10 PS1 Games We’d Love To See On PlayStation Plus Premium

One area where PlayStation might have made a misstep in recent years is their lack of commitment to backwards compatibility, and while they’re not exactly committing to players being able to put their old PlayStation discs to use, PlayStation Plus Premium is promising a healthy support of retro games, including PS1 games.

Fortunately, there’s a healthy dose of nostalgia to be mined from the PlayStation back catalogue, with hundreds of games launching on the PS1 that could be brought to PlayStation Plus Premium for a whole new generation of players to enjoy. With a vault unlike any other, we’ve put together a list of the 10 biggest PS1 games we’d like to see given another chance to shine as part of PS Plus Premium.

 

1. Bushido Blade 1 & 2

For tense, nail-biting swordplay and combat, Bushido Blade is absolutely unrivalled, so it’s shocking that there hasn’t really been another game like it ever since. Sure, there have been games that have tried to go for a similar vibe, with the Deadliest Warrior tie-in games being a notable example, but none have really had the same impact as Bushido Blade. Both the original game and its sequel deserve another life as part of PS Plus Premium.

While the two games have some key differences, as the sequel offers more in the way of features, the core premise remains the same. Two fighters pick weapons and are dropped into an arena, several of which are quite expansive in comparison to regular 3D fighters. In Bushido Blade’s fights, death could come from one swift blow, or from a thousand cuts as precise strikes disable a fighter’s limbs.

It’s tense, visceral, and still worth playing in 2022.

 

2. Chrono Trigger

Square Enix have already channelled as much nostalgia from the PS1 era as they can, porting most Final Fantasy games and, in one case, completely remaking it for a new audience. They’ve even ported Chrono Cross, the iconic dimension hopping RPG that’s earned fans the world over, but the previous game, Chrono Trigger, has ironically been lost to time. This will not do, as Chrono Trigger would make for a perfect PS1 port as part of PS Plus Premium.

Originally a SNES game before it was ported to the PS1 in 1999, Chrono Trigger sees players hopping through time to stop a giant monster from wiping out all of humanity in the year 1999 AD, which was technically the future when Chrono Trigger first launched. Time marches on and all that. With the player’s party going from the pre-historic era to the end of time itself, Chrono Trigger remains one of the most imaginative RPGs ever made.

Heck, it was even ported to the PS3 — let’s see it ported again.

 

3. Dino Crisis

Look, you all saw Capcom’s reveal of Exoprimal, the game that looks exactly like Dino Crisis but just isn’t. You all went through disappointment, so let’s just cross our fingers and hope that Capcom will bless us with the original version of Dino Crisis as part of PlayStation Plus Premium. With the original Resident Evil games all being remade in some form or fashion, maybe now’s the time for Dino Crisis to receive its well deserved moment in the sun.

An answer to the question of “what if Resident Evil was more like Jurassic Park?”, players control Regina who’s sent to investigate some strange goings on at a secret island research facility. Instead of a flashy tourist attraction, Regina comes face to face with hordes of dinosaurs looking for their next meal.

With a mystery to solve and danger around every corner, Regina’s got her work cut out for her.

 

4. Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver

The brightest flame burns quickest, and few flames were as bright as the Legacy of Kain series.

In the space of a few games, Legacy of Kain went from practically a household name in gaming to obscurity all over again, which is a shame because the franchise holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of players. The PS1 hit Soul Reaver is perhaps the most fondly remembered game of them all, so it would be awesome to see it make a comeback.

Soul Reaver puts you in the shoes of the former vampire, now wraith Raziel, who is betrayed by his rule, the titular Kain. Left for dead, Raziel is revived by the Elder God to become a Soul Reaver and exact vengeance on Kain once and for all. While the gameplay might sound simplistic by today’s standards, with a mixture of hack and slash combat and puzzle solving between two planes of existence, Soul Reaver remains a seminal experience for many, and deserves another go.

 

5. Metal Gear Solid

Come on, if Sony is going to release any PS1 classic onto the PS Plus Premium library, it has to be Metal Gear Solid.

You could give most people in the world the chance to name three PS1 games, and pretty much all of them are going to mention MGS. Its identity was tied to the platform as soon as Psycho Mantis started reading your PS1 memory card and reciting the games you played back to you. Metal Gear Solid is the PS1 personified. Well, gamified, but you get the point.

While not the first Metal Gear game ever made, MGS was certainly the launching pad for what the franchise became, as the franchise’s unique blend of “tactical espionage action” would come to define an entire genre going forward. Solid Snake’s escapades on Shadow Moses Island were unlike any other video game that had come before it, so it stands to reason that a game like Metal Gear Solid should be remembered in some kind of PS Plus PS1 collection.

 

6. Parasite Eve

Parasite Eve might not be the most well recognised Square RPG of all time, especially when you consider that the game launched alongside titans like Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross and others. Still, the game managed to accrue a cult following and several sequels, and remains one of the more imaginative and unique RPGs you can play. If Sony wants to diversify their PS1 offerings with a game that’s a bit more leftfield, Parasite Eve would be a solid shout.

A mix of action RPG and survival horror, players control Aya Brea, an NYPD rookie who finds herself in the middle of a strange plot involving spontaneous combustion and mitochondria. With the whole of New York being evacuated as strange mutations rampage through the city, Aya will have her work cut out for her if she wants to get to the bottom of this mystery.

While the action might not be as sophisticated as more recent games, Parasite Eve’s story is so out there that it deserves another shot.

 

7. Soul Blade

Is it possible to recommend a game just based on the strength of its intro? The opening cinematic for Soul Blade, while obviously showing its age a bit in 2022, is still one of the most hype introductions to a game you could watch. The visuals are fine, but it’s the music that seals the deal. Edge of Soul is still a brilliant track decades later, and should absolutely be added to your music playlists now. Do it. This is not optional.

Gushing about the intro aside, Soul Blade has a brilliant legacy in the fighting game scene. As a precursor to Soulcalibur, a lot of the ideas and mechanics that the series uses to this day are present within Soul Blade, but there’s some interesting tools and options that have gone missing since.

The fact that everyone’s weapon has the potential to break, leaving the character to fight with their bare hands, is absolutely brilliant and should have remained in the series. It’s worth playing Soul Blade for that alone, but the fact that Edge of Soul continues to be a huge banger is an added bonus.

 

8. Syphon Filter

While the stealth action genre might have been dominated by Metal Gear Solid, no one should forget about the legacy of Syphon Filter, even though it seems like Sony wants to forget about it.

The adventures of Gabe Logan were some of the best spy-esque action games you could play on the PS1, but by the end of the PSP era, it felt like Syphon Filter was gone the way of the dodo. Bend Studio might have also snuck in some references to the series in Days Gone, but there’s been no follow up at all.

Syphon Filter sees protagonist Gabe Logan travelling around the world to investigate a growing number of biological outbreaks. Their efforts lead them to the discovery of the titular Syphon Filter, a man-made virus that’s capable of being programmed to target specific ethnic groups. With time running out, Gabe will need all the help he can get in order to stop Syphon Filter before it’s too late.

 

9. Tekken 3

If any fighting game deserves to be represented as part of some PS1 library, it has to be Tekken 3. Tekken defined its legacy thanks to the PS1, with Tekken 3 managing to sell 8 million copies and become the fifth highest selling game on the entire platform. Those kinds of numbers for a fighting game would be incredible today, and yet Tekken 3 managed to become this cultural phenomenon that’s still celebrated to this day. It’d be great to see it celebrated in some way.

The third and arguably best entry in the series, Tekken 3 introduced a lot of what would make Tekken a globally recognised franchise, even if the main thing is series poster child Jin Kazama. With a huge roster of characters, along with gameplay that’s still incredibly enjoyable even though it’s two decades old at this point, Tekken 3 deserves to be showcased as part of PS Plus Premium.

Failing that, just port Tekken 5, which included the arcade versions of Tekken 1, 2 and 3.

 

10. Vagrant Story

Vagrant Story deserves another crack based purely on the fact that the main character is called “Ashley Riot”. That’s about as badass as main character names get. Move over Cloud and Squall, Square’s greatest protagonist name is Ashley. No, I’m not biased on this one, why do you ask? Anyway, Vagrant Story is about as different as Square’s RPGs get (that isn’t Parasite Eve), so it’d be great to see it make a return.

Set in the city of Lea Monde, Ashley is in pursuit of a cult leader by the name of Sydney, but quickly becomes embroiled in a power struggle between multiple rogue elements. Oh, and the city they’re in has the inexplicable power to spawn both the undead and other mythological creatures.

That’s a powder keg if there ever was one, but with Ash’s penchant for weapon upgrades, he’s more than well equipped for whatever the world is going to throw at him.

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