![]() Long ago, "kart racer" existed as a game journo's synonym for a cheap, disposable cash-in game. Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment, 1999 If anything, the farming out of Crash post-Warped has only made Naughty Dog's final take on their platformer look even better over time. Ultimately, Warped doesn't differ too much from the first two games it simply refines what came before, while adding some fun new vehicle segments for the sake of something new. But Naughty Dog still game him a fine send off with this, the last traditional Crash game they would develop before moving on to the PS2's Jak and Daxter. With Warped being the third Crash game in just as many years, Naughty Dog's bandicoot was beginning to wear out his welcome. Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment, 1998 If anything, Crash's debut is a testament to Naughty Dog's talent as a developer: few PlayStation games from 1996 hold up this well. Instead, Bandicoot takes the form of a fairly straightforward 3D platformer that features Naughty Dog's Taz-like creation running down paths either away from or towards the player-along with some traditional side-scrolling. While Crash was initially set up as Sony's cool, '90s answer to Mario, his game doesn't aspire to the heights of Super Mario 64. Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment, 1996 If you prefer the more punishing interpretations of Konami's gothic side-scroller, give this late, great PlayStation release a try. And if that didn't mean anything to you, Chronicles is essentially a Castlevania game of the pre-Symphony of the Night era, meaning it's just as tough as the 8-bit originals. In any case, it's got the cutest dinosaurs.Ĭastlvania Chronicles is essentially a remake of a remake: It revamps the Sharp X68000's Akumajou Dracula, a 1993 release that builds off of the original Castlevania. If you'd rather not resort to one of the many Flash and mobile games that steal so soundly from Taito's creation, there's certainly nothing wrong with this PlayStation release. What more can you say about Bust-A-Move (otherwise known as "Puzzle Bobble")? For over 20 years it's been a puzzle game mainstay, with plenty of sequels-and countless of rip-offs. While the next installment would drastically overhaul the series (and inadvertently cause its death), Breath of Fire IV gets by on being a very solid traditional JRPG-and one with absolutely gorgeous 2D sprite art and animation. While it features remarkably bland graphics for a late PlayStation game, its strange mix of strategy RPG and board game is like nothing you've ever played before.Ĭapcom decided to give Breath of Fire one last hurrah late in the PlayStation's life with part IV: A game that doesn't necessarily reinvent the JRPG wheel, but doesn't really need to. SEN offers a whole bunch of former budget games released for the PlayStation during its winding down period, and Battle Hunter definitely stands as the most salvageable. ![]() Still, it's a fun ride-especially if you plan on playing the sequels-and a short RPG remains a luxury these days. While RPGs would only grow more complex and bloated in the 32-bit era, Arc 1 clocks in at just 10 hours, and its strategy elements don't really get more involved than what you'd find in something like Shining Force. While it may seem strange that Sony didn't bring over the first-party RPG series they published in Japan, the first Arc the Lad likely stayed in Japan for being so slight. Sony Computer Entertainment/Working Designs, 2002 Alundra can be a bit too devious at times, but it's certainly memorable.Ĭompatible with: PSP, PlayStation 3, Vita In essence, it's a 32-bit take on traditional legend of Zelda, with the puzzles and difficulty cranked up to suit the wizened brains of kids who grew up with A Link to the Past. And Alundra definitely stands out as one of their best releases that isn't a turn-based RPG. If you loved niche, 2D games during the '90s, Working Designs was likely your savior. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team. This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |