The PS1 Games That Changed Gaming Forever: Top 10 Must-Play Classics!

by

Summary

  • Sony’s PS1 library included iconic games like Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Solid that shaped the gaming industry.
  • Titles like Hot Shots Golf and Parappa the Rapper were innovative, influential, and laid the groundwork for future games.
  • PS1 RPGs like Final Fantasy 7 and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night appealed to a wider audience, changing perceptions of the genre.

Sony defied all expectations when they entered the video game console market in 1994. It was a risk but it paid off given time. They outlived Sega, who grew up next to Nintendo as its biggest rival. There are a lot of reasons why the PS1 was successful and its diverse library is one example.

These games are still fun to play even though many of them may look a bit dated. While not the best games on the PS1, their influences are still felt to this day from developers drawing back to the PS1 to franchises continuing from their humble beginnings.

8. Hot Shots Golf

Mario’s Sony Origins

Hot Shots Golf is known as Everybody’s Golf in Japan, which was released in 1998 in North America, a year after Japan. It was developed by Camelot Software Planning, or just Camelot, and did for golfing games what Super Mario Kart did for racing games back on the SNES, meaning it simplified the mechanics.

The power meter can still be seen in golf games today, be it a simulator or something sillier. More so than that, Nintendo poached Camelot to start making Mario Golf for the N64 in 1999 along with other Mario sports titles. ClapHanz, a new developer under Sony, took over their series starting with Hot Shots Golf 2 in 2000 in North America, another year after Japan.

7. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Sick Tricks Bro

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is an essential PS1 series and it didn’t start until late into the console’s life: 1999. It took extreme sports and skateboarding as a whole to a new level. Tony Hawk was already a pro in his world, but in terms of video games, he gained an even bigger audience and changed his life forever.

For years, an annual release was to be expected until things started to peter out. Thanks to this first game, other extreme sports titles started coming out from other skateboarding games to bike and snowboarding experiences.

6. Parappa The Rapper

Grooving To The Beat

Parappa the Rapper can be thanked for starting the music rhythm genre. It was released in 1997 in North America, a year after Japan. It was a short experience but fans quickly fell in love with the songs and the goofy nature of it all.

This series didn’t have a long life with only one direct sequel and a spinoff, but thanks to its success, Parappa the Rapper paved the way for dance games like Dance Dance Revolution and the instrument boom of the early 2000s from Guitar Hero to Rock Band.

5. Tomb Raider

Indiana Jones’ Feminine Counterpart

Video games were largely filled with male stars often saving damsels in distress. There were some exceptions like Samus Aran from the Metroid series, but Lara Croft made a huge splash with Tomb Raider in 1996. She became the cover girl in more ways than one for female protagonists in video games.

It was also a new genre, going after Indiana Jones and other pulp adventure stories from the 1930s, but it was for a modern era. Tomb Raider didn’t have many copycats, but it did have a boatload of sequels and it was a forward-thinking game that told the industry it was okay to have a woman be the hero for once.

4. Metal Gear Solid

Reinventing Stealth And Storytelling

I discovered Metal Gear Solid back in 1998, but it wasn’t the first game in the series; it actually started way back in Japan in 1987. To many of us who missed out on the initial releases, Metal Gear Solid felt like a fresh start, a reboot that brought us up to speed with this classic franchise. It introduced innovations and elements that revolutionized the gaming industry as we knew it at the time.

The stealth mechanics and interactivity were new from the radar system to Psycho Mantis reading the player’s “memory” thus breaking the fourth wall. Storytelling and voice acting were getting better in the PS1 era, but this game was like the pinnacle of what was possible. Lastly, this is the game that really pushed Hideo Kojima into stardom globally and his legend needs no explanation.

3. Final Fantasy 7

A New Benchmark For The Series

Initially, Final Fantasy games and role-playing games (RPGs) in general were not widely popular; they were only enjoyed by dedicated enthusiasts. However, the release of Final Fantasy 7 revolutionized this trend, as it managed to pique the interest of a larger audience. This shift can primarily be attributed to the game’s marketing strategy, which featured numerous cutscenes and action sequences on television.

The game itself was more mature as well, exploring darker themes like war and the rich exploiting the poor. It was a technical marvel on the PS1 and it changed people’s perceptions of RPGs as well as Squaresoft’s trajectory. Without Final Fantasy 7, who knows what would have happened to them?

2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Alucard’s Rise To Metroidvania Stardom

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” is one part of a game genre known as Metroidvania, which wasn’t widely popular outside of the “Castlevania” and “Metroid” series until later. This game was released in 1997, and all previous entries were only straight-up action games.

Metroid never changed by adding RPG elements, but the two franchises were solid albeit for a niche crowd over the years. When both series dried up though, the indie scene started to make spiritual successors. From the 2010s to today, the Metroidvania genre is now one of the most popular next to Soulslikes and roguelikes.

1. Resident Evil

The Birth Of Survival Horror

Resident Evil was not the first survival horror game, but it is the one that seemingly perfected the formula which only got better following 1996. Everyone and their grandma wanted to make a horror game on the PS1 and that’s still true today.

Resident Evil has to be Capcom’s biggest franchise now, or at least their most recognizable one between too many sequels to count, movies, books, TV shows, and so on. To think it all started with a simple premise of a bunch of elite cops getting trapped inside a mansion only to find themselves in a zombie nightmare.

Read More

2025-03-17 18:41