With new generations come more impressive sound and graphics and more refined gameplay. Go back far enough and even the most beloved, most critically acclaimed games can be hard work for modern gamers. While we’d always recommend playing gaming history on original hardware, here’s five PS1 classics best enjoyed elsewhere – be it a port, remaster or remake.
Some are games are on this list for matters of framerate or image quality, while some are here quality-of-life issues. However, all are worth playing today no matter what the platform you find yourself playing on.
Tomb Raider (1996)
One of the most influential games of the 1990s, Tomb Raider spawned a franchise that has seen action as recently as 2019. Core Design’s Lara Croft crossed into the mainstream in a way that video games characters seldom did in those days.
And for good reason. That 1996 original established many conventions in the early days of 3D platformers. Its sprawling puzzles and expansive levels dripped with atmosphere – helped massively by one of the greatest soundtracks in gaming history.
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Tomb Raider is, however, one PS1 classic best enjoyed elsewhere. The low-res mode graphics and pixelated textures almost demand a CRT. If you have one laying around, this isn’t as much of an issue.
The save system is an issue that many gamers have forgotten about. Save crystals are scattered throughout the levels. Inside each level, players can only save at these points and they can only be used once. Some of the later levels feature a choice of route and coming across the wrong save crystal can add a heap of backtracking in a game that features plenty of it when playing well.
The controls were poor and received plenty of professional criticism in 1996. AndTomb Raider‘s controls are a huge hurdle going back to enjoy one of the platform’s early best-sellers.
Tomb Raider is probably best enjoyed these days on PC. The lack of texture warping, massively improved resolution and the use of floating point precise vertices give the game a clean look. The PC version also allows players to save whenever they like. The controls, however, will always be a sticking point.
Resident Evil (1996)
Another series that survives to this day, Resident Evil launched dozens of imitators. Some were direct entries into the brand of survival horror that Resi popularised. Some were influenced by its fixed cameras, its direction and, unfortunately, its control scheme.
The control scheme is probably the most obvious reason why Resident Evil is hard to go back to. The ‘tank control’ system born out of necessity is at its most primitive here. While tank controls will always feel like a compromise made to deal with fixed camera angles, refinements to the system made them easier to swallow in the years that followed.
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Later games also introduced quick 180-degree turns and dodge moves. And eventually, players even felt as agile than the lumbering zombies that chase them.
The B-Movie FMV and the voice acting were poor for 1996. And as these elements have aged, they’ve become comical killing much of the atmosphere.
The appearance of Resident Evil on PlayStation Plus’ PS Classic section is no surprise. It’s an iconic game that launched a lasting franchise. But even with some modern conveniences, we doubt many have sank significant game time into it. Resident Evil is a PS1 classic best played elsewhere and gamers wouldn’t even have to wait long to experience the game reborn.
The GameCube version of Resident Evil is a largely faithful retelling of the original tale. But, crucially, it’s coated in some of the best visuals of the 2000s and addresses some of the control shortcomings of its source material.
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
The gaming juggernaut that is Grand Theft Auto began rather humbly in 1997. The first game in the series was a top-down drive ‘n gun action game that oozed charm and style despite its technical shortcomings.
Grand Theft Auto runs at a choppy framerate on PlayStation. This chugging performance is surprising given the technically unambitious visuals and low resolution. The game is tough to go back to for a few reasons on PlayStation beyond it’s poor performance and nigh-on ugly graphics.
The screen doesn’t quite zoom out far enough when driving at any sort of decent pace so crashing is inevitable. The tank controls don’t help a very twitchy feel and the one-hit deaths can make a hard game veer into a frustrating experience all too often.
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There is a way to address some of these issues. Grand Theft Auto was also released for DOS and Windows PC. While the tank controls and jerky feel remain on PC, some of the worst problems are ironed out. The game looks much better in higher resolutions. The higher-res modes also allow for a bigger visible area that makes high-speed driving tolerable.
This is a godsend for driving and also means you can more readily avoid getting shot. Perhaps most importantly, Grand Theft Auto on PC can run at a consistent 60 fps on any machine nowadays. This completely transforms the game. As a cheeky bonus, you can use overground rail systems in the cities of Grand Theft Auto.
Driver (1999)
Like Grand Theft Auto, Driver is synonymous with the original PlayStation. Both games would end up as bestsellers for the little grey slab. Both would see PC ports that come highly recommended.
Known as Driver: You are the Wheelman in the US, the game featured four fully realised 3D cities modelled after real-life cities. The ability to drive in such vast areas with no loading screens was incredibly novel for the time and represent a marvellous technical achievement on PlayStation.
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The tail-heavy driving is still a blast to get stuck into to this very day. However, due to the technical limitations of the PlayStation, the sense of speed is no longer there. Driver chugs along at about 20 frames per second with some dire, dire drops in frame pacing when the action hots up.
The draw distance is roughly one US block. When driving, entire streets will pop into view and if you aren’t watching your mini-map, you can be caught unawares. These city blocks also suffer from a particularly pixelated presentation and can look quite ugly, even at moderate distance.
Again, a PC release solves the worst problems that Driver suffers on the platform that made it famous. The framerate can stay constant and provide a better sense of speed. Those lo-res textures are that bit sharper.
The PC engine can also draw more of the map at once, giving players more time to plan and react as they are chased by 15 cop cars going full kamikaze. While the unmodded PC release only pushed the draw distance out to two blocks, it’s enough to let you enjoy the dense and detailed environments that much more.
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999)
Ubisoft followed up their well-received 1995 2D side-scroller Rayman with a 3D sequel that successfully made the transition to this new realm. Rayman 2: The Great Escape teases out the world and thin lore of the first game into an enjoyable few hours traversing its moderately difficult levels.
Rayman 2: The Great Escape stood out amongst the deluge of 3D platformers at the time with well-implemented set-pieces, a diverse set of controls that Ubisoft milked maximum enjoyment from, and a large dollop of character. The animation, colour and sound design are incredibly vibrant and the presentation is dripping with quicky charm.
However, the PlayStation version of the game, while serviceable, falls well behind the N64 version of the game.
Rayman 2: The Great Escape, by accident or design, comes across like it was make for N64. The game runs a little better, and looks a lot better, on the 64-bit platform. The control scheme fits the trident perfectly. The cartoon-y textures and use of shading suit the N64’s blur.
The Holy Trinity of the genre descended from the N64 and fittingly, this version is the best way to play on fifth-gen. console.
And to top it off, the 2000/01 Dreamcast and PS2 releases of Rayman 2: The Great Escape blow both fifth-gen. offering out of the water.
Respectful Mentions
Spyro the Dragon is one of a few PlayStation’s classics to see a PS4-era remake. 2018’s Spyro Reignited Trilogy reimagined the visuals and made some minor quality-of-life updates to three of PS1’s most beloved collect-a-thons.
And while the Reignited Trilogy is certainly a more convenient way to enjoy the three games, it’s probably a testament to the original Spyro the Dragon games that it’s still not enough of an upgrade to make this list.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the most influential games ever made and one that has seen several releases across several generations.
The first was a GameCube remake that still divides the fanbase. The next was as part of a PlayStation exclusive Metal Gear Collection. And finally, we’ve recently had Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 release for Switch, PS4, PS5, Steam and Xbox Series S|X.
The original PSX game is still perfectly playable and largely overcomes its native platform’s technical shortcomings with creativity. Efforts to improve the presentation, for example, as seen in the GameCube remake actually took away from the game.
