5 PS1-era games worth revisiting in 2022 (and 5 that are best left forgotten)

For a console that almost didn't get launched, the PS1 had a surprisingly long life of 11 years and set the stage for the heights that Sony enjoys today. Threatened due to a canceled collaboration between Sony and Nintendo, the PS1’s launch was overshadowed by a lot of doubt.

Originally released exclusively in Japan in 1994, the PS1 made its way into gamers' hands globally only by 1995. It ushered the era of beautiful 3D games into the market, which could be enjoyed via disks that were cheaper than the cartridges that were prevalent at that time.

There was a wildly diverse selection of games for the original PlayStation, from narrative-driven RPGs to fast and furious races to mind-bending puzzles. Below, we take a look at five such games from that era that are worth revisiting in 2022 and five that are best left forgotten.

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5 PS1-era games that are still worth getting back into

1) Tomb Raider

The original Tomb Raider essentially founded the genre of 3D action/adventure games and there was essentially nothing quite like it when it was released in 1996 for the PS1. The combination of gunplay, puzzle solving, and exploration was wholly unique back then.

Unlike its successors, the game was more focused on mental challenges rather than action and gunplay, while sticking more to the theme of tomb raiding rather than venturing out in the open.

International treasure hunter Lara Croft immediately captured the imagination of most gamers to become one of the most iconic video game characters of all time and was the reason for the continued releases of the franchise.

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2) Tekken 3

Right from its launch in 1997, Tekken 3 was the premier fighting game on the PS1. While Street Fighter set the bar for fighting games, Tekken 3 focused more on 3D brawling instead.

By toning down the hyperbolic jumping typical of the genre, Tekken 3 offered one of the most tactically complex and polished fighting systems in video games to date. The fighting animations were refined and flowed more naturally into one another, while the visuals were significantly better than its predecessors thanks to more solid character models and a high-resolution mode.

Featuring a large roster of characters to play as and multiple game modes, Tekken 3 is still a delight to play in 2022.

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3) Resident Evil 2

While the first edition can be credited with creating the ‘Survival Horror’ genre, Resident Evil 2 is popular for perfecting the formula. Critics and players alike praised the sequel’s presentation as an improvement over the first game in virtually every way, and its remake in 2019 was a nod to the PS1-era masterpiece.

Players led Leon and Claire through the zombie-infested streets of Racoon city in an action-packed, bigger budget sequel that was filled to the top with scary moments.

The game forced careful and strategic play as the exploration and puzzles were all tackled while being low on ammo. It did a lot of things differently and the innovative design meant that the first run would always influence subsequent ones.

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4) Metal Gear Solid

The Konami’s classic, released in 1998, is often considered by many to be the father of the modern stealth action genre. Few PS1 games could boast a similarly impressive 3D environment or cinematic ambition like Metal Gear Solid, which had a simple but effective take on stealth.

Players took control of Solid Snake, a special ops soldier with a variety of tools who was tasked with infiltrating and neutralizing a rogue unit hellbent on launching a nuclear weapon. The game had plenty of out-of-box ideas and rewarded players who tackled the missions imaginatively.

The series has since launched multiple more critically acclaimed titles and none of them would have seen the light of day if it was not for the success of the first one.

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5) Final Fantasy VII

Already one of the biggest names in the Japanese RPG landscape, the seventh edition of the franchise was a high budget 3d spectacle with sci-fi leanings which broke out of the 2D limitations of its predecessors.

The way the world in the game builds itself and how each character’s story is represented was something that stood out for most gamers. The soundtrack, stunning real-time spell animations, and beautifully pre-rendered backgrounds sealed the deal.

The story of mercenary Cloud Strife and his ragtag crew facing the sinister Shinra Corporation while it drains the planet's life force made FF7 one of the most iconic games of the PS1 and that's why it was remade in 2020.

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5 games from the PS1 era which should be skipped over

1) Mortal Kombat: Special Forces

This is a classic example of a highly anticipated sequel to a well-established franchise, falling flat. Released for the PS1 as a sequel to the wildly popular Mortal Kombat, the game failed to replicate the charm of its predecessor’s addictive beat-em-up gameplay and graphic fatalities.

Instead of a traditional fighting game, Special Forces was a third-person open-world action-adventure. Plagued with poor graphics, controls and various plot holes, the game devastated fans of the series and was considered to be devoid of any fun.

The feedback was clear and the franchise stuck to its basics and evolved into the popular brawler that it is today.

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2) Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22

Owing to the popularity of the Dragon Ball Z television show, the game was highly anticipated by a large community but managed to let fans of the franchise down.

Rightly forgotten by many, Ultimate Battle 22 was one of the worst-looking games of the PS1 era, plagued with unresponsive actions and lackluster special moves.

The only positive of the game being the availability of twenty-two classic Dragon Ball Z characters. Ultimate Battle 22’s combat lacked strategic incentive and was considered by many to be an absolute mess.

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3) Kiss Pinball

The product of aggressive marketing, Kiss Pinball was a digital adaptation for the pinball machines featuring the famous rock band which were popular in bars and arcades in the 80s.

Fans of the band were disappointed by how little of its music was featured, while fans of pinball were dismayed by the mechanics of the game. Released for Windows in 2000, a PS1 port was also made and released in 2001.

The game’s physics were atrocious and the ball regularly got stuck in random places, leaving players with no other option but to restart the game. Featuring just two tables, the game was shockingly low in content too.

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4) HBO Boxing

Released in 2000 by Acclaim Entertainment, the game is considered by many as a wasted opportunity. A Renaissance was taking place in heavyweight boxing during this time and the game boasted ’two-handed boxing controls,' which promised unprecedented freedom and an unmatched experience.

Though the game had many positives, such as different buttons for different punches and enthusiastic blow-by-blow commentary, the clunky gameplay and frequent unresponsiveness ensured that it left PS1 gamers frustrated.

As EA Sports' Knockout Kings and Fight Night series eclipsed the boxing genre, HBO Boxing faded into obscurity.

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5) Bubsy 3D

Considered by many to be the worst game of all time, Busby 3D is definitely a prime contender for the worst game of the PS1 era. Launched as Sony’s response to Super Mario 64, this first attempt at a 3D platformer failed miserably on all fronts.

There were only geometric shapes as graphics, the camera spun at random times, the jump was way too high, and the humor was cringe-inducing. Controls hardly worked as expected and Bubsy, the character itself, was really annoying.

At a time when 3D games were very new and even respected game developers were not well versed in their production, the failure of the game seems understandable, but what isn’t is how it managed to fail in every aspect.

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Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.