Sony Computer Entertainment’s first PlayStation (PS1) was initially released in December 1994 in Japan and marked the beginning of the company’s line of consoles. It remained on the market until 2006 and was the first home console to reach 100 million units sold, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. It was a groundbreaking console in many ways, but perhaps notably that it made gaming cool again. It brought gaming into nightclubs and made it an acceptable pursuit for young adults. Definitely helped pave the way for the massive global industry that video games became.
See below the PlayStation retro games we get most excited about playing again.
Tomb Raider
Released in 1996, developed by Core Design and published by Eidos, Tomb Raider was groundbreaking on a number of levels. It was one of the most successful games on the PlayStation, it introduced new forms of gameplay that hadn’t really been seen before, and perhaps most of all it spawned one of the first strong female main characters that began a franchise still going strong today.
The Tomb Raider franchise has some hardcore fans that follow the brand into several other forms of art and gaming. Some people like to combine gaming and betting passions, so they can visit sites like Betway that offers Lara Croft Temples and Tombs slots.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid marked the arrival of the acclaimed action and espionage franchise created by Hideo Kojima in 3D games. Its debut on the platform was very well received, with very high marks in the critics, and its plot compared to a movie blockbuster. The sensation of stealth and surprise had arguably not reached those levels in a game before. This is considered by many to be one of the essential PlayStation games and gave rise to a series of games that were very successful in later generations.
Driver
In Driver, the player controls a detective who must complete missions involving cars to infiltrate the criminal world set in a 1970s style world. The first game in the Driver racing game series arrived in June 1999 on PlayStation and was a huge commercial success.
Just a month after its release, it already had more than one million copies sold and much praise from the critics. In 2007 it was already a member of the PS1 Platinum line in the US, with 3.22 million units sold in the country alone. At the 1999 E3 Game Critics Awards, Driver was named Best Racing Game of the Year.
Crash Bandicoot
The character Crash Bandicoot from Naughty Dog emerged as a mascot for Sony to compete with the famous Mario and Sonic from competitors Nintendo and Sega. Its first game was a fever among PlayStation players, being highly praised for its beautiful and colorful graphics, which took full advantage of the platform’s power and well-crafted and fun gameplay.
According to the North American market research firm NPD Group, it was among the top 20 sales of the PS1 for almost two years.
Tekken 3
One of the most popular fighting games on the PS1 was Tekken 3. Released in 1998 on the Sony platform, it had 23 fighters, in addition to the Tekken Force and Tekken Ball modes, exclusive to the console version. The characters are great with a huge array of different moves and combos. It became the favorite fighting franchise for many gamers after this release.
In the same year of its release, Tekken 3 already had more than 1 million units sold in Japan and was the third best-selling game of the semester. Considered one of the best fighting games of its time, it also has an excellent financial return.
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII was the title that marked the transition from the acclaimed RPG franchise to 3D. The game was a massive success in both sales and critics, becoming one of the most acclaimed and influential titles.
Final Fantasy VII won the Game of the Year title at different awards and helped with PSOne sales and the popularization of JRPGs worldwide. Recently, the manufacturer released Final Fantasy 7 Remake for PlayStation 4.
Final Fantasy VIII
Released in 1999, Final Fantasy VIII improves on the visual changes the series has been getting since its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII. Still, with 3D graphics and pre-rendered backgrounds, he brought characters with a more realistic look in beautiful animations.
In just two days after its release in North America, it became the best-selling game in the country and held that position for over three weeks.
Gran Turismo 2
The sequel to the famous racing simulator Gran Turismo is faithful to its predecessor. Still, it brings new features, a more significant number of cars, new tracks, and more races in simulation mode. The game was a bestseller in several countries and, in 2004, it was listed by PlayStation Magazine as the fourth best game of all time. If you were serious about cars then the Gran Turismo franchise was the one for you. Not only hugely realistic gameplay but countless hours of fine tuning engines and practicing skills. Like Hard Drivin’ from the 80s but on steroids.