The original PlayStation was the console that helped put gaming into the mainstream during the 1990s. With games likeWipeoutbeing played at night clubs around the world, it was no longer a past time that would be associated with being anti-social and “nerdy”.
The console was also responsible for popularizing Japanese RPGs in the west with the megahitFinal Fantasy VIIis available to a larger world audience than ever before. This opened the floodgates for other games in the same genre to find a home on the console.
Final Fantasy VIIwas one of the console’s biggest hits and is getting the full-blown remake treatment in 2020. Another huge hit for the machine in the late 90s wasResident Evil 2which saw a fantastic ground-up remake this year. With the passage of time not being very kind to some of the PS1’s low res classics and modern consoles having the power to fully explore a developer’s vision let’s take a look at the 10 PS1 games that also deserve a remake.
10Tobal No.1
Tobal No. 1was released in 1996 and was developed by DreamFactory for Square. The was directed Seiichi Ishii was best known for his work Sega’sVirtua Fighter, Tekken,andFinal Fantasy VIIfighterEhrgeiz.The character’s distinctive artwork came from famedDragon Ball ZandDragon Questartist Akira Toriyama.
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Over twenty years later the fighting system inTobal No. 1is still seen as one of the best in console gaming. It featured a very smooth grappling and blocking system and ran at 60 frames per second. Furthermore, the game featured a quest mode, tournament mode, and two-player local play.
9Silent Hill
Silent Hillis a survival horror game that was released on the PlayStation in 1999 and was developed by Konami. The game remains one of the scariest videogames ever developed. This was not just because of the incredible monster design and jump scares but the focus on sound design and psychological terror.
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The player was placed in the shoes of an everyday normal human who was vulnerable and confused. This is a huge part of what madeSilent Hillso effective the feeling of helplessness and tension is felt by all those who played the game. With today’s technology, one can only imagine just how great a faithful remake ofSilent Hillwould be.
8Bushido Blade
Bushido Bladeis a one-on-one 3D combat game released by Square in 1997 on the PlayStation and it was followed by a sequelBushido Blade 2just a year later. What separated the game from other PS1 fighters likeTekkenandSoulBladewas that there’s no time limits, no health gauges, and fights could end in one hit.
Fights inBushido Bladefocus on deflecting, countering, parrying, blocking, and positioning. The closest modern-day equivalents would beFor HonorandSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceboth of which require patience and timing over brute force and button combos. The popularity of those titles proves that a modern-dayBushido Bladestands up well against those titles.
7Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kainis a top-down action RPG developed by Silicon Knights and released on the PlayStation and PC in 1997. It was the first game in theLegacy of Kainseries that continued with theSoul Reaverseries.
The game had arguably the best narrative in the series because it focused on the Kain character and his origins from a young nobleman murdered in a tavern to a reluctant but vengeful vampire. It has been 16 years since the lastLegacy of Kaintitle so a reboot would definitely be merited.Rise of the Tomb Raiderdevelopers Crystal Dynamics currently owns the rights to the series and the semi-open nature of Lara Croft’s recent titles would work perfectly for the non-linear exploration mechanics ofBlood Omen.
6Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Tenchu:Stealth Assassinswas the first game in the series andwas released on the PlayStation in 1999 and was developed by Acquire andDark Soulsdevelopers FromSoftware. It’s a stealth game set in 16th-century Feudal Japan that incorporates Japanese mythology and history-based fantasy.
The last game in the series was released in 2009 withTench: Shadow Assassinson the Nintendo Wii. However, FromSoft’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twicewas originally planned to be a rebootedTenchugame and is considered to be a spiritual successor. A new game in the series built on the same engine with more refined stealth mechanics would be the perfect starting point for a remake.
5Time Crisis
Time Crisiswas a 1995 on-rails arcade light gun game that was eventually ported and released on the PlayStation in 1997. It was developed by Namco as a rival to Sega’sVirtua Copseries and was bundled with Namco’s official Guncon light gun accessory.
With the rising popularity of VR and the success and accessibility of the PSVR system, aTime Crisisremake on the headset would be the perfect platform for an on-rails light gun shooter. With its slightly corny storyline and amazing set pieces,Blood and Truthis the closest to a modern-day equivalent, if Namco would be willing to makeTime Crisisa PSVR exclusive, developers Sony London would be the perfect fit.
4Dino Crisis
Capcom’sDino Crisiswas a survival horror game that was released on the PlayStation in 1999. The game played similarly toResident Evil: Code Veronicawhich made the shift from pre-rendered backgrounds to a real-time 3D engine.
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Dino Crisisis still considered to beResident Evilwith dinosaurs but was unique enough to be a great game with its own mechanics that set it apart. The game still has a big fan base and with Capcom’s near-perfectResident Evil 2remake now would be a perfect time toDino Crisisfranchise back on modern machines.
3Xenogears
Xenogearsis a science fiction Japanese RPG that was released on the PlayStation in 1998. It was an incredibly ambitious game that featured themes based around various religions and the works of philosophers Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Friedrich Nietzche.
Even withXenogear’s last act feeling rushed the story was an epic and one that should have continued with sequels and even prequels to expand its universe. The original team formed Monolith Soft and went on to develop spirituals sequels with theXenosagatrilogy on the PS2 andtheXenobladeseries on the Switch.
However, the team is now owned by Nintendo so if there ever was to be a remake Square would have to work with Nintendo to get it done but the quality of their recent games shows thatXenogearswould be in good hands and back where it belongs.
2Die Hard Trilogy
TheDie Hard Trilogywas released on the PlayStation in 1996. It was three games in one based on the Bruce Willis action films of the same name. The first game was a third-person shooter, the second game was a light gun game, and the last was aTwisted Metalstyle driving game.
If the player had the correct accessory the strongest part of the trilogy was arguably the light gun game based onDie Hard 2: Die Harder.On rails, light gun shooters are perfect for modern-day VR games andDie Hard 2would be a perfect fit. However, with the right developer, all three games could be remade into a VR game that plays like Sony London’sBlood and Truthfor the PSVR.
1Suikoden I And II
Konami’s much-loved Japanese RPG seriesSuikodenandSuikoden IIwere released on the PlayStation in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Even though the second game is widely considered to be the superior game in every way it benefits the player to play both games due to their connections and deep lore.
The series is heralded as having some of the most in-depth storylines seen in an RPG. The games feature the kind of emotional character development that can only be rivaled by Falcom’sLegend of HeroesseriesTrails in the SkyandTrails of Cold Steel.Since Konami doesn’t seem interested in making any more games in the series a developer like Falcom would be the perfect fit to make a modern-daySuikoden.Just like Konami did back in the day Falcom proves that an RPG doesn’t have to have an AAA megabudget to make an all-time classic.
