Gadgetory

the original PlayStation was the first console I ever bought with my own money it holds a very special place in my heart and the hearts of gamers from that very special generation now before you get the torches and pitchforks ready there's really no way to declare the best games of any console generation so just know that this list has been crafted with the help and input of countless industry professionals listeners of the giant beast cast the 404 and dozens of tips from Twitter and other social media outlets in no particular order here are the best 10 PlayStation 1 games of all time Tony Hawk's Pro Skater became an instant classic overnight and the game sequel introduced us to the game staple mechanic manuals who doesn't have memories of staying up all night just to find the secret tape in the schoolyard level I don't know about you but Silent Hill was one of the first games to ever give me a genuine scare all right sure Silent Hill looks dated by today's standards but nevertheless it totally nailed a terrifying atmosphere and cemented the survival horror genre for many years to come the original tomb raider harkens back to a time where there were no tutorials and you were simply on your own that's the amazing sense of isolation Tomb Raider was able to create forcing the player to discover and explore the world at their own pace the game also spawned one of gaming's most recognizable characters Lara Croft who's been in a few games I think since then while it may have been dubbed a sleeper hit when it was first released Castlevania Symphony of the Night quickly gained success through word-of-mouth this was the first Castlevania game to feature a nonlinear map where players weren't necessarily led down the same path it set a precedent for the franchise which has been continued from there on out Final Fantasy seven shocked players with its gorgeous pre-rendered 3d graphics and gripping storyline it also marked one of the biggest promotional campaigns for a game of its time something that was mostly unheard of up until then the game had such an impressive legacy that it's actually getting a full remake not just an HD reboot but an actual let's build this game from the ground up all over again on PlayStation 4 it seems like the car combat genre has fallen off in recent years but nothing could touch twisted metal - on the original PlayStation it was the ultimate couch game for split-screen multiplayer twisted metal to feature totally unique vehicles and even crazier personalities to drive them smartly designed battlefield maps and an ultra satisfying control and gameplay scheme so where Silent Hill helped cement the survival horror genre Resident Evil is the franchise that started it all it's 1998 sequel Resident Evil to set the bar even higher and is widely regarded as the best Resident Evil title of course before the masterpiece known as Resident Evil 4 the game's legacy continues today and its story is often referenced in countless works of fiction and it too is also being rumored to be getting a full remake treatment next up on our list is Gran Turismo 2 which at its time was the absolute most realistic racing simulation of all time the game featured somewhere around 650 drivable cars which was totally unheard of Sony's first-ever gaming mascot spins his way onto our list Crash Bandicoot with Sony Sonic there Mario if you will and gave players a go to charming platformer that also served as many players introduction to the console as well crash went on to see many sequels but none have had such a special place in our hearts like the original I bet you thought I forgot it I bet you were sitting there thinking oh man this guy's not gonna forget that game did he he didn't forget Metal Gear Solid did he of course I didn't I mean this game changed my life it's tough to put into words just how important Metal Gear Solid was and is to gaming in general it introduced countless game techniques and forced people to change the way they thought about video games it innovated where no one had done before and basically created the modern stealth genre by itself not to mention to this day Metal Gear Solid still has the most clever use of a game controller in a boss fight fought for many Metal Gear Solid was the first game that they played that actually felt like a movie did I want to include more games in the list of course I did I wanted to make sure cool borders 3 was represented I wanted to have room for Chrono Cross for jet moto for Rayman bushido blade what about wipeout and vagrant story and legacy of kain Soul Reaver parappa the rapper how could you leave out the most important rhythm game of our time stay tuned for the next roundup of games until then I'm Jeff Bakalar