The PlayStation was a huge hit when it launched in 1995 in North America which was a year after Japan. Sony making a console was a big deal and it was a gamble that paid off. It had a wide variety of genres from RPGs to platformers and they ranged in ratings too.
It may be surprising to know that two of the PS1’s most popular titles,Final Fantasy 7andCastlevania: Symphony of the Night, were only rated for Teens. That’s bizarre but future sequels and spinoffs would eventually carry the M-rated signage. So, if those games weren’t M-rated then what PS1 classics were?
Final Fantasy Tacticswas the mostwell-known tactical RPGon the PS1 but there were others. Konami threw their hat into the ring as well with not one but two entries in theVandal Heartsfranchise. Konami also upped the ante by making them M-rated which basically meant enemies exploded in pixelated blood in battle and there was some expressive language too.
This first game followed Ash and his merry band of recruits as they tried to uncover a political and religious conspiracy plot. It was a typical RPG story of the era as was the gameplay but it still turned out great.
Dino Crisiswaskind of like a spinoff toResident Evilas Capcom applied that formula to aJurassic Parkclone. Researchers were studying dinosaurs at a secret base, things went quiet and so a band of soldiers was sent in to scope things out. One of these investigators was Regina who soon found out dinosaurs were real and killed nearly everyone on base.
Tank controls returned but the game was more focused on action rather than puzzles, making it slightly different compared toResident Evil. It may not have gone on to birth a console-hopping franchise, but this first game still rules janky controls, and all.
Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassinsis one of thecoolest ninja gamesever made on the PS1 or otherwise. It’s the pique entry in the series that gave players a lot more options to deal with their targets on missions. The grappling hook was a lot of fun to use in combination with taking down targets from above. Players could choose to play as one of two ninjas and each level set a new target to slay.
Players could go in as loud or as quiet as they wanted although stealth was the obvious more advantageous route. It’s the way the game was meant to be played, as a calm and cool ninja assassin.
This was a big series exclusive to the PS1 at the time which turned into a trilogy.Syphon Filter 2is well-regarded as the peak of the franchise, improving the game vastly over the original. Fora stealth game, the opening mountain mission was unique at the time and challenging too.
There were a lot of great missions beyond this one including one involving grooving to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” in a nightclub before chasing after a dictator. Perhaps the most famous thing about this game was the taser though which could fry opponents into a jittering mass of black ash.
Parasite Evewas an experimental game for Square Enix, Squaresoft at the time. It starred aNew York Citypolice detective, Aya Brea, who witnessed some paranormal stuff go down around Christmas. This also awakens something inside of her, giving her supernatural abilities like fire powers.
Aya had plenty of guns by her side as well though as there was an intricate upgrade system. It was a blend of horror and RPG elements that worked well together. It has some of the gnarliest deaths on the PS1 and the final boss is truly something to behold as it is traumatizing.
Another great horror game on the PS1 was thefirstSilent Hill. It differed a lot more fromResident Evilas Konami decided to lean more into the puzzles and mental trauma angles. It starred Harry, a father who came to Silent Hill looking for his daughter. In his search, he finds disjointed survivors amidst thick plumes of fog along with monsters and a cult hiding in plain sight.
While the graphics may not induce horrific screams anymore, the subject matter might. Another big difference with this game compared to Capcom’s mega franchise is that melee weapons were more of a thing inSilent Hillwhich helped it ground the experience more.
Despite the first game being a phenomenon on the PS1,Resident Evil 2’sdevelopment had some troubled waters initially. There’s even a playable prototype out there online that paints an entirely different picture. The start was rough, but things turned out well for this highly anticipated sequel. It still had two protagonists, Claire and Leon, but their stories now produced more scenarios and reasons to replay the game. The upgraded inventory, weapons, location, and everything in-between helped make this a horror classic on the system.
Resident Evil 2andMetal Gear Solidcould tie neck and neck in the poles with Kojima’s return to games just marginally beating out Capcom’s classic. Snake had been sleeping for years since his debut on the NES in North America and this was a sequel beyond sequels. It had a lot of experimental systems in it such as the mini-map with cone detection, stealth mechanics, the Codec system, and so many other things.
The large plot and voice acting were also a big deal at the time along with the intricate boss battles. There were better entries after this as Kojima experimented with games more and more, butMetal Gear Solidstill rocks on the PS1.
