Next up in our Top 25 PS1 Games You Need to Own feature are the break-neck contenders: the Fighters and Racers, ready to take the gold and come out the fastest on the track.
If you missed it, here are yesterday’s five:
20) Street Fighter Alpha 3
Though it debuted on another console, Capcom’s game sold a million copies on the original PlayStation. Thanks to a little special attention, the port wasn’t plagued with long loading times or botched character animations, making fighting a breeze. A favorite among fans, the game features 34 characters, including four new ones: Karin Kanzuki, Rainbow Mika, Juli, and Juni.
Close Second: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is Capcom’s way of poking fun at their own extravagant titles, especially those in the Street Fighter series. It’s also a balanced and deep puzzle game well worth your time. Don’t let the name fool you—there’s only one of these babies, and it’s on the PSN (just add “HD Remix” to the end).
19) Twisted Metal 2
This Greatest Hits game gained a reputation as the insane vehicular series’ most successful entry. Twisted Metal is a winner-takes-all demolition derby with high stakes and plentiful projectiles, and practicing in these arenas is an excellent way to prepare for the revival, coming in October for PS3 with as many clowns and as much road rage as you remember. The series remains the longest-running PlayStation-exclusive franchise to date, with sixteen years of skid marks on the console.
You can find Twisted Metal 2 in the PS Store.
18) Bushido Blade
In Bushido Blade, players duel like a samurai in modern Japan. Fighting honorably will get you far, but dirty tricks will get you a game over. Unlike other fighting games of the era, players can choose their weapon as well as their character, and no health gauge or time limit is present. Opponents instead wound to kill, and it only takes a few good hits to do so. Characters can do more than move backward, forward, and around their foe: they can run, jump, and climb the 3D environments, which are more expansive than the average fighting stage or arena.
17) Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
One of the most influential extreme sports games caught air first on the PlayStation. When it landed, it gained more than speed—it hit pay dirt, with tremendous commercial and critical success. While the first Tony Hawk game removed skater games from hush-hush obscurity and into conversation, Pro Skater 2 gave it more detail and finesse—especially with its create-a-character system and the Manual, which became a bible for hardcore players.
16) Tekken 3
Tekken 3 was a stellar achievement for the series: with great moves, great graphics, and a great score. Its tight controls might seem dated by today’s standards (nowadays characters keep pace with button inputs), but the game is perhaps the best 3D fighter for the system, and one that isn’t easily forgotten. It currently stands as number eight on GameRanking’s “All-Time Best” list, right above The Orange Box.
Stay tuned for more of our Top 25 PS1 Games You Need to Own countdown. Tomorrow we introduce five excellent games known affectionately to us as the Shoot ’Em and Runs.
