/vr/ - Retro Games

I always use this as an example of what the PS1's "personality" was like in the early days before Crash Bandicoot and FFVII.

I hope you're not implying that Ridge Racer, one of the best arcade ports to a home console when it came out, was "overlooked".

>>8687746
I'm not, it was just the first example of the era of Playstation games I could think of. That said I imagine there are a few titles from those years that have been overlooked.
>>8687743
This is a good one yeah.

>>8687739
there's no way ridge racer was overlooked, that can't be right

Battle Arena Toshinden is sadly underrated. Its better than Tekken 1 was and has a banging soundtrack.

1995-96 had a lot of 3DO exclusives jumping ship to PlayStation, gaining better technical performance or extra content in process. Return Fire is an excellent simple tank/helicopter/armored vehicle/Jeep with grenades game with dozens of maps. I'm not sure if it has all content from 3DO's Maps o' Death expansion pack but it certainly has more levels than the 3DO original game.

It's one of those "you had to be there" games but the PS1 port of MK3 was a very big deal. It had timed exclusivity and was a very good port at the time when arcade accuracy was just starting to become a thing. And because it was marketed in conjunction with the MK movie it was a big reason people wanted PlayStations.

>>8687773
>It had timed exclusivity
12 million dollars for 6 months of exclusivity. Bernie Stolar is a master negotiator.

>>8687779
Atari should have seriously made that deal for the Jaguar. Not even joking.

>>8687756
>Battle Arena Toshinden is sadly underrated.

Battle Arena Toshienden was one of the most promoted games outside of Ridge Racer, for the NA PS1 launch. Sofia could appear in a lot of early PS1 magazine ads. It was used as a showcase of how a fighting game on the PS1 looked better than VF on the Saturn.

>>8687749
You mean early playstation games that were outperformed by later titles?

>>8687791
True but it is pretty overlooked today. I still play it from time to time.

>>8687780
I doubt that Sam Tramiel even had 12 megabucks in 1995.

>>8687791

The PS1 game was popular enough to spawn a pretty good franchise.

>>8687791
that guy on the left is the final boss in playstation all stars fighting game. "polygon man" I think he's called

>>8687796
>True but it is pretty overlooked today. I still play it from time to time.

These days it is. Battle Arena Nitoshinden was a Japanese only release, aimed at younger kids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEig-o8eP9s

>>8687807
>that guy on the left is the final boss in playstation all stars fighting game. "polygon man" I think he's called

Polygon Man was part of Sony's original advertising campaign for NA. Ken Kutaragi didn't like him, because he lacked gourd shading. he also wanted Sofia from BAT to be the mascot for the system. I

I want to add this game to the list. It was released in 1998, and was a later PS1 title. But it was developed by Single Trac and uses the same game engine as Twisted Metal 1 and 2. But has some different game mechanics and objectives.

>>8687757
Yeah the PS1 was something of an unofficial continuation of the 3DO. PO'ed is another example. This was one of those legitimately overlooked games even at the time. It was that game you always saw at Blockbuster but never rented. It's also a game that could only have existed in 1995. Quite the time capsule.

I'll add Robopit. This is a pretty early PS1 title. 1996. It's one of the earlier ones that I have played. It's really fun as a two player game. Build a robot, out of parts. Beat other robots in a 3D combat arena, and win their body parts. Different robotic parts have different attributes. It's even kinda fun in single player.

One early title that was not released in Nortbh America, but did get a PAL release, is Gunners Heaven:
https://youtu.be/1qQAs9rn6rw?t=57
Literal Gunstar Heroes knockoff, But a pretty good one. Sony of America never brought it to the NA because it was a 2D game.

>>8687880
In the Hunt was a really good arcade port:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJIcb6ebi1I
And less slowdown than the Saturn port.

>>8687880
Hermie Hopperhead. This game was released in Japan only, never got a western release. Don't think there is a Pal version. The game plays somewhat like Super Mario World meets Yoshi's island. It has some 3D elements in the bonus stages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1gsgk9PJFc&list=PLKQjaWFoz-thu0MAfOzR3BVuZjgz1SJLl

>>8687857
I just want to add that RoboPit is not a perfect game, but it is one of my favourite "fighting games' on the system. The game is like a boxing game and a 3D arena combat. You can hide behind things, and pick up objects in the arena and throw them in some cases. It has that early PS1 look. It has a pretty comprehensive list of parts to build robots with. Different body parts will give your robot different strategies. You win parts from other robots in the tournament mode. Can continually keep changing your design. It was like Robot Wars before Robot Wars. This game two player is great. Build custom robots and battle. RoboPit was also ported to the Sega Saturn, and there is a PS1 exclusive RoboPit 2 as well.
https://youtu.be/EWsn__xjyQE?t=89

>>8687739

A whole lot of fun with cool designed characters and cars and stages. Great soundtrack too.
Started out as a launch title in Japan but it got a sequel which was a lot better except for that link cable multiplayer that brought it down.

Those early PS1 longboxes.

>>8688008
RoboPit 2 also went through some weird licensing shit, so the Jap version has music in it and the Murican version doesn't.

>>8687805
That add gave me a boner.

>>8687756
>Battle Arena Toshinden is sadly underrated. Its better than Tekken 1 was and has a banging soundtrack.

I remember playing this game back in the day, when it was still new. I was impressed by the visuals of the game, and the game was OK. But I could never really get into it. Great presentation and music. The original was used by Sony to demonstrate the hardware. To be honest, I feel like Battle Arena Toshinden 2 is a better game overall. It actually looks even better than the first one, plays smoother. Still not one of my favourite 3D fighters. But I like the Toshinden games overall.

>>8688254
>That add gave me a boner.

>>8688014
I played the first one and it was awful same tier as Big Rigs, is like they were tasting the hardware with it and some executive saw the "game" and made them realease it, never payed the sequel but they went and end up making fucking Gran Turismo of all things.

Some of these answers itt really are coming off as bad bait

>>8687739

Pachinko simulator. I always appreciate the neon colors and mix of 2D and 3D early PS1 games offered back then.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sny2AQLMUkE

>>8688268
Motor Toon had a prototype GT inside of it called Motor Toon R. It wasn't exactly out of left field.
https://youtu.be/SQvUXWYEHis?t=38

This came as a playable demo on one of the Demo1 discs. Really fun and the aesthetics will stay with you.
https://youtu.be/zA6Lpwv8XHI

>>8688251
>RoboPit 2 also went through some weird licensing shit, so the Jap version has music in it and the Murican version doesn't.

I could never find a copy of RoboPit 2 back in the day. It wasn't developed by the same group that did the first game. As far as I know? I think I did hear about the music issues. Kokopeli was purchased by THq, it seems.

>>8688220
God they're such flimsy shit but I love the few longboxes I have.

>>8688392
music was good too

>>8687754
Ridge Racer is a legit hidden gem

This game used to scare the shit out of me.

>>8688259

It's a case of the second fighting game in the franchise being better than the first. The original BAT is charming in the same way the original Street Fighter or VF1 is. But the sequel is usually better because of the developers receiving player feedback/ reviews from the first game. The original Battle Arena was a really early PS1 game, Jan '95 in Japan, and a launch game in every other region. It was also a bit of a tech demo showcase, just for its visuals. Sony loved to show this one off in adverts as an alternative to Virtua Fighter on the Saturn. As a fighting game, it felt a little sluggish. Not bad though. I do like the sequel a lot more. It even looks better visually.

>>8688008
>>8687857
Holy fucking shit someone else actually played robo pit. I still own my copy though the case is a bit battered.

>>8688856
One of the few tolerable games by Altron. Never understood how they managed to stick around for almost 40 years.

>>8688856
One of the few tolerable games by Altron. Never understood how they managed to stick around for almost 40 years. It's like they come out of the woodwork once every year and shit out either a horrible license title or a lackluster original attempt.

Makes me think the company is just three guys in an apartment getting in the mood of making games once in a while.

>>8688392
I'd love to see a GOG release of the PC version, fixed for modern OSes and running in high res.

>>8688981
I didn't even know there was a pc version

>>8688753
No way amigo. Ridge racer was a reason to own a PS1 early on as it was entirely hyped for being the arcade experience at home and being close enough for that claim to not be utter bullshit.

The best version of gran turismo. Also:
>ching chong chinaman

>>8688990
Also called Shipwreckers in some countries.
Wasn't well received by PC mags at the time because it was too arcady and simplistic according to reviews.
It's identical to the PS version, but looks a lot better on a 3dfx setup.

>>8689071
canceled at the speed of light in the [current year]
why did everyone turn into pussies?

>>8689105
Being offended professionally became a viable thing.

>>8689071

The art for MotorToon was done by the Famitsu Magazine artist guy.

>>8689071
>Bolbox
lol funny word
>>8689123
this looks like that classic Ridge Racer level that's in every game

>>8688484
>God they're such flimsy shit but I love the few longboxes I have.

There were two types of long boxes for the early PS1. The first type was seen in first party releases, and is a plastic/ cardboard combination. Kinda like a 3DO box. There is long box type two, which is the large plastic jewel case type box. Sony apparently purchased those from Sega, as Sega would use the same boxes for Sega CD and Sega Saturn games. I had a Saturn and Sega CD, with quite a few of those long boxes, and they would break easily.

>>8688990
It seems that most of Psygnosis's PS1 era games were ported to PC. Some even managed to get Saturn ports before the console bit the dust.

>>8689831
His name Susumu Matsushita.

>>8687746
>Ridge Racer
It's overlooked now in favor of the inferior Ridge Racer 4

>>8689880
Being contrarian does not make you special.

>>8689880
RRT4 was superior in everything, the only RR better than 4 is V and with it, spiritual lineage ends.

>>8689896
>RRT4 was superior in everything, the only RR better than 4 is V and with it, spiritual lineage ends.

RRT4 also came packaged with a bonus disc called 'Turbo Mode', which is a demo of the original Ridge Racer running at 60fps:
https://youtu.be/4836lmrDfIU?t=496

>>8689959
It wasn't a demo. It was the whole fucking game in 60fps.

>>8689029
It wasn't just "a reason to own a PS1", it was literally packed in with the first batch of them.

>>8689964
It didn't let you race with 11 opponents. Which could've been a necessary sacrifice to achieve 60 FPS to be fair.

>>8689971
Ridge Racer is 3.51mb in its entirety (no music included) and can be played straight from RAM after loading up without the disc itself. The Turbo disc is 287mb (out of 700 mb for the average PSX disc). Less opponents being processed in real time but it's still the whole track with all the playable vehicles included. It's a full game.

>>8689964
>It wasn't a demo. It was the whole fucking game in 60fps.

Oh right, for whatever reason I thought it was a 1 track demo. But there is a demo of the original Ridge Racer on the disc, and it was put there for comparison reasons.

>>8689896
Both 4 and 5 are shit. RR = RRR >> Rage Racer >>> 4 = 5
>a demo of the original Ridge Racer running at 60fps:
And in horrendous 480i

>>8690304
>>8689889

>>8688392
this game's multiplayer is SO good

>>8687773
i specifically remember sitting in the food court in the mall in 1995 and EVERY dude had a babbages bag with ps1 MK3 in it. it was incredible.

>>8687791
my friends and i didnt think it was underrated we just thought it was bad.

>>8687773
>repeating a screenshot

>>8687880

From the same developer as RoboPit, it's Floating Runner. This game was released in January 1996 in Japan, while Mario 64 was released in June 1996. But was released in North America months after Mario 64. It was a pretty obscure game back upon its release. Mostly known for being a 3D platformer that was released before Mario 64.

https://youtu.be/UQtxyscnmu8?t=39

>>8687757
It's unfortunate that Total Eclipse is a shit port, it runs faster at the cost of speeding the game up and fucking up the controls really bad.

I guess this isn't an especially early PS1 game (released around the same time as Tomb Raider 1), but it has that feel. Probably the best PSX-exclusive FPS.

>>8691350
Fuck forgot pic

>>8687739
Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike, fairly unique in their gameplay and great comfy visuals, destructible environment and environment that have that google maps feel.

Herc's Adventure, pretty fun adventure game, a bit simple in gameplay but has great visuals, tons of humour and exploration.

Sentinel Returns, not sure if good as no one had any idea what the heck is going on in that demo but just googling the imagery you will get flashbacks and it certainly feels like "where the hell are we going with it" type of game.

>>8691358
Smooth playing and looks good, but Medal of Honor is definitely a better PS1 FPS. I have to beat Disruptor still but the level design doesn't exactly inspire much. Maybe it gets better later.

>>8690346
>my friends and i didnt think it was underrated we just thought it was bad.

I like Battle Arena Toshienden, in the same way that I like Mortal Kombat 2. The game runs at 30fps, and doesn't feel the greatest. Even Virtua Fighter 1 was 30fps, but does offer a pretty smooth experience. Battle Arena Toshienden was a technical showcase for the system, showing off gouraud shading, textured mapping, 3D arenas and transparencies. It was the first fighting game released for the PS1, months before Tekken. So Sony really liked this game to showcase what the hardware could do against the Saturn and Virtua Fighter. It is what it is. Sony even included the game with the Playstation Classic. Again, they advertised it with Ridge Racer.
https://youtu.be/_9umLeulVVY?t=124

>>8691895
the thing that rocked about Soviet Strike is how they went so hard on that mid 90s multimedia approach to things...like every single thing you can look up on your pause screen has like some kind of video or audio commentary on it from your support crew. really high effort stuff.

Sadly I never finished Suikoden for the PS1. rented it, put a lot of time into the game. I think it is better than part 2.

>>8691958
Still one of my favorite RPGs on the PS1, surprisingly long too for a game made in 1995

>>8691324
Hey, it's called Turbo Edition! It's a feature!

>>8688770
I beat the Saturn version for the first time a while back. It's still a lot of fun.

>>8688369
I've always wondered if it would be possible to add the motor toon tracks to Gran Turismo, the game engines are probably far to different though.

I loved this period of time when the PSX was coming into its own. It was cool walking into Toys R Us and seeing this new “thing” in the block.
>>8689859
I always thought it was weird that they went from black plastic spine ridges, to printed picture of spine ridges. I forgot all about the “Saturn” style cases that they briefly made too.
>>8688259
>censored her top for the cover art
Great thread

>>8695172
>I forgot all about the “Saturn” style cases that they briefly made too.

Image related not mine. I just wanted to show that those were the exact same cases as the Sega CD and Sega Saturn cases. Apparently, Sony didn't manufacture them, they purchased a bunch of excess cases from Sega because they couldn't manufacture enough of their own.

>>8695179

Sega of America introduced those cases with the Sega CD in 1992 in North America. Or '93? Instead of designing new cases for the Saturn, they just continued to manufacture the Sega CD cases for the Saturn. They used those cases for the entire run of the US Saturn. It was confirmed somewhere that Sony did buy crates of them from Sega. But with the Dreamcast, they switched to CD sized jewel cases.