Game News Anniversary of PlayStation in France: these cult games that have marked history (FF 7, Gran Turismo, Tekken…)
The first PlayStation of the name celebrated its anniversary this week in France, and with it, it was an iconic brand of video games that then landed in France. In order to remind us of this release of a legendary console, we offer you a return to the greatest titles that have marked an entire generation.
Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on September 29, 1995? Some of you may have acquired the first PlayStation. Sony’s very first video game console didn’t take too long before it landed in our country, a little less than 10 months following its initial Japanese release in December 1994. To celebrate the somewhat special anniversary of the one we calls “PS1”, we invite you to (re)discover a selection of the greatest titles that marked the most successful 5th generation console, and who transformed the video game industry by imposing a strong and legendary brand. Racing, fighting, infiltration, platform games, or even survival-horror and RPGs… there’s something for everyone on this legendary machine!
Summary
- Final Fantasy VII
- Metal Gear Solid
- Grand Touring
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Crash Bandicoot 3
- Resident Evil 2
- Tomb Raider
- Tekken 3
- Spyro the Dragon
- Silent Hill
Final Fantasy VII
While Sony is famous for the power of its exclusive licenses, it’s a safe bet that the video game most instinctively associated with the first PlayStation is the new iteration of a license Squaresoft born on competing machines. The mythical Final Fantasy VII was also a title originally intended for Nintendo 64, then whose project drifted towards the Sony console. Featuring Cloud Strife, this J-RPG is not necessarily the best in the series, nor the one that is most unanimous among fans of the saga, however “FF7” is the first to finally be released in Europe and has contributed to the democratization of the genre outside of Japan and North America. No other episode of the saga, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary at the end of the year, has had so many spin-offs and such a wide extended universe, and the incredible enthusiasm that surrounded the project. Final Fantasy VII Remake is there to recall the cult game status of FF7, the console’s second best-selling game with 10 million units sold.
Ahhhh, the great era of Konami and its legendary logo. If you didn’t know her, know that during the heyday of the PlayStation, the Japanese publisher was one of those enjoying the best reputation in the industry, and chained hit following hit (by the way, it is the one that will be the most honored in this selection). Again, this is a non-exclusive license although very associated with PlayStation, just like the Japanese publisher, and born on the competition side in the 80s. Metal Gear Solid is one of the greatest legends of his generation, devoting the work of its brilliant designer Hideo Kojima and bringing the video game into an almost more cinematic dimension. 7 million sales will reward this stealth game which changed the video game landscape and still remains one of the greatest creations in history.
Grand Touring
The PlayStation has blown out its 3 candles recently when its first huge technical slap lands. Sony’s flagship license for almost a quarter of a century, Grand Touring makes an impression from its incredible intro sequence, unheard of on consoles at the time. Pioneer of automotive simulation with which many prestigious manufacturers are already associated, the first “GT” is a model of its kind and will be the best-selling title of the machine, with nearly 11 million copies distributed worldwide. It’s the oldest PlayStation license still in operation, and Sony has understood this well by honoring its quarter of a century with the excellent Grand Touring 7 recently, worthy heir to this absolute myth of the PS1 and its time.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Another Konami masterpiece, Castlevania : Symphony of the Night is one of those great must-have titles that come to mind when we talk regarding both the first PlayStation, but also retrogaming. Biggest game of the license according to some, second half at the origin of the concept of “metroidvania” according to others, this new episode of Castlevania is one of those titles that did not choose to follow the fashion of 3D, then in full swing. It must be said that 32-bit consoles like the PlayStation were the mediums of choice for offering 2D titles with very neat production, which Konami had perfectly integrated for once. Symphony of the Night is thus one of the rare console games to have aged much better than the others, alas, the commercial success was not as great as its predecessors… which does not prevent it from being acclaimed by the players.
Crash Bandicoot 3
It was not easy to make a choice between the three episodes of the first trilogy of Naughty Dog. Arguably PlayStation’s most cherished studio of the past 15 years kicked off with three top notch platformers, but we chose to opt for Crash Bandicoot 3 : Warped in this selection to dedicate all of the work of the “Dogs”, synthesized to perfection in a final, very complete section. Crazy and in a “cartoon” style that has aged rather well, the adventures of the marsupial made it the mascot of this first generation of PlayStation consoles, to the point of seeing fans constantly clamoring for its return following many years of getting lost in episodes never as compelling as the PS1 trilogy. Crash Bandicoot 3 has sold just over 7 million copies and remains one of the greatest platform games of its generation, and one of the few worthy competitors for Super Mario.
Resident Evil 2
The greatest survival-horror franchise was born astride two consoles including the PlayStation, but it is its sequel that we have decided to put in the spotlight here. Early 1998, Resident Evil 2 introduces a whole new duo of characters with Claire Redfield (younger sister of the hero of the previous part) and Leon S. Kennedy, whose frightening adventures we will follow in a Raccoon City plagued by terrifying events. This opus contrasts radically with the first and will be distinguished by its multiple scenarios, the choice of the playable character from the outset, but also a tumultuous development passed by a complete reboot in the hands of Hideki Kamiya, charismatic game designer behind Devil May Cry, Ōkami or Bayonetta (just that). It will also be the best-selling Resident Evil on the console, with 5.77 million copies.
Tomb Raider
If Lara Croft is an icon, it’s largely thanks to the PlayStation. Tomb Raider was released in 1996 on two simultaneous supports, with the Saturnbut it’s the Sony machine that gave it its pedigree. The famous heroine has revolutionized the action-adventure game by taking us to the four corners of the world and especially by becoming the first female video game character to reach such a level of popularity. Highly associated with the success of the brand’s first console, Tomb Raider exceeded 7 million sales and was the starting point of a saga that still enjoys a great deal of love from its fans, a quarter of a century following the first adventures of the famous explorer.
Tekken 3
While fans of fighting games have sworn by Street Fighter for many years, Namco decided to hit hard on PlayStation with its own fighting game license. Available in three episodes on Sony’s first console, it will somehow reach its apotheosis with the excellent (and mythical) Tekken 3, absolute synthesis of all that the developer knew how to do best in his field in his time, between magnificent graphics, high-end sound effects and precise and polished gameplay. It will also be the 5th best-selling game on the console with 8.3 million units sold, which says a lot regarding the well-deserved success of this last part of the original trilogy.
Spyro the Dragon
While Crash Bandicoot wanted to play it cool and a bit more teenage, Sonic the Hedgehog way, the other PlayStation-exclusive mascot sought more inspiration from Super Mario and its smash hit. Cuter and more accessible, Spyro the Dragon is one of those great PS1 classics that launched the career of a studio now owned by Sony, namely Insomniac Games (having then exploded with Ratchet & Clank and Marvel’s Spider-Man). If it hurts a little in the head today, its revolutionary 3D for the time having taken a blow of old, it was one of the best platform games of its time, with an adventure connotation pushing exploration for all audiences. The first part of the trilogy approached 5 million in sales.
Silent Hill
Let’s finish this top 10 with another horror game, and yet another Konami game: Silent Hillstill and always exclusive to the first PlayStation at the moment, crystallizes the expectations of many video game enthusiasts who want to see at least a remake. More horror (psychological) oriented than survival, and much less action connoted than Resident Evil, this anthology title has marked the minds of all players who have touched it, due to its particularly distressing atmosphere and common to no other title of its kind. Although reserved for an informed public, the game that gave new meaning to fog will still reach the 2 million copies mark, and will establish itself as one of the most cult video games of its generation.
What has become of the PlayStation brand today? Embodied by the overpowering PlayStation 5, Sony’s gaming division continues to consistently deliver high-quality titles. Here’s our pick of the top five PlayStation console exclusives currently available on PS5: