Sony has announced the first five titles that will be released with the PlayStation Classic, meaning that there are 15 slots left to fill. The games we know about so far are as follows:
- Final Fantasy VII,
- Jumping Flash,
- Ridge Racer Type 4,
- Tekken 3, and
- Wild Arms.
Great games. We want more great games, though. Specifically these 15 great games, which are in, for the record, no particular order.
There you have it. Fifteen games that we (I) need to come with the PlayStation Classic. The PlayStation Classic drops on December 3, 2018. It costs 97 million dollars.
Were there any you’d personally like to see? Let us know in the comments!
Essential Reading:
- Now Loading: Do You Plan On Buying a PlayStation Classic?
- Now Loading: What Games Do You Want on the PlayStation Classic?
- PlayStation Classics
Remaining 15 PlayStation Classic Games Should Be
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Crash Team Racing
Considering the success of the remaster Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, rumors of a remastered Crash Team Racing have been circulating for quite a while. Nothing quite beats playing the original, though, so it would be pretty cool if Sony announced CTR. Mario Kart may be the cool kid on the block nowadays, but it should really respect its elders. CTR is one of the best cart racing games of all time.
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Gran Turismo 2
More racing. Gran Turismo 2 had some of the best graphics of any PS1 era game, and although they may not hold up particularly well now, it has earned its right to be on this list. Gran Turismo 2 was a genre-defining game, and it was leagues ahead of any other 90s racers. Even people who didn't like racing games enjoyed this one. It was that good.
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Twisted Metal 3
Cars in this one, too. But these cars had guns. Big guns.
Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal 2, and Twisted Metal 3 are all basically the same thing, but the second game was madder than the first, and the third game was madder than the first two combined. Rocket League is about as absurd as we get with non-racing vehicular titles now. Rocket League is about soccer. Twisted Metal is about mutually-assured destruction. It's brutal. It's brilliant. Bring it back, Sony. Please.
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Spyro the Dragon
There's a Spyro remaster inbound already, but the PlayStation Classic wouldn't be complete without everybody's favorite purple dragon. Spyro and Crash were Sony's answer to Mario and Link. You can't release the PlayStation Classic without the characters who represented it. You just can't. Remaster or no remaster. CTR is already listed above. Spyro needs some love, too. Everybody wants to fight Gnasty Gnorc again. He's just so Gnasty, and Spyro is so amazing.
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Spider Man
"Spider-Man? Yeah, I played that like, 18 years ago. Oh, the new one? Meh."
Okay, I'm joking. The new Spider-Man is incredible. So is this one, though, and everybody's got their Spidey senses tingling after finishing Peter Parker's most recent adventure. This game may be a little less smooth to play, but it's got just as much character. Also, it deserves credit for helping to popularize superhero video games. Don't tell me that you wouldn't love more Spidey.
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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
There is a list of the most beloved games of all time written by Peter Molyneux himself that says "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is the closest we'll ever get to enlightenment." No one knows where the list is. No one has ever read it. We have only thought of it, because that's how enlightened people read.
This game made everybody buy a skateboard in real life that they then neglected because the game was more fun. Building your own skate park was one of the most fun things that you could do, whether you were eight or 80. If this game isn't included as part of the 15, I quit.
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Tomb Raider 2
Tomb Raider 2 took everything that Tomb Raider did and made it better. Although the original is massively important due to the fact that it introduced one of the first ever female leads in a video game, the second installment in the series was a better Lara Croft game overall.
Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2 were two of the best games on the PS1, as well as being two of the first ever 3D action-adventure titles. However, only 15 games can come with the PlayStation Classic, so we'll have to prioritize the sequel. The PlayStation Classic wouldn't be complete without Lara Croft.
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Resident Evil 2
Another sequel. Same reason as the last one. Resi 1 was great. Resi 2 was better. Geddit?
The Resident Evil series did something similar to what Kojima did with MGS. It prioritized a slow-burning narrative over an "AAAAAAAAAA" one. It was more concerned with psychological horror than jump scares and shooting 5 million zombies. I think Resident Evil 2, even if it has aged poorly, could still scare a lot of people if it came with the PlayStation Classic. On top of the horror accolades, it's actually just a great game. I would be shocked if it didn't get one of the 15 remaining slots.
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Suikoden 2
AAAAAAnd it's another sequel. Suikoden 2 was a game that came out in 1998 that allowed the protagonist to recruit up to 108 allies. I shit you not. 1998. 108. What?
Unfortunately, Suikoden 2 was only ever released as a limited run. Now, many critics consider it to be one of the best console RPGs of all time. It didn't get its due back in 1998, so now should be its time to shine. The best part of Suikoden 2 is its story, which is timeless. Yeah, the mechanics may be a bit dated, but if the story is the selling point, who cares? Well, some people might. Still, give this game a go. You'll love it.
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Silent Hill
Scarier than Resi 2. I do and don't want Silent Hill. I know I'll play it. I know that means sleepless nights. Can you have fun while simultaneously being scared shitless? Of course you can.
Harry Mason. Remember him? Every game you'd ever played before Silent Hill allowed you to kill the bad guys. Haha. How would you do in a horror game? Like you, personally. Not great, I'd imagine. Better than Harry Mason, though. That guy was useless. That's why this game was extra spooky. Also, monsters, multiple dimensions—you get the gist. This game was a pee-your-pants game. It's definitely coming with the PlayStation Classic. I can sense it.
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
So, this game kinda needs to be included in the list. Not just this list—THE list. This is quite simply one of the greatest games ever, and lots of people have missed out on it because you know, they weren't born. The current generation of players needs to check out Symphony of the Night, and the PlayStation Classic release is the way to make that happen.
This game is the reason "Metroidvania" is a word you read 764 times a day. It is not only genre-defining—it made a new genre. This game is probably among the PS1 games that have aged best, so it would be shocking if it weren't included. Critically-acclaimed? Check. Playable? Check. Utterly amazing? CHECK.
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Ape Escape
The apes are escaping. You need to catch them. Wait, what are you doing? No, that wasn't bizarre enough. Let the ape go. Do it again. Make it mad. Use all the gadgets. We gave you loads.
This game is fun. Not fun as an adjective. This game is the definition of fun. It synonymizes with the word "fun." Hot take: All of the apes in today's world are actually being sent here from the past. Ape Escape is historically accurate, like Assassin's Creed Odyssey. It's actually more accurate. If you're a history teacher, this should be a case study you assign to your students.
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PaRappa the Rapper
You like Guitar Hero? BanG Dream? Rock Band? Respect your elders. PaRappa invented the game. The rhythm game, that is.
However, unlike the earsplitting missed note audio cues that are a staple of modern rhythm games, PaRappa would actually just sing at the wrong time if you missed the note. Mechanically inferior, you say? No. This is the quintessential rhythm game.
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Oddworld: Abe's Odyssee
Assassin's Creed what? Oh, Odyssey? You mean OdyseE? Like, Abe's Odysee? Yeah, I can dig that. Gerard actually included this in his list of games that need to be made into HBO shows. The Gorillaz are gonna do the soundtrack, hypothetically speaking.
This game was a world filled with oddities. Yes, an Oddworld. Oh, that's actually the name of the game, too. Well, it lives up to its name, then, doesn't it? This game was just so wonderfully weird that it saddens me deeply to think that a lot of people may not have played it. I remember playing it in my cousin's house when I was like five years old. Even then I thought, "haha wtf is going on? This is incredible."
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Metal Gear Solid
Ah, Kojima. King of the PlayStation. If Metal Gear Solid isn't included in the 20 games launching alongside the PlayStation Classic, then I'm breaking my PS4. Really. That's how angry I'll be at Sony. That's also how you piss off a multi-billion dollar company, by the way—you break your own expensive possessions in a protest that they'll never even know about.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the most important and influential games, maybe ever. Unlike a lot of the games that came out at the same time as it, it encouraged players to be patient. Its mechanics were stealth-oriented, instead of asking the player, "WELL, how many buttons can YOU press in four seconds?"
Kojima is a known auteur, and this is super visible in Metal Gear Solid. It popularized cutscenes and voice acting, which are staples of contemporary game design. Oh, Hideo. What did we do to deserve you?
