It’s only reasonable to list the best PlayStation games in honour of Sony’s first foray into the world of game consoles. The PlayStation or PlayStation helped usher the gaming industry into the era of gaming that we now live in. For its time, PlayStation’s technology was leaps and bounds above any other console available in the market, such as the Nintendo 64, the Sega Saturn, the 3DO and the Atari Jaguar – making it one of the most desired pieces of technology when it was first released in 1994, and helping it secure a firmly rooted place in the history of gaming as one of the most popular consoles of all time and the first to sell over a 100 million units.
The history of the PlayStation console
Originally, the PlayStation was planned as a joint collaboration between Nintendo and Sony and was only meant to be an add-on to the SNES, but as the relationship between the companies soured Sony went ahead with their own idea of the console. It was good that they did this, as their move finally pushed the video game industry out of the talk of bits and bytes and delivered the first truly innovative and integrated gaming experience on a console. Not to mention the fact that the PlayStation helped change video game media from cartridges to CDs.
As a result of its advanced hardware, ease of use for developers and an overall better gaming experience than of its competitors, the PlayStation was host to almost 8,000 titles. Although it did not garner as much fame as its successor, it was the console to buy during its time in the market and made it a full 11 years in production, continuing to sell even after the PS2 was released. It was finally pulled off the assembly lines in 2006 due to its age and waning sales.
Selecting the best PlayStation games
Sony’s PlayStation produced a whole bunch of awesome and wonderful games – hundreds to say the least – but we will only be choosing the best of the best from the lot, so as with our recent article on the best PS2 games of all time (which you can play on your PC), we are issuing some ground rules for the list.
First, we are only going to take one title per franchise. Secondly, the games are going to be judged solely on the basis of gameplay and story – the two most important aspects of any game. So the games that you may see on other lists out there solely on the basis of sales or graphics will not be included here. Finally, the games have to be extremely good in order to make the list, so the order in which they appear in the list does not refer to their quality or rank in any way – each of these PlayStation games are the best and must be in the collection of all gaming enthusiasts.
So, with that in mind, lets gear up for the 5 best PlayStation games of all time.
Best PlayStation Games #1. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII, or FFVII, best embodies the PlayStation as the game, like the console, was light years ahead of the competition in terms of graphics, gameplay, story and play time. The game came on a whopping 3 discs – a completely new phenomenon for gamers of the time – boasting a play time of well over 50 hours. Some would argue that perhaps Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy IX are better, but Final Fantasy VII’s timeless story and awesome gameplay would quell such talk in an instant.
SquareSoft was undoubtedly the king of RPGs in the era, and they gave it their all for FFVII, providing the players with chances to explore the game’s characters, bonus games, and other extra content in the game. Games of today could stand to learn something about character development from FFVII as the game spent countless hours uncovering the main characters’ pasts and stories, making you truly care about the characters.
Graphics were above and beyond anything ever seen on the PlayStation. Players would move in the game through static and hand-drawn areas, while the battles take place in gorgeous (at the time) polygonal graphics, which showcased the PlayStation’s capabilities and gave players a better look at the characters.
Final Fantasy’s plot and story was, for the lack of a better word, epic. In fact, it takes its place among one of the best RPG stories to date, even counting modern-era games. The game used flashback sequences, rendered sequences and pre-rendered videos to move the story forward.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII remains one of the best PlayStation games of all time, as even several years after its release fans are desperate for a remake of the game. It is a game that should be in every game-lover’s collection.
Best PlayStation Games #2. Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid is perhaps one of the most successful and popular game franchises of today, but its origins were humble starting from the MSX home computer and later moving on to the NES. The game never never moved beyond anything but a cult favorite until the release of Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation.
The game kept the gameplay made popular by its predecessors, with emphasis on stealth and covert actions instead of going all out, and the importance of this crucial gameplay aspect was clear in the game’s premise. For the first time ever on the PlayStation, players were audience to one of the best experiences available on the console as not only the graphics were top notch, the game held some of the best voice acting ever seen on the console.
Players stepped into the shoes of the Solid Snake, the returning protagonist from the previous games, with survival and progress entirely dependent on stealthily disposing of your enemies. Gameplay took place in an elevated third-person view with real-time polygonal environments, something quite unique for the times, and all of the game’s cut-scenes were generated via the in-game engine, also a rarity.
Metal Gear Solid managed to deliver on all of its promises and expectations and is the embodiment of perfection in the PlayStation’s action genre. The game is beautiful, engaging, innovative, and is undeniably epic in every category, making it a one of the best PlayStation games every PlayStation owner should feel proud to have in their collection.
Best PlayStation Games #3. Chrono Cross
As stated earlier, SquareSoft was the king of the RPG genre in the years the console was released, producing some of the finest RPG games in history. Chrono Cross would be another testament to the developer’s hold on the genre and undoubtedly another feather in its cap as the sequel to one of the most famous and popular games on the Super Nintendo and one of the best RPGs ever, Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Cross was a top PlayStation game that had all the qualities needed in order to make a truly memorable role-playing game. It did almost everything right and some things even better than the original with an ambitious, stellar, intricate and complex storyline. The writing quality is truly exceptional and even more impressive was each of the game’s more than 40 playable characters had different characteristics and, in many cases, distinct accents and speech patterns.
The greatest aspect of the game was that it tied very closely with Chrono Trigger, but never truly moves into the previous game’s territory, and the plot of Chrono Cross is very closely intertwined with its predecessor. The battle system was one of the greatest ever conceived for a traditional RPG with a great new element system and removal of random battles altogether, something carried over from its predecessor but Chrono Cross makes it its own and excels at it.
Chrono Cross was also a visual masterpiece for its time, with wonderful pre-rendered 3D backgrounds and its bright and colorful graphics that give the game a life-like feel and animation quality exceeding anything seen in the RPG genre on PlayStation or any of the more advanced gaming consoles.
The game is a truly epic RPG experience that made a permanent place in RPG and gaming history and is easily one of the top PlayStation games ever to have graced the market.
Best PlayStation Games #4. Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2 is a perfect example of a sequel overcoming the greatness of the original and leaving the original in the dust, so much so that the original Resident Evil does even come close to the quality of the second game. At its heart, the game is still the zombie shooter with awkward controls that still take a little time to master, but the overall game is that much greater.
Taking place after the first game, players enter a Raccoon City infested with zombies and other hellish creatures hell bent on ridding the world of the character you’ve chosen to play, rookie cop Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, the first game’s protagonist Chris Redfield’s sister. Capcom brought some huge innovation here as once you finish the game using one of the characters, you keep your game data and start over with the other character and your actions in first play through impact the scenarios when you’re playing as the second character.
Resident Evil 2 also brings with it better character animation, interactive backgrounds, improved movies and set piece sequences and much better character acting. The atmosphere is absolutely perfect for a game in the survival-horror genre as graphics, sound, music and level design work together to create a spooky, and eerie world that keeps you on your toes and at the edge of your seat at the same time.
This PlayStation game is truly a masterpiece in its genre and is still regarded as the best Resident Evil game of all time, almost on par with Resident Evil 4. It is truly one of the best PlayStation games ever created.
Best PlayStation Games #5. Castlevania: Symphony of the night
The Castlevania series has take its place among the ranks of the most popular, innovative and long-running series in the video game industry after first making its debut on the NES, and then going on to produce titles on virtually every popular console in the industry. Suffice to say that Castlevania: Symphony of the night not only met the expectations when it made its way to the PlayStation, it exceeded them with flying colors, making its place in history as one of the best PlayStation games and of the series.
Castlevania: Symphony of the night followed the usual premise of the previous games, but expanded on the action/platforming-style gameplay of its predecessors to an alarmingly degree, producing some of the best gameplay in the genre. Although the game was not graphically superior to other PlayStation games, it took the gameplay and plot premise of previous titles to new depths.
Once you get used to the game, you begin to appreciate the depth, details and subtleties in the game’s graphics, which are more atmospheric in nature, and further complimented by the brilliant music in the game – working together to make one of the best 2D platformer in the history of video games and the PlayStation.
Conclusion
The PlayStation could be deemed a dead console by the gamers of today, but the fact remains that each of these games are still some of the best PlayStation games ever made and deserve a top spot in the list and on the shelves of every gamer. You should buy a PlayStation just to play any one of these games as they truly reflect the golden era of gaming and the true power and potential of the console. Or look forward to our tutorial on playing PlayStation games on your PC.
In the meantime, check these articles out:
- The Best PS2 Games Of All Time
- How To Play PS2 Games On PC [Windows]
- 3 Best Games On PSP (PlayStation Portable) In 2011
- 3 Top Nintendo DS Games of 2011 That’s Pure Fun
Did we miss out your favorite PlayStation game? Do you think there should be some top PlayStation games on the list? Let us know in the comments. Spread the love by sharing and liking this post!
