15 PS1 Games That Hold Up Today

Blocky graphics, pre-rendered backgrounds, and controls that could not make sense of a 3D world were all hallmarks of games on the original PlayStation console.  Here are our picks for PS1 games that actually stand the test of time.

[CrimsonWing69]

One of the best, if not the best, generations for gaming. So many brilliant games came out during this: Parasite Eve, Resident Evil, Alundra, Xenogears, Final Fantasy VII, and I’ll be here all day naming them off.

Nowadays, nobody would take a risk on 75% of the IPs on that console. I’ll tell you this, there was no damn remasters on that system. Every game was something unique.

[Jiub]

I doubt Azure Dreams, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, or Parasite Eve would get made today because of how risky they look

[CrimsonWing69]

I actually have those games! Seriously, just mentioning them is making want to play them. Vagrant Story was another game that I really liked. Man, there’s just a ton. Tactics Ogre and Valkyrie Profile are some others. I really these generations could be more like this, I think after Xbox 360/PS3 era it’s been harder to find games that were as uniquely imaginative. Most, not all kind you, but most games kind of feel similar you know? Like it’s an open-world game or an FPS or some free-to-play game. Now, there are gems for sure, but it’s nowhere near like how it was during the PS1 and PS2 days.

[Inverno]

Considering that literally non of those games have had reboots, or sequels made these last 3 HD generations leaves little room for me personally to doubt just how sucky the industry has turned into. It is creatively starved

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I would love if they got ports or remasters though, I never got to play some of those as a kid and as an adult, I'd love an easy, legal way of playing through all of those games (I'm sure I've got most of the Legacy of Kain games on PC though).

[Knightofelemia]

Parasite Eve, Dino Crisis, RE2, RE3, Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Cross, Xenogears are all my favorites. Glad to see Legacy of Kain get mentioned. FF7 does get the love and its a great game I love it but I Like FF8 more and I know many people who will also drop FF9 into this list as well. MMX4 I prefer on the Saturn myself don't know what it is but I preferred MM games on the Saturn. PS1 was my second choice when the 32bit era landed on gamers after the fall of the Saturn PS1 had the library and the developers.

[NecrumOddBoy]

A lot of these games do not hold up as well as you’d think. MGS is pretty archaic for newer gamers to grasp. It’s not as bad as RE or Silent Hill but it still plays rough. I think out of the PSOne generation, the most preserved games are 2D like SOTN, Rayman, and my favorite Oddworld games. I agree that FF Tactics is definitely a lasting format.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

What newer gamers have you actually talked to about this?

I let one of my friends play MGS1 on a PSTV I got for free ages ago, and he loved it so much that he begrudgingly bought a PS3 to play the rest of the series (justified it slightly through platinum hunting, haha). His first console was a PS2. I personally don't think that any of the games you listed would have the same effect on most people.

We were never able to get into the pre-RE4 Resi games though so there's some truth to that. In an era where loads of popular indie games are top down or isometric. the idea that MGS1 is hard to grasp for newer gamers genuinely doesn't make sense. It's the most straightforward game of the series in both gameplay and story. The only thing holding it back are its graphics. It's still great.

[AK09]

Not a new gamer but I never played MGS1 back in the day, my first MGS game was 3 on PS2 in 2006 and I loved it.
I tried to play MGS 1-3 before MGS:V release in 2015 but I couldn't, they were outdated, the camera and control are terrible by today's standers, to me at least, so yeah there are people who won't enjoy playing old games including MGS.

[TheHan]

Soul reaver really? Blood omen is much better even if it was a PS1 title.

[Magog]

Vagrant Story is the only one I would go back to play. In certain ways it still hasn't been matched. The dialog and visual direction are of amazing quality and the music is absolutely superb.

https://youtu.be/SDThRX_SKs...

[skyrimer]

Currently playing Castlevania SOTN and it's great, using ScaleFX filter it looks as good as any modern game.

[Lord_Sloth]

Bushido Blade 2, Legend of the Dragoon, Tactics Ogre, and Alundra also are still very good games.