Summary
After being hoodwinked by Nintendo and rejected by Sega, Sony decided to just jump into the console gaming market on their own with the release of thePlayStation.It was a massive success, withthe PS1 selling like hotcakesand amassing a loyal fanbase courtesy of its focus on mature gaming experiences while also letting players enjoy better graphics than ever before.
The console paved the way for Sony to take their gaming endeavors seriously for the future, and the company continues to hold a strong presence in the market courtesy of their amazing exclusives and superior hardware. Thesheer wealth of games on this consolewas astounding, but this overpopulation also led to some well-written and engaging heroes from their respective games becoming forgotten relics as the years rolled by.
The JRPG genre blew up on the PlayStation, withFinal Fantasy 7paving the way for other games in this genre looking to capitalize on this hype to receive localizations in no time flat. The golden age of JRPGs was a joy to witness, with players being whisked away on grandiose adventures in a fantasy worlds for hundreds of hours. However, despite the tropes and cliches that surround this genre,Parasite Evedecided to buck the trendand deliver a captivating roleplaying experience that lasted for around twenty hours or so with little to no filler.
The protagonist of the tale, Aya Brea, is a no-nonsense cop who is as competent as they come. Given how strong female leads were a rarity in gaming at the time, it’s a shame that this police officer faded away into obscurity.The 3rd Birthdayis certainly to blame for this, with the lackluster nature of this RPG shooter causingParasite Eve’s stock to tank and Square Enix to ignore this franchise for good.
Driveris an excellent racing game that tried to make its genre feel as cinematic as possible.Players control an undercover copwho tries to uncover the many atrocities occurring in the Castaldi crime family, taking on the role of a getaway driver to get as close to these operations as possible. This ex-race car driver has a chip on his shoulder that can be seen throughout the game.
The tutorial of this game is extremely challenging, and most players would’ve just given up here instead of seeing how the game evolved past this point. The series has lain dormant for quite some time now, which has caused John Tanner to become a footnote in gaming history. It’s a shame, since this franchise could’ve been something really special in the right hands.
One of the most ambitious projects coming out of Squaresoft that ran out of budget halfway through its story,Xenogearsis an interesting fusion of the mecha and JRPG genres that ends up dealing with some interesting themes. The main and side plots woven into this tale are as rich as they come and really help the JRPG stand out as one of the very best on the PS1.
The protagonist of the tale, Fei Fong Wong, is a mysterious individual who is in the dark about his own identity for the majority of the tale. There’s no denying that this protagonist would’ve been as legendary as any other main character from the PS1 era had the game achieved its full potential, buthis riveting backstoryand the implications it has on the main plot is still one of the best and most shocking revelations in gaming history.
BothFinal Fantasy 7and9were lauded for being some of the greatest JRPGs of all time, but the same adoration wasn’t given to the title that landed in between both of them.Final Fantasy 8’sJunction system and the introduction of the true ultimate antagonist out of nowhere caused many people to write this game off as a decent but unremarkable entry in the series, even if the game’s improved graphics led to fans loving the spectacle in this title.
One point that fans brought up against the title wasthe protagonist Squall, who was seen as too aloof and rude for his own good. However, his stoic personality was a guise to hide his own insecurities, which really resonated with people at the time who understood what Squaresoft was trying to achieve with this character. This is what makes Squall such an underrated character, with the protagonist slowly coming into his own as a reliable leader after accepting the weight of the responsibilities he’d been given.
Most people are aware ofShadow Hearts, but what these fans don’t know is that the first game in this series was actually a tough-as-nails dungeon crawler that came out on the PS1. Thedifficulty and frustrating gameplay ofKoudelkawas what caused many people to give this game a pass, which is a shame since the story underneath all the gameplay was a treat to uncover.
A huge reason why this narrative was so riveting stems from the eponymous main character herself, who comes across as flawed yet believable. Her chemistry with the rest of the main cast is electric, and she really develops over the course of the game into a likable character who was unfairly shelved as a side character inShadow Hearts.
