The PlayStation Classic is the latest of the old game consoles to get the mini treatment. With the PS1 Classic now released, opinion seems to be mixed. With a lot of popular outlets going so far as to calling PS1 Classic a failure before it’s even released. However I think they’re wrong! That’s right I think the PlayStation Classic is up there with the best of the old game systems turned into minis.
For £89.99/$99.99 I would go so far as to say it is a must have item for PlayStation 1 fans and retro fans in general. This is why.
PlayStation Classic Games
The first topic of debate is the Playstation Classic game list. Sony have revealed the full list of 20 PS 1 games coming to the mini console. But not everybody is happy.
Here’s the full list of PlayStation Classic games:
- Battle Arena Toshinden
- Cool Boarders 2
- Destruction Derby
- Final Fantasy VII
- Grand Theft Auto
- Intelligent Qube
- Jumping Flash
- Metal Gear Solid
- Mr Driller
- Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
- Rayman
- Resident Evil Director’s Cut
- Revelations: Persona
- Ridge Racer Type 4
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
- Syphon Filter
- Tekken 3
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6
- Twisted Metal
- Wild Arms
Best PlayStation 1 Games
First things first, let’s get the obvious out of the way. The Sony PS1 was a pioneer of its time. It took advantage of the medium of CD by providing 3D visuals that were ground breaking at the time. It also utilised the extra storage of a CD to provide great sounds and music too.
There are a lot of amazing PlayStation 1 games that had awesome soundtracks. However, 20 years on, obtaining all the rights to those songs is no easy task. Meaning there are a heap of the best PlayStation One games that just cannot make the cut due to licencing issues. For example, Gran Turismo and WipeOut. Gran Turismo would be a no brainer on a best of list but we can’t expect to see that officially on a PlayStation mini console any time soon. If we can just accept that and move on then we can go to appreciate all the other amazing games the PlayStation mini has to choose from.
PS1 Classics
There seems to be a lot of different opinions as to what constitutes the best 20 games the first PlayStation had to offer. My personal opinion is that this is a great slice of PS1 nostalgia. Sure there are some omissions that would have been great to see. Games like Parappa The Rapper, Crash Bandicoot, Fear Effect to name a fraction. But that is just testament to the amazing line up the original PlayStation games were.
With the exception of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6, I honestly think that every game on the PlayStation Classic games list is great. And provides a nice taste of what it was like console gaming 20 years ago. It’s not that I don’t think Rainbow 6 was a good game at the time. It’s just that I don’t think it captures the nostalgia the same way something like the original Medal Of Honour would have.
Amongst the list of PS1 Classic games are number that I am really excited to see. Every one of these games takes me back to different point in time of my personal video game story and brings with a it a rush of fond memories:
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid, where do I begin! This is without doubt my favourite game of all time. I’ve played it more than any other game and have multiple copies of it on different consoles. It was a perfect mix of timing, quality and not knowing what to expect that made my first experience playing Metal Gear Solid my greatest gaming memory to date. So much that I wrote a post describing my love for Metal Gear Solid and how it influenced me as a game developer.
I’m a huge fan of the spy genre, especially at the time I first played MGS. I also didn’t really know that much about it other than it was a popular game. So I went into playing it completely blind. The mix of great action, amazing story telling and fourth wall breaking game mechanics absolutely blew my mind. I can’t imagine any greatest PS1 games list without this on it, so I’m really psyched that it made it to the PlayStation!
Syphon Filter
Syphon Filter is another game that brings back great memories. Off the back of my Metal Gear Solid experience I was on the lookout for my next spy blockbuster gaming fix. This is when I came across Syphon Filter. While maybe not as ground breaking as Metal Gear Solid, Syphon Filter still provided a great action game experience at the time. The excellent story, that could have come straight out of a Mission Impossible film really made this a memorable game. And who can forget the brilliant weapons. From the satisfying headshot mechanics to the, at time, hilarious taser. This is a game that really stood out at the time and is a brilliant reminder of what the first PlayStation had to offer.
Final Fantasy VII
Originally I wasn’t really sold on the idea of Final Fantasy VII. It had been out for bit and loads of my friends told it was a must buy. But I wasn’t really into RPGs so struggled to see the appeal. I ended up grabbing a Platinum Collection copy when I found it reduced one day. Maybe it was the low expectations. Or maybe it was just such a great game. Either way, once I loaded it up and jumped into the world of Midgar I was hooked!
After MGS, FFVII is the second game I’ve played the most. To this day the blocky visuals and retro theme songs still make me tingle with gaming nostalgia. Another classic that needed to make the PlayStation Classic cut.
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
There’s a lot of debate about whether Resident Evil 2 should have been on here. Really!? Ok maybe Resident Evil 2 was technically a better game than the original Resident Evil. And maybe you got more bang for your buck content wise (there were two different play through perspectives depending on which disk you played). But were talking retro gaming here. Nostalgia and first of a kinds. The original Resident Evil was an absolutely amazing game. It was ground breaking at the time in how it set the scene for survival horror for the next decade. This alone makes it the must have nostalgia soaked choice in my eyes. And who could forget that corner where you caught a glimpse of your first zombie!
Destruction Derby
Destruction Derby was a breath of fresh when I came across it. I don’t know if it was my destructive tendencies as a teenager or just the unique new gameplay style. But there was something invigorating about hurling your car full pelt at the opposition with the intent of smashing them to smithereens! Before Destruction Derby came around I used to find myself getting bored in traditional racing games. I’d start driving around backwards trying to cause as much havoc as possible. To have a game where this was the point felt like a game made just to satisfy that urge. Destruction Derby’s focus on rewarding carnage went on to inspire game like the phenomenal Burnout series.
Modern physics engines and free roaming gameplay mechanics means you can cause havoc in most games. Hence we don’t’ see a lot of this niche anymore. But I for one can’t wait to get back into that bowl. With 20 other cars all facing each other. Ready to wreak havoc!
Grand Theft Auto
This is another game that has sparked some debate. With the exceptional 3D games the Grand Theft Auto series has brought us. People seem to be less interested in their 2D origins. However the original Grand Theft Auto was another ground breaking title. It caused outrage with it free roaming violent gameplay. Even though the pixel count left a lot to the imagination. The ability given to the player to choose how they acted in this virtual environment worried a lot of parents and politicians. Comparing it to today’s games it’s quite laughable that this was ever the case.
For me the memories are rich though. I remember persuading my Mum and explaining how responsible I was to be able to own this 18 rated game at 15. She put a pre order in for me and I actually got my copy the day before it was banned in the UK. Making me the only kid in high school to have it!
The ban was lifted a week or so later. But for that short period me and my mates felt like we were in possession of gaming gold! The thing about the original Grand Theft Auto, and what I explained to my Mum, was that it was just a great game. The missions, story and mechanics were fun. The crazy things you could get up to were just an addition to that. Those very same concepts are still present in GTA V today. That’s why Grand Theft Auto is such an important game to be on the PlayStation Classic list. Gouranga!
Cool Boarders 2
Cool Boarders 2 is probably the game I’m going to get the most abuse for on this list. However I stand by it. It was my first experience of 3D snowboarding in a console and I had hours of fun in the half pipe. It was also a lot more fluid and enjoyable than the original Cool Boarders. Making it a big improvement in gameplay. Cool Boarders managed to do what it said on the tin. Provide a really cool experience, and not just in the temperature it depicted. It might struggle to hold up compared to the likes of SSX and more modern snowboarding games. But would they exist without Cool Boarders? If you can open your mind and take yourself back to those early days, Cool Boarders 2 is one of those PS1 Classics that shows just how cool the console was at the time!
Revelations: Persona
I’ve never actually played this and to be honest didn’t even know it was a PS1 game! So why am I happy to see it? Well the Persona series has gained a lot of critical acclaim over the years . It will be nice to see where it all began. Revisiting all my old memories is the thing I’m most excited for with the PlayStation Classic. But it will also be nice to look forward to a genuinely new experience. New to me at least.
Ridge Racer Type 4
One of the first games I played on the PlayStation was Ridge Racer. I must admit, I wasn’t impressed. I was a PC gamer at the time and much preferred F1 racing games and Need For Speed. Ridge Racer felt just too arcade for me. It actually put me off getting a PS1 for a couple of years. It was only when I played Ridge Racer Type 4 that I started to appreciate the franchise. They seemed to get the balance just right between arcade and simulation. Maybe it was the popularity of Gran Turismo that made the developers of R4 balance the gameplay. Whatever it was they made the best Ridge Racer game to date. And with the exception of the Gran Tursimo series, the best racing franchise in the original PlayStation.
Tekken 3
I have a love hate relationship with Tekken 3. On the one hand I absolutely love the gameplay. I love the characters, the 3D fighting mechanics and the varied fighting styles. I mean capoeira, hell yeah! Yet on the other hand I hate that my cousin used to whup my ass literally every time! I mean no matter what character I would pick he would always annihilate me! He wasn’t even 10 and I was 15! Maybe I’m just rubbish at it. Maybe he was just great. I still remember being furious when he beat me once just using that stupid dinosaur which farts! Either way I have some great memories playing Tekken 3. Maybe I’ll beat him this time.
PS1 Games PAL
Another complaint that seems to be going around is the fact that Sony has opted to ship the PlayStation 1 mini with the PAL versions of some if it’s games. The main difference is that PAL games ran at 50Hz while NTSC games ran at 60Hz. This was to deal with the differences in television back in the day. The difference in frame rates means the PAL versions of the games run slower. This has a lot of people upset, especially when it comes to frame rate reliant games like Tekken 3.
The PAL games on the PlayStation Classic are:
- Battle Arena Toshinden
- Cool Boarders 2
- Destruction Derby
- Grand Theft Auto
- Jumping Flash!
- Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
- Resident Evil Director’s Cut
- Tekken 3
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
I can understand why NTSC region people would be upset. As their experience will differ to how they remember their favourite PS1 games playing. However, if you are from a PAL region, then this should be of no concern to you. Why? Because the games will run exactly as you remember them on your old game consoles.
Old Game Consoles
Old games consoles getting the mini treatment seems to be the new thing. It’s actually been around for some time but the NES Classic is where their popularity really began to increase. This is great for anyone looking to get a slice of retro gaming as easy as possible.
Sure you can dig out your old game systems for some nostalgia. But unless you have a decent CRT television to hand you’ll struggle to get a good picture. That’s if you can even hook it up. Modern TVs just don’t work the same way the old CRTs did. And most televisions these days don’t have the same connectors from yesteryear. Old game consoles were built to work with the technology at the time. So compatibility these days is pretty bad.
That’s if you still have an old game system. If not you may find yourself looking at hefty price tags on eBay to get in on the retro action. With the popularity in retro game collecting boosting in the last five years, so has the price of the equipment. This is where new Classic consoles fit perfectly. They come fully loaded with games, compatible with new technology and all for a decent price. To get the same collection from the SNES Classic on a real SNES would cost about 10 times as much!
Not only do the Classic consoles bring them a whole load of convenience. They are also nice and compact. However, Sony are not newcomers to small games consoles.
PSOne
Even as far back as the original PlayStation days we were treated to convenience and cuteness of small games consoles. With the release of the PlayStation One or PSOne (that’s right the PSOne is different to the PS1) Sony introduced us to compact games consoles. It was quite a novel idea at the time and a great way to refresh interest in old hardware. By taking advantage of technology advancements Sony were able to put the same power in half the size. Making the PSOne extremely practical and one of the first portable “non-portable” consoles with the inclusion of the plug in screen.
Sony has continued the trend of slimming down their consoles with the PS2 , PS3 and PS4 all getting the slim line treatment at some point. Nintendo even jumped on the plug in screen bandwagon with the screen add on for the GameCube.
So it only makes sense that Sony look to reduce the size of the first PlayStation even more with the introduction of the PlayStation Classic.
PlayStation 1 Emulator
The way these new Classic consoles work is by using emulation. The hardware in the consoles is not only smaller but fundamentally different. Instead of using the optical drives etc to read disks. They use an emulation of the hardware to read digital files. That is how the consoles are able to be so small. At the end of the day, you can only get as small as the media you plug in. So by removing the hardware media you can get around the size constraints.
The PlayStation Classic is the first official PS1 emulator. There have been a number of homebrew emulators over the years. As good as they have gotten, they have always struggled to handle some of the classic PS One games. The issue is around handling the 3D aspects. This is in fact an issue with most 3D console emulators, including N64 emulators. So by having the PS1 Classic it means you should have the best PlayStation emulator around. Time will tell how good the emulation is but the theory is sound.
PS1 Dual Shock Controllers
The one downside I agree with is that the PlayStation Classic does not come with the ground breaking PS1 Dual Shock controllers. In my eyes these were the greatest controllers even created. Sure controllers have advanced since then. But the impact those rumbling, dual stick bad boys made back then has never been matched. They literally changed the whole feel of the console and brought about new dynamics to games you just couldn’t have with the regular controllers.
Hopefully Sony will release the PS1 Dual Shock Classic in the future. Until then we’ll have to do with the standard non rumbling, zero stick version.
To pick up a PlayStation Classic you can head on over to the UK or US Amazon sites to grab one while they’re still available:
UK
US
