Playstation – Page 8 – Gaming Shift

The first PlayStation is a legendary console that gave birth to what we know today as the premier home console. Released in an era when we were transitioning from 2D to 3D and CDs were still a new concept, the PS1 managed to capture lightning in a bottle. Thanks to its CD-ROM drive and aggressive pricing, the PS1 managed to sell over 3 times as many units as the N64. It’s a console designed from scratch to defy all norms. While the N64 had superior processing power, it was hamstrung by cassette media. And since the PS1 was easier to work with compared to other consoles, there were a bunch of developers lining up to make games for it. Much like Nintendo’s NES, Sony’s PlayStation was the next big leap in home entertainment. And today I am making this article to celebrate its legacy by looking at the top 50 all-time Playstation 1 games that you must play. So without further ado, let’s get started. Metal Gear Solid Developer: KonamiRelease Date: October 21, 1998 Metal Gear Solid is the stealth game that all contemporary action-stealth titles take their inspiration from. It is fully 3D, one of the earliest 3D stealth games alongside Tenchu and Thief. Thief relies on using the environment and avoiding combat altogether while Tenchu encourages you to do stealthy kills. But MGS strikes a fine balance between the two. Plus, it pays homage to several 80s action and spy thrillers. You’ve got shadow organizations building weapons of mass destruction and super-secret spy orgs. This is a world with ridiculously over-the-top characters, and the main character is trying to topple plans of global dominance. Final Fantasy VII Developer: SquareRelease Date: September 7, 1997 The first 3D Final Fantasy game, VII is responsible for making JRPGs mainstream. It arrived at just the right time with the perfect blend of ingredients- next-gen technology, an amazing cast of characters, solid gameplay, and a beautiful soundtrack. In terms of units sold, FF VII is 2nd only to Grand Turismo. Compared to previous Final Fantasy games, this one has a slightly darker storyline set in a dieselpunk sci-fi universe. Most importantly, the cast and storyline of this game are what make it replayable to this day. Vagrant Story Developer: Square Product Development Division 4Release Date: May 15, 2000 While this game was released pretty late into the PS1’s life cycle, its significance cannot be understated. Vagrant Story is a revolutionary game, even for 2000. It manages to blend action, role-playing, and adventure in a way that no other JRPG does. This is basically Final Fantasy XII mixed with Metal Gear Solid. Add in a complex cast of characters with a deep story and the end result is truly mesmerizing. Resident Evil 2 Developer: CapcomRelease Date: January 21, 1998 This might be the best of the first 3 Resident Evil games before we moved on to 3rd person over-the-shoulder action in RE4. Resident Evil 2 is a true survival horror because there’s this constant feeling of dread and not knowing what’s around the corner. You have to manage ammo and healing items efficiently within your limited inventory while trying to avoid encounters with large groups of enemies. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Developer: KonamiRelease Date: October 2, 1997 One of the best Castlevania games ever, Symphony of the Night is truly timeless. While most other games of its time were experimenting with 3D graphics, this game uses the best of 2D game design. Some of those early 3D games haven’t aged well and have clumsy controls. But Symphony of the Night is still extremely enjoyable thanks to its tight combat system and richly detailed environments. The non-linear levels combined with outstanding gothic art design encourage exploration. Gran Turismo 2 Developer: Polyphony DigitalRelease Date: December 23, 1999 Simply put, THE racing sim for PlayStation. And visually it still holds up to this day. This is astonishing if you think about the PS1’s hardware and how dated it is by today’s standards. Gran Turismo 2 is oozing with detail. You have tons of cars, tracks, courses, and upgrades. Each car handles realistically, and every bump/banking in tracks are lifted straight from their real-life counterparts. Tomb Raider 2 Developer: Core DesignRelease Date: November 21, 1997 While FF VII made JRPGs mainstream, Tomb Raider might have made gaming mainstream. Or at least it played a major role in that achievement. Because the protagonist for this game was a beautiful, strong female character who’s really good with guns and acrobatics. Lara Croft is a witty British lady who goes on adventures, looking for ancient treasures hidden all over the world. At some point, Lara Croft went from PS1 games to movies, comics, and even car advertisements. Tomb Raider 2 has the same dual-wielding gun mechanics and acrobatic maneuvers from the first game, with a few additions of its own. Level design is brilliant, you start in China and travel all the way to Venice while battling ancient monsters in caves and catacombs. Tomb Raider 2 features slightly more complex puzzles and has more outdoor locations to explore. Tekken 3 Developer: NamcoRelease Date: April 29, 1998 Initially, there were doubts on whether the console port of Tekken 3 would match up to its arcade version. Some even said it will just be a slightly improved Tekken 2. All of these rumors were put to rest when the game actually released. Tekken 3 on PS1 is as close as you can get to arcade levels of detail. Yeah, some of the character models are a little thicker and the backdrops are 2D. Still, animation speed is fast and you’ve got tons of moves/ combos. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 Developer: NeversoftRelease Date: September 20, 2000 A sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed sports games ever, Pro Skater 2 had a lot to live up to. Releasing at a time when we were ready for the next console gen (PS2 and Xbox), this game could have been a lot worse. However, it pushes the limits of PS1 hardware to give players a truly unforgettable experience similar to an arcade game. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 has more of everything compared to its predecessor which was released just one year ago. You’ve got larger levels, more tricks, more achievements, and new skating legends to play as. The multiplayer is better and you also get new game modes. Crash Bandicoot: Warped Developer: Naughty DogRelease Date: October 31, 1998 The 3rd Crash Bandicoot game, Warped was a highly anticipated sequel back when it was first released. Crash was Sony’s attempt to create a mascot for the PlayStation, similar to Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic. However, he evolved into something entirely different. While Crash was never as popular as Mario or Sonic, his games ushered in the era of 3D platformers. And evading traps or obstacles in Crash Bandicoot: Warped is more fun than any Mario or Sonic game of the time. The character animations are smooth, and the level design is truly amazing. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Developer: Naughty DogRelease Date: October 31, 1997 It’s like Crash Bandicoot, but better. Some would say it’s the perfect sequel, and that was true until Crash Bandicoot 3 was released. Crash is like Rambo movies; each sequel ups the ante and does more of what the previous one did. Similar to the first game, you go around collecting crystals while dodging obstacles and traps. However, the level design is non-linear. There are 5 “warp rooms”, each containing 5 levels that can be done in any order. The diversity in level design is truly amazing. Sometimes you are running from a giant polar bear, other times you’re flying around with a jetpack. Running, jumping, and spinning are present just like in the first game. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage Developer: Insomniac GamesRelease Date: November 2, 1999 Unlike the first game, Ripto’s Rage isn’t exclusively for kids. It’s got a slightly more mature theme going on. And there are tons of additional content that give this game a lot more structure compared to the first. Spyro the dragon has been teleported into Avalar by the locals to fight off Ripto who is basically the big bad villain. And you must fight your way off this place to get back into your own world. There are tons of minigames and side quests to keep you busy, plus you keep earning new abilities for Spyro. Silent Hill Developer: KonamiRelease Date: February 23, 1999 A man is driving along an isolated road through a remote part of America, his daughter is in the passenger’s seat. Suddenly, a strange-looking figure gets in his way forcing him to swerve off-road and crash. Upon waking up he finds that his daughter has gone missing, and makes his way to the nearby village called Silent Hill. Silent Hill is like Resident Evil, but more focused on psychological horror. It’s slower-paced, and tenser with movie-like camera angles. You are constantly starved for ammo and inventory space, while the story has no clear hero/ villain paradigm. PaRappa The Rapper Developer: NanaOn-ShaRelease Date: November 17, 1997 Major studios don’t make stuff like this very often, fearing that it might deviate a bit too much from the tried and tested AAA formula. However, PaRappa The Rapper was a financial success. It gathered tons of positive reviews from both critics and gamers. PaRappa is a rapping dog and his friends are anthropomorphic animals just like him. The game is a window into his life, everything from daily activities like getting a driving license to dining at restaurants. And there’s rapping too, this is the first popular rhythm game in which you time button presses to screen prompts. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee Developer: Digital DialectRelease Date: September 18, 1997 Bizarre is the word I’d use to describe this game. Your main character Abe is part of an alien race called Mudokons, and he works at a meat processing plant. This plant is singlehandedly driving entire species to extinction, and soon Abe discovers that the next species on the menu is his own. Your goal is to escape from this facility while rescuing as many fellow Mudokons as you can. The gameplay is hard to nail down. It isn’t a proper platformer even though major segments of the game involved platforming. There are puzzle game elements in this game. Communication is also a big part of it because you must talk with fellow Mudokons to make them follow you. Oddworld is a slow-paced, tactical game in which making the right decisions and avoiding confrontation will help you win. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Developer: NamcoRelease Date: May 1, 1999 While Gran Turismo is more of a simulation racing game, Ridge Racer is the perfect arcade racer for PlayStation. It’s like Need for Speed, but better. Instead of maintaining racing lines and weaving between opponents, you’re encouraged to do power slides and violent overtakes. The game has two basic car types- drifters and grippers. Grip cars use their superior handling and traction to take turns, while drift cars rely on speed and power sliding to blaze around corners. Lighting and textures are really good for a PS1 racing game, and the framerate is also smooth. Final Fantasy IX Developer: SquareRelease Date: November 13, 2000 A return to the old days of Final Fantasy, IX takes a different path from the dieselpunk art design of VII. It also places more focus on the story and will often switch between characters to show you the narrative from their perspective. And while VII had its light-hearted moments with weird gags and slapstick humor, IX takes itself more seriously. It explores complex themes like love and death, even your party members learn more about themselves through side quests. Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain Developer: Crystal DynamicsRelease Date: August 16, 1999 A game with a lone anti-hero who’s on a journey to save the world from an evil supervillain. He has the power to collect souls, more souls collected means you’re stronger. You have access to dark powers and can switch between two different realms. There’s the mortal realm and then there’s the spirit realm. The spirit realm is a hellish, distorted version of the mortal realm. You can impale your enemies, toss them in water, and burn them with fire. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Developer: AcquireRelease Date: August 31, 1998 A game that surprises you every time you do another playthrough, the very first Tenchu is a ninja assassin simulator. It predates the original Metal Gear Solid as the first true 3D stealth game. And if we’re talking just stealth, Tenchu does it way better than MGS. Operating in the shadows, you’re a deadly assassin with a singular goal. In each level, you must silently kill your adversaries as you make your way to the final showdown with a boss. There are smoke bombs, grapple hooks, shurikens, and other tools that make you feel like a ninja from an action movie. Spider-Man Developer: NeversoftRelease Date: September 1, 2000 These days, superhero games are no longer a novelty thanks to the excellent PS4 Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers. However, if we go back to the late 90s and early 2000s superhero movies weren’t as big as they are today. You had X-Men, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and Blade. The original PlayStation Spider-Man is a truly transformative experience, something every Spider-Man fan would have loved back in 2000. This is where the web-slinging adventures of our friendly neighborhood superhero began in video game format. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Developer: CapcomRelease Date: April 30, 1999 Unlike Virtua Fighter and TEKKEN, Street Fighter Alpha 3 didn’t go the 3D route just because there was newer hardware. Instead, it focused on bringing the perfect arcade port into your living room. You’ve got the best 2D fighting game on PlayStation right here, along with some new female fighters. Classic characters like Guile, E. Honda, Blanka, Balrog, Dee Jay, and Fei Long also make a comeback for Alpha 3. Every character has its own unique ending, this also gives you chance to learn more about the bonus characters. The “ism” system ensures a proper balance between fighters, even though some of them have new moves. Einhander Developer: SquareRelease Date: May 5, 1998 It’s a simple 2D shooter, but there was a tony of hype surrounding its release because Square developed it. A company known for their excellent JRPGs took a stab at the shooter genre and ended up with a very successful game in Einhander. The game isn’t fully 2D, it uses 3D models which is why this is a “2.5D” game. And it’s also a rare 60FPS title on the PS1, with excellent cutscenes and high-quality audio effects. You pilot a fighter aircraft, taking on enemy battleships and fighters within a cyberpunk world. Final Fantasy Tactics Developer: SquareRelease Date: January 28, 1998 Some might accuse this game of being a spin-off, Square trying to milk their loyal fanbase. However, it’s a strategic masterpiece that puts a new spin on the somewhat stale Final Fantasy formula. The diversity of characters and gameplay make this a must-play experience for any Final Fantasy fan. Beautifully designed 3D environments and a long list of classes put Tactics above other JRPG games. You start out as a noble who gets involved in a war for the world, and you must assemble a team of warriors. You can recruit from various occupations and every team member will gather experience as you fight more battles. Twisted Metal 2: World Tour Developer: Sony Interactive Studios America/ SingleTracRelease Date: October 31, 1996 Ok, hear me out. What if we took Doom, except we replaced everyone with cars that have machine guns mounted on them? Something like this is probably what went through the minds of executives at Sony Interactive when they came up with the idea for Twisted Metal. It’s a racing game mixed with an arena shooter. The sequel is every bit as violent and fast-paced as the original, but with more stuff. New worlds to explore, new weapon upgrades, and new vehicles await you in Twisted Metal 2. Mega Man Legends 2 Developer: CapcomRelease Date: October 24, 2000 The first Legends game was Mega Man transitioning from the 2D era to 3D. And Legends 2 improves upon its predecessor in every way. It’s still an action RPG with lighthearted fun, but you have some new characters in the mix. Unlike the previous Legends game, you aren’t limited to a single hub or town. You can explore various villages, floating cities, towns, etc. You even have your own airship called the Flutter. Ape Escape Developer: Japan StudioRelease Date: May 31, 1999 While Crash Bandicoot established itself as the go-to 3D platformer on PlayStation, Ape Escape innovated upon the concept by requiring a DualShock controller. That’s right, it takes full advantage of the 2 analog sticks on a DualShock controller to give players an arcade experience. You go through various levels collecting monkeys, and you can use tools (or toys as they are called) to get around enemies/ obstacles. Jumping, running, swimming, and flying are all present in this colorful 3D platformer. Tomb Raider Developer: Core DesignRelease Date: November 14, 1996 Ever wondered what it would be like to play a 3D Indiana Jones game, except Indy is female? Well, Tomb Raider takes you on an adventure across the world to exotic and dangerous locations filled with caves and tombs. You hunt for ancient artifacts while fighting off various animals and monsters with your dual pistols/ machine guns. Tomb Raider involves some platforming elements, but it’s more of an action-adventure game with lots of areas to explore and secrets to find. You also solve puzzles to unlock new areas and have acrobatic maneuvers to evade enemy attacks. Parasite Eve Developer: SquareRelease Date: September 9, 1998 The game starts out with an opera in which a woman manages to trigger a dormant power that incinerates everyone in the audience. Turns out, she’s using the mitochondria in their cells to release huge amounts of energy. This power also causes people to mutate into hideous monsters. However, another woman who was in the audience is immune to this disease. She also happens to be an undercover police agent. And the game basically unfolds from that point, with you going through various parts of a city attempting to take down the source of this disease. Xenogears Developer: Square Product Development Division 3Release Date: October 20, 1998 Xenogears is another one of those Square JRPGs that was pumped out in the 90s. It’s not a direct contender to Final Fantasy seeing as both are from the same company, but a lot of people prefer this game over something like FF VII. And that’s got a lot to do with the storytelling. There are extended dialogue scenes that you can read to enhance your knowledge of the situation and game world. It feels extremely immersive and the world is gorgeous. Graphics use a mix of 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds to create this unique visual effect that stands the test of time. Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire Developer: LucasArts, Factor 5Release Date: November 1995 This game feels like playing a Star Wars movie because it uses actual film footage for cutscenes. Once again, something that wouldn’t be possible without CD technology. Oh, and it was released in 1995 which makes the visuals seem even more impressive in retrospect. And for the cherry on top, you’ve got John Williams’ excellent music score playing in the background as you’re in the middle of some action. There is a lot of diversity in level and combat. Sometimes you’re taking on stormtroopers with a lightsaber, other times you’re flying around in a fighter. Chrono Cross Developer: Square Product Development Division 3Release Date: August 15, 2000 What happens when you take the scenarist from Dragon Quest and the producer from Final Fantasy to work on one JRPG? You get Chrono Cross. Oh, and did I mention that Akira Toriyama (character designer + writer for Dragonball and Dragonball Z) was involved too? Needless to say, the characters and worldbuilding in this game are perfect. The active time bar found in JRPGs has been replaced with stamina points and each character can take a turn at any time as long as they have stamina. Final Fantasy VIII Developer: SquareRelease Date: September 9, 1999 Final Fantasy VII brought JRPGs into the spotlight with their gorgeous 3D characters and environments. FF VIII takes things one step further with even better 3D graphics. The low poly models of FF VII have been replaced with surprisingly detailed models that look better up close. The animation quality and camera angles in cutscenes are even better now. However, the gameplay is very different from FF VII thanks to a completely reworked magic system. You don’t gain spells with experience anymore. Instead, you draw them from the enemy so any character can have any spell at any time. And characters can share spells with each other, there are no magic points anymore. If you run out of a spell, just find the right creature and extract it from them. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Developer: Big Ape ProductionsRelease Date: September 14, 1999 A game that follows the story of Episode 1, The Phantom Menace is a game that doesn’t tread new ground. It tells a familiar story in an old-fashioned way with common RPG and action game tropes. However, the presentation is where it stands out. You’ve got excellent graphics and sound effects coupled with a level design that mirrors the movies. The gameplay is shallow but you won’t care too much thanks to the excellent story and soundtrack. Bushido Blade Developer: Light WeightRelease Date: September 30, 1997 Arguably the first 3D fighting game that involves weapon combat instead of regular hand-to-hand combat. With a steady 30fps gameplay experience, Bushido blade manages to perform better than its adversaries while maintaining a higher level of visual detail. And it’s also extremely violent, with copious amounts of blood gushing out of the enemy when you slash them with your katana. Suikoden II Developer: KonamiRelease Date: August 31, 1999 When the PlayStation initially launched in 1995, Konami came up with the very first Suikoden game. It’s a JRPG based on an old Chinese novel. Instead of focusing on 3D visuals like FF VII, Suikoden prioritized storytelling and character design. Suikoden II’s visuals are still 2D, although it looks better overall than its predecessor. It balances in-game political and social themes with personal stories in a way that no other JRPG does. Suikoden features 6-person parties and a cast of over 108 recruitable characters, more than other JRPG of the time. Legend of Mana Developer: SquareRelease Date: June 6, 2000 In terms of storytelling, Legend of Mana doesn’t stand up to Final Fantasy VII. But thanks to its engaging side quests and “land creation” system, the game is endlessly replayable. The land creation system lets you start at one specific point on the map. Once you start, the world becomes whatever you want it to be. You can select artifacts to place on the map which will eventually turn into new towns, dungeons, forests, etc. Based on the artifact used, the type of quests you get in these locations will also vary. The Legend of Dragoon Developer: Japan StudioRelease Date: June 13, 2000 A JRPG that tries to compete with Square’s Final Fantasy games but ends up failing because it lacks any charisma. The story in this game feels like one that has been told many times before, only this time you’ve got different names attached to each character. And visually it lacks personality or flair, despite being a detailed 3D game. The gameplay removes magic altogether, replacing it with the “Additional System”. Basically, you charge up your attacks by mashing buttons and fill up a meter that lets you turn into a “dragoon”. Dragoon form unlocks additional attacks for a brief period of time. Medal of Honor Developer: DreamWorks InteractiveRelease Date: October 31, 1999 If you’ve seen any WW2 movie about undercover operatives and felt like “I need this in a video game”, go play Medal of Honor. This game lets you play as an OSS operative who’s trying to sabotage the Third Reich’s operation in various places across Europe. You infiltrate buildings to steal documents, plant explosives on enemy equipment, and take out key officers in the Nazi regime. In some ways, it feels like a 3D Castle Wolfenstein but more tactical and slower-paced. Dino Crisis Developer: Capcom Production Studios 4Release Date: August 31, 1999 It’s a game that manages to combine the horror aspect of Resident Evil with the sci-fi nature of Jurassic Park. In other words, it’s Resident Evil with dinosaurs. You play as the woman Regina, a beautiful yet skilled government agent sent to investigate some suspicious activity on a remote island. You land there with a team of soldiers who end up dying from a T-Rex attack. Turns out there’s more to this island than you initially thought, and a mad scientist is behind all of it. The gameplay is similar to that of Resident Evil, but with slightly more emphasis on action scenes. Driver 2 Developer: Reflections InteractiveRelease Date: November 14, 2000 Think of this game like Need for Speed combined with GTA. It has everything from the original game, but now you can get out of the car and move around. The story is a mob drama and you’ve been sent to diffuse a war between 2 rival gangs. Just like GTA, you can hijack rides. Even school buses aren’t safe from your carjacking skills. You can even enter buildings and blow up places with bombs. Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins Developer: AcquireRelease Date: August 15, 2000 A prequel to the first Tenchu game, this one tells the story of 3 Azuma ninjas (Tatsumaru is unlocked at the end). It’s set in feudal Japan, during a period of civil war. Initially, you can choose between Rikimaru or Ayame. Rikimaru is a stoic man who uses a katana, prioritizing honor and loyalty over everything else. Ayame is a stone-cold kunoichi (female ninja) who taunts her enemies and uses dual knives. There are new moves like reverse attacks and 45-degree angle attacks, plus you have new tools like the blinding dust. Resident Evil Developer: CapcomRelease Date: March 30, 1996 The one that started it all. Resident Evil gave birth to an entirely new genre of games- survival horror. Dino Crisis, Galerians, and Silent Hill are all inspired by it. Instead of using ghosts or supernatural elements, Resident Evil tells a simple zombie horror story. It’s essentially a low-budget horror movie with cheesy dialogue and over-the-top characters. The main draw of Resident Evil is in its gameplay, slow and tactical but extremely fun. Colony Wars Developer: PsygnosisRelease Date: October 31, 1997 Epic space fights inspired by Star Wars have been portrayed in various video games. Colony Wars tells the story of two rival factions in a faraway galaxy. The game originally came with 2 disks, and the story changed dynamically based on which wars you won or lost. Combat is similar to many other space fighter sims of the time. You’re thrust into the pilot seat of a fast-paced adventure in which you blow up several enemy fighters and ships. It’s closer to arcades than simulators, and there’s plenty of cheesy dialogue + explosions to go along with your story. WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role Developer: Yuke’sRelease Date: November 21, 2000 You can tell from the name this is an old game because WWF was renamed to WWE a long while back. And it’s been ages since I saw something worth sitting through for more than a few minutes on Smackdown. But this game will take you back to the golden age of professional wrestling, back when stories were interesting and characters weren’t bland. Smackdown has all the WWF superstars of its time- The Rock, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, etc. And they all have their signature gimmicks + catchphrases. You can create your own character who starts as a mid-carder and progresses up the ranks. Galerians Developer: Polygon MagicRelease Date: March 29, 2000 It’s a survival horror that doesn’t have the goofy charm of Resident Evil. Galerians has its own quirks though. For starters, you play a 14-year old angsty emo teenager with special abilities. You can throw objects with telekinetic powers or light them on fire. You can also create shockwaves if you think really hard. This game has a lot more action elements compared to traditional survival horrors titles. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Developer: CapcomRelease Date: November 11, 1999 Capcom remade the 2nd and 3rd Resident Evil games for a good reason- fixed camera angles and tank controls are horrendous. But if you truly want the original RE3 experience, this is it. It isn’t as good as the 2nd Resident Evil, sacrificing some of the atmospheric horror and survival elements in favor of action sequences. Still, the story of Jill Valentine and her journey through the streets of Racoon city while a monster called Nemesis hunts her is worth your time. You retread many of the familiar areas from Resident Evil 2, like the police station. And the game is sort of a prequel to what happens in the 2nd game. Madden NFL 2001 Developer: EA TiburonRelease Date: August 22, 2000 This was THE football game for PlayStation back in the early 2000s and still holds up to this day. Even though development for the PS2 version of NFL 2001 took priority, the PS1 version is visually stunning for its time. EA went a step further and got actual NFL coaches into the game. The PS2 version has texture-mapped facial animations, but the PS1 version has still images for the coaches who shout random words of encouragement. The kick meter has been redesigned from previous NFL games, and the menu design is also different. Tackle and running animations have also been redone for this NFL game. Grandia Developer: Game ArtsRelease Date: October 26, 1999 It isn’t exactly a Final Fantasy killer and the storyline can be slightly convoluted at times, but Grandia was a masterpiece of its era. It tells the story of a young boy going on an adventure across the world to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization. The atmosphere, characters, and soundtrack are all examples of excellent game design. Even though the main story can take around 60 hours to complete, not one single hour will bore you. There is a battle system that evolves as the story progresses. Characters are unlocked as the story progresses, and you can easily evade fights that you aren’t ready for since you can see enemies approaching. Syphon Filter Developer: EideticRelease Date: February 17, 1999 Imagine Metal Gear Solid, GoldenEye, and Tomb Raider combined into one game. That’s pretty much Syphon Filter, but with a radical storyline and more spy elements. You play as Gabe Logan, an operative for an agency that’s called… “The Agency”. Yeah, real creative naming right there. Camera angles are usually 3rd person but will shift into 1st person with certain weapons. There is a good mix of stealth and shoot ‘em up gameplay with a huge variety of guns and explosives to play with. Medal of Honor: Underground Developer: DreamWorks InteractiveRelease Date: October 23, 2000 Before Halo came out on Xbox and revolutionized console FPS gaming, there was Medal of Honor on PlayStation. Like the first Medal of Honor game, you are playing as a member of the OSS and trying to topple the Nazi regime. Except, the protagonist is a woman called Manon Batiste. Her brother was killed by the Nazis back when both of them fought together as French rebels. After that, she joined the OSS as an undercover agent. You get to see a lot of popular locations in France and Germany while you travel around to collect documents or take out officers. Conclusion Ironically, Sony never intended to get into video games until they were backstabbed by Nintendo. A Sony engineer, Ken Kutaragi who is known as “the father of PlayStation” originally did the sound processing chip for Nintendo’s SNES. He did this as a secret project since many of the higher-ups at Sony despised the idea of video game consoles, thinking of games as a fad. But Sony’s CEO at the time (Norio Ohga) saw the success of the SNES and gave Kutaragi permission to strike a deal with Nintendo. Sony planned to design a CD-ROM attachment for the SNES that would greatly expand the scope of developers working on Nintendo games. A CD held much more data than any cassette and was infinitely cheaper to produce. For a brief time, Nintendo went along with Sony’s idea and the joint venture was named “Play Station”. However, Nintendo wanted to maintain full licensing rights for the CD attachment which didn’t go well over at Sony HQ. Nintendo was being extremely restrictive with licensing and sales which was also a detriment for their 3rd party studios like Sega, EA, Konami, etc. Eventually, Nintendo made a secret deal with Philips to develop a CD-ROM console that could play inferior copies of licensed Nintendo games. This was the Philips CD-I (also sold under the Magnavox brand), and it turned out to be a massive flop upon release. But Sony didn’t know any of this. In fact, during the CES presentation of 1991 Sony announced that they were working with Nintendo on the “Play Station”. Just one day later, Nintendo revealed their partnership with Philips. This betrayal made Sony’s CEO extremely furious and Ken Kutaragi took full advantage of it. He asked the CEO to give him the green light on a video game console. Something he couldn’t have done before due to the other execs being opposed to the idea of gaming. And the CEO basically said, “do it!” since he wanted to get back at Nintendo, no matter the cost.