{"id":18994,"date":"2019-05-08T00:01:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T00:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=18994"},"modified":"2019-04-10T00:48:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T00:48:14","slug":"the-games-of-the-playstation-classic-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/08\/the-games-of-the-playstation-classic-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Games of the PlayStation Classic: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Sony PlayStation is one of my favorite game consoles of all time.\u00a0 It had a major impact on the industry and on many people\u2019s lives, including my own.\u00a0 So I was intrigued when Sony announced their PlayStation Classic system last year.\u00a0 Similar to the NES and SNES Mini Classics, the PlayStation one is a tiny little console shaped like a little PSX and has 20 games preloaded onto it.\u00a0 So I was glad when I got it for Christmas last year.\u00a0 I finally got around to trying it, so I thought we\u2019d take a look at what\u2019s on it together in this blog.<\/p>\n

But first I\u2019m going to be a bit self-indulgent and explain why I like the PlayStation, and also describe a bit of the new mini console.\u00a0 Back when the PlayStation first came out, I wasn\u2019t much into it.\u00a0 I was still enjoying games like Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 3, and Yoshi\u2019s Island on my SNES.\u00a0 Plus there was that new Ultra 64 console on the horizon that seemed more promising at the time.\u00a0 But by the time the N64 (formerly the Ultra 64) did come out, things were a little different.\u00a0 My beloved Final Fantasy series was going to be on the PlayStation, which was a big deal at the time.\u00a0 Final Fantasy seemed like such a Nintendo staple, it would be like if HAL Labs decided to make Kirby on another console now.\u00a0 And a year after the N64\u2019s release, their big holiday title that year was Diddy Kong Racing, and while that was a great game, it just wasn\u2019t going to cut it for me.\u00a0 Plus I was reviewing games for The Dallas Morning News at the time, and getting paid for it, so getting a console that more games were on seemed like a good idea.<\/p>\n

So that next Spring, even though I was a poor college student and really couldn\u2019t afford it, I bought a PlayStation.\u00a0 Man that was one of the best gaming purchases I\u2019ve ever made.\u00a0 After that, I was reviewing games for it left and right!\u00a0 It also helped me grow as a game reviewer, allowing me more opportunities like appointments at E3 and such.\u00a0 I was even invited to Sony\u2019s big party a couple of years.\u00a0 I went to one of them, man was it extravagant!\u00a0 Plus, the new CD-ROM technology made it feel like the possibilities in gaming were endless.\u00a0 And since I was in college at the time, the possibilities in my life felt endless, too.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shame that once I got out in the real world, I realized that wasn\u2019t the case.\u00a0 But at the time, it felt cool that my life, and the life of a console, were kind of intertwined in a way.\u00a0 And I have so many good memories playing games on it.\u00a0 And that\u2019s why the PlayStation is one of my favorite game consoles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s take a look at the PlayStation Classic.\u00a0 It\u2019s even smaller than the NES and SNES minis, but it looks just like a little PSX.\u00a0 It comes with two controllers, which is nice.\u00a0 Too bad they\u2019re just the original PlayStation controllers and not the Dual Shock ones.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 One other problem is that the console does not come with an AC adapter plug.\u00a0 You have to use your own, kind of like the Famicom Mini.\u00a0 If you have a cell phone charger, chances you are can just use that, like I did, but it\u2019s still a bit disappointing.\u00a0 The buttons on the console do nearly what they did on the old console.\u00a0 The power button turns it on, and the reset button lets you go back to the main menu to select games.\u00a0 So what does the \u2018open disc tray\u2019 button do?\u00a0 Well it doesn\u2019t open the disc tray, that thing doesn\u2019t open!\u00a0 But if you are playing a game where you need to switch out discs, like FF7, that\u2019s what that button is for!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The menu screen lets you select the games.\u00a0 You can view instructions, which just tells you to go to a web site, which is dumb.\u00a0 You can also view a virtual memory card for each game, which is how you save.\u00a0 But it\u2019ll also save your last entry when you played as well, so you can start right where you left off.\u00a0 Anyway, enough of the tech stuff, let\u2019s take a look at the games!<\/p>\n

Mr. Driller<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since I\u2019m a Namco fan, we\u2019re going to start with the Namco games first.\u00a0 It may just be the Namco fan in me talking, but like how Rare carried the N64 through a lot of times, I think Namco did the same with the PlayStation.\u00a0 I\u2019m kind of torn on Mr. Driller\u2019s inclusion in this collection.\u00a0 On one hand, I LOVE this game!\u00a0 When I first saw it in an arcade, my friend said, \u201cPah, who\u2019d want to play a game called Mr. Driller?\u201d\u00a0 Well I would, that\u2019s who!\u00a0 I ended up spending the whole two hours at that arcade just playing that one game.\u00a0 And when it came out on consoles, I discovered how awesome the music was, too, and that\u2019s how Go Shiina became my favorite video game composer.\u00a0 It\u2019s just such a fun puzzle action game, and I like how it\u2019s related to Dig Dug (Dig Dug is Mr. Driller\u2019s dad).<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a side of me that\u2019s disappointed that this is one of the Namco games on here, and not another that better represents the PlayStation.\u00a0 Like Klonoa, for instance.\u00a0 That would\u2019ve been a much better game to have on here.\u00a0 And even though I had Mr. Driller on the PSOne, I kind of consider it more of a Dreamcast game, since it was Namco\u2019s second game on that console and their follow up to Soul Calibur, which got mixed reactions.\u00a0 But at any rate, Mr. Driller was the first game I fired up on the PlayStation Classic. I heard that many of the games on this collection use the PAL version and run slower.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t noticed that yet, but I could tell that the reaction time from when I pressed a button to when Mr. Driller drilled through a block felt a hair off.\u00a0 It could be that PAL thing, it could be the emulation, or it could just be me.\u00a0 I could be remembering the game wrong and thought it was faster than what I thought it was.\u00a0 Maybe it was faster in the sequels?\u00a0 Anyway, just something I noticed.<\/p>\n

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you just love the feeling you get when you remember a game you really liked, but haven\u2019t played it in years?\u00a0 And then you go back and finally replay it and you enjoy it just as much?\u00a0 Well that\u2019s how I felt with this game.\u00a0 Even though the original Ridge Racer is more iconic as a PlayStation launch title, I\u2019m glad they went with this one on the collection because it\u2019s a much better game.\u00a0 It\u2019s also the first game that got me into the Ridge Racer series.\u00a0 Yeah I played the arcade game (it\u2019s one of my dad\u2019s favorites), but I didn\u2019t get R4 until I graduated college and I found it on sale.\u00a0 Come to think of it, that\u2019s how I got a LOT of my PlayStation games I didn\u2019t review!\u00a0 Anyway, after I got R4, I went back and got all the older Ridge Racer games on the PSOne, and I\u2019ve gotten them for other consoles ever since.\u00a0 R4 is just so good, one of the best games on this collection.\u00a0 I was worried I\u2019d have trouble driving with no analog controls, but I got used to it pretty quickly.\u00a0 And even though they\u2019re a bit grainy, I still think the graphics look pretty good for the time.\u00a0 And then there\u2019s\u2026sigh\u2026Reiko.\u00a0 Just kidding!<\/p>\n

Tekken 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last Namco game on the roster is Tekken 3.\u00a0 A lot of people say Tekken 3 is the best.\u00a0 I\u2019m not knowledgeable enough about 3-D fighters to make that kind of decision myself, but from what I\u2019ve played, it does seem pretty good.\u00a0 I like that it had a lot of extra modes.\u00a0 There\u2019s even a \u2018Tekken Force\u2019 mode that plays like a bad side scrolling beat \u2018em up, but I still had fun with it anyway.\u00a0 I know I played this game when it came out, but I don\u2019t remember owning it or reviewing it.\u00a0 Maybe I just played a demo of it.\u00a0 That was another neat thing about the PlayStation is all the demo discs you could get in magazines and whatnot.\u00a0 I know that you can now download demos onto consoles, but it just seemed so novel back then.\u00a0 Anyway, can you guess my favorite Tekken characters?<\/p>\n

Battle Arena Toshinden<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think this was a launch title on the PlayStation and it shows.\u00a0 Why they even would bother putting another 3-D fighter after Tekken 3 is anyone\u2019s guess.\u00a0 The animation is so choppy!\u00a0 One good thing I can say about this game is that the music in many of the stages is pretty catchy.<\/p>\n

Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man I love this game and I\u2019m so glad it\u2019s on here!\u00a0 This is one of my top three favorite puzzle games.\u00a0 Back in the day, I was really good at it, too!\u00a0 I unlocked everything you could in the PSX version and nobody could beat me.\u00a0 One time when Puzzle Pirates came out, it had a puzzle game similar to this one.\u00a0 My friend was really into that game and came to me to help him train so he could get better at the swashbuckling puzzle game.\u00a0 So we played Puzzle Fighter all afternoon so he could get better at it.\u00a0 So am I still that good at it?\u00a0 Well, after playing this version again, I can say I\u2019m pretty rusty now!\u00a0 Although remember when I talked about how Mr. Driller played a little slower than what I remember?\u00a0 Well the same happened in this game, too.\u00a0 I hate to blame my lack of skill on bad emulation or whatever, but I really do seem to remember being able to drop pieces faster originally and I can\u2019t help but think if I could drop pieces faster here, I\u2019d be better at this version.<\/p>\n

Intelligent Qube<\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember this game pretty well because this was one of the games I reviewed back then for The Dallas Morning News!\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty simplistic, even by PlayStation standards, but it\u2019s still a good puzzler, if not a bit hard later on.\u00a0 It had some sequels but I never got around to playing those.<\/p>\n

Jumping Flash!<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is another awesome early PlayStation game.\u00a0 I rented it once back then, but by the time I played it, it was already out for a couple of years and already looked dated, but I still enjoyed it anyway.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of a hybrid 3-D shooter\/platformer, and yet came out before Mario 64.\u00a0 Many years after I did play Jumping Flash 2, but didn\u2019t like it as much for some reason.\u00a0 I still enjoyed playing the first game on this collection, though.\u00a0 Too bad we didn\u2019t get the third game in the US.\u00a0 I came up with an idea for a sequel to Jumping Flash that would have three characters.\u00a0 The first would be Robbit, the robot rabbit from the first game.\u00a0 The second would be Ribbot, a robot frog with a tongue you could use like a hookshot.\u00a0 The third character was Roobot, a robotic boxing kangaroo with a smaller robot you could deploy named Jo-E who could fit into smaller places.\u00a0 I think my idea was pretty good, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

Rayman<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can certainly understand why this game is on here.\u00a0 The 2-D graphics in this platformer look good even today.\u00a0 Unfortunately it\u2019s way too hard and not in a good way, and it\u2019s hard to tell what you can jump on and what is a pitfall.\u00a0 Ubisoft certainly improved the formula with their 3-D Rayman games, and even their later 2-D titles Origins and Legends are much better.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had a lot of good memories playing and reviewing the later Rayman games over the years.\u00a0 One time at E3, Ubisoft had a stage show with Rayman 2, and they called me up on stage and I got to talk and interact with Rayman in front of a green screen so it looked like I was in the game.\u00a0 They gave me a video tape of that at the show, and when I brought it home and showed it to my little brothers, it blew their little minds!<\/p>\n

Whew!\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of games!\u00a0 I think I\u2019m going to have to split this blog into two parts.\u00a0 So please check back later to read about the rest of the games on the PlayStation Classic!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sony PlayStation is one of my favorite game consoles of all time.\u00a0 It had a major impact on the industry and on many people\u2019s lives, including my own.\u00a0 So I was intrigued when Sony announced their PlayStation Classic system last year.\u00a0 Similar to the NES and SNES Mini Classics, the PlayStation one is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18994"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18996,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994\/revisions\/18996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}