As part of our end-of-year celebrations, we're digging into the archives to pick out some of the best Time Extension content from the past year. You can check out our other republished content here. Enjoy!
From the same team that created the sublime Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics has to rank as one of the finest strategy RPGs of all time. While it uses the Final Fantasy branding to good effect, this really is its own self-contained thing; the storyline is astonishingly deep and deals with surprisingly mature themes (sadly, the same cannot be said of the GBA sequel), while the gameplay is engaging, addictive and positively drowning in scope and nuance. A PSP remake arrived later and is just as essential; this is truly one of the best games of all time, and effortlessly one of the PS1's finest moments.
best ps1 fighting games
Lightgun games certainly weren't a new invention by the time Namco released this title in arcades, but Time Crisis certainly shook the genre up a little. The addition of a pedal for reloading and taking cover made it a unique experience when compared to the likes of Operation Wolf and Virtua Cop, and the resultant PS1 port had its own technical trick up its sleeve: the Gun-Con lightgun accessory, which connected via the PS1's AV port for additional accuracy. You could even use a controller on the floor as a makeshift pedal for increased faithfulness to the arcade original.
The arrival of Gran Turismo on the PS1 changed the landscape of console racing games forever and made arcade titles like Ridge Racer seem a little old-fashioned. Even so, Namco released its fourth PlayStation Ridge Racer title soon afterwards, giving the game a visual upgrade which ensured it could at least compete in terms of graphics. The game's deep and involving single-player campaign won it many fans, and it struck the perfect balance between accessible racing and rewarding challenge. Ridge Racer Type 4 might not have offered the realism of Gran Turismo, but it's arguably more fun if you're just looking for quick thrills.
The PS1, like all popular consoles, was blessed with many FIFA titles, but Konami's International Superstar Soccer Pro series was unquestionably the best the format had to offer when it came to football. Based on the Winning Eleven series in Japan, ISS Pro 98 is remarkable even by modern standards; the degree of control is stunning, and it's possible to engineer some truly sublime pieces of footy in this game. Add in a second player and you've got one of the finest representations of the sport from this period in time; outside of the excellent N64 version (which shared the same name but in reality was a different game), little else came close.
So, this was an interesting console generation for me. I had a total love/hate relationship with the PS1 and N64. I absolutely HATED 3D graphics on these consoles, especially after the crisp and colorful look of games from the SNES and Genesis.
There were a lot of great games, but dang it felt like most of them made my eyes want to bleed. The first Legacy of Kain, the Oddworld games, and Castlevania: SotN looked fantastic though. Once the PS2 came out, I was then really impressed by what 3D worlds looked like.
I mean in a 5yr period Square alone released Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears and Parasite Eve 1 & 2. It really was the best time to be a gamer and even better if you were in your teen years! I had 4 paper rounds at one point so i could afford all the great games that were coming out as xmas & birthday money wasn't enough!
I didn't get on well with Metal Gear Solid. This was the time period that what was being received well didn't line up as well with my tastes, which were still heavily influenced by earlier console games and the arcade. I was more at home on the Saturn with the likes of Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtual On. But the PS1 had a good library with the biggest problem possibly being the sheer size of it which meant it was easier for quality stuff to slip past. I loved my Saturn, but in 1998 the releases dried up so I decided to get a used PS1 mainly to play Tenchu, which I still think holds up nicely within the context of 1998 game design. I had a really good time with it a few years back. The sequel is both better and worse, but worth a look.
In the mid to late 90s around 1996 onwards was the years I first took gaming seriously at around 14 years old. A lot of first times. RE, GT, CB, SH and MGS. N64 SM64, Ocarina, BanjoKazooie and Goldeneye just to name a few. Mid to late 90s best time ever in my gaming life and will never be beaten or repeated. Still to this day im looking forward to most of these games sequels well over 20 years later
Oddly, Thrill Kill started out as a Mayan basketball game called Earth Monster. At some point, this godly b-ball game was pushed to one side in favour of a fighting game. Paradox wanted to stand out, as bringing a new fighting game to players in the late nineties was a gamble, so the decision was made to go all in - Thrill Kill would make Mortal Kombat look like Super Smash Bros.
The original PlayStation, or PS1, sold a whopping 102.4 million units since its release in 1994. With an estimated 7,918 titles available for the console, which PlayStation games are considered the best?
Selling 10.85 million copies across the globe and spawning ten spin-offs and sequel games, Gran Turismo was an incredible commercial hit, and the numerous awards it won further prove just how incredible this game was.
A compilation of the Arc the Lad trilogy, fans of the series were happy to get all these games within one collection, including the Arc Arena Monster Tournament and a Making of Arc the Lad documentary.
No cost was cut when creating this game, and the developers spent three years and $16 million making it the best it could be. Fortunately, this was money well spent, as this game certainly earned a place as one of the greatest PS1 games ever created.
Featuring a massive map and engaging battle screen where you could take down your enemies, this is often considered one of the best PS1 games ever created, and fans of Cloud Strife particularly enjoyed it.
Rising to become one of the most classic and iconic games in history, Metal Gear Solid introduced gamers to Solid Snake and challenged the skills of even the most well-versed stealth game veterans. Especially when it came to defeating Psycho Mantis, one of the toughest video game bosses ever.
Gaming Gorilla was founded in 2020 by the same guy who brought you Wealthy Gorilla; with articles and stories covering everything from game guides, cheats, mod lists, tier lists, and entertaining ranked lists. Although Gaming Gorilla is the baby of the 'Gorilla Family', video games are something we're incredibly passionate about, and with your support, we will continue to grow.
Naturally, these advancements meant that the PlayStation was a popular choice for arcade ports of fighting games. The increasing popularity of home consoles against the decline of arcades meant that many established fighting game franchises were popularized by the PlayStation. This incentivized many developers to develop new fighting games for the then-new little grey box, with some of the most famous franchises of the modern era leaving their mark on Sony's first console.
One of Square's few published fighting games, Bushido Blade was ahead of its time in terms of realism. Utilizing real-world weapons for each character and a unique Body Damage system, characters could be permanently injured by their opponent in the middle of a round and have their movement severely hindered. Depending on where a character is hit, one strike could instantly kill them and end the match. Battles are brutally efficient and often end in a matter of seconds, making for one of the most realistic fighting games ever made.
Currently one of the most popular anime-style fighting games, Arc System Works' premier fighting game was originally an overlooked cult classic making its humble debut on the PlayStation. In a time when 3D fighting games became the norm and 2D was hitting a decline, Guilty Gear sparked a new genre of fast-paced fighters stylized after popular shonen manga and anime tropes, coupled with an unusual focus on worldbuilding and storytelling. Guilty Gear's honing of features popularized by games like King of Fighters and Street Fighter made it a cult classic, hailed for its complex combo system and beautiful art style.
The final entry in the interquel Street Fighter Alpha sub-series, this game closed a long story arc welding the first and second Street Fighter games together -- and it was all done in a snappy anime style modeled after the Street Fighter II movie. The PlayStation version of Alpha 3 was one of the best arcade-to-console ports of its time, featuring almost all the graphical capabilities and modes of the original, bolstered by the PlayStation's two-player capabilities. Additionally, the PlayStation version added the remaining missing characters from Super Street Fighter II Turbo, sans Guile, who would eventually be added to the PSP version years later.
One of Capcom's most influential yet overlooked fighting games, Darkstalkers is essentially a horror-themed Street Fighter with various supernatural characters fighting for supremacy. What really sets the series apart from its more popular sibling is its extremely fluid and imaginative sprite animations. It also implemented various fighting game staples before they became commonplace, such as EX-moves, chain combos and air-dashes. Another perfect arcade port for PlayStation, Darkstalkers 3 is easily the best in the series for its expansive roster and cool visuals.
While Virtua Fighter was the first 3D fighter, it was arguably the Tekken series that made gamers realize that the 3D plane brought a whole new dimension to fighting games. Every Tekken game has made improvements upon the previous entry, and this final PS1 entry was the one to introduce side-stepping into the background and foreground. Tekken 3 marked a massive turning point by taking advantage of the 3D space, adding many layers of complexity alongside a large roster of returning and new characters. 2ff7e9595c
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