PS1 and PS2 Games

New games releasing on old platforms is really nothing surprising in modern gaming, is it? The PS4 is now 13 years old, and we’re still getting cross-platform games for it. We probably still will get a few PS4 games when the PS6 launches, too. For whatever reason. Didn’t the PS5 come out yesterday?

But it’s much more interesting to remember cross-generation games when differences were more just HD or slightly less HD. The PS1 and PS2 crossover in the early 2000s was an incredible period in gaming history, and we’ll never see a leap like it again in 3D gaming, so games coming to both consoles was quite nuts. Today, let’s take a look at games that came to both of Sony’s culture-changing behemoths. There is no escape from a forced segue.

 

Rayman 2

Rayman 2: The Great Escape is probably one of the most interesting games to break down on a version by version basis. The second outing for the limbless platformer from Ubisoft, Rayman 2 originally launched on the N64, before being ported to Windows, Dreamcast, PS1 and then PS2 in that order, and each version of the game either iterating or changing the core formula so much that Rayman 2 on the PS2 is almost a completely different game to the N64 version.

The PS1 version in particular has a huge amount of differences though, with a large majority of the game receiving changes, edits or even removals in order to deal with the PS1’s limited technical capabilities compared to other platforms. “The Top of the World” level was deleted, and the graphics were downgraded, but new additions like full English voice acting and a bunch of new story cutscenes helped to flesh out Rayman 2’s story. All of those changes pale in comparison to the version of Rayman 2 on PS2 though.

In fairness to Ubisoft, the first and last time I will say that, Rayman 2 on PS2 is a fully fledged remake of the game rather than another port. Titled Rayman 2: Revolution, this upgraded version built on the PS1 version with massively improved graphics and textures, along with a brand new explorable hub world titled The Front. This replaced the original game’s hub known as The Hall of Doors that operated more like those hubs from Crash 2 and 3. Throw in new minigames, new bosses and a complete overhaul over how Rayman receives upgrades in this version, and Revolution is both a wildly different experience, and perhaps the fundamental Rayman 2 experience.

 

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

While Resident Evil and Silent Hill were getting their starts on the PS1, redefining survival horror for a modern audience, another series entirely had been showing that 3D horror could be a huge genre for video games: Alone In The Dark.

The first three games deserve their flowers as a foundational bedrock of survival horror, the series took a six year break that allowed others to flourish. Infogrammes weren’t going to let the PS1 pass them by without a new Alone in the Dark game, and so set to work on a reboot of the series, titled The New Nightmare.

Moving the series from the early 1900s to the new millennium, Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare features a new, slightly more Puddle of Mudd enjoying version of detective Edward Carnby teaming with university professor Aline Cedrac to investigate his friend’s disappearance. It just so happens that he disappeared on the ominously named Shadow Island. Sure hope nothing bad is going on there!

The PS1 game is, honestly, pretty technically decent, though the real issue is that instead of playing like Alone In The Dark, The New Nightmare plays more like a Resident Evil tribute act, even if the use of light on 2D pre-rendered backdrops is one of the more impressive examples of the PS1 era.

The PS2 version isn’t all that interesting on paper, offering the usual suite of improved textures and the like, though there’s reports of sound issues and huge lag when switching camera angles that simply isn’t present in the other versions of the game.

What makes Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare on the PS2 a bit more interesting than the other versions of the game is the fact that it was only released in the UK and France, seemingly. Other versions managed to get a US release, but if you wanted to play it on PS2, you need to be a European. Weird, Europe-only PS2 games as a video idea? Let us know if you’re keen, and we’ll have a quack at it.

 

Donald Duck Goin Quackers

Another example of a Ubisoft platformer with a huge amount of differences between the PS1 and PS2, Donald Duck Goin’ Quackers is, if we’re being kind, a bit of a Crash Bandicoot clone. A Crash Bandicoot clone that, in the case of the PS1 version at least, was built using the Rayman 2 engine by Ubisoft Casablanca for release on PC, N64 and Dreamcast, which was then modified by Ubisoft Shanghai for release on PS1. It’s a lot of playing pass the parcel with the Rayman 2 engine, basically, but suffice to say, Ubisoft used it effectively to create a pretty decent Crash clone.

As mentioned, the PS1 version is built off the PC, N64 and Dreamcast versions, but it does contain some differences in terms of the levels. Some have simply been adapted to help fit the constraints of the PS1, while there are some completely new levels thrown in. The score is also composed by a completely different person, as Shawn K. Clement handled the PS1, PS2 and Gamecube soundtrack while Daniel Masson worked on the rest of the platforms. Comparing the PS1 release to the N64 and Dreamcast releases, it really feels like PS1 is the downgrade, so how did Ubisoft up the ante for the PS2 version? That’s right, make an entirely new game of course.

Ubisoft Montreal developed the PS2 and Gamecube versions of Goin Quackers, or Quack Attack in Europe, and while there’s similarities in terms of gameplay, level themes and even the general design of some boss fights, the levels themselves are completely different. Not only are the challenges and platforming hazards totally different, but for whatever reason, the PS2 version of Goin Quackers decides to add a time limit to every level. Who doesn’t love making precise jumps while a countdown timer refuses to stop ticking? It’s so much fun, he said sarcastically. Take us back to the PS1 version.

 

THPS 3 and 4

A game series that absolutely became a core part of the PS1 console experience, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 gave fans the chance to see what the series could look like with a bit of extra horsepower, and the answer was a wholesale improvement over what came before. Just look at any side by side comparison of Tony Hawk’s on PS1 and PS2, and it’s a night and day improvement. From the smoother framerates, to the textures, lighting and even draw distance, THPS 3 from PS1 to PS2 is a massive enhancement.

When you really think about it though, the comparison for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 isn’t that surprising. The gameplay formula hadn’t changed all that much aside from new tricks like the revert, it was the same two minutes, ten goals blueprint Neversoft pioneered with the first two games. All Shaba Games, developers of noted THPS clone Grind Session, had to do was just use the same framework but scale it down, and then quickly change one of the goals in the airport level at the last minute. Oof.

It’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 that’s the more interesting comparison. In the PS2 version, levels became much bigger, and instead of two minute runs, players could interact with NPCs in the level to activate goals one at a time. It was a huge deviation from the norm, but somewhat incredibly, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 on PS1 manages to retain that new approach, albeit with some heavy caveats.

This time around, the levels are much smaller, retaining key landmarks but condensing areas in bigger levels like College. Meanwhile, the NPCs are non-existent, replaced by floating coins that offer goals.

Perhaps the biggest change though is that levels like Zoo, Carnival and Chicago are missing from the PS1 version, replaced with Sewers and Little Big World. Considering none of the last four levels mentioned appeared in the remake, I guess they’re all non-canon?

 

Harry Potter 1 and 2

And now we return to the examples of PS1 and PS2 games where the two generations are basically two separate games.

Let’s start with the PS1 version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, or Sorcerer’s Stone if you’re wrong.

Between the PC, PS1, the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions, you’ve got four different video game takes on The Boy Who Lived already. The PS1 version is, as you’d expect from a licensed game, an action platformer that followed the events of the film, which was the style at the time. You roam Hogwarts, learn spells, run away from a troll, all the good stuff. By the way, if you’ve got warts on your hog, visit your doctor.

Move ahead to a year later, and Chamber of Secrets is available in cinemas, which means new video game tie-ins. For the PS1, the same developers in Argonaut Games were called in once again to create the sequel. It’s a “more of the same” approach, but the PS2 version is something different entirely.

Created by EA UK, Chamber of Secrets on PS2 has some similarities to the PS1 version, including the minigames while Harry is staying with the Weasleys, but the focus is more on action and puzzle solving rather than going to class and learning spells. You can still explore the grounds, and it looks prettier, but even if it’s bigger in scope, the nostalgia for the PS1 version is unbeaten.

Weirdly though, we enter 2003 and EA decides to make a fifth version of Philosopher’s Stone, hiring Warthog Games to do it. The PS2 version of this game shares much of the same DNA as the PS2 version of Chamber of Secrets, with Warthog literally using some of the art and assets from the second entry to give this version more visual cohesion. Throw in a seamless world without loading and it sounds like this updated version of Philosopher’s Stone is the definitive version, right? Tell that to the worse review scores compared to the PS1 edition.

 

Treasure Planet

Disney really had their hopes high on Treasure Planet in 2002 for this sci-fi reimagining of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island, a property that Disney had already remade twice in the past. “Surely, a spacefaring take on pirates looking for gold will be even more epic, let’s blow $140 million on animation and partner with Sony to release a bunch of video games too” said some Disney exec in the early 2000s, only to watch in horror as the film bombed at the box office. Shame, as it’s genuinely a phenomenal film, but we’re not here to play the avian Siskel & Ebert.

There were four different video games, with arguably the most interesting being Disney Interactive’s PC release of Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon, an RTS naval battle game in space. Pretty cool stuff, and there was the customary handheld port too, but console players were left with two 3D platformer takes on the film, both published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Oddly enough, both versions were even developed in Liverpool, England, with Magenta Software working on the PS1 release while our old friends at Bizarre Creations worked on the PS2 release.

Both games are similar in the sense that they follow the plot of the film, and both have solar surfer minigames as it was a huge part of the film. There’s just something about seeing both versions compared side by side that shows the disparity between the two though.

While Treasure Planet for the PS2 makes no secret about being a Jak & Daxter clone, the PS1 version seems to lack any of its own identity. Reviewers at the time tended to agree too, as while the PS2 version wasn’t a critical darling, it was received much better compared to the PS1 release. Sometimes new things aren’t that scary.

 

Monsters Inc Scare Island/Scream Team

When it comes to supporting a console long past its supported shelf life, Disney are the semi-disputed kings. EA are the others and we’ll get to their more egregious crimes in a bit, but for now, let’s end this kid’s film tie-in trilogy with Monsters Inc: Scare Island, or Scream Team depending on where you live. A prequel to the events of the film, the game follows Mike and Sully as they travel to the Monsters Inc training island to get their reps in before heading back out onto the Scare Floor.

The core gameplay is, well, let’s give you a few seconds to try and guess. If you guessed a 3D platformer, you’d be correct. What a bloody surprise. Playing as either Mike or Sully, you wander around a set of levels based on different themes like cities, deserts and the arctic. Each level requires the player to find and then subsequently scare a bunch of robot children referred to as Nerves. You only need to find five of them to achieve bronze medals, but if you find all ten tokens and scare the other three Nerves, you’ll get a gold medal.

Now for the differences between the two versions, the PS1 and PS2 versions are functionally the same. Same levels, same gameplay, just some upgraded textures and character models to separate the two, except for one key difference. For whatever reason, the PS2 version of Monsters Inc: Scare Island seems to have been hit with the lighting from a Zack Snyder film. It’s really dark compared to the PS1 version, which just feels like it’s inconsistent with the tone of the franchise. Play the PS1 edition if you like bright, vibrant colours, basically.

 

Army Men

The streets will never forget Army Men.

Those little green army men toys have been available ever since 1938, but it would take until 1998 for The 3DO Company to start creating video games based on those little plastic figures your mum would stand on barefoot and end up in a mood all day. Wonder if that has anything to do with the massive success of a certain kids animated film about toys that launched in 1995 and featured the army men in a key role.

The series started as an RTS on PC, but quickly was ported to consoles with some third person shooter games instead, and they absolutely flooded the market. Between 1999 and 2001, there were 10 different Army Men games released for the PS1 alone, nearly all of them some kind of third person shooter. Never mind flooding the market, The 3DO Company nearly drowned everyone’s interest in third person shooting. Of those 10 games, which we’re not breaking down individually because we don’t have all day, Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2, Air Attack 2 and Green Rogue released on both PS1 and PS2, and two thirds of them are utter dreck.

We’ll start with Green Rogue, the one game that isn’t a third person shooter as it’s a forward scrolling shoot ‘em up instead. It’s not great honestly, and so is Sarge’s Heroes 2, a third person shooter where you control Sarge and Vikki (apparently there’s a Vikki toy), as they fight in a war across tabletops and kitchen counters, with the main difference between the PS1 and PS2 being improved textures, framerates, lighting and character models.

Finally, Air Combat 2 is the gold sheep of the bunch, where you control a helicopter and shoot everything until it blows up. That’s technically a third person shooter, considering it’s not in cockpit view, and it reviewed well on both PS1 and PS2, but again, it’s the same situation as Scare Island: better graphics, but dark lighting for some reason.

 

FIFA/Madden

Did you know that EA kept developing and publishing FIFA games on the PS1 until October 2004 with the release of FIFA 2005? The Xbox 360 would come out 1 year later. Madden wasn’t too far behind either, releasing Madden NFL 2005 in August of 2004.

Four years after the PS2 usurped the PS1, EA were still here milking as much money as they could out of this dying console that could barely run the games they were publishing. I sure don’t think EA would do that again in the modern era… oh, they do that for every console. They even did it for the Switch, releasing barebones roster updates of FIFA as full price releases. Classic.

The story for both Madden and FIFA is about the same, with both franchises making the move to the PS2 in the year 2000 with their 2001 editions. Sports game naming conventions are annoying like that. While the PS2 version would receive a suite of graphical, animation, lighting and other improvements, the PS1 version could still be considered a worthy alternative if you didn’t quite have the money for the newer console at that point. The issue became with every subsequent year, as while new iterations of FIFA and Madden on PS2 introduced new modes, overhauled existing modes and added new features to help improve the simulation of football, the older versions languished.

For the most part, EA were just releasing FIFA 2001 or Madden NFL 2001, updating the rosters and kits to be more accurate to that year and calling it a day. This wasn’t much of an issue for FIFA, as most soccer games had moved to the PS2 after 2002 aside from the Japan-only Dynamite Soccer 2004 Final. For Madden NFL though, they were still competing with Sony’s NFL Gameday, which finished up on PS1 mere days before Madden 2005. Oddly enough, Game Day ‘05 was a PS1 exclusive despite being a PS1/PS2 game previously, which isn’t really relevant to these comparisons but it’s interesting nonetheless.

 

V.I.P. Starring Pamela Anderson

Look, all you quality game aficionados in the comments have been chomping at the bit for use to finally talk about V.I.P. Starring Pamela Anderson, and we’re finally able to deliver on that for you. You’ll wish we hadn’t. If you’re looking at the screen and don’t have a clue what we’re on about at the minute, V.I.P. was a TV show that, wouldn’t you know it, starred Pamela Anderson. Buckle up.

Within the show, she played Vallery Irons, that’s the V and the I, and she’s running a protection business. There’s the P.  She essentially became an accidental bodyguard to the stars of Hollywood, with each episode focusing on a different celebrity, character or thing that needed protection. It sounds like trash, and it is a bit, but it ran for four seasons (22 episodes each) and also included lots of cameos from people like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Weird Al Yankovic and Bryan Cranston, among plenty of others.

Clearly, they were doing something right, as they even convinced Ubisoft to make tie-in games for the PS1 and PS2, among other platforms.

It probably went something like “hey Ubisoft how’s about one more game for the fire?” and they said “oui.”

As for the game itself, you could make the case that it’s a precursor to Asura’s Wrath, given that it’s basically all quick time events until the credits roll. Okay, that was mean to Asura’s Wrath,but still. V.I.P. Starring Pamela Anderson, and it’s important to get the full name, is just 30 levels of QTEs and mini games with a vague plot about rescuing a plastic surgeon from some gangsters.

Gameplay wise, there’s little to no difference from PS1 to PS2, but the PS2 version has the benefit of looking nicer, with better graphics, character models and even some vague hints at cinematography. It’s still rough, but side-by-side, the PS1 version looks absolutely diabolical like the ending of that show that is already dead to me.