I am a huge fan of the original Sony Playstation. I still play many of my PSX titles today, and tend to get very excited when I come across good deals in stores or online on some of the titles that I had played or previously owned back in the day. Some of the best PS3 exclusive and cross-platform titles today are based upon popular games that were available for the Playstation. In keeping with my unfaltering admiration for the console, and to properly respect the many games available for it, I present the Top 20 Playstation Games.

20.) Final Fantasy Chronicles
Towards the end of the Playstation’s career, Squaresoft released several (almost only Final Fantasy-based) RPG collections, successfully filling the old-school RPG void while presenting players with an exciting chance to revisit their favorite classics or games in the series that they had not previously played. It’s not surprising that that Chronicles ranks very high on players’ lists, as it was a fantastic port of the hugely popular Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger, a game that is considered rare today. With new full-motion video, re-localized scripts, and several major and minor game tweaks, Final Fantasy Chronicles received high praise and was a commercial success.

19.) Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3 is considered by many to be the pinnacle of fighting games for the Sony Playstation. With crisp, colorful graphics, an upgraded fighting system, and remixed tunes for most characters and levels (as well as the huge cast of characters,) Capcom confirmed the notion that they are kings of two-dimensional fighters. SFA3 is still played today, and even preferred by some over the newly-released Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix.

18.) Vagrant Story
Squaresoft hit a stride around the turn of the century with several Playstation role-playing games of all varieties. On top of many players’ lists is Vagrant Story, a game with unique comic book-style dialog and an intense political storyline that ties into Ivalice, the realm of Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics. Vagrant Story had several interesting gameplay mechanics, from the custom weaponry that could be forged to the ability to target specific parts of enemies, resulting in varying effects. Though not everyone was a fan of the dungeon exploring variety of games, Vagrant Story was a perfect fit for many players, and was actually ranked fifth among the Playstation’s best-selling titles in the month of its release.

17.) Crash Bandicoot
When it was released, Crash Bandicoot was one of the first games on the Playstation that pushed the limits of 3D platforming. While it wasn’t truly three-dimensional, Crash himself was able to jump and attack enemies in various directions across several different levels.  Naughty Dog’s first action/platformer was a huge financial success that launched an entire series of games, and lead the team neatly into one of the best 3D platforming series on the Playstation 2, Jak and Daxter.

16.) Xenogears
Voted #16 on the best games of all time list by Famitsu readers, Xenogears is one of the most interesting and inspiring role-playing games to grace the PSX. Riding on the popular theme of gigantic anthropomorphic robots, Xenogears allowed players to battle humans and beasts enemies on foot, or take on bigger bosses within their customizable mechs. Aside from the complex plot and not always comprehensible script, players were enticed by the outstanding battle systems and the (strangely-present) platforming bits sprinkled about the maps. Considered rare today, anyone who might perchance stumble upon Xenogears at their local game store owes it to themselves to pick it up.

15.) Suikoden II
Probably the rarest game on this list due to the relatively low amounts of copies that were made, Suikoden II stands as one of the proudest RPGs on the Playstation. Considered by many to be the best in the series, Suikoden II tells the story of a young soldier whose life is torn apart by the prince of the land, and his epic quest towards glory as well as a plot twist that truly caught everyone off-guard. While not the best looking game on the console, Suikoden II is a solid example of 32-bit era role-playing games, and goes to show that Konami can make great games in all genres.

14.) Tomb Raider
Originally released back in 1996, Tomb Raider was a pretty revolutionary game. Set in a fully-realized three-dimensional environment, protagonist Lara Croft was given the task of.. raiding.. tombs. Yeah! At Lara’s disposal was a bevy of platforming moves as well as a host of various weapons for taking down those who might get in her path. Players were expected to explore their surroundings and utilize a number of actions to get around obstacles and traps hidden throughout the levels. The game really showed what the Playstation was capable of so far as gameplay mechanics, and set a high standard for modern platforming games.

13.) Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal was a unique game for the Playstation in that not only was it darker than most games in the vehicular combat genre, but that it pulled it off better than almost all the rest. Simply put, players controlled a vehicle in a small arena that would pick up various weapons to use against other vehicles in the arena. The basic premise was one of pure fun, without the need for a plot; however, Twisted Metal had a plot, and it only helped out what was already a seriously entertaining game.

12.) Silent Hill
When someone thinks of horror video games, the first series that probably pops into mind is Capcom’s Resident Evil series. While more or less the father of the survival horror genre, Resident Evil couldn’t hold a candle to the frights that were in store for players with Konami’s fantastic horror game Silent Hill. The plot itself is disorienting enough on its own: a man is driving with his daughter down a foggy road towards Silent Hill, and crashes his vehicle when he spots a shadowy figure looming in his headlights. Upon regaining consciousness, his daughter is nowhere to be found. Constantly following vague leads, the protagonist is subjected to creepy and macabre creatures and visuals in an effort to be reunited with his little girl. Silent Hill told a great story, and the game had some of the most unnerving camera angles and scripted events of any game to date. Konami again proved its worth with Silent Hill, and its not surprising that the game spawned a highly-successful series that spans multiple consoles and entertainment mediums.

11.) Legend of Dragoon
Developed and Published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Legend of Dragoon was kind of a sleeper RPG hit. Receiving mixed reviews from critics, Legend of Dragoon is fondly remembered by a curiously large fanbase. Though it took on many cliché RPG stereotypes, the game drew players in with an interesting combo system, which (given ridiculously good timing) allowed players to chain together multiple powerful attacks instead of the RPG-established standard single hit, as well as the ability to transform into a Dragoon to command dragons and use magic. This four-disc epic might not have changed the genre completely, but many favorites of fans tend to stick to the standard RPG conventions. Legend of Dragoon was a graphical powerhouse, and stands as a testament to SCE’s ability to make blockbuster games.

Can’t wait to see what the final ten contestants are going to be? Check back at SpawnKill.com Saturday for the second and final part to the Top 20 Playstation Games.

Tags: PlayStation, PSX, Retro, Top 20

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