10 Sadly Forgotten PS1 Games You Should Seek Out
Everyone remembers the PS1, as it’s one of the most successful and recognizable video game consoles ever made, but not every game made for Sony’s debut console in the video game industry receives much recognition these days. Some titles that were released over the years for the PS1 have been unfortunately lost to time, and while most of them aren’t exactly brilliant, there are more than a few brilliant games that have been sadly forgotten about.
1. G-Darius
Developer:TaitoPublisher:Taito
The classic side scroller has been one of the many casualties of the relentless march of technological advancement, with G-Darius serving as a great reminder that progress isn’t without its downsides.
Originally a shoot’em up arcade game and the fourth installment in a long line of Taito’s long-running Darius entries, G-Darius was ported to the PlayStation in 1998, eventually finding its way to other platforms such as the PC, the PS2 and, sometime later, the PS4. In a similar vein to the games that preceded it, G-Darius is a classic side-scrolling shoot’em up in which players control the Silver Hawk spaceship and must avoid obstacles and enemies as they process through various zones.
Sadly, the Darius franchise never quite became a household name in the West. G-Darius was missed by many as a string of other titles crowded the market and jostled for attention, but as far as side scrollers go, Taito’s excellent, fast-paced adventure is a prime exponent of just how fun this venerable old genre used to be.
If you’re a fan of classic shoot’em ups and want to experience a game that truly captures the essence of the genre, then G-Darius is a must-play. With its challenging gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, G-Darius is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
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2. The Misadventures Of Tron Bonne
Developer:CapcomPublisher:Capcom, Eidos Interactive
Over the past few years, Capcom have made a pretty penny releasing collections of old Mega Man games, including the mainline Mega Man Legacy Collection, the Mega Man X Legacy Collection, Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection and (pause for breath), Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. There’s still more Mega Man to compile though, with Mega Man Legends a prime candidate for a re-release. Hopefully though, that collection will also include The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, a prequel to the entire series.
Following the antihero of the Legends series, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne sees the titular mech pilot and her army of loyal Servbots trying to lie, cheat and steal in order to raise enough funds and rescue her family from crippling debt. With three different kinds of levels available, ranging from puzzles, adventure stages and action stages similar to the rest of the Legends series, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne deserves to be remembered alongside the best of the Mega Man series.
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is a unique and charming game that offers a different perspective on the Mega Man universe. With its engaging story, memorable characters, and challenging gameplay, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is a must-play for any fan of the Mega Man series.
If you’re looking for a fun and challenging game with a unique twist, then The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is a great choice. With its charming characters, engaging story, and challenging gameplay, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
3. No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!
Developer:ArtdinkPublisher:Artdink (JP), JVC Music Europe (EU), Acclaim Entertainment (NA)
Is there a title that better typifies the phrase “underrated PS1 games” like ‘No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!’? Produced by the little-known Japanese studio Artdink, Mr. Domino charges players with placing down rows of dominoes along a variety of game stages in such a way that enough can then be toppled effectively and the stage can be completed. Dominoes doesn’t get tougher than this.
This is the thing about the fifth generation of consoles: they were still sufficiently primitive that there was still a necessity for innovation in order to justify the existence of the medium as a whole. While most contemporary AAA studios have the budgets and tech to capture the same warzones, post-apocalyptic wastelands and endless tracts of open-world loveliness, studios had to be far smarter, and indeed stranger, when constructing their odd little worlds.
Japanese games in particular evidence this commitment to the surreal and the unconventional, and nowhere is it more apparent than NOCSMD, a beautifully arranged, very quirky piece of design that takes a simple concept and makes it soar. Getting your dominoes in place is a challenging feat in its own regard, but NOCSMD is made brilliant by virtue of its irrepressible charm. If you like games like the gorgeous Katamari franchise, you’ll likely love its domino-obsessed cousin.
When and where else could you enjoy puzzle games built around anthropomorphic dominoes in the mainline market? Keep your God of War: Ragnarök. Give me No One Can Stop Mr. Domino.
No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! is a truly unique and charming game that offers a refreshing take on the puzzle genre. With its simple yet addictive gameplay, charming characters, and quirky sense of humor, No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
4. Einhander
Developer:SquarePublisher:Square, Sony Computer Entertainment
Remember a simpler time in gaming when you could just load up an arcade shooter and have a blast, before throwing your controller halfway across the room because the game is coded to eat your continues like you’re in Hungry Hungry Hippos. The PS1’s “Shmup” library is vast, and while franchises like R-Type, Gradius, Raiden and others have been given another chance to shine on additional platforms, games like Einhander have been mostly forgotten. A shame really, because Einhander is quite the whipper.
A sci-fi take on a Greek mythological story of Selene and Endymion, which is a great premise already, Einhander sees the Moon colony of Selene at war with the Earth colony of Sodom. As a pilot of the Einhander, this game actually gives a good lore explanation as to why you’re a lone ship facing off against an entire armada, as you’re on kamikaze missions designed to do as much damage as possible before being blown into a pile of space dust. It’s just nice to know I was expected to die when I inevitably do, you know?
Einhander is a challenging and rewarding game that offers a unique blend of action and strategy. With its fast-paced gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Einhander is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re a fan of classic shoot’em ups, then Einhander is a must-play.
Einhander is a game that truly captures the essence of the classic shoot’em up genre. With its challenging gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Einhander is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
5. Rapid Reload
Developer:Media VisionPublisher:Sony Computer Entertainment
The world is a poorer place thanks to the untimely decline of the run and gun shooter. Ok, Studio MDHR did their best to bring the format back to the mainstream with their punishingly difficult animated adventure Cuphead, but for the most part you have to look back in time for the golden age of the medium.
Developed by Media Vision and published by none other than Sony Computer Entertainment, Rapid Reload is a relentlessly enjoyable runner gunner that gives players a choice of protagonists before letting them loose to cause carnage and destruction across the game’s six vibrant levels.
There is a plot about two treasure hunters out to retrieve a legendary gemstone amidst all of the shooting, but quite frankly it would make no difference whether you were out to save a princess, topple an authoritarian government or collect brightly coloured turnips. Rapid Reload is far more about the experience of its face-paced action and breakneck gameplay than it is about telling a cohesive story. For a great exponent of what runner gunners were all about when done well, Rapid Reload looks and sounds as good as it plays.
Rapid Reload is a game that captures the fast-paced action and excitement of the classic run-and-gun genre. With its challenging gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Rapid Reload is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re a fan of classic run-and-gun shooters, then Rapid Reload is a must-play.
6. Gundam: Battle Assault 2
Developer:NatsumePublisher:Bandai, D3 Publisher
When you really look at it, Gundam: Battle Assault 2 had no other choice than to be underrated and overlooked. The first game, which was released on PS1 in 1998 before being ported to the West after the turn of the millenium, didn’t review the best, so naturally that would affect the sales of any sequel. What didn’t help matters for Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is the fact that it launched exclusively on the PS1 at the tailend of 2002, when the console’s successor, the PS2, was already heading towards its third year on shop shelves. Talk about being stuck in the past.
What makes this so tragic is the fact that Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is considered to be a massive improvement over the original game, with tighter controls, more characters, better individual story modes for each of the characters and an improved visual presentation. While it might not stand among the classics of the fighting game genre, Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is still a great fighting game and an idea that perhaps should be revisited in the future. More 2D mech fighting games, please.
Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a great fighting game that offers a unique blend of action and strategy. With its fast-paced gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re a fan of the Gundam franchise or fighting games in general, then Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a must-play.
Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a game that truly captures the essence of the Gundam franchise. With its fast-paced gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
7. Akuji the Heartless
Developer:Crystal DynamicsPublisher:Eidos Interactive
File Akuji the Heartless firmly under the heading ‘games that would never, ever get made today’. And not without reason.
Without being reductive about a time of great innovation and insight, the PS1 era was a quite strange period for games, exemplified by the utterly bizarre and mostly forgotten tale told by 1998’s macabre fantasy title Akuji the Heartless. In fact, Akuji the Heartless wasn’t so much slightly off the wall as it was strikingly weird and at times absurdly dark.
Crystal Dynamics’ late 90s action-adventure odyssey focused on the titular Akuji, a voodoo priest whose heart is quite literally torn out on the day of his wedding and who must now wander the Underworld searching for a way back home.
Weird or not, what the game did have going for it, however, was pedigree. Published by Eidos Interactive, the same lot who put their name to most of the best Thief games and developed by Crystal Dynamics, the guys who birthed the excellent Gex the Gecko franchise, Akuji the Heartless was undeniably well made, even if its controversial setup and relentlessly dark tone proved off-putting for some.
Bizarre, unsettling but undeniably well put together, Akuji the Heartless is an underrated PS1 game that definitely ain’t for kids.
Akuji the Heartless is a game that is both strange and compelling. With its unique story, memorable characters, and challenging gameplay, Akuji the Heartless is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re looking for a game that is both strange and compelling, then Akuji the Heartless is a must-play.
8. Silent Bomber
Developer:CyberConnectPublisher:Bandai, Virgin Interactive
Top-down shoot ’em ups were all the rage back during the PS1 generation of consoles, and even before then. The formula couldn’t be similar, as you often entered a room, laid waste to hundreds of goons with some kind of superior weapon, then moved on to the next room. It’s a genre that kept gaming alive for a good while there, and while Silent Bomber can count itself among those kinds of games, it’s actually quite a bit different from others. You’re still cleaning out rooms of enemies, but instead of using guns, you’re lobbing bombs like some unhinged Bomberman. You know, without those pesky walls or blocks obstructing your explosions.
As former war criminal Jutah, you’ve been drafted to infiltrate and destroy a space cruiser referred to as the Dante, and you’ll achieve this by chucking bombs all over the place until the credits roll. What makes Silent Bomber so much fun is the fact that players can chain bombs together, and even acquire upgrades and power-ups that change the properties of his bombs entirely, adding a bit of depth to what could have merely been a brainless series of explosions.
Silent Bomber is a fun and challenging game that offers a unique twist on the classic top-down shooter genre. With its fast-paced gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Silent Bomber is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re a fan of classic top-down shooters, then Silent Bomber is a must-play.
Silent Bomber is a game that truly captures the essence of the classic top-down shooter genre. With its challenging gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Silent Bomber is a game that deserves to be rediscovered.
9. MDK
Developer:Shiny EntertainmentPublisher:Playmates Interactive (NA), Shiny Entertainment (EU)
Has there ever been a stranger game than MDK? Perhaps the wilfully bizarre LSD: Dream Emulator or the infamous adventures of Pepsiman take the cake, but MDK has to be up there in terms of the bizarre stakes. Describing MDK doesn’t really do justice to the experience of actually playing it.
Players take on the role of the delightfully-named Kurt Hectic, a leather-clad man of action and part-time janitor who looks like a leather enthusiast roleplaying as the xenomorph from the Alien movies. Tasked with repelling an alien invasion, Kurt must destroy the large ‘minecrawlers’ that have come to strip Earth of its natural resources, a plot that makes as little sense as the game’s deranged visuals would indicate.
Not that MDK spends much of its time anywhere even closely resembling Earth. Shiny Entertainment’s relentlessly bizarre FPS uses a migraine-inducing colour palette of blacks and oranges, giving the game its unique flavour but just occasionally threatening to induce the mother of all migraines.
Strange or not, MDK is still held in esteem today as one of the most influential shooters of the 90s, its rave reviews at the time testifying to how bold and innovative Shiny Entertainment’s underrated oddity actually was. Thanks to its relentless pace and glorious mission design, MDK was way ahead of its time.
MDK is a game that is both strange and compelling. With its unique story, memorable characters, and challenging gameplay, MDK is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re looking for a game that is both strange and compelling, then MDK is a must-play.
10. One
Developer:Visual ConceptsPublisher:ASC Games (NA), Take-Two Interactive (EU), Capcom (JP)
There’s something to be said about a video game that goes for a strong opening, and One, the forgotten shoot ’em up/platformer hybrid from 1997, is about as strong as it gets. Your character wakes up in an abandoned apartment, with no memory of who they are, and then immediately has to leg it to avoid the helicopter firing missiles through the window. Oh, if that’s not weird enough for you, you now have a barcode on the back of your neck and one of your arms has been replaced with a machine gun.
Perfect. Cinema. 10/10, no notes.
The actual core gameplay of One is spread out across six levels, with your amnesiac character having to run, jump and, of course, gun your way through hordes of enemies in the pursuit of the truth. Why are you the most wanted man in town? Who strapped the gun to your arm? What’s with all these bottomless death pits you have to avoid? The answers to some of those questions will be answered, while the game dynamic camera angles and formula-flipping boss fights ensure that the action never gets stale for long.
Compared to a Final Fantasy VII or other PS1 masterpiece, One is admittedly a brainless daisy chain of explosions from the Press Start screen to the end credits, but there’s beauty in that kind of simplicity. At the end of the day, One is a fun action game that definitely deserves to be remembered.
One is a game that is both fun and challenging. With its unique story, memorable characters, and challenging gameplay, One is a game that deserves to be rediscovered. If you’re looking for a game that is both fun and challenging, then One is a must-play.
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What is G-Darius and why is it considered a forgotten PS1 game?
G-Darius is a classic side-scrolling shoot’em up game that was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. It is considered forgotten as it never quite became a household name in the West due to other titles crowding the market at the time.
What makes G-Darius a must-play for fans of classic shoot’em ups?
G-Darius is a must-play for fans of classic shoot’em ups due to its challenging gameplay, impressive visuals, and memorable soundtrack that truly captures the essence of the genre.
What is The Misadventures of Tron Bonne and why is it mentioned in the article?
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is a prequel game associated with the Mega Man series. It is mentioned in the article as a forgotten PS1 game that Capcom should consider including in their collections of old Mega Man games.
Why is The Misadventures of Tron Bonne considered a game worth seeking out?
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is considered a game worth seeking out as it is a prequel to the Mega Man series and offers a unique gaming experience that fans of the franchise would appreciate.
