PS1 Games That Have Stood the Test of Time
A user recently lamented that Spider-Man on PS1 was dull, and that saddened us. After all, Spider-Man 2 on PS2 is one of the greatest games of all time. That got us wondering: which other PS1 games hold up today? Sure, most of them haven’t aged well. But there are a few gems from the first PlayStation that stand the test of time.
Folks on the r/playstation subreddit have been sharing the PS1 games they still enjoy playing, and there are some real gems in there. JRPGs in particular seem to hold up well owing to their menu-based gameplay, which is less reliant on technology like 3D modelling and animation. Loading times are a massive drawback, sure, but that’s just something you get used to.
When it comes to graphics, it’s easy to see why we remember these games so fondly – they really were beautiful back in the day. But the CRT TVs we used to play them on were absolutely essential, and they just don’t make them like they used to. Looking at them now, I think the graphics have aged a lot more than we remember, but there’s a certain charm to the way they animate and craft their worlds that I’ll always appreciate.
The OP also suggested Breath of Fire 4 for its breathtaking spritework (and the best BoF game, if we’re being honest), and I’d have to agree. There’s also a few old Thief games, but I’d highly suggest The Dark Mod as a spiritual successor.
The 5th generation of games is often referred to as the first generation of 3D – the previous generations were restricted to 2D. As a result, the games of the PS1 era often haven’t aged as well as those from the 4th generation, which were the last to feature exclusively 2D graphics.
The Era of Jank refers to the issues with collision and controls in games from this era, owing to the lack of dual analog sticks on the PS1 controller. It’s a real shame, since first-person shooters and platformers are some of my favourite genres, but playing them without a proper analogue stick is a nightmare.
There are a few exceptions, though, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is one of them – it holds up better than most even compared to modern games. The camera in early 3D games like Super Mario 64 is usually what I find most difficult about the gameplay, but even then it’s often more a case of having low standards.
So, have you got any PS1 games that you still love playing even today? Do you think any of the classics from the 5th generation hold up, or are you like our user and unhappy with how they’ve aged? Let us know in the comments.
