The Most Iconic PlayStation 1 Games

Launched by Konami, the title was so iconic for continuing its well-known non-linear way of levels and stages development on a platformer that it helped coin the term “Metroidvania” alongside the other title that became a pioneer of this style, Super Metroid.

Playing as Alucard, the player must fully explore Dracula's immense castle and its surroundings to defeat enemies, uncover mysteries and put an end to the plans of Shaft, who is controlling Lord Richter Belmont.

With several other platformers of the time that introduced new RPG mechanics to their story and character developments, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night brought increased attributes, collectible items and abilities, buffs and interactions with the surroundings that few other titles manage to do the same, to this day.

Crash Bandicoot

Perhaps one of the most iconic faces of the entire PS1 generation, Crash Bandicoot is a third-person action platformer developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony, and tells the story of Crash, an anthropomorphic creature created in a laboratory by two extremely nefarious scientists.

Spinning, jumping and trying not to fall into countless traps and dangers throughout the stages, Crash seeks to stop the cruel scientists' plans and save his friend Tawna, another Bandicoot created in a laboratory like him.

The game was so well received by the public and the media that to this day, it keeps getting sequels, extra content, animations, several merchandising products and is unforgettable in the memory of players of the time. With its chaotic rhythm and vibrant colors, Crash Bandicoot is a title that should pass through the hands of every good fan of its era.

Driver 2: The Wheelman is Back

Long before GTA became the global phenomenon we know, Driver already brought us a game about being part of a life full of crime, shootings, car thefts and all the dangers it all entails. With the sequel, Driver 2: The Wheelman is Back, the game brought even more missions and objectives different from the previous one and expanded the possibilities even further, taking as its backdrop the cities of Chicago, Las Vegas, Havana and Rio de Janeiro.

Filling in the shoes of a mobster involved in international business and traveling the world to complete his missions in the fastest and most beautiful-looking cars he could find was a novelty in the 2000s, and it still entertains us for hours without interruption if we take the time to play it.

Final Fantasy VII

One of the great flagships of Square Enix to date, the Final Fantasy franchise has continued to win over thousands of fans with each new release for decades, and this was already happening in the Play1 era. With the recent launch of the Final Fantasy VII Remakes, we couldn't ignore the chance to talk about this acclaimed title.

With a pleasant and engaging narrative, captivating characters and breathtaking adventures, the player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, a mercenary who, together with his companions, intends to stop the advances of Shinra, an energy company that dominates the world of Gaia with its technology that, at every moment, sucks, weakens and eventually kills the planet's natural resources and life force itself.

With many plot arcs, twists, dramas, romances and a narrative so unforgettable that it deserved the very high-quality remake that we are currently receiving, Final Fantasy VII is one of the biggest and most important titles not only in the entire history of the PlayStation, but of video games in general.

Final Fantasy IX

Just like VII, there is speculation that this incredible work of games will also have its remake announced at some point, as Final Fantasy IX has enough content to entertain its fans for days and days.

Also set in a world named Gaia, in this title you play as Zidane, a mercenary artist whose objective is to kidnap the princess of Alexandria, Garnet, during an immense conflict between rival nations. The game's most considerable difference is its unexpected and variable dynamics, making its gameplay a true D&D-like or any other tabletop RPG-like experience.

Its graphics, soundtrack and story are not far behind and make Final Fantasy IX definitely a Must-Play for lovers of the JRPG style and Play1 classics.

Gran Turismo 2

Another franchise that is still alive with new, recent titles being released for the modern generation consoles, Gran Turismo 2 was one of the biggest - if not the biggest - of all the peaks the brand had in its career. The number of copies sold and the reception from both the public and critics meant that, at the beginning of the 2000s, teenagers fell even more in love with the racing genre that had already been a rage since previous consoles.

The number of young players who set up their dream garages with cars from all countries, brands, origins and tuned and worked on parts was immense, and the “realistic” graphics for the time were combined with easy and straightforward gameplay, simple to learn, with many possibilities for customizing cars and accompanied by an electrifying and fun soundtrack, in the best “2000s” style possible.

Even those who aren't big fans of racing games or cars in general can certainly have fun for a long time with Gran Turismo 2 in hand.

Marvel vs. Capcom

With the great success that arcades made in the 90s with titles such as X-Men vs. Street Fighter, the culture of mixing different franchises into a single fighting game became a rage during the turn of the millennium.

Marvel vs. Capcom was definitely one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in the genre in its time with a wide range of playable characters and companions, the possibility of choosing different characters from several different franchises in a single team and unlocking chaotic and fast-paced sequences, the title was a huge success both in Arcades and on Play1 and was part of the childhood and adolescence of many players at the time.

Metal Gear Solid

Another Konami title, Metal Gear Solid is the third canonical title in the Metal Gear series, coming after Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

The big difference in this game was how much the producers raised the quality and polishing of the story, narrative, graphics and even dubbing, something that was not so common in other games of the genre from the same time. Here, you need to step into the shoes of Solid Snake, an ex-retired soldier who needs to infiltrate the bases of FOXHOUND terrorists and neutralize them.

The mechanics introduced in Metal Gear Solid bring a unique range of interactions with the environment, scenery and its NPCs, making its replayability one of its highlights.

Metal Slug X

Do you like gunshots, chaos, shouting, explosions and lots of laughter? Metal Slug is a franchise already known for offering all of this and much more, but the X title that came out first for Neo Geo and later for Play1 is one of the most iconic of them all.

In addition to Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving, Metal Slug X also lets the player choose between Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina Germi, in addition to offering new weapons, grenades, bombs, scenarios, enemies and so on.

The platformer has beautiful and well polished pixel art graphics, an aesthetic that mixes steampunk with cyberpunk in stages that increase in challenge and difficulty.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Arguably the most memorable game in the history of the franchise, competing for this position with Resident Evil 2 or some of the more recent ones, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is a horror masterpiece released in 1999 for PlayStation that made a big name for itself here in the west during the early 2000s.

Focused on the story of Jill Valentine, RE3's intriguing arcs take place both before and after the acclaimed story of the previous game. In the protagonist's shoes, you must fight to escape Racoon City and its post-apocalyptic wreckage after the disaster caused by Umbrella. Periodically, we get an appearance of the terrifying Nemesis, a brutal and frightening villain who always appears at the most inconvenient times and leaves the player even more tense.

Resident Evil 2 is also highly recommended, but the feeling of playing RE3 for the first time, even in 2024, will always be unique.

Silent Hill

If you've ever been in about being in a place covered in fog and hearing the comment “it looks like Silent Hill!”, congratulations: you already have an idea of ​​how important this game was for its generation of players and for the entire culture of suspense and horror games that remains strong to this day.

With a remake also announced for this year, Silent Hill is a masterpiece of art and suspense, with unprecedented horror scenes in the gaming world and a jaw-dropping story from start to finish.

As Harry Mason, you need to investigate the fictional town of Silent Hill to look for your lost daughter. The game has five different endings that can be unlocked depending on the player's actions and achievements during each campaign.

Spyro the Dragon

The first 3D platformer game, Spyro came to delight fans. Developed and released by Insomniac Games for PlayStation, the game is an engaging and fun story about Spyro, a small dragon who went unnoticed during a war against evil ogres and ended up being the only survivor of a curse that transformed all other flying reptiles into crystals.

You must control Spyro through the different stages of the game, with his best friend Sparx, on missions to defeat the ogres and bring the other dragons back to life.

The game became one of the bestsellers in Play1's golden era and left a legacy that continues to this day, enchanting the hearts of players of all ages, including through a remake released in 2018.

Tekken 3

The acclaimed series of fighting games that remains strong and alive to this day began with titles with questionable graphics and stories, which enchanted fans with their different combat mechanics and very unrealistic physics.

The third entry in the series, Tekken 3, was the most popular for many years and brought together - or broke up - countless friendships around the world. The broken combos that threw characters into the air for several seconds at a time have been improved over the years, but they are still an undeniably fun factor of this title and have marked an entire generation of 3D fighting game fans.

Tomb Raider II

While variety magazines and newscasts in the 2000s used dubious titles like “the internet's most desired virtual babe!” to describe Lara Croft, PlayStation gamers at the time were already much more than involved in a deep story about ancient tombs and artifacts from lost cultures being explored by the protagonist in a best-selling action and mystery title of its time.

With gameplay very similar to the original game, the sequel brought slightly improved graphics and implemented more movement to help the player in moments of greater exploration, something that until then was much slower and more difficult due to the previously limited controls.

Progressing much more by puzzles than adventure and action itself, the plot begins in the Great Wall of China and involves the dagger of Xian, an artifact that is supposedly capable of transforming its bearer into a Dragon.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

Few games scream “2000s” as much as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, especially the second title in the series. Developed by Neversoft and published by Activision, the game is an improvement on the original, with more skaters, stages, scenarios and, for the first time, the option to create your own character.

With even more surreal and visually unforgettable maneuvers, the game also brought with it a better soundtrack than expected, with artists such as Papa Roach, Rage Against the Machine, Bad Religion, Millencolin and Lagwagon being part of the musicians featuring in this gaming masterpiece.

Be it with professional skaters, characters from famous series of the time and even TV presenters among other available characters, you will certainly unlock the best skater possible during your maneuvers in this unskippable game.

We may have forgotten an epic title, or a favorite from various communities that still exist out there, but it is to be expected: the number of great titles, made with care and that bring us pleasant and unique experiences is huge if we encompass everything that was released for the console.

The titles mentioned are an excellent compilation of what it meant to be a Play1 player in the 2000s. Today, very little seems new to us due to the years and years of innovation that games have undergone, but the nostalgia and emotion of experiencing a pioneering era which sets itself apart for having great creations must always be cultivated.

What other games do you think should be part of this list? Comment below your suggestions, or tell us what your experiences were with some of these memorable games!