The announcement that PlayStation 4 emulates PS2 games seems that one way or another will return us to the nostalgia of the turn of the millennium.
For many it will be a reunion with several titles that were left on a shelf, their parents’ house, a second-hand store or they will return from the house of that friend who never returned the games. For others, it is the opportunity to understand first-hand why some acronyms are more than legends. It will even serve for more than one smartass to see that the flap of the box itself did not originally say Princo or Verbatim .
In Extra Life we have prepared a generous list of essential games from the first PlayStation and PlayStation 2, so that we can get ourselves together with the return of some essential titles from the fifth and sixth generation of consoles via PlayStation Network.
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)
Although the ‘Street Fighter Alpha’ series appeared for the original PlayStation, in this compilation we had the three arcade installments, which with a simple trick became the home version. In addition to galleries and a few more extras, it included the Super Gem Fighter. Essential for fans of the saga.
Medal of Honor FrontLine (PS2)
When EA’s FPS war saga was unbeatable in quality and sales, its arrival at 128 bits left us eyed from its first screen with a faithful recreation of the Normandy landing in World War II. The rest is a well-established legend.
Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)
Next year we will have the celebrated remake of ‘Final Fantasy VII’ although it is already available on PC, various digital stores and even on iPad, and you know it deserves it. However, the next episode, being also one of the most notable in the entire saga, did not suffer the same fate over time. This may be a new opportunity for Squall Leonhart.
Soul Blade (PSX)
Before Bandai Namco’s saga of the crossing between souls and swords reached arcade and consoles as ‘Soul Calibur’ and after a formidable arcade called ‘Soul Edge’ the PlayStation version not only raised the quality of the innovative games of fight in 3D, but it brought with it tons of modes, customizations and even a brand new opening.
Gran Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
After a discreet step commercially although pointing firm ways in PlayStation, the generational change towards the PS2 and the irruption of ‘Grand Theft Auto III’ removed the foundations of the industry with the sandbox genre to the point where today we continue in the same tonic. ‘Great Theft Auto: Vice City’ was once again a turning point, but ‘Great Theft Auto: San Andreas’ is part of the legacy of video game history.
Chrono Cross (PSX)
The continuation of Chrono Trigger may not have caught on as much as the original, although that didn’t make it a bad game at all. Travel back in time in a JRPG whose opening is still one of the best that has been seen in Sony’s 32-bit and that perhaps now has its chance thanks to this repechage of classics.
Psychonauts (PS2)
The first Double Fine title after the LucasArts brain drain set many of Tim Schafer’s intentions in the indie scene that continue to be a reference in the industry. This colorful platform adventure that appeared more than 10 years ago is still a cult title, and in the absence of a remastering, it would not hurt a return from those of us who have been unable to get rid of the original album.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (PSX)
What the first part established the first ‘Tony Hawk’ of PlayStation made us spin in a spin with its second installment. New moves, new tracks and a new tracklist that offered everything a sequel should entail: the same but better. Despite the fact that a few years ago several of the levels were recovered in an HD edition that collected the best of the previous installments, we want to see good old Tony again at the top of the Half Pipe.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (PS2)
Ten years of difference separate the title that appeared on November 19 by EA and DICE with respect to the original ‘Battlefront’ saga. Despite the fact that there are two generations of different consoles and offer a primal online mode, the Pandemic game came with more heroes and villains, more planets and a concise, but existing campaign mode. However, we will not enter to judge its gameplay or its technical section when pulling nostalgia.
Viewtifull Joe (PS2)
Another of the jewels of the defunct Clover Studio put us in front of an action platform with Cell-Shading graphics and the spectacular nature of a superhero movie, when they had not yet saturated the screens. With two titles, a spin-of and an appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Joe suffered the same fate as ‘Okami’ and despite being a hilarious game, it seems that this emulation would be the only thing that could return it to consoles.
Spyro the dragon (PSX)
The arrival of Super Mario 64 laid the foundations of how to make a platform taking advantage of 3D, and Spyro justified that we change the original controllers of the PSX for the new DualShocks. With several subsequent installments, the little dragon shared the honor of being one of the console’s unofficial mascots along with Crash. At present, he is not doing badly at all thanks to the success of the ‘Skylanders’ figures.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PSX)
After the first ‘Tomb Raider’ the English company took up one of its best-known sagas with a new point of view. Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Interactive put us in a story of revenge where we would be condemned for evolving before the protagonist of the previous installments, and putting us in front of a multitude of strange scenarios and enemies that we will absorb his own soul when we win.
Broken Sword (PSX)
The original PlayStation began by betting on including several graphic adventures to take advantage of the format of CDs versus cartridges, including audio tracks and even video. The first two installments of ‘Broken Sword’ benefited from this although their control without the DualShock sticks would still need to be polished a bit. However, with the PlayStation 4 controller, that could already be something else.
Bully (PS2)
The Rockstar game was reissued in the PS2 Classics range despite controversy surrounding its plot. However, the controversy suits the company behind ‘Grand Theft Auto’ or ‘Red Dead Redemption’ very well. Although it did not reach all countries to address the issue of bullying, those who were left without their physical copy will be able to return to the antics of school almost ten years later.
Capcom vs SNK 2: Match of the Millennium (PS2)
The collision of companies that pitted several of the most famous Street Fighters against the fighters of the King of Fighters saga, and included several guests from other games, appeared for arcade and DreamCast, although it did not take long to have versions for GameCube or PlayStation 2 after the twilight of the last Sega console. Appeared only in the Japanese PS3 online store, it is a golden opportunity to retake this outstanding game with mechanics immune to the passage of time.
Driver (PSX)
Before ‘Grand Theft Auto III’ gave way to 3D, this game turned us into real drivers on the run. His tutorial and his survival mode are an indelible part of the stage of the first PlayStation. An immense city, thousands of policemen on our heels and a lot of wheels to burn that more than one nostalgic has not forgotten.
Saga Guitar Hero (PS2)
Despite the fact that in the past generation we had ‘Rock Band’, ‘DJ Hero’, ‘Band Hero’ and thousands of other derivatives, it would not hurt to recover our plastic guitars and score a single a la Slash from Guns N ‘Roses like ten years ago. Of course, it may take a while for our sausage fingers to get back to the chords.
Rayman (PSX)
The character of Michel Ancel and Ubisoft mascot began in a simple platform that appeared for the Atari Jaguar, although it would be precisely his version for the first PlayStation that would catapult him to where he is today. Then would come its polygonal sequels and its multiple spin-offs. However, the charm of the original remains intact.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (PS2)
For many it was their first ‘Grand Theft Auto’, and the charm of the best-known family on TV was already the final auction. This sandbox would put us in the yellowish skin of the best-known inhabitants of Springfield and, why denying us, more than one led him to do more tricks than Trevor himself. If Marge was absolutely right, you can’t go with Homer or Bart anywhere.
Worms (PSX)
Team17 did not rise to fame because of heroes with muscles of steel and noble intentions, but with a group of shameless worms with an arsenal that would defy any logic and, above all, boredom. The return of games of up to four players sharing the same controller will unleash the worst in us and countless laughs.
WipeOut (PSX)
Psygnosis’ futuristic racing saga started with one of the starting titles for Sony’s first console, and it definitely showed us that 32-bits were for real. Anti-gravity vehicles, tracks that defied the imagination and a soundtrack that will unleash the nostalgia of more than one player.
Carmageddon (PSX)
One of the first games to be censored and also loaded with controversy. This racing game rewarded and rewarded that we beat our rivals, and incidentally, all the pedestrians that were between the goal and us. Even though passers-by were color-coded and a plot line was inserted describing them as zombies, the innocence of thousands of players had been stolen (thank goodness)
Crash Bandicoot 3 (PSX)
As a good quasi-official mascot of the first Sony console, the crazy marsupial created by Naughty Dog had his own trilogy of platforms, in addition to his spin-offs where he even dared to measure himself with Mario in the Karting games. Although the three games have their charm, it shows that during the third installment the studio had technically matured and that is why it would be the first of the Crash games that we would put on the hard drive of our PS4 again.
Destruction Derby (PSX)
Polygonal car models offered something that was very difficult to see in sprite-based games: collisions and dents. Although it had multiple game modes, perhaps the most remembered was that huge circular arena where we would face countless vehicles until we were the last car in operation, and we want that back in Sony’s next-gen.
Medievil (PSX)
After the well-deserved tranquility of eternal rest, Sir Daniel Fortesque returns to life almost, almost whole, to face a new threat. And so the license was until recently Sir Daniel resurfaced in ‘PlayStation All Star Battle Royale’. However, only we will be able to return it to consoles with its original dignity thanks to emulation.
Parasite Eve (PSX)
Squaresoft didn’t just make JRPGs before merging with Enix. And in parasite Eve there was also a little bit of horror, action and strategy, based on the eponymous book by Hideaki Sena. With a second part also for the first PlayStation and a third installment that would take no less than ten years to develop, it is about time that we give life to the saga again in case it appears in any digital store in the European market.
PaRappa the Rapper (PSX)
Before Hatsune Miku or ‘Guitar Hero’ dominated the musical genres, good old PaRappa made us memorize the location of the triangle, the circle, the square and the X of the original PlayStation controller by fire. In addition, the delusional fauna with which it lives seems that it no longer out of tune so much compared to what we can see in any new Cartoon Network show.
Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Ver. (PSX)
There are those who are more of the original ‘Resident Evil’, there are those who enjoyed more of Jill Valentine’s escape from that monster called Nemesis and there are those who find that the original trilogy touched the ceiling with the second installment. One story, two albums and what we did with Leon would condition Claire’s game. Capcom has the remake in HD underway, but if we don’t want to wait that long and it’s the edition adapted to the DualShock, honey on flakes.
Rival Schools: United by Fate (PSX)
Fighting games began to move from sprite to polygon in the second half of the 90s, and the epicity of fighting that we saw in ‘Rival Schools’ is even today difficult to overcome. With a plot worthy of a shonen manga, some anime openings and endings, characters that radiated the design and charisma of Capcom’s great titles, and combined movements and attacks that left us speechless even if we saw them a thousand times, the home edition included a second album and an almost inexhaustible string of characters thanks to the benefits of polygonal models. After a second installment in DreamCast, Batsu and company deserve to return to the consoles … and if not, we will return them.
Ridge Racer (PSX)
It seems that it has become something of an unwritten tradition that every new Sony console comes hand in hand with a Ridge Racer installment. However, the release of the PlayStation 4 broke that tradition and with the backward compatibility it seems that it will be able to receive all the previous deliveries that impacted the players of the first two desktop games at the time. Now I just have to find out how I put my memory card to continue the game …
Spider-Man (PSX)
The Neversoft team achieved what no company had ever achieved before: making an adaptation to match the unique abilities and characteristics of our friend and neighbor Spider-man thanks to a very intelligent use of three-dimensional settings and the range of movements that him They allowed us to swing, climb on any surface and do real tricks with our spider webs. In addition, the game offered us a lot of collectibles in the form of costumes or comic book covers. A true 32-bit indispensable narrated by Stan Lee himself who took full advantage of the new capabilities of the console.
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PSX)
The ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ movie had many versions for PlayStation consoles, although most of them did not quite offer that Jedi experience that we saw in the film. All that was settled with this Hack’n Slash where five of the Jedi that appear in the film, and later also some more normal characters and a certain Sith with a double-bladed saber, would travel all the locations of the original film and some more . Stunts, Jedi tricks and lightsaber tricks where cooperative mode was serious business.
Tomb Raider (PSX)
Who said it would take Lara Croft to return to PlayStation 4? The first title stood out in many technological aspects and resolved any doubts about the potential of 3D games. We hadn’t finished the first level when we should have shot down a huge Tyrannosaurus and that was only the beginning. Huge scenarios that will require us to wander through an immense tower that is at the same time a puzzle and feel like in the first ‘Prince of Persia’ or in ‘Super Mario 64’ that our skills improved with each jump. The newest adventures of the youngest Lara are outstanding, but the first is not far behind.
9 new opportunities
However, in addition to the previous titles, you may not have been interested in acquiring any of the titles that were reissued in compilations or remasters for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 or even PlayStation Network at new game prices. It seems that the emulation will offer a second (or third) chances to several titles and you can not offer it again to these 9 games
Okami (PS2)
At the beginning of the new millennium, Capcom made a strong bet to expand its catalog of genres and innovate in playable and visual content with its Clover Studio division. Unfortunately the critical and public success was not accompanied by sales that supported that direction. In Okami we would take control of the goddess Amaterasu, who under the guise of a wolf and with a celestial brush should restore the natural beauty of the lands and defeat the responsible demons.
Ico y/o Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Team Ico’s latest project after embarking on the eternal development of ‘The Last guardian’ featured a remastered version in HD along with the ICO itself under a small compilation edited for PlayStation 3. Two cult games that promise to stand the test of time without difficulties and the perfect excuse to return to immerse yourself in the epic adventures of its young protagonists. If you did not buy the compilation this may be the great opportunity.
Beyond Good & Evil (PS2)
As with ‘The Last Guardian’, we are still waiting for the second installment of this celebrated and formidable adventure designed by the creator of Rayman himself. The original title appeared in 2003 and in 2008 an unfinished development of the sequel was revealed. However, before came its remastering in HD for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network including a better visual finish, as well as the integration of trophies.
Metal Gear Solid (PSX)
The game that launched Solid Snake and Hideo Kojima to the top of the industry seems like it’s never quite gone. Good for the continuous comparisons with the rest of the saga, or for its constant reissues. The original PlayStation disc was released no less than four times under the Platinum, Integral editions and even once included in the 20th Anniversary collection. It even featured a graphics-enhanced remake for the GameCube and can currently be found on PlayStation Network as well. But what we want is for Psycho Mantis to read us our progress again, even if we do not know how to turn the virtual box of the game to tune our Codex. We hope that Sony remembers the formidable performance of the Castilian voice of Snake by Alfonso Vallés that we have missed so much in the following installments.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX)
Perhaps the most acclaimed installment in the long-lived Castlevania saga, though getting a physical copy would be an even greater joy than the emulation itself. As with ‘Metal gear Solid’, Konami reissued the title several times by including it in a PSP compilation, editing it for Xbox Live and later uploading it to the PSN digital store. ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’ is well worth a good game and we’ll figure out how to get its formidable soundtrack out of our minds later.
Tekken 3 (PSX)
Perhaps the most forceful fighting game in the catalog of the first PlayStation. A huge and very solid range of fighters, spectacular millimetrically calculated movements, impressive models and repetitions of the plays, tons of game modes that included a Beat’em Up or a kind of Volleyball, and outstanding openings and endings for each fighter, all on the same CD. If you haven’t gotten hold of it in a later edition, now is the time to go back.
Resident Evil – Code Veronica X (PS2)
Shinji Mikami, the director of the first ‘Resident Evil’ began to work on a new chapter much more ambitious than the two original installments and whose departure would be exclusively planned for DreamCast. After the release of an unforeseen ‘Resident Evil 3’ and with an unrequited relationship on his part with a Sony that wanted to exploit the license, Capcom announced, shortly after the project was finished, and to everyone’s surprise – including himself Mikami- the version of ‘Code Veronica’ for PlayStation 2. HD version or the original, you decide.
Silent Hill (PSX)
If Capcom made the Survival Horror genre fashionable with ‘Resident Evil’, Konami did the same with psychological terror with the first part of a legendary saga that takes advantage of the fog effect of the first three-dimensional games to offer shocking and charged atmospheres stress on fully three-dimensional settings rather than static rendered images. Despite the game being reissued several times, as ‘Metal Gear’ or ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’, the nightmare of the town of Silent Hill still retains almost as well as the first day.
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Good old Abe was just another employee when the needs of the business sector wanted to demote him from a cleaning boy to canned food. In this way, a fun adventure loaded with puzzles was put in front of us where skill and ingenuity would be ahead of the jumps without looking back. Very recently we were able to see a remastered version in digital stores, but those who want the original graphics will have it even easier.
Despite the announced and somewhat elaborate Sony emulation, this is sure to fill the new generation of PlayStation consoles with nostalgia. However, many doubts remain in the air, such as how and where do I put my brand-new 8 Meg Memory Cards?
In Extra Life
- Sony might be working on a PS1 and PS2 emulator for PS4
- The PS4 already emulates PS2 games and we weren’t even aware of it
- Playstation Now versus Xbox 360 backward compatibility, an uncomfortable reality
