Developers are often the biggest fans out there. After all, they decided they wanted to spend an entire day making games, before going home and playing even more of them. So to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original PlayStation console, Japanese gaming magazine Degeki PlayStation polled 107 game devs on what their most memorable game from the past two decades has been.
Here are the results.
1. Final Fantasy VII
No surprise here, FFVII is arguably the most iconic installment in the franchise, and smashed sales records when it was released in Japan in 1997. Sony recently announced that the game would be re-released on the PS4, albeit sadly without an HD makeover.
2. Resident Evil
Released as Bio Hazard in Japan, the original Resident Evil made its debut on the PlayStation in 1996. It was originally envisioned as a remake of Capcom’s horror game Sweet Home, but the idea was dropped as the game took on a life of its own during development. A couple dozen games later, and I’m thinking Capcom is pretty glad it did.
3. Ridge Racer
It’s Riiiiidge Racer! The racing game series got its start as an arcade cabinet before making its way to the PlayStation for its console debut in 1994. The series hasn’t aged particularly well, but when it was first released it was one of the biggest games on the original PlayStation console, and helped to establish just how powerful that platform was.
4. PaRappa the Rapper
If you’re going to talk memorable games, there’s no way you can forget PaRappa the Rapper. Easily one of the most bizarre games to date, PaRappa is also generally considered to be the first “modern” rhythm game. So if you love DDR, you’ve got that weird paper dog to thank.
5. Shadow of the Colossus
How can any list of PlayStation games be complete without Shadow of the Colossus? The PlayStation 2 classic (released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus) was a critical and commercial hit when it debuted in 2005, and even a decade later, it remains one of the most beloved games of any era of the PlayStation. Now if only we could get Team Ico to release their next game already…
Note: There was a three-way tie between the final three entries on the list, with all of them receiving an identical number of votes.
6. Gran Turismo
The original Gran Turismo took over five years to develop, and was one of the most technology sophisticated games of its time. The wait was worth it though, and the game was a massive success when it was released in 1997, quickly becoming the bestselling PlayStation game at that time. 10 games later and the series is still going strong, and is widely considered to be the gold standard in console racing games.
7. Vagrant Story
The action RPG Vagrant Story never took off in the same way that Final Fantasy did, but it still holds a special spot in a lot of fans’ hearts. 11 years after its initial release, it was republished for the PlayStation 3, bringing the game to a fresh, new audience. So who knows, if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get our hands on another Vagrant Story someday.
8. Metal Gear Solid
The insanity of Hideo Kojima exploded onto consoles with the original Metal Gear Solid in 1998. Easily one of the most ambitious games of that era, MGS is often cited as being incredibly influential on modern game design, and one of the key titles that helped to popularize the stealth genre.
