Best PS1 Classics To Get Before PS3 Store Closes | Screen Rant
The upcoming closure of the PlayStation 3 online store marks the end of an era for Sony consoles, and one last chance to purchase classic PS1 titles for low prices. With the PS2, Sony popularized backwards compatibility, but the PS4 was a reset of sorts, with no support for PS1, PS2, or PS3 discs - or even for digitally-owned, prior generation titles purchased on the PS3. The PS5 is backwards compatible with PS4, but no older generations of Sony hardware.
This means that when the digital storefront for PS3 and PlayStation Portable closes on July 2, 2021, and the PlayStation Vita online store shuts down on August 27, 2021, many classic titles will become unavailable for digital purchase. Games bought and downloaded prior to the store closure can be re-downloaded from the same account, per Sony, but no new purchases will be available beyond the closure date.
Many PS1 classics sold on the PS3 store can also be played on PSP, Vita, and PlayStation TV devices and are priced between $6 and $10. Some games have received remasters and ports to current-gen hardware, but for others, the closure of the PS3 store means they will be digitally "out of print." Here are a few of the best original PlayStation titles to pick up on the PS3 Store before they are gone for good.
While the PS1 Final Fantasy titles have been remastered and rereleased on numerous formats, several other Square PS1 titles will be unavailable for digital purchase later this year:
- Xenogears: This beloved PS1 RPG, the spiritual predecessor to thematically linked Xenosaga and Xenoblade games, combined mech combat with traditional RPG battles, and featured one of the most ambitious stories of the generation. Xenogears should be among the first purchases for RPG fans.
- Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2: The first two in a trilogy that was completed on the PSP, these action RPGs follow the story of New York police officer Aya Brea and her battle against sinister mitochondria. The Parasite Eve games expanded on a science fiction novel by Hideaki Sena to create one of Square's most unique franchises.
- Vagrant Story: This cult classic was a complex RPG with a battle system as intricate is its plot. Vagrant Story is set in Ivalice, the world of Final Fantasy Tactics and FF12, and it's a rewarding - albeit very difficult - game.
- Chrono Cross: The follow up to the timeless SNES classic Chrono Trigger will also be unavailable when the PS3 digital store shuts down. Chrono Cross features more than 40 characters and 12 endings, and it's definitely worth a purchase.
There are other classic PS1 games that RPG fans should consider buying in the last days of the PS3 PSN store:
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: The third release in Atlus' Persona series, Eternal Punishment was the direct sequel to Persona 2: Innocent Sin, which was later released in the US for the PSP. The PS1 release of Eternal Punishment remains the only localized version of the title.
- Wild Arms and Wild Arms 2: Sony's Wild West meets science-fiction RPG series combined puzzle-filled dungeons with classic turn-based combat. The games' fully animated intro sequences were among the first showcases of what CD-based systems were capable of.
- Suikoden and Suikoden 2: The Suikoden games, from Konami, featured large scale political struggles and a great deal of depth to their turn-based battles. They also included more than 100 characters to recruit, with a variety of roles in and out of combat.
Capcom is a developer well-known for remastering its older titles and re-releasing its back catalog in compilation games. There are still a few Capcom PS1 greats that have not been repackaged as current-gen releases, though:
- Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Legends 2, and Misadventures of Tron Bonne: The Mega Man Legends series shifted Mega Man from a 2D action platformer series into a 3D format with a bigger emphasis on story than the typical Mega Man game. Pirate leader Tron Bonne received her own spinoff game, as well as an appearance in the Marvel vs Capcom fighting game series.
- Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2: The PS1 Resident Evil titles have all received remakes and remasters, but the Dino Crisis series, survival-horror games that followed a similar format but traded zombies for dinosaurs, has not. The games arguably provided a better "science fiction with dinosaurs" video game experience than any Jurassic Park adaptation has, and are worth a look before the PS3 store goes extinct.
- Breath of Fire 4: The fourth entry is considered by many fans to be the best in Capcom’s dormant RPG series. Breath of Fire 4 changed up the formula, taking time from following the hero Ryu and his party to offer the antagonist, Emperor Fou-Lu, much more development than most other RPG villains, leading to an emotional final confrontation.
Several long-running franchises originated on the PS1, and fans should secure the early entries in these series while they can:
- Metal Gear Solid: Though later Metal Gear stealth-action titles were included in Konami’s current-gen collections, the original Metal Gear Solid will not be available for digital purchase after the PS3 PSN store’s closure. It is considered among the best PS1 games of all time for good reason, combining strategic gameplay with the storytelling talent of Hideo Kojima and featuring excellent presentation for its time.
- Silent Hill: As with Metal Gear, Konami's original Silent Hill horror game was omitted from the current-gen remaster collections. The first Silent Hill game offered a distinct new vision of fear, with its air raid sirens signaling the transformation of the town to a twisted, industrial nightmare version of itself, as well as a good bit of quirkiness and humor, like its hidden UFO ending.
- Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2: The first two Twisted Metal vehicular combat games are still available on the PS3 store, for now. The bizarre combination of driving game and arena brawler worked for the most part, and they featured an assortment of oddball vehicles like a hearse, an ice-cream truck, and a man with wheels attached to his limbs.
- Syphon Filter, Syphon Filter 2, and Syphon Filter 3: Syphon Filter's Gabe Logan did not make as much of an impact as Metal Gear's Solid Snake, but the trilogy of third-person action games provided solid espionage thrillers. They featured the Air Taser, a surprisingly long range weapon with infinite ammunition that could set enemies on fire if the player decided to use a potentially non-lethal option as lethally as possible.
- Tekken and Tekken 2: The first two titles in the ongoing series of Tekken 3D fighting games present the opening chapters of the Mishima Saga, and introduce moves and combos that have carried over into sequels decades later. While the series truly hit its stride with Tekken 3, the first two Tekken games still offer plenty of content, and often humorous or bizarre ending cinemas for each character.
There are other more obscure PS1 titles worth considering for purchase:
- Klonoa: Door to Phantomile: Namco's 2D platformer rendered in three dimensions combined traditional side-scroller gameplay with some impressive camera angles and presentation. Klonoa is a quality game that holds up well, and stands alongside the Crash and Spyro titles as one of the best mascot platformers for the PS1.
- Jumping Flash and Jumping Flash 2: The Jumping Flash games were among the earliest 3D platformers. Played from a first-person perspective, the player controls a robotic rabbit capable of multiple mid-air jumps. Jumping Flash games featured extreme heights and often dizzying perspectives, but also genuinely well-crafted experiences that serve as more than tech demos for the capabilities of early 3D games.
- Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Played from an overhead perspective as a 2D hack-and-slash RPG, much like early Diablo titles, this game cast the player as a vampire out to avenge his own murder. The mechanics included a variety of weapons and magic, as well as vampire-specific elements like drinking blood to heal or receive upgrades, and a day/night cycle that influenced the character's power. Blood Omen was later spun off into the Soul Reaver series.
- Shadow Tower and Echo Knight: These earlier works of FromSoftware, prior to Demon's Souls, could definitely be worth a look for fans of the developer. Shadow Tower is a first-person dungeon exploration game, much like the King's Field titles. Echo Knight is a horror adventure game, also played from a first-person view, that involved interacting with ghosts to see visions of the past and uncover the secrets of a relic. The harsh difficulty of Shadow Tower and the horror elements of Echo Knight might show some early influences on the developers who would go on to create the Soulsborne genre.
There is still time to buy many of these original PlayStation titles now, before hunting through used game stores and possibly paying exorbitant prices online for physical copies becomes the only option. There's only a few months left, since the PS3 digital store is closing on July 2, 2021.