GameCentral readers debate which PS1 games should be added to Sonys mini console, from Crash Bandicoot to WipEout.
The subject for this weeks Hot Topic follows the annoucement of the PlayStation Classic mini console by Sony. The console will contain 20 games, but only five have been confirmed so far: Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash!, R4 Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, and Wild ARMs. So we wanted to know what you think the other 15 should be?
Readers were certainly not short of suggestions, but the clear leader was Metal Gear Solid, with Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, and Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night also proving very popular.
The Trinity
For me, there are three games that are an absolute must!
Crash Bandicoot was the first game I played on the system when I was nine, it was so refreshing moving from a Mega Drive and Sonic The Hedgehog to a game you could actually enjoy playing. Maybe it was the introduction of saving the game rather than playing the first three levels over and over again. Just like the N. Sane Trilogy I was never any good at it though.
Tomb Raider is up at the top as well. Action, puzzles, a little bit of platforming and of course a dinosaur. What else is there to say? Oh yeah, the polygons. Anyone remember Laras pyramid chest?
Finally, right up at the top, as probably my favourite game of all time: Metal. Gear. Solid. I look back at this game today and it just makes me want to play again. One evening, one playthrough, I cant think of anything better. The action, the setting, characters, story, gameplay, and of course Snake, its just perfect. If this game is not there, I wont be buying it, simple. I tried to make my PSN ID clever and be some sort of link to the game, I dont think it worked.
NomadicSnake72 (PSN ID)
Sony FOMO
So I have pre-ordered a PlayStation Classic, but at this stage it is purely out of fear of missing out – whether I cancel the pre-order or not will depend on what the other 15 games are when they are announced. But I think the likelihood is that I will end up keeping it because the original PlayStation marked the moment that I started to mature as a gamer. Up until its release Id been exclusively a Nintendo gamer and grew up with the NES, SNES, and then the N64. But the PlayStation offered something different and totally changed the way that I looked at gaming.
Within the other 15 games being announced Id like to see Gran Turismo 1 or 2, because playing this for the first time was a total wow moment. It seems funny now but the graphics on it were totally amazing for the time. Another game Id like to see included is Rayman, which I have really fond memories of playing with my best friend at his house after school, along with the Pandemonium games which I think definitely need to make an appearance on the Classic (Id also love to see a reboot).
Other hopes for games (but probably not as likely) would be Grand Theft Auto, Road Rash, and Tony Hawks Pro Skater all of which feel like important games for the medium and were all games that I absolutely loved playing (oh how I wish that they would make a decent current gen THPS!).
Rickandrolla (PSN ID)
GC: We think the licensing would make Tony Hawks impossible.
Less obvious path
My two main choices might not be the most obvious but they both have timeless gameplay and have given me some of the best multiplayer times ever. The first is mini-gameathon Bishi Bashi Special with classic weirdness such as Uncle Launcher and the one where you throw a pie into the church congregation. The games were a bit more involved than the WarioWare series and also genuinely funny.
The second on my list is International Track & Field. My brother and friends got so competitive over this that we would all get together with our most friction-free T-shirts on hand to slide over the buttons. Later on such aids were officially banned, illegal competitors shunned, and a new record book was compiled with the new rules. Many years later my brother and I dug it out and beat some of those records (and some stand to this day) and got to experience all the old taunts and laughter when errors are inevitably made – the funniest always being in long jump when you jump too late and your athlete continues to sprint across the sand.
I would love to have that on the PlayStation Classic just to see my brothers face when he hears the intro music and who will be number one in the world… And of course to have a crack at those old records. Please let it be so.
clive-sensei
Advertisement
Advertisement
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
Simpler times
So Sony are joining in the mini console gravy train, cant blame them after seeing the runaway success that Nintendo have had I suppose. I have fond memories of my PlayStation, it really did feel like the start of arcade gaming for home use so of course Ive already pre-ordered a couple (in case one gets cancelled, not so I can punt it on for a profit for Christmas).
I must admit that whilst there were some classics that came to mind straightaway I did have to look at the top 100 games to jog my memory and start the retro goodness flooding from the depths of my aging brain. GC work your magic and grant me these for Christmas:
- Destruction Derby 2 – took all the elements of the great first game and made them even better, car crashing at its finest mid-90s best.
- Driver – as soon as I got launched straight into the driving test I knew I was going to love it. Countless hours of fun/frustration – those cops were brutal!
- Soul Blade – worth it for the intro video alone (highlighted by someone in the letters page last week) I dread to think how many hours I sunk into unlocking all of the weapons but it didnt feel like a grind, surely that must be the sign of a great game?
- Tomb Raider II – a reoccurring theme here, but another title that took all the elements of a good first game and made them better in all areas. Another game I sunk hours into completing, back in an era where there was limited hand-holding and no YouTube videos showing you how to complete a level. Pure diving goodness.
- Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver – those graphics, wow! Great storyline and cut scenes, challenging gameplay but in an endearing way. More save points please!
- MDK – a unique shooter with an awesome soundtrack and plenty of madness. Not a great game but it really gelled with me and I can easily go back to it time and time again.
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo – just because I was unbeaten on it at my local games shop and reminds me of a simpler time. It was also a decent puzzler, think Street Fighter meets Columns.
There are a couple of games that I loved at the time and definitely moved gaming forward, however I think they will have aged badly so its better I keep them in the rose-tinted past; Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo 1 and 2.
Hodge4ever
The coolest game in the world
Wouldnt be surprised if this is the most suggested game, but surely Metal Gear Solid.
I was nine when my parents gave me a PS one for my birthday. Id read about Metal Gear Solid in magazines and never imagined I might get to play it. At that point Id almost worn my Mega Drive out and I didnt have anything on it that even came close to Metal Gear Solid in look and feel.
I remember my eyes widening when I unwrapped the game and my dad, who knows nothing about and has no interest in games, told me, The man at the shop said this is the coolest game in the world. I absolutely believed him.
It was like nothing I had ever played before and totally blew my mind. What a game.
Im not close to the rights and licensing and assume there may well be reasons why it wont happen, but when discussing games that define a console generation Metal Gear Solid is right up there.
My second choice would be to include Final Fantasies VI, VIII and IX, for reasons most of which were covered in last weeks Hot Topic. I love all of them in different ways. Not sure theyll want to pad out the 15 with multiple games from the same franchise though.
I havent written in for a while but thanks for keeping the Inbox and features going. Its a great community and Ill try to contribute more often to help keep it going.
Anon
Industry villain
Itll be interesting to see what wins this one. Im guessing Silent Hill? Well, lets see. Other candidates that are likely to be popular will probably one of the WipEout games (a dead cert, surely?), Resident Evil 2, and the first Metal Gear Solid.
My own choice would be Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night. I already have it on my Xbox 360, but that D-pad is hardly the ideal way to enjoy that game. There is a problem with this, though. And with Silent Hill. And especially Metal Gear Solid. They are all owned by those great champions of gaming… Konami. I could see Konami even going out of their way to prevent Metal Gear Solid from appearing on any sort of PlayStation Classic. Because Konami are total, well what can I safely call them on here? Poo-poo faces! Yes, that should do it.
Also, I cant imagine anyone wanting to go back to the original version of the original Resident Evil when you can access the superior remake on multiple formats these days. Resident Evil 2 is about to get the same treatment, so I think if any Resident Evil is to appear on the PlayStation Classic it should be the third one. Well, that would make the most sense to me at least.
Oh, and we also need Soul Blade – because it was one of the best fighters of the fifth generation. True fact.
DMR
GC: There are several Konami games on the Nintendo mini consoles.
Forgotten gem
I would love to see Jade Cocoon included on the 20 playable games on the PlayStation Classic.
I really enjoyed playing it in my younger years, had a good storyline, with a lot of twists and some dark undertones and feel it was a very underrated title.
Anon
Advertisement
Advertisement
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Mainly FIFA
The start of my list doesnt leave much to the imagination but having only had a PS1 as a kid, my list wont be that exciting for most. I mainly played FIFA, so to start Id love to see a classic FIFA game included, anything from 98, 99, or 2003. If theres any sort of licensing issues then I wouldnt mind seeing Actua Soccer make a cameo in its place. On that note I wouldnt mind a crack at an old school football management sim, LMA Manager preferably.
I did dabble at GTA when I was a kid, thanks to an older cousin who owned it. But as youd imagine spent my time stealing cars and running from cops, not really knowing what was going on, so having a chance to have a proper crack at any of the top-down games would be an interesting addition for myself even if they havent aged well, but most PS11 games wouldnt have done of course.
Notable mentions:
Mortal Kombat Trilogy – never owned this one and in fact only experienced through a family friends N64, but being a Mortal Kombat fan in general Id happily see this.
Kula World – although the lack of sticks might make it too awkward to play.
Worms Armageddon – better than all the modern games by far.
Gran Turismo – I only played the first, but either that or 2 are welcome. (Played third on PlayStation 2.)
Bust-A-Move 4 – Which Im now learning through google was also known as Puzzle Bobble, and not what I thought all this time was Bubble Bobble
I can imagine Crash Bandicoot and Spyro making appearances but with the recent and upcoming remasters of each, seems to be a wasted slot to me personally. Unless its Crash Team Racing of course.
Beems
Advertisement
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
The small print
New Inbox updates appear twice daily, every weekday morning and afternoon. Letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word 4Player viewer features at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
If you need quick access to the GameCentral channel page please use www.metro.co.uk/games and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.
Advertisement
Advertisement
