though.

[soop]

Oh hell yeah, Point Blank series.

Need an SDTV to play them now though.

Actually the reason I bought one

[RegalSin]

PS1 games all had that pre-rendered 3d look to them, or N64 look but simpler. The PS1 is a fairly decent machine and is considered an SNES with 3d built in, ( but is unable to render mode 7 quality ).

Their are tons of great PSX games, you will just have to look for them. Most of the great ones are the earlier games. The only thing I hate and I mean hate about the PSX is the way the colors all look, they are bight and annoying to look at sometimes, and the sound system while good can echo even on low. Because the sound channel is divided into two differnt channels,
or something like that. One for PSX sound and the other for MP3, etc.

The PSX sound
The extra bright graphics,

Yeah I love PSX games, and play them, PSX has a couple games I am looking to buy. But seriously the games were ahead of their time, and it should have been the Saturn that got all of those 3d games.

[Ji-L87]

Ghost in a Shell

Not sure I can agree with that one The only thing that holds up with that game is the cutscenes, which is very nice and makes me wish they did a GitS OVA in the same style but the game itself...doesn't, to me at least, hold up very well at all.
I actually got the game like....earlier this year or maybe in the end of last year, pretty recently anyway, so I have no nostalgic feelings towards it.

Maybe that's why I judge it so harshly I did complete the game, not unlocking every cutscene but finishing the story and unlocked as much as I could. I'd like to recall the controls felt a bit awkward and most of the graphics certainly isn't aren't anything special. Last mission's nice looking tho'.
But I liked the style of the game, so I bought the artbook for it and the game really didn't do enemy design, or much else in that book, justice.
Still, I don't dislike it. If you like Shirow-stuff it's probably an essential purchase, even.

The PSX sound.The extra bright graphics

You'd probably love the Saturn then

[RegalSin]

I do like the Saturn over the PSX any day, but I was thinking about common 3d content, instead of hoping for 3d content. The Saturn has a great collection of 3d games, or games that take advantage of the dual proccessing, but the PSX line just continues and continues, even if the games are kinda bland.

Like Ghost in the shell is just another game that continues the series and forces a fan to buy the thing. Unlike Evangelion on the N64 or Those who hunt Elves actually presents a new episode, or chapter. But their is no sense in arguing should we buy or not to buy???

What destoryed the Saturn in the west was, the lack of Resdient Evil type games, lack of Tomb Raider and Crash Bandicoot being signed over to the PSX. Sony literally threw money at all the developers for free advertisment. It was like if NEC had thrown money, when the Dreamcast was around. No Rival Schools, Of course no RPG on a biblical scale.

Is Breath Of fire III, on the Saturn? No. Could it have been done ? Yes. Was the game that grand No? But seriously,
if a game like that was not on the Saturn, where was Spyro and his purple self. I see people playing Crash 101 and Spyro 101 on their maxi screens.

The one thing that sega did right was, have the Netlink serivice in the west, over Nintendo and Sony,

Even Legend of the Gobos Croc. Spyro and Crash was like five years of the PSX lifetime before Metal Gear solid.
Seriously Metal Gear, just takes the cake, because after that, ever western company started to mimicing MG.

Too bad nobody is mimicing Metroid Prime.

[geise]

Lunar 1&2
Hermie Hopperhead
Grandia
Toshinden *kidding*
Rayman
Suikoden 1&2
ZanacXZanac
Parappa the Rapper
Hot Shots Golf
Micro Machines (still one of the best party games)
Rakugaki Showtime!
Philosoma
Raiden DX
DoDonPachi