My Top 50 Favourite Playstation 1 Games: #1 + more!

If you missed #2 click here.

We're finally here. What is my favourite PS1 game? Before I reveal that, let's have a recap from #50 to #2...

• #50 Spiderman ***1/2
• #49 Sled Storm ***1/2
• #48 Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling 2 ***1/2
• #47 Kula World ***1/2
• #46 Destruction Derby ***3/4
• #45 Hogs of War ***3/4
• #44 Tekken ***3/4
• #43 Team Buddies ***3/4
• #42 Psychic Force 2 ***3/4
• #41 Crash Bash ***3/4
• #40 Lego Racers ***3/4
• #39 Bust a Move 2 ***3/4
• #38 MediEvil ***3/4
• #37 Tekken 2 ***3/4
• #36 Tombi! ****
• #35 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver ****
• #34 WWF War Zone ****
• #33 Wu-Tang: Taste the Pain ****
• #32 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ****
• #31 Driver ****
• #30 Soul Blade ****
• #29 Parasite Eve II ****
• #28 Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring ****
• #27 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko ****
• #26 Rage Racer ****
• #25 Street Fighter EX2 Plus ****1/4
• #24 Crash Bandicoot ****1/4
• #23 FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 ****1/4
• #22 Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer ****1/4
• #21 WWF Smackdown! ****1/4
• #20 Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories ****1/4
• #19 Jade Cocoon ****1/4
• #18 FIFA 2000 ****1/4
• #17 Spyro the Dragon ****1/4
• #16 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ****1/4
• #15 Gran Turismo ****1/4
• #14 The Legend of Dragoon ****1/2
• #13 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back ****1/2
• #12 Silent Hill ****1/2
• #11 Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon ****1/2
• #10 Final Fantasy VIII ****1/2
• #9 Resident Evil ****1/2
• #8 Worms Armageddon ****1/2
• #7 WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role ****1/2
• #6 Crash Team Racing ****1/2
• #5 Tekken 3 ****3/4
• #4 Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped! ****3/4
• #3 Final Fantasy VII ****3/4
• #2 Resident Evil 2 ****3/4

So my favourite Playstation 1 game is...

#1 - Final Fantasy IX

Released: 2000
Genre: RPG
Rating: ****3/4 stars

Best Moment: The ending. For me, this is possibly my favourite ending in video game history. It gets reduces me to tears. Every. Damn. Time.

Well, if you know me personally, you probably knew more than 50 days ago that my #1 game was going to be Final Fantasy IX. It would possibly top my favourite games of all time list, if I were to ever make one, which I may well do one day.

FF9 to me is everything. Sure, I didn't give it a perfect score of 5 stars, but I don't think a game has been released that I'd rate a perfect score. FF9 has some flaws, some frustrating moments even, but it has HEART. It has more heart than any game I've ever played, period. This game makes me emotional in so many different ways. The story is perfect, the characters are just a great bunch, the music is timeless, the graphics are beautiful in their flawed way. I just have so much love for this game it's unreal. I even named my daughter, Vivi, after the black mage in this game. That black mage is, one of the best characters in video game history by the way.

FF9 is not the first Final Fantasy game I played. It's not even the first Final Fantasy I'd suggest people play. It's for a very particular audience. It has an old school, nostalgic, poetic feel to it. It does play like the classic Final Fantasy games but it's also harder than other games, probably intentionally as a nod to the very classic FF games on the NES. But the way the story is told, the twists and turns, the excellent cast of varied characters, and, for me, the most perfect ending, is what makes this game truly special. I do struggle to put into words why I love this game so much, but this has been my best effort. I just love this game with all my heart, and for me, undisputedly, is my Favourite Playstation 1 Game.

So Final Fantasy IX, congratulations, you've earned this prestigious trophy!

Here's some nerdy stats if you're into that thing!

Video Game Series With Multiple Entries

Crash Bandicoot - 5 (Crash Bandicoot #24, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back #13, Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped! # 4, Crash Team Racing #6, Crash Bash #41)

Final Fantasy - 3 (Final Fantasy VII #3, Final Fantasy VIII #10, Final Fantasy IX #1)

Resident Evil - 3 (Resident Evil #9, Resident Evil 2 #2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis #16)

Tekken - 3 (Tekken #44, Tekken 2 #37, Tekken 3 #5)

Spyro the Dragon - 3 (Spyro the Dragon #17, Spyro 2: Gateaway to Glimmer #22. Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon #11)

WWF Smackdown! - 2 (WWF Smackdown! #21, WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role #7)

Best PS1 Game Per Year

1995 - Tekken - ***3/4 #44

1996 - Resident Evil - ****1/2 #9

1997 - Final Fantasy VII - ****3/4 #3

1998 - Resident Evil 2 - ****3/4 #2

1999 - Crash Team Racing - ****1/2 #6

2000 - Final Fantasy IX - ****3/4 #1

Total Games Per Year

As you can see, the year 1999 dominated my list. It's one of my all time favourite years in video game history. Crash Team Racing, Worms Armageddon, FF8, Silent Hill, Legend of Dragoon, Resi 3, FIFA 2000 all are in my Top 20!

Best PS1 Game By Genre

Party - Crash Bash - ***3/4 #41

Puzzle - Bust a Move 2 - ***3/4 #39

Action - Driver - **** #31

Strategy - Worms Armageddon - ****1/2 #8

Sports - WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role - ****1/2 #7

Racing - Crash Team Racing - ****1/2 #6

Fighting - Tekken 3 - ****3/4 #5

Platformer - Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped! - ****3/4 #4

Horror - Resident Evil 2 - ****3/4 #2

RPG - Final Fantasy IX - ****3/4 #1

Total Games By Genre

So Platformers, Fighting games and Sports games dominate the list. Despite RPGs being my favourite genre, there were only 5 in the list, compared to the 9 Platformers in the list.

So... that's pretty much it from me! Thanks for reading my Top 50 Favourite Playstation 1 Games list. To go back all the way to #50 click here!

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My Top 50 Favourite Playstation 1 Games: #25

If you missed #26 click here.

Before I reveal what #25 is, let's recap the games between #50 and #26...

• #50 Spiderman ***1/2
• #49 Sled Storm ***1/2
• #48 Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling 2 ***1/2
• #47 Kula World ***1/2
• #46 Destruction Derby ***3/4
• #45 Hogs of War ***3/4
• #44 Tekken ***3/4
• #43 Team Buddies ***3/4
• #42 Psychic Force 2 ***3/4
• #41 Crash Bash ***3/4
• #40 Lego Racers ***3/4
• #39 Bust a Move 2 ***3/4
• #38 MediEvil ***3/4
• #37 Tekken 2 ***3/4
• #36 Tombi! ****
• #35 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver ****
• #34 WWF War Zone ****
• #33 Wu-Tang: Taste the Pain ****
• #32 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ****
• #31 Driver ****
• #30 Soul Blade ****
• #29 Parasite Eve II ****
• #28 Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring ****
• #27 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko ****
• #26 Rage Racer ****

Okay then! So, what will start off the Top 25? Well it's none other than...

#25 - Street Fighter EX2 Plus

Released: 1999
Genre: Fighting
Rating: ****1/4 stars

Best Moment: Getting your ass handed to you by Bison II - he's nearly indestructible!

Street Fighter isn't my natural fighting game but it's one that I have played over the years. I do prefer Tekken and even Mortal Kombat, but the SF games are tremendous too. I never did play Street Fighter 3, instead I played Street Fighter EX2 Plus. It's a spinoff of the main SF games and for some reason I just loved playing this. I loved playing as Sagat, he was always my go-to character, where as back in the original Street Fighter II days I was always Ryu. I love the Super Combos you can do in the SFEX2+ game, and for me that's what makes this game stand out well against the many, MANY other SF games. But also, going against the secret Bison II boss is an awesome moment, even if it's ridiculously hard to even give him a good fight, nevermind actually beating him! Apparently you can unlock him in SFEX3, although I never did play that entry in the series. Anyway, if you're looking for a good Street Fighter game on the original Playstation, in my opinion, this is the best.

Looking for #24? Click here!

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My Top 50 Favourite Playstation 1 Games: #31

If you missed #32 click here.

#31 - Driver

Released: 1999
Genre: Action
Rating: **** stars

Best Moment: Driving fast and avoiding the cops. What's more to love??

In a certain way I feel sorry for Driver. The game set a precedent at the time for showing that you can get a game that does 3D driving and illegal/crooked activity and make a big success out of it. Back then there was a little game you may have heard called Grand Theft Auto. In those days the GTA games were 2D over-the-top view, like Micro Machines. Then Driver came out, and showed you can make a fully 3D action driving game that can really work. Look at that screen shot above. You have the "damage" bar but you often also have a "felony" bar, which is practically identical to the "star" rating in the GTA games. Look at the map in the bottom corner? Looks like the GTA radar right? This game came out in 1999. Two years later GTA3 came out and completely changed EVERYTHING. But if it wasn't for this game showing how to do it first, the GTA series may not be the mega blockbuster game series it is today.

This game isn't perfect though, not by a long shot. The training "driving test" at the beginning of the game is HARD. And if you can't beat it, you can't play the game. So many players actually quit there and then before even getting the game properly started. And while the game is tons of fun, the fact that you can't leave the car was very frustrating. In the sequel you could leave the car but it looked awful, and barely added anything to the game play, apart from letting you go into a different car. As I said, GTA games took the ball and ran with it, but Driver did show how things CAN be done, before GTA really took off, and they have my full respect for that.

20 down, 30 to go! Find out what came in at #30 by clicking here!

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