Top 10 Playstation 1 Games

The Playstation 1 will always have a special place in my heart.

It was the second console I owned (after my Sega Saturn broke when I was just 3 years old),

and from 1995 to 2001, this was the console which gave me my childhood memories.

It's taken a lot of thought and game replaying, but here is my top 10 Playstation 1 games:

10. Gran Turismo 2

Synopsis:
No plot or storyline. Just race, compete and win!

My review:
Gran Turismo 2 features a total of 27 race tracks, 650 + cars and realistic driving controls.
In terms of graphics, they're fairly decent and you can see how close to detail the developers have tried to make this as close to looking like the real car as they can. Aside this, the tracks and the surrounding scenery are also well detailed, and I should also mention that light reflections are also placed within the game i.e. sunlight reflects off of the bonnet.
Sounds are also very well implemented in the game. The developers somehow managed to create the envrionment sounds in such a way, that it makes you feel like you're inside the car.
A perfect example of this would be when a car overtakes, you hear the engine of the other car slightly muffled (like it would be if you overtook in reality). It's all clever stuff which is often overlooked!
Now for gameplay and controls. These are very easy to pick up and learn, however (again like reality) you need to adjust for the feel of the car. i.e. driving a Toyota Yaris is a good starter car, however, should you then purchase or win a Toyota GT-ONE...you're going to need to give it a few practise runs first to get used to the handling. Overall, the cars available in the game are a great selection and controls as a whole are fairly easy to master

Overall:
8.0 / 10

9. Medievil 2

Synopsis:

Set in London, UK, A sorcerer named Lord Palethorn discovers Zarok (the previous games villian's) spellbook. Palethorn casts a spell of great darkness over the entire city of London, and takes a demon like appearence.

Zarok's spell wakes Sir Daniel Fortesque from his eternal rest and together with the aid of Winston the ghost, professor Hamilton Kift, and later princess Kiya, you must stop Palethorn and disspell the city of London from it's great darkness.

My review:

It has a great storyline, improves on the first game, good graphics, sounds and animations, and above all...doesn't take itself too seriously.

The graphics and animations in this game are very well done. I won't say that they're amazing or "realistic" because the game wasn't made with this in mind. However, what it does deliver is great colours and vibrance with comical characters and superb animation.

In terms of sounds, again these weren't done with realism in mind, but they are of good quality and simple. The soundtrack is what really does justice for me. It really sets the mood and creates an atmosphere which accompanies the level well. An example is that in the museum, it creates a sense of mystery, loneliness and scare. However, it's not dramatic, meaning that it's only light hearted to remind you that the game isn't purposely trying to create any seriousness or dramatic effect.

Moving onto controls and gameplay, it's super easy to pickup and get used to, at first it may take a newcomer a few minutes to get used to the inventory system and the combinations, but overall as mentioned before, the movement of the character and interaction is a doddle to pick up.

Overall:

8 / 10

8. Spiderman

Synopsis:

At a science conference, Peter Parker witnesses a spider-man imposter thieving Dr. Octavius' new experiment. Immediately, the public believe that spider-man has gone rogue, including Eddie Brock (who attempted to snap a few shots of the imposter in the act). When the imposter breaks Eddie's camera, his fear of being fired by Jameson builds, resulting in the Venom symbiote to take over...here begins the action and adventure.

My review:
Spider-man is very well constructed, has great scenery and environmental features, and above all packs in many of Marvels most popular heroes and villains.
Venom, Mysterio, Rhino and my personal favourite Carnage all make an appearance throughout the game, and along the way Black Cat, Daredevil and even Captain America are right there to guide and assist you through your missions.
We'll start again with the graphic detail in the game. It features good textures, smooth animation and nice lighting. As you progress through the game and swing from building to building, you'll notice that each skyscraper, character and other piece of environment has been rendered to utilize the PlayStation 1's hardware. This alone makes for a pleasing experience.
In regards to the sounds in the game, they're not realistic, but rather "cartoony". When you're in a fight for instance, you can actually make out a "whack", "thwack" or "smack", this is rather suiting for the experience as it makes the game feel as if you're playing through a cartoon.
Lastly, we'll quickly discuss the controls. Although it has a very basic control system of fight, sling, shoot web etc. it makes for a simple but enjoyable experience which as a whole makes this game fun, replayable and exciting. There's lots to discover, much to unlock and a great selection of costumes to change into and play the game again through.

Overall:
8 / 10

7. Tomb Raider - The Last Revelation

Synopsis:
Set entirely in and around Egypt, Lara mistakenly releases the Egyptian god of chaos and confusion "Seth", after removing the Amulet of Horus from a Sarcophagus.

My review:
Tomb Raider was always a hard video game series for me. It's history of large open areas, confusing puzzles, and nerve racking jumps made for a difficult game.
Tomb Raider - The Last Revelation, is no different to the previous of the games titles, however it does bring a new save feature (whereby you can save anywhere at anytime), updated graphics, an enriching storyline and many twists and turns.
With the updated graphics it looks fresh and more polished off in comparison to the previous games, which (despite how great they were) did come across as rather pixelated. The developers also placed some great looking environmental features as well as realistic artificial intelligence with the enemies and animals.
Accompanying the visuals is (as always with Tomb Raider) mysterious music which intervenes at tense moments, realistic weaponry sounds and great voice acting within the cutscenes.
Finally, the control system is a little more advanced than the previous installments, but this also brings more abilities, don't be put off by this...the hour long tutorial will get you up to speed!

Overall:
8 / 10

6. Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped

Synopsis:

Set straight after the previous game (Crash Bandicoot 2), Uka Uka (the criminal mastermind behind Cortex's plans) is released and almost immediately, Aku Aku detects that an evil presence has been unleashed on the world. Soon you must travel in a time machine to various locations and find the crystals, defeat cortex's allies and put a stop to Cortex and Uka Uka.

My review:

Fun, adventurous, comical and absolutely packed! with great missions and blundering bosses. 

Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped is a game full of wonderful gameplay mechanics, vivid colours and beautiful platforming scenery and animation. As per the rest of the Crash Bandicoot series, you run, jump, spin and collect wumpa fruit and extra lives, all the while progressing through the level and either dodging or attacking the enemies. However, included in this third instalment is the ability to play as Crash's sister Coco, a chance to do air combat in a biplane and an experience to ride a jet ski. This game is literally packed with such fun and immature humour...it makes itself (like it's predecessors) in the "Top 10 Playstation 1 Games".

The visuals in this game are stunningly bright and beautiful. There is no realism in this game, and because of this the designers stuck to a cartoon look and coloured the environment with such vibrant colours. This of course makes the game a real bit of "eye candy" to play. Sounds next, and wow what a fantastic and upbeat soundtrack the game has. As you travel through time the music begins to reflect the current time period and level environment. A perfect example of this is the medieval level where the instrumental is designed to sound like something from the dark ages...but in a fun way and modern way. There is no depressive music throughout the games audio score which again makes this game such great fun and a real joy to play.

Briefly, the sounds from the enemies, crash bandicoot and objects are also not taken seriously. Instead, they take an immature and light hearted approach to try and make the game more enjoyable. Just to make a case for what I explained, instead of a typical "thud, ouch or whack" sound when an enemy is hit, should Crash spin into them when attacking, it will make a "peeowwn" sound as they go flying into the distance...simple, but yet entertaining. Lastly (as I see I've written a fair chunk of writing for this game), the controls are very simple and it's a great game to just pick up and play. Overall, it's not serious and doesn't try to be...it's just simple, immature fun.

Overall:

8.5 / 10

5. Driver

Synopsis:
You're an undercover NYPD cop named John Tanner. Your previous experience as a race car driver puts you at the top of the list to work covertly for a criminal group and to gain the trust of the gang's leader.
What plans of the gang will you unveil and discover?

My review:
Driver begins in a grotty underground parking lot where you must prove to a bunch of low life gangsters that you've got the driving skills necessary to work for them. The first mission then begins in Miami.
Aside the campaign, there is also the option to do individual driving games such as Pursuit, Getaway, Cross-Town Checkpoint, Trail Blazer, Survival & Dirt Track, as well as also just taking a "free ride" where you can go around Miami (and later San Francisco, Los Angeles & New York...these maps are unlocked as you progress through the game).
Visually, the game has OK graphics. They aren't fantastic and it's not all that easy on the eye.
However, the other little details in the game such as the reflections of the car, the pedestrians moving and even the wheel trim flying off when turning too fast have been included, which makes up where scenery detail lacks. Accompanying the game well is the funky 70's soundtrack as you play. It really helps to set the scene when playing through the levels and to me personally, reminds me very much of shows such as Starsky & Hutch and Miami Vice. Alongside the soundtrack of course are the sounds of the vehicles and environment.
The car itself has near-realistic sounds such as the engine working, performing a burnout, tyres skidding etc. and furthermore when police cars approach, the sirens are loud like they would be if a cop was tailing you (hopefully many of you won't have experienced this!), and when you begin outrunning them (again I hope none of you readers have done this!) the sirens begin to fade. It may be basic but it makes for a great game!
Lastly, the controls on the game are extremely simple and it's safe to say that Driver is a game you can pick up and play any time and get used to within minutes!

Overall:
8.5 / 10

4. Syphon Filter

Synopsis:

Working for a secret sector for the US government known as "the agency". You play agent Gabe Logan, who together with another agency agent "Lian Xang" must work together to prevent terrorism, and find out information on a dangerous weapon known as "Syphon Filter".

My review:

Syphon Filter is an absolute classic! it has a rich intriguing storyline, massive 3D environments, a decent level of missions and objectives, and puts you at the heart of the operations.

Graphically, this game is excellent. It somehow managed to feature fast moving gameplay, fairly well detailed objects and keep the frame rate at good pace. Alongside the graphical detail, it is also clear to see that the AI in the game has been done extremely well. For example, enemies jump over walls, take cover, run toward you etc. and generally just have a mind of their own! This makes for interesting and varied gameplay each time.

Sounds in this game are proper and realistic. The gunshot sounds from each gun vary and stick close to how it would sound in reality, and the objects in the game such as glass shattering and a subway train again are designed to sound like the real thing, and rather just blend in nicely with the game.

Now for controls, unfortunately the game doesn't have a tutorial, so new players may have to refer to the manual or (like I did) just jump into the game and figure it out. It's not a difficult control system to master, and once you're used to the game, it's easy to play. Overall, this game will (without fail) have you hooked until the end...what's more? there's 2 more Syphon Filter titles available for the Playstation 1!

Overall:

9 / 10

3. Toy Story 2

Synopsis:

Woody is kidnapped after mistakenly being advertised for sale at the family's garage sale by Al.

Buzz and the rest of the gang set off on an adventure determined to bring home Woody.

My review:

As a child of the 90's, the original Toy Story and it's sequels are close to home. I was fortunate to be able to play this game when it was released, and to this day it's one of my favourites in my collection.

Toy Story 2 is a game that has aged well and will always be remembered...

As per the norm, we'll begin with the graphics in this game. As you'd probably expect from a disney game, it's bright, colourful, eye catching and just overall appealing to viewers of all ages (much like their films). In regards to the characters designs, the developers have made a great effort to ensure that they're recognisable, and in my opinion they've done a great job at making them look as they do in the films. As an example, each and every bit of green and purple on Buzz Lightyears spacesuit have been included, as have the buttons on his chest...there's just been no skimping on design whatsoever. Following on from the graphics, the animation of Buzz and the enemies you encounter are fluid and dynamic, there's never a lag or any kind of annoyance when trying to move or do combat, and even other environmental motion such as hovering enemies, electric sparks, airplanes etc. run smoothly and don't slow the game as you play.

Now for my favourite part - the soundtrack and voicing. The voice acting was done by the original cast, and it's brilliant! whereas other games have hired cheaper voice actors to do games, Disney and Activision went the extra mile to include the original voicing...a small but noticeable factor to the game, which makes it just that little bit much better.

Now for the soundtrack, it is in one word "superb". The tunes included are extremely catchy, upbeat and "Disneyfied" (I know that's not a real word but it's the best way to describe a soundtrack that is clear that Disney was involved with).

To conclude, the gameplay is extremely fun, and each level has many different tasks presented from different Toy Story characters. Alongside this, on each and every level there's a huge 3D free roaming area to explore, with many of the areas being locked until you progress through the game and unlock such gadgets as the grappling hook and hover boots. This slyly makes the game more expandable and maintains the players interest and curiosity.

Overall:

9 / 10

2. Spyro 3 - Year Of The Dragon

Synopsis:

Celebrating "The Year Of The Dragon" with his friends, Spyro is then confronted with a woman and an army of Rhynocs who steal all of the unhatched dragon eggs and take them for the sorceress. The sorceress then scatters the eggs throught 4 realms, and Spyro, Spark, Hunter and other characters who you meet along the way all set out on a rescue.

My review:

As far as trilogy's go, Spyro 3 has definitely outdone it's predecessors and included more characters and features than the previous 2 installments.

The visuals in the game are relatively crisp and full of vibrant colours and smooth animation. To detail this further, when you charge toward an enemy or puff flames, the FPS rate is excellent and there's no lag present throughout. Alongside this (and well worthy of a mention) is the expanse size of the maps / levels!

In the previous 2 Spyro games, the maps were of course fairly large and each with it's own side missions, however Spyro 3 expands upon this and features mixed side missions, skateboarding, flying etc. to really pack more fun into the game!

The soundtrack was once again composed by Stewart Copeland who was a member of "The Police". (He'd previously done the instrumentals for the other Spyro titles). Again, the level compositions are upbeat, catchy and blend in well with the atmosphere in the level.

Lastly, the gameplay in itself is utterly fantastic and memorable to all those that have previously played Spyro 3, if you haven't played it yet, you need to seriously get onto a shopping site and order it!

Controls are easy and slick and there is so much crammed into this game that you will want to continue playing over, and over again...add this to the great storyline and it's almost guaranteed you'll want to play this for hours on end.

As a finale to the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy on Playstation 1, this was incredibly well done and finalised like such an icon as Spyro should be...shame about Skylanders ruining Spyro's image but we'll save that for another day

Overall:

9.5 / 10

1. Metal Gear Solid

Synopsis:

With the help of "genome-soldiers", a corrupt anti-terrorist group secure a nuclear disposal facility in Alaska with the intention of threatening the US government with nuclear intervention unless the remains of a former soldier named "Big Boss" is handed over to them.

My review:

Don't ever ask me to explain the storyline and characters in the Metal Gear Solid series, because I find it far to confusing. Having a Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, Naked Snake etc. as well as being certain that I've killed a character or two and then they make an appearence in the sequels etc. just leaves me stumped.

However, I'll push this aside and stick to the main reason that this game is number one on the list...mystery, conspiracy, secrets and plot twists! MGS is cram packed with so much intrigue that you just want to keep playing for hours on end!

The graphics and animation in the game are just incredible and the level of detail in every single part of the environment has been greatly rendered, even underwater. To continue, the game features HUGE levels with limited areas to stay covert, meaning as you're playing, you have to really think hard about where you're going to pick and choose to hide to stay undetected and avoid any conflict...trust me, it's easier to stay a ghost than it is to get in a gunfight with the enemies.

The voice acting is another homage to what makes the game as great as it is, every voice actor which was present in this game took the role seriously and from my point of view, is some of the best voice acting in any game I've ever played! to accompany that, the sounds throughout the game such as the footsteps on the soldiers as they come toward you, the radio notifications or even the toilet flushing are all packed into the game and although it may sound to some a little silly, having even the most minor sound effect in the game makes it just that little bit more fun. Lastly, on the topic of audio, is the games soundtrack. From the very beginning with the brassy introduction theme, all the way to the intense and heart-racing audio scores when you really begin to delve into the games story, MGS has an incredible and memorable soundtrack to it, and it's one that really helps to set the scene.

Finally, I'll discuss the controls. For an inexperienced gamer, this may not be the best to start with as the control system can take a little getting used to, in fact it takes me about half hour to get to grasps with it again. However, when you're able to start playing effectively, you'll feel that you have a strong advantage over controlling Snake, and in no time at all, you'll be running, crawling and staying covert to uncover the many secrets and possible threats. Generally speaking, the controls are nice and fluid and again do the game justice, be prepared however that the controls can seem a little complicated and it's likely you'll make a couple of mistakes when beginning.

Overall:

9.5 / 10

Honourable Mentions

Medal Of Honor

Medal Of Honor Underground

Final Fantasy VII

Rayman

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2

Resident Evil Directors Cut

Resident Evil 2

Ape Escape

Hogs Of War

Dino Crisis 2

Pandemonium

Fear Effect

Fear Effect 2

Silent Hill

Spiderman 2

Spyro The Dragon

Spyro The Dragon 2 - Gateway To Glimmer