Most Overlooked PS1 Games
“Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider” (2001)
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There is no more perfect collaboration in media than that of video games and Looney Tunes. The overexaggerated antics and colorful visuals of Looney Tunes translate beautifully to the interactive space, which makes their absence on modern consoles an absolutely missed opportunity. In one of the best entries to feature the beloved characters, Ralph the Wolf is recruited by Daffy Duck who is looking to make it big on TV by using Ralph’s sheep stealing antics to get his show on the air. Players guide Ralph through a wide range of environments avoiding Sam the Sheepdog using a myriad of Acme products as well as classic traps that feature pitch perfect callbacks to some of Looney Tunes’ best gags. For fans of the series, reliving the glory days of the series doesn’t get much better than this.
“Klonoa: Door To Phantomville” (1997)
In the 90s you couldn’t jump over a pit without landing in a heaping pile of 2D platformers. By far one of the most popular genres even today, when one does it well without having to over rely on some kind of gimmick to keep it interesting, you truly have a title that deserves recognition. The game was highly praised upon its release for its stunning visuals and pixel perfect gameplay. While successful enough to earn a sequel on the PS2, both games have faded into cult status in the years since then and the series has been dormant since a remake on the Wii in 2008. Klonoa: Door to Phantomville is currently on the PS3 storefront for those wanting to relive a classic, assuming you still have your PS3 and the patience to navigate the PS3 storefront.
“Gundam Battle Assault” (1997)
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The Gundam series has been going strong for over four decades and has had no shortage of video games, so more than a few notable titles have gotten lost in the shuffle. Gundam Battle Assault for PlayStation is certainly one of the most overlooked entries of the long running anime series adaptations. Featuring beautifully detailed sprites and characters and Gundams from some of the series’ most popular entries up to that point, the game was criticized upon release for its lack of depth and slower pace compared to other fighters on the PS1. However,fans of the anime will find much to love seeing many of the Gundams from their favorite entries in the beloved anime represented to scale as well as the title’s wide roster of playable Gundams and characters from the anime’s rich history.
“Alien: Resurrection” (2000)
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Gamers and fans of console first person shooters in general owe more to Alien: Resurrection than they might realize. With a troubled production that caused it to miss the film’s release by 3 years, what could have been a forgettable movie cash grab tie-in game is forever memorialized by one simple game mechanic that up until then had never been utilized, controlling a first person shooter on console by using both analog sticks. While this might be the standard now, it was not only a wholly new way to achieve more control over your character’s movements, it was also shockingly criticized by reviewers for being “unintuitive”. The game itself was nothing groundbreaking, shooting Xenomorphs was old hat by this point, but the simple change in controller configuration managed to cement a simple movie tie-in game’s spot in the halls of video game history.
“Wild Arms 2” (1999)
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The Wild Arms series had a good run in the early days of Sony’s ventures into console gaming with 5 entries releasing between the PS1 and PS2, but it was Wild Arms 2 where the series truly hit its stride. The world of Wild Arms differed from many JRPGs of the time by ditching the fantasy setting of many RPGs and instead heading into a setting more reminiscent of the American Wild West. The game featured a fully 3D camera which players could maneuver to solve the game’s numerous environmental puzzles. With a wide array of varied characters to recruit on your journey, fans of the anime Trigun and the Firefly series will find much to love in this spin on traditional JRPG fare with a western twist and shouldn’t be missed by those who love old school turn based RPGs either.
“Heart of Darkness” (1998)
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A long development cycle is nothing new in modern gaming but back on PS1, a 6-year development for a single title was almost unheard of. From game designer Eric Chahi, the lead designer of the acclaimed title “Another World”, the story followed a young boy with a traumatic fear of the dark named Andy and his attempts to rescue his dog from shadow creatures in a world called Darkland. Andy has access to a variety of high tech weapons to fend off the shadowy entities and eventually rescue his dog Whisky and find his way home. The game was praised for its cinematics as well as its detailed backgrounds and character designs but criticized for its somewhat dated gameplay and archaic puzzle design. However, it still holds up today visually and for those looking for something a bit different in their puzzle platformers, this one shouldn’t be overlooked.
“Alundra” (1997)
The PS1 is a gold mine of amazing JRPGs and Alundra is certainly one of those titles that needs to be in the conversation far more than it is. Following the titular character, Alundra discovers he has the ability to enter people’s dreams and attempts to stop a series of nightmares that have been plaguing a small village and killing many of the townsfolk. The game featured surprisingly dark tones and adult themes not usually explored in the more popular light hearted JRPGs of the time. The game’s heavy reliance on puzzle solving as well as environmental elements that could affect Alundra’s progress garnered the game well deserved praise and many comparisons to Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series. The game did receive a sequel and a move to 3D but unfortunately failed to live up to the far superior original, ending the series before it had a chance to continue.
“Future Cop LAPD” (1998)
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Meet the cop that can’t be stopped. In a future where crime is out of control in LA, players suit up in the X1-Alpha, a robot that can switch between an unstoppable fully decked out mech armed to the teeth or a faster hover vehicle for pursuit segments. The game featured two main modes of play. Crime War mode was the game’s standard story mode which could support two player co-op as the player attempts to stop everything from gang war, to shutting down an out of control supercomputer. The second mode is where the game gets truly interesting and an important part of gaming history. In Precinct Assault Mode, players must strategically navigate an arena capturing outposts on their way to gain control of the enemy’s base and is sighted as the very first MOBA which inspired titles like DotA and League of Legends.
“Disruptor” (1996)
Doom is one of the undisputed grandfathers of first person shooters and responsible for inspiring a deluge of “Doom Clones”. Long before the days of Spyro and Ratchet and Clank, Insomniac attempted to make their mark on the gaming world with Disruptor and many of the studio’s trademark unconventional weapons were already on display here. The game also featured additional Psionic abilities for the player to unlock as the story progressed, giving encounters a more strategic design than many shooters of the time. While the story was mostly your standard military double cross the double crosser cliche, the game was extremely well received by critics citing its stunning visuals and strategic gunplay but failed to turn the positive buzz into sales numbers. Insomniac Games would later revisit the FPS genre with their Resistance series which was well received critically and commercially.
“Galerians” (1999)
Although the amnesiac main character with psychic abilities would be explored to greater effect in later games like Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and Second Sight, Galerians is still worth your time for its surprisingly dark story and atmosphere amid its obvious comparisons to the Resident Evil series at the time. Following the main character Rion as he slowly rediscovers who he is as well as the origins of his abilities, the game forces players to choose their encounters wisely as Rion’s psychic abilities are directly tied to the game’s finite vials of PPEC which boost Rion’s powers. The game tackles shockingly dark themes and while oftentimes a bit predictable, is still worth seeing through to its conclusion. The game received moderate reviews and a sequel was released for the PlayStation 2 but was considered an abysmal followup to the original cult classic.
