Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider was one of the earliest 3D action games on the PS1, and Lara Croft’s debut was an unforgettable adventure back in the day. Everything from the labyrinthian levels to white-knuckle platforming challenges and thrilling combat made for an experience that wasn’t too different from a blockbuster movie, and those elements laid the foundation for one of the most revered adventure games to this date. While the movement and combat haven’t aged all that well, but for its time, it was the next big thing in the action-adventure genre.

Gran Turismo

Polyphony Digital knocked it out of the park with its 1997 release Gran Turismo, a game that would later morph into one of the biggest household names in PlayStation’s first-party roster of IPs. Gran Turismo’s rudimentary graphics might look dated by modern standards, but it was a towering visual achievement for its time and the granular attention to detail in how the car models looked and how the tracks were laid out was almost unheard of at that time. Add to that a really strong simulation core that governs the feel and drift of every vehicle in the gargantuan roster, and Gran Turismo became an instant hit for motorheads.

Resident Evil 3

The fifth console generation revolutionized the horror genre and Resident Evil 3 played a big role in bringing about that change. Jill Valentine’s chronicles against the ferocious Nemesis are chock full of memorable encounters and close calls from undead creatures, and that combined with the brutal survival mechanics is what makes it an endearing survival horror experience through and through. It was one of the first games in the genre to feature an intimidating stalker resulting in exhilarating moments that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

WWF Smackdown! 2 – Know Your Role

Making its debut within a year of the release of the first WWF Smackdown game, WWF Smackdown! 2- Know Your Role didn’t disappoint wrestling fans in any way whatsoever. It made plenty of new and significant changes over what came before while retaining what made it great in the first place. In addition to the new game modes like Hell in a Cell, Ladder Matches or Iron Man, what makes WWF Smackdown 2 one of the most memorable wrestling games of all time is the excellent moment-to-moment gameplay that perfectly mimics the action that we love to see on the television screen.

Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0

The second game in the Colin McRae series which would later go on to be known as Dirt Rally, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 lets you race through a bunch of different courses while giving you a wide selection range of more than a dozen rally cars. Colin McRae Rally 2.0 features some of the most meticulous car handling mechanics that aim to provide the best rally racing experience, which is what made it such a big hit for fans of the sport. For instance, navigating your car through the gravel-infested tracks of Greece will be extremely different from the experience of gliding along an icy track of Sweden. While the game has its own shortcomings, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 has more than enough merits to cover its flaws and stand out as one of the best racing games on the platform.

Spider-Man

The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has enjoyed a long and rich history with video games, and there are plenty of great games that feature this very superhero – including but not limited to Spider-Man on the PS1. Spidey’s quest to stop Dr. Octavius and his evil schemes is punctuated by varied missions and memorable combat encounters, and despite some obvious technical limitations – Spider-Man was able to largely fulfill the fantasy of shooting webs and beating down baddies in a convincing manner.

Metal Gear Solid

It’s safe to say that Metal Gear Solid largely laid the blueprint for the modern stealth game, and it also represents how games can be at the bleeding edge of cinema and interactivity. Hideo Kojima’s genius shines through in every aspect of the game ranging from the carefully laid out espionage plot to the timeless gameplay mechanics and even the boss fights, making Metal Gear Solid a game that’s worthy of its masterpiece status. The game effortlessly switches between shades of stealth to full-blown action and vice versa, and its contributions to the action-adventure genre like the SONAR radar continue to be staples in the modern gaming landscape.

Knockout Kings 2001

Boxing has always been a tough sport to replicate in the form of a video game, but it’s safe to say Knockout Kings does a good job of translating the thrill and depth of the combat sport in an effective manner. The boxing felt more responsive and fluid than contemporaries, and the ability to attack from different angles and perform dirty moves gives the action an additional layer of depth to the gameplay. Add some pretty detailed visuals and the occasionally hilarious commentary into the mix, and Knockout Kings becomes a game that’s tough to pass on for boxing fans.

Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix thrusts players into a Bladerunner Esque environment with cel-shaded character designs and a pseudo-3D environment as you experience the same storyline from different perspectives. Retro Helix offers plenty of tough puzzles for players to crack in addition to light combat sequences, and that combined with the multilateral perspective makes for a consistently engaging experience.

Bushido Blade

Bushido Blade is a fighting video game that allows players to fulfill their fantasy of taking part in a sword fight in an authentic fashion. You see, sword duels in reality are not defined by slick-looking combos, best of 3 rounds, or a visible health bar – and Bushido Blade tries its best to mimic that experience with its gameplay. Attacking the opponent’s hands or legs might lead to the loss of a limb which would obviously have tangible consequences in the course of the battle just as a direct blow to the chest will lead to instant death. In addition to the extremely realistic gameplay, Bushido Blade boasts some of the most detailed graphics of its time and that combined with its rhythmic soundtrack makes Bushido Blade one of the best games on the platform.

Medal of Honor (1999)

Developed with stunning visual effects and high production values for its time, Medal of Honor was one of the first games to really translate the intense action of war in a first-person perspective. It was a revolutionary game in more ways than one, right from the realistic depiction of war to pioneering linear-level design and much more. It was a bold first step that would give birth to one of the biggest gaming trends of the 2000s.

Colony Wars

Colony Wars is a space-action shooter game that tells the story of a pilot working for a rebellious organization fighting against the evil Imperial Navy. Set against the backdrop of a sci-fi universe, Colony Wars shows the true potential of the console by providing you with a distinct sense of immersion as you participate in thrilling dogfights against a wide variety of enemy ships. Right from the immersive gameplay to the memorable sequences and a story that changes according to your actions, Colony Wars is probably one of the best space games on the PS1.

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Taking a sharp turn from the simulation gameplay of Gran Turismo, EA’s Need for Speed provided an adrenaline-pumping, rubber-scratching arcade take on car racing. Suffice it to say, fans lapped it all up and Need For Speed quickly became a household franchise in the racing space. EA released NFS 3: Hot Pursuit back in 1998 to some great reviews, and it added new elements like thrilling cop car chases into the mix – making for some absolutely slick action sequences.

NBA Live 2001

NBA Live 2001 might just be the best way to play basketball on the PS1, and a lot of that praise boils down to the excellent gameplay underpinning every moment of the experience and a vast roster of licensed players and teams from all across the globe. EA corrected almost all criticisms of the predecessors and implemented plenty of new features, making this franchise swansong on the PS1 a memorable one.

FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer

And if basketball isn’t really your thing, you cannot really go wrong with FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer on the PS1. The game featured some extremely polished gameplay mechanics and solid visuals for its time which made for a consistently enjoyable experience as you duke it out against your friends for hours and hours upon end.

Mass Effect: Omega

The next Mass Effect is still a long way off but it could seemingly use Unreal Engine 5 based on a recent job listing (and from sources speaking to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb). In the meantime, why not imagine how Mass Effect 2’s Omega could look in the engine? Leo Torres had the same idea and used the engine to create a dynamically lit scene based on the overall atmosphere from the seedy destination. Though not based on a particular scene or section from the games, it does showcase what’s possible, especially with some gameplay thrown in.

Demon of Hatred – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Demon of Hatred is easily one of the most difficult boss fights in FromSoftware’s 2019 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, although fans wishing to be a bit creative with their approach will be able to dispatch the boss such that it falls to its own death. As soon as players enter the boss arena, they will first have to clamber up to the very top of a watchtower and then make a double jump to an otherwise inaccessible rooftop. Once there, you have to position yourself at the very edge of an adjacent rooftop which will lure the boss enemy to the very edge of the arena. The boss AI will then glitch out, and once the Demon of Hatred will perform its charge move – it will fall down to its own death.

NYX (PERSONA 3)

Persona 3’s final boss is a force to be reckoned with for several reasons. Not only does it look absolutely terrifying, it’s also the mother of all boss fights, with Nyx taking numerous forms throughout what might be one of the longest boss fights you’ll ever experience. Persona games have always dealt with darker themes, of course, but very rarely has it done so on the same level as it did with Nyx.

Confirming the rumors, Sony has announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man, Just Cause 4 and The Golf Club 2019 are available on PlayStation Now, its game streaming service. You can play Spider-Man until July 7th while Just Cause 4 is available until October 6th. Check out the trailer below to see the titles in action.

Spider-Man needs no introduction at this point. Developed by Insomniac Games, the open world action adventure has become one of the best-selling PS4 exclusives in the United States till date. A sequel is rumored to be releasing in 2021 for the PlayStation 5 but Insomniac has yet to confirm the same.

Avalanche’s Just Cause 4 is the latest iteration in the open world chaos-creation series. Though it reviewed decently at launch, fans lamented the lack of certain features. The development team has since added a bunch of features along with paid DLC to further expand the game. It’s well worth checking out.

PlayStation Now costs $9.99 monthly and $59.99 per year. Along with PS4 titles, subscribers can also play PS3 and PS2 games. If the service sounds interesting, try out the free seven day trial now.

While everyone talks about game streaming as the future, it’s been something of the…well, now, for Sony over the last few years. The company’s PS Now has been running for a good while and has slowly grown as time has gone on. Now it looks like it could be getting some very big titles this month.

A potentially leaked ad that showed up on the French website, jeuxvideo, could show what the service will be getting in April. There are two big titles (in both the scope of the game as well as the symbolic sense) of Spider-Man, the acclaimed adaptation of Marvel’s superhero franchise from Insomniac Games, and Just Cause 4, the latest in the destruction-based open world franchise from Avalanche and Square Enix. For a little of a calmer time, The Golf Club 2019 is also part of the ad.

It’s since been taken down, but the picture has been floating around the internet (you can see it below). Would be a pretty good get for the service if it ends up being true. We should get an official announcement soon.

Last year we got one of the best superhero games in many years with Marvel’s Spider-Man. The game was developed by Insomniac Games, and they managed to capture the feel of swinging around as Spider-Man as well as the world he inhabits. It was also wildly successfully for Sony, so a sequel was inevitable. But it seems it could be coming sooner rather than later.

In the Kinda Funny podcast, former Game Informer Senior Editor Imran Khan revealed some information he’d gotten from sources that the sequel to the highly successful game would actually be coming as early as 2021, possibly as the big holiday 2021 title for Sony.

It most likely will be a big early showcase for the PlayStation 5 if the rumor ends up panning out, especially since the first year of the system will undoubtedly be crossgen heavy. If you haven’t played Spider-Man yet, it’s available now for PlayStation 4, so you can get a taste of being the superhero before the sequel comes out, whenever that will end up being.

Mad Max

Veering away from massive open world destruction into post-apocalyptic, vehicular exploration, Mad Max was an odd turn for Avalanche Studios. It was about upgrading your car, the Magnum Opus, and taking on convoys. It was about assaulting bases and brawling with baddies. There were the unoriginal side quests, sure, but the sheer expanse of its rolling dunes and spectacle of the vehicle combat helped Mad Max stand out.

If you haven’t had a chance to dive into Insomniac’s Spider-Man, now’s the best time. The Game of the Year Edition is now available for PS4 as of today. It includes the base game and The City That Never Sleeps, the latter consisting of three DLC story packs with new missions, enemies, and more. Even better is the fact that it all costs $40.

Spider-Man has been quite the winner for Sony. It sold 13.2 million units worldwide as of July 28th 2019 and has overtaken Batman: Arkham City as the highest selling superhero game in the United States. The title’s success has arguably been the reason for Sony acquiring Insomniac Games and adding it to its list of first party studios.

You can check out GamingBolt’s review for Spider-Man here. The City That Never Sleeps DLC review can be seen here. While Insomniac hasn’t officially announced a sequel, there have been some teases (not to mention Sony itself wanting to focus on the franchise for the future).

Despite not being at Gamescom, the announcement that Sony was acquiring Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games was a shocker (along with the news that it sold over 13 million copies as of July 28th). One of the biggest questions to emerge from this development is what will happen to Sunset Overdrive. Will it come to PlayStation? Sony Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden isn’t quite sure.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Layden weighed in on the open world shooter franchise. “That was a great experience for Insomniac and they learned a lot through that, as well. As far as the IP itself, we really haven’t turned over the files on that one to see what that actually means, to be honest. We like what they’ve been doing in the Spider-Man franchise and things like Ratchet & Clank are certainly vital series in the present and future. That’s what we’re concentrating on.”

So on the one hand, it seems that Sony is indeed focusing on Insomniac’s key successes like Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank. This is good news for the PlayStation 5 which will need a bevy of high profile titles in the future. On the other hand, even if Insomniac owns the Sunset Overdrive IP, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a sequel will be coming any sooner now that the studio is owned by Sony.

As always time will tell. Stay tuned for more details especially in the coming year as Sony reveals more about its next console generation.