The PlayStation is the machine that made gaming ‘cool and hip’ during the mid to late 90s. Sony’s debut console managed to snatch the console market right out of Nintendo and Sega’s hands with its large and varied catalog of great games and Squaresoft’s incredible J-RPG lineup.
But which of its games did the critics like the most? We have compiled a list of its 5 best critically rated titles, and our NER take on whether these titles deserved their ranking or not.
5. Chrono Cross (2000) – Metascore: 94
The 90s decade is generally considered as the golden era for Japanese Role-Playing games. As such, then it is no surprise to see a JRPG make to the near top of the list here.
Chrono Cross was the much awaited sequel to Chrono Trigger, and while it disappointed some fans (by not being a true direct sequel to the SNES classic), the game was rightfully great.
Incredible music, fantastic artwork, and an innovative combat system make the game one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. Square Enix has yet to revive the Chrono series, and perhaps (given the company’s current track record) it is for the best.
NER’s take on the game’s ranking: I fully agree. Did I enjoyed other JRPGs of the era more than Chrono Cross? Yes. I liked Xenogears, and FFVII more. But, can I really argue against the critics here? No.
The enjoyment of a particular game is largely a subjective matter. We have games like the Legend of Dragoon, who have been largely panned by critics (including myself) and yet, the game has large and loyal following of fans.
However, if I stand away for moment and objectively analyze Chrono Cross, there is little to complain about the game. The game is not a direct sequel to the beloved Chrono Trigger, but it is a sequel nonetheless. There are strong references to the previous game for those who first played the SNES classic.
The music is some of the best, if not the best, that the PS1 had to offer within the genre, and the combat system was very refreshing within the constraints of a turn-based system.
While the game doesn’t posses the replay-ability of the first title, one could make a strong case that no other traditional JRPG does either.
Chrono Cross is also (probably) the only game on this list that appealed to only a certain segment of the gaming population (the RPG hardcore), and yet, it managed to score highly with a diverse group of critics. I have no issues with its ’94’ rating, and its consequential high ranking.
4. Final Fantasy IX (2000) – Metascore: 94
Final Fantasy was the biggest name in JRPGs during the PlayStation 1 era. Final Fantasy VII was the JRPG to finally breakthrough the mainstream masses, and it brought about the JRPG boom that we enjoyed during the late 90s and early 00s.
So, it is no surprise that all three games scored extremely well with critics everywhere. Surprisingly though, it was the lowest selling title amongst the trio of PS1 FF games that scored the best with said professional game reviewers.
Final Fantasy IX brought a close to the PlayStation era of FF games by taking the series back to its ‘fantasy’ medieval roots. It ditched the futuristic ‘steam punk’ settings of the series’ three previous entries.
It was magical, and it was perfection. Final Fantasy IX was praised for it characters, excellent translation, incredible visuals, fantastic music, and simple character progression system. It was the most polished PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy, and it would earned the highest rating of any Final Fantasy game to date.
Given that Final Fantasy X broke up the ‘Original’ Final Fantasy template. Final Fantasy IX was also the last of its kind as traditional Final Fantasy.
NER’s take on the game’s ranking: Final Fantasy IX is not only Top PlayStation game, but it also won our “best” Final Fantasy award (even though my favorite remains FFVII).
To be fair, just like Chrono Cross before it, there isn’t a good argument that can be made against the game. Sure, you can say FFVII or even FFVI is ‘better’,  but such a take, would fall within the ‘subjective’ nature of game rating. But, can I really make an argument as to why Final Fantasy IX shouldn’t have a ’94’ global rating? I don’t think I can.
Final Fantasy IX looks better than either Final Fantasy VII or FFVIII (I did set my artwork preferences aside). It has the best translation, and therefore the best written dialogue amongst the first nine FF entries. The also managed to bring the series back from the divisive Junction system that plagued FFVIII.
As far as JRPGs for that era went, Final Fantasy IX was in ‘technical’ terms, flawless. The story was powerful enough to pull some heart strings, and the game’s pacing was brilliant. Final Fantasy VII had a better story (as far concept went), but Final Fantasy IX’s ‘simpler’ tale was executed as best as Squaresoft could have at that point in time.
So yes, Final Fantasy IX deserved all of the accolades that it received.
3. Gran Turismo (1998) – Metascore: 96
Gran Turismo is the poster child for why the PlayStation was such an incredible success over the more powerful Nintendo 64 in the mid to late 90s. The PlayStation simply had more, and better games in popular genres of the era. One such genre was ‘Racing’.
You could count all of the N64 ‘car’ racing games on one hand. By contrast, Sony’s machine was riddled with them. Gran Turismo, however, was the very best. Â While its visuals now might be as a primitive as a neanderthal, back in 1998 Gran Turismo looked ‘real’.
With over 140 (real) cars, Gran Turismo offered an unparalleled driving sim experience, and one of the deepest ‘career’ modes crafted up to that point. The A.I. controller cars were also smarter than most computer controlled car rivals at the time.
In short, Gran Turismo was a seminal moment for the PlayStation brand. The game attracted older gamers to the system turning into the highest selling PlayStation 1 game of all time with over 10 million copies sold.
NER’s take on the game’s ranking: High sales do not (necessarily) equal greatness, but in this case it does. Gran Turismo was revolutionary as a Racing Sim. In fact, it would be my favorite racing game of all time if it wasn’t for Gran Turismo 2 (which I consider superior).
Gran Turismo, however, did it first and it impressed critics and gamers alike with its realistic brand of racing and its collection of real world cars. It was also the type of game that made the PlayStation the ‘hip and cool’ machine for older teens and adults alike.
It was the kind of game that you just couldn’t find on the Nintendo 64, whose highest rated car game was ‘Beetle Adventure Racing‘. Gran Turismo deserves its place amongst the PlayStation greats thanks to its quality and overall impact on the gaming industry.
2. Tekken 3 (1998) – Metascore: 96
In my opinion, 1998 was by far the greatest year in gaming history. Some of the greatest games of all time were all released within that year for all gaming platforms. Fighting games were amongst the gaming genres that populated the PlayStation during its heyday.
1998’s Tekken 3 was the best of them (unless you were into 2-D games at the time). The Tekken series battled it out against Virtual Fighter, both in the arcade and console space during the 1990s. Virtual Fighter was the more difficult game, requiring tremendous amounts of practice, and skill to master.
By contrast, Tekken was more accessible to beginners, and casual fighting game fans. Anyone could string fight ending combos with Eddy Gordo, even though other characters such as Jin Kazama required more skill to master. Thanks to its accessibility and the fact that the PlayStation sold a ton more consoles than the ill fated Sega Saturn, Tekken was the most popular 3-D fighter of its time.
With a decent story (by fighting game standards), tighter gameplay and incredible visuals, the PlayStation port of Tekken 3 was the best fighting game ever made for consoles at the time that it was released.
NER’s take on the game’s ranking: While I owned Tekken 3 as soon as it was released, Tekken wasn’t one of my five top favorite PlayStation games. But, if a fighting game has to make this list, then there is no better candidate than Tekken 3. To me (a casual fighting game fan), Tekken was 3-D fighting perfection.
Being that I was big into Tae Kwon Do, and Copeira at the time, Hwoarang, and Eddy Gordo quickly became favorites of mine. As I stated before, it was easier to pull off amazing combos, and moves in Tekken 3 than it was in other 3-D fighters of the era. Â I think the game’s ease play contributed to drive up its success with a far larger crowd than its competitors.
To this day, I consider Tekken 3 as the pinnacle of the series (Tekken Tag for the PS2 was better, but it was basically a Tekken 3 clone with better visuals and the Tag addition).
1. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000) – Metascore: 98
In a most surprising twist of fate, the only PlayStation game that came close to dethroning the Nintendo 64’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time off its pedestal as the greatest rated game of its era (and of all time) was not the excellent Metal Gear Solid, but instead, the near honor belonged to a skating game.
The late 90’s were the golden age of Pro Wrestling, and Extreme Sports. Snowboarding games and Skateboarding games were all the rage, and none was more prolific than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 took the brilliance of the first game and perfected it, making it the highest rated sports game to this day. The game isn’t a PlayStation exclusive, as it would eventually make its way to other platforms, but the PlayStation version, being released first, was the one that impressed the critics the most.
In some ways, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is the Mario 64 of skating games. It featured huge sandbox levels with different objectives that served as a playground for the game’s skaters. It was an addictive skating game (that was much more ‘arcade’ than ‘sim’ in the way that it controlled).
Outstanding graphics coupled with near endless replay-ability made Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 the highest rated game in PlayStation history.
NER’s take on the game’s ranking: To be honest, I expected Metal Gear Solid to be here in this exact spot (or at the very list in the list). I was more into snowboarding in those days, and felt that 1080 Snowboarding (for the N64) was a better game.
Objectively speaking though, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 came right in the golden era of ESPN’s X games’ popularity, and Tony Hawk was a god amongst men for teen and younger adults alike at the time.
It was difficult not to be drawn in by the game based on its premise, and once you were playing it was even less difficult to not appreciate its greatness as a sandbox game during the (still) early 3-D days.
The game deserves recognition as one the best titles available on the original PlayStation, even if I disagree with its placement. By the way, I much preferred the Dreamcast version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, as it looked way better.
Final Thoughts On The Top PlayStation Games According to Critics
Within this list, I probably enjoyed FFIX, and Chrono Cross the most. But, I was a hardcore JRPG fan. So, objectively speaking, Gran Turismo, Tekken 3, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater deserved to rate higher based on the fact that it is likely that ‘mainstream’ gamers would find those games to be more fun than the aforementioned duo.
I would have rated Metal Gear Solid, and Castlavania: Symphony of the Night within this list if it had been up to me, but this list remains respectable. It is difficult to argue against it when the context of the era (1995-2000) in which the games were rated is taken into consideration.
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