U R Not e to PLAY B3YOND: finding Sony's trump card among diamonds in the rough |
Fine, so you've had your PSP for quite some time now, and just recently next-gen-alized your living room with the PS3. Let's take some time to call the Ghost of Gaming Past and dig up some dirt. Some really good dirt. After all, you never know what you'd find.
All of us have probably had our moments with the PSone (PlayStation, PS, PS1, PSOne, or whatever you choose to call it) - everyone has their own list of "classic" games.
What are the games we deem as classic - the games we still want to play? For the sake of not re-inventing the wheel and mentioning games that have been, across the bar, "teh best game EVAR," we'll take the road less travelled by. What we want to ask ourselves here is this: what are the classic games that shouldn't have been missed but most likely were missed?
Yeah, we're talking about those "diamonds in the rough" that were probably overlooked and could get some next-gen treatment (either remake, port, or emulated). Sony has been constantly giving us some PSone love via the PlayStation Network - games like Jumping Flash!, MediEvil, and Rally Cross. While those were fine while they lasted, there are hundreds of other titles that are still worth mentioning.
Wild 9Although there other side-scrolling games that could easily match-up with Wild 9 (or even top it), Wild 9 put in a very interesting factor into the platformer genre. Kill them baddies in whatever gruesome fashion you see fit, using the stuff around you: meat grinders, laser beams, or by simply smashing them into the ground in a bloody pulp. You might even call this game a sci-fi precursor to GTA, albeit a bit too avant garde.
Crash Team RacingEven though Crash Bandicoot was known as one of the first great platformer games on the PSone, Naughty Dog branched off into the racing genre with this game. Back then, this was the closest thing that the PlayStation got to a Mario Kart. More than Mario Kart though, this game got immersive in that there were a lot of collectible and unlockable secrets to earn.
Wild Arms
This was one of the first notable RPG games for the PSone (there was Beyond the Beyond, but... well, I refuse to comment on that). Wild Arms didn't have as much of a gamer following as the Final Fantasy RPGs have had, but Wild Arms still captured a lot of aficionados - so much so that the series catapulted onto the PS2 with other titles. For lack of a better picture, we've embedded the intro video below. Care to whistle along to the theme?
Bust-a-Move/Bust-a-GrooveFortunately for me, I was able to play the original Japanese version. The Western version sort of butchered the J-Pop goodness of this dance-til-you-drop game. While everyone back then would have been playing either PaRappa or DDR, this was one of the other better rhythm games out there. The soundtrack was ace and the characters were very much alive with their own personalities and dancing styles.
Clock TowerNeed we say more? While rumors are floating around about the movie adaptation of this freaky game, I'm still pretty traumatized by Scissorman even up to today. No form of Pyramid Head or Nemesis ever freaked me out more than the antagonist of Clock Tower. At that time, point-and-click mixed into the survival horror genre was way better than seeing Nicholas Cage getting shot at the start of a movie.
Trap GunnerI totally whooped arse in this game, going around the stage and setting traps for the opponent to fall into. You can probably call this a Bomberman title on 'roids. The game gets interesting once you learn to string combos for your traps. This was both fun in single- and two-player mode. However, the AI was sometimes too dumb to recognize my traps, so at some point, I'd actually have to beg my friends to play against me. Battle of wits and curses, folks.
***
We know there are loads more we can include in this list. From Parasite Eve to Armored Core, Tail Concerto to Tobal 2, Saga Frontier, Einhander, Battle Arena Toshinden, Legend of Mana, Guilty Gear, Magic Carpet, Die Hard Trilogy, Persona, Tony Hawk, Dino Crisis, Dragon Ball Z, Brave Fencer Musashi, Syphon Filter... *takes deep breath* ...Alundra, Rayman, Ehrgeiz, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Micro Machines v3,Kagero II, Heart of Darkness, Arc the Lad Collection, Klonoa, Cool Boarders, Alone in the Dark... This could take us ages to finish. We're dang sure we've forgotten a lot, too.
The fact of the matter is that whatever you do, whoever you are, and whatever gaming background you have, you can't deny that every single one of us has our very own list of games that they would still want to play. And even though everyone is pushing for future technology, you can't deny that people would still want to play their classic games. Just as long as Sony recognizes this fact and never forgets about the huuuuge catalogue of classic games they've released on their first PS console, then that's going send one big oomph to the whole gaming industry.
The rumor that the firmware emulation of PSone/PS2 will upscale games to 1080i/720p just recently got brought up (yet again). This development brings an interesting point to this whole discussion. After all this reminiscing of the games from the past, it makes one hopeful of the future. And at the same time scared too. Maybe U R Not e to PLAY B#@%!179
If Sony gears up for something real big, allowing us to play all of our classic games from ages past and enjoy it in HD-era, then by god, can they go any more "beyond"?
While the games that have been mentioned here have only been the diamonds in the rough, what about all the big guns? You've got Symphony of the Night, Riiiiiiidge Raaaaacer, Ape Escape, Soul Reaver, Fear Effect, Wipeout, Tekken, Resident Evil, MGS, Spyro, and so much more.
Now think about this for a moment... A lot of the 360 fanboys keep saying how their Xbox Live empire is so unshakeable. With Gears of War in the picture, it's not surprising - one might even admit defeat and say that Microsoft's online network is unbeatable. However, if Sony would grant them that, then might they find another battle field where they can win perhaps?
Elementary, my dear Watson. If everything we've discussed still hasn't given you the bigger picture yet, then it's time to catch up to the game. If Sony might consider defeat in the online support area, then what other area can Sony win in? If they knew how to play their cards well, then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where their trump card lays: continuous support and backwards compatibility to the empire they've built on the PSOne, PS2, and PSP.
Before you know it, you're struck with an "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" moment of revelation.
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Comments
Wild9 was a brilliant gme, where's Tombi? ;)
Shorty was the coolest.
That is the best PS1 game in my opinion. I have it on my PSP, and I was playing it with my dad and uncle before I even read this article.
As for games i liked on ps1 there are many, as also there are games i liked on other supports! as a console collector i realized very early that games are like your old record collection ......every now and again the record industry is at a loss so they bring out a mega hits collection or a classic hits ETC. ETC. or someone revamps an old hit.the same can be said for the video game industrie and we all fall for it!!even me(why pay 600 euros to play ps1 games on a playstation 3) .this is far from being a critic but honestly there is nothing greater than pluging in my playstation 1 or even megadrive or any other console and having that nostalgic feeling playing the game on the support it was made for...
Sony's gotta jump in and offer a ton of old classic gems. I don't know why they don't have a larger PS list for download by now.
Id by a PS3 for the PSP psone games. But they need more games... I still want to do it all without a PS3, maybe they can start with lower prices and after 6 months keep them at a higher price... or even just make the most downloaded ones higher priced.. They can tell everyone get it while its hot... and cheap.
Persona... granted the first wasn't too good, but Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was amazing. And Persona 3 is coming here in June, I believe... for PS2! I also heard (somewhere around here I think) atlus is putting persona 1 on PSP, hopefully they do persona 2 as well.
ROAD RASH 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that they don't own the vast majority of the good PS1 games' licenses. (They can't just offer other production houses' games because it happened to play on their console) So after all the red tape (royalties distribution, localization)and debugging is done their turn-around per game is probably at least a month to be able to sell it for a profit online.
that sony is doing good
Actually, I agree with the article. I have always thought that Sonys backward-compatability was a serious plus. Why plug in your PS1, then your PS2 AND your PS3 when the PS3 will play all your games? You also say -playing the game on the support (I assume you meant console) it was made for- But we are not talking about some different company trying to get old stuff to work on newer hardware. They invented this line of consoles, and I see no degradation in performance or visuals or in any other area. I'm not saying you suck for wanting to use your PS1, that's personal preference. But you also have to look at new consumers. If the PS3 is their first console, it is pretty damn cool that they will not have to go buy a PS1 and a PS2 to play those games! :-)
Klonoa is one of the best games out there for PS1.
why would u ever buy your games from a ps3. Dont you have a custom firmware like 3.03 OE or 3.10 OE?
I'd LOVE to see a remake of Bushido Blade. To this day, it is still an amazingly unique sword fighting game with addictive gameplay.
Chrono trigger duh.
where the HELL is wipeout xl and wip3out in that list??
Well I love Final Fantasy, Specially VIII never played VII, neither IX I've been looking for places selling them, but I cant find them These would be nice titles to own I still own my little ps1, and still play it. I dont own a ps2, but would like to buy one for play lots of games like devil may cry, final fantasy, fullmetal alchemist (big fan) and lego star wars but I got no money so I'd have to wait long time before buying a new thing Off course I own a psp, and its delightful to play the backups of my precious ps1 games everywhere... the new customized firmwares had given to users what they really deserve. I think sony has been selfish requiring people to buy a ps3 just for play downloaded games on the psp, games that you could own, but you'd have to pay again. I cant wait to get Crisis Core on psp... I hope they dont make a bad game, since all those years on development... but, will Square Enix fit all a final fantasy game could have in a 1.8 gb UMD Disk? they could make a good but not complete game on a single disk, or could make a COMPLETE and wonderful game in 2 UMDs. also, why sony dont release ps1 games on UMD? like "10 titles in a disk" or why dont the make a website like playstation store but accessible by users on psp, DO WE HAVE TO BUY A 800 BUCKS PS3 TO HAVE PS1 ON PSP? 799(ps3 with all you would need)+250(my psp value pack)= +900 dollars, to have a portable ps1, while you could get one ps1 anywhere for less than a hundred bucks. ok bye :P
Magic Carpet, Alone in the Dark and Heart of Darkness all came out on PS1 too? This could be worth getting a PSP over
They don't make racing games like this anymore! This was fun, easy to pick up and play, had some ridiculously cool track designs that demanded constant attention while driving, excellent pacing and each character had its own unique attitude and strengths so it was like playing a new game with every new racer. What a great classic.
Gotta agree bout Shorty, only on the original Jap tho. They seriously butchered the english version. Same with the main Bust-a-groove track (Frida's if I remember correctly) and Kelly's (though not as bad as the Shorty trans..). :D
Vagrant Story
who is the girl with pink hair the pic with the playstation characters she is right next to soul reaver
LEMME C YA BOUNCE RITE TA LEFT LET YA SHOULDER LEAN1239012123472318946A
it's regina. the heroine from dino crisis :)
kula world!
Your financial assesment of buying a PS3 is WAYYYYY off. PS3 console with tax in most places is like 650. You can get a stand alone PSP for 200 (but i understand you already bought it) + about 8-900. But its not about just getting it just to play PS1 games. You should never buy a Sony product to just do one thing with it. They make multipurpose machines, so buy it for more than one reason.
I too think it is probably the best kart racing game of it's era and beyond :)
I have to agree with you, and I think this is the best Crash game out. Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing are rubbish compared to this. They should port it to PS2, giving it better graphics.
Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! Yes !
man, when I think of this game....... This was one of the game EVER!!!! Besides, Nothing can beat the good old PSone. Not the PS2, and not the PS3, and also not the PSP. Maybe this is the reason why Sony released the PSX2PSP Emu and all the PSX games new............
Yes no first post
The entire Army Men series!!!!!!
They did do a remake of Crash Team Racing it was called Crash Nitro Cart for the PS2 and it was pretty much the same exact game except with more multiplayer modes and different tracks
THE ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY SERIES!!!!!
but i don't see this as a plus...maybe for "new" gamers... But 600$ isn't worth this with crappy ps3 games...come next year...then this "plus" will be worth it.
DBZ Battle 22 a GEM!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAH THAT game SUCKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
How exactly is one supposed to play monster rancher on the PSP? It would be sweet if you could use UMDs in place of CDs to generate the monsters, but somehow I don't think that would work.
People just bought a PS3 to play PS1 games? How sad is that? I can play those games on my PS1, PS2, or PSP! Is that the best use of the hypestation 3 right now? I'll just watch my 2 blu ray movies over and over again until I get motorstorm any lie to myself how good it is.
I remember my friend brought over a game that I saw in the banner at the top of the article. What's the game where that little kid at the left is in?
i dont know if anyone is familiar with Legend of Dragoon. personally, i think that game is up there with ff7 :)
Castlevania SOTN, All the final fantasy's, Strider2, Bloody Roar, Rival Schools.... Ps1 games were great. And they don't even need Awesome graphics either. They were Great becasue of great game play and content. These games will never go away. I hope one day they do a FF7 Remake. It would be awesome.
I've always through Wild Arms had one of the best intro songs EVER. Great pick for the video to include on this page.
dragonballz ultimate battle 22 suxs
Yep, Army Men Series pwn. Email me, I have uploaded them ALL and I still have the links to some of them. If you have a 1 Gig card and 3.03 OE then you are in luck. +) nicg47@gmail.com
of im not mistaken the kid with nthe lazer is from a pc game?? heart of darkness er sumthin like that.....wierd
I dont think the PS3 would hit it's peak selling point, Not until some Price Drops at least. Im happy between my PS1 playing PSP/360/and Wii. if a 60gb ps3 is cheaper i'd buy it.
But what about Xenogears??? Or Legend of Dragoon??? DUKE NUKEM!?!?
shorty reprezent!
if u have 2 buy a ps3 the ps1 games should be free.SONY U CHEAP .A.S.S.!!!!!
Te wii is awsome the legend of zelda twilight princess is da s.hit
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