Most Influential PS1 Games, Ranked

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.

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6 Best RPGs Only Available On The PS1, Ranked

These RPGs have yet to receive a coveted re-release on modern consoles and remain trapped to this day on the PlayStation 1.

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

Released

September 29, 1999

ESRB

Everyone // Animated Violence

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

Systems

Released

September 26, 1997

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

ESRB

e

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.

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Sony’s first console had a lot of one-off JRPGs that went nowhere. Despite the lack of a larger franchise, they still made waves.

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

Released

November 14, 1996

Developer(s)

Core Design, Aspyr

Publisher(s)

Eidos Interactive

ESRB

T For Teen // Animated Blood, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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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.

Reinventing Stealth And Storytelling

Systems

Released

October 20, 1998

Developer(s)

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998, and many thought it was the first in the series, but it began back in Japan in 1987. Metal Gear Solid was like a reboot, a reintroduction to the series for those who missed it a decade prior. It did many things that changed the industry forever.

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

Released

January 31, 1997

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Final Fantasy and RPGs as a whole were niche products only explored by the diehards. Final Fantasy 7 changed that for its series and RPGs as it got more people interested. This can largely be attributed to the marketing for the game which showcased a lot of cutscenes and action on TV.

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The original PlayStation was a haven for JRPGs, and these are the best ones the console saw during its lifetime.

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

Systems

Released

October 2, 1997

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one half of the Metroidvania formula which took a while to become a sensation outside of the Castlevania and Metroid franchises. This was released in 1997, and every entry before this was just straight 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

Released

March 22, 1996

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence

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.

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