#genuinely love from soft's ps1 games

[tiurfeciuj]

king's field rules because this happens to you in the first five minutes

[talesfromthebacklog]

Are you looking to click with a new game and want something genuinely different?

I am always hunting for new titles to reinvigorate that click I feel with video games. Not all video games will click but when they do they can be something truly special. I wanted to go over some of my favorite games I’ve played in recent years that are available on current gen consoles. I’m not covering anyone upcoming, these are titles you can pick up today. Cheaply at that. Several of which are on sale on Steam right now as of writing this.

So. Enough chit chat. Lets’s start with an easy one:

Paradise Killer:

PC Switch PS4/PS5 Xbox

I just finished this one and am in the middle of writing my review on it. Painfully stylish with a killer vaporwave soundtrack this game oozes aesthetic. Kaizen Game Works understood the hauntology assignment and took it to the MAX. You are an investigator trying to solve an immortal god-like council’s murder in a dystopian society. You’ve returned to this gorgeous open world parasite paradise from your exile of 3 million days (about 8219 years)! If you’ve played Outer Wilds this is among that same vein. (And I will caution you, while not hard, the game relies on you wanting to just explore. It will provide hints but it won’t hold your hand.)

This is an Ace Attorney-esqe collectathon mixed with open world and exploration. There is no combat. Both the writing and the world are spectacular. Don’t deny yourself something this wonderful, because it is.

This has quickly risen among my gaming ranks as a favorite and it hits to being as close of a favorite as my number 2 suggestion…

Outer Wilds:

PC Switch PS4/PS5 Xbox

This is perhaps one of my favorite games of all time. I wanted to talk about this second because Outer Wilds has received more of the notoriety it deserves in recent times and I wanted PK to get the main spotlight. Don’t get it twisted though If it wasn’t for UpIsNotJump’s video (<— Spoilers) I would have never realized what I was missing. And I still think a lot of people don’t understand what they’re missing too. It is an absolute masterpiece. And seeing it getting released physically again is a god send. I want people to play this game. (And it’s DLC Echoes of The Eye)

No combat. You are a scientist exploring your local solar system in your spaceship in an open “universe” instead of an open world. The sun explodes every 22 minutes which sends your memories back in time. Again, I will caution you that the game relies on you wanting to explore. It will not direct you.

Eastward:

PC Switch Xbox

Too much exploring. Let’s reel it back with Eastward. A Zelda-like where you control an older man and a little girl with psychic powers in a post apocalyptic world. If you’re looking for those fun pixel games that pack that quirky feel this is it. A bit existential, a great sense of humor, and fantastic writing are all part of the Eastward package. (You startin’ to see a theme here? Ha ha)

All while boasting a seriously killer pixel soundtrack. The original Iron Carbine trailer for the Nintendo Direct had an immediate impact on me as a gamer. I knew this was a game I would fall in love with. Sometimes you just know when something is special. This game is beautifully pixelated and packed with lovingly crafted content. Puzzles are the right amount of challenging and there is so much fun side stuff to do. Including a Dragon Quest-esqe game inside the game! It also received DLC via Eastward Octopia! Which I also love.

Moon: A Remix RPG

PC Switch PS4/PS5

I do play games with combat. I swear. Several of these games just don’t have it! (Ha!) This will perhaps be the hardest game to sell to you on this list. I have a soft spot for quirky games like this, but know that this was a PS1 Japanese exclusive game in the 90s. And it sure acts like it. Slow to start, weak tutorial, and doesn’t provide a ton of direction. This game was ported into English for the first time in 2020 and I love it. It is a trial and error experience though.

This cult classic is one of the games that inspired Undertale and when you play it becomes wildly apparent. I dare say it reminds me more of Undertale than its other main inspiration Earthbound. You are a little boy that’s been fallen into his video game and you have to save the souls of monsters the hero has killed using love. (Sound familiar?)

Light hearted and weird this game also has a great sense of humor as it pokes at classic RPG tropes. And that slow intro comes into play providing a unique perspective as you journey through the game befriending people. It won’t be for everyone, I would research this one before sinking the… $18.99 on the purchase. But I think it is worth experiencing if you love Undertale.

I think I’ve yakked enough. If folks like the post I’ll follow up with a part two with a little more genre variety! I wanted to the first post to include my top favorites. So. I hope there’s something in there that invigorates you the way these games did for me.

[turtlemagnum]

i feel like this'd be a fun quirk instead of something that looks bad to me if i grew up with a PS1 like a normal person instead of the N64 i had growing up, but honestly despite my love for low res/low poly 3d models and such, the ps1 jiggle that 3d models tends to do just honestly looks kinda bad to me. to be fair, i also genuinely like the graphics of every first party N64 game i've played and a lot of other early 3D stuff (i have a soft spot in my heart for the generation just before HD, with the gamecube/wii, dreamcast, the original xbox and ps2). but i definitely feel like PS1 graphics specifically, aside from weird little technical quirks, also tended to have shit art design relative to what was going on over nintendo and sega-ways? i dunno, i'd say it's probably just nostalgia but i also grew up with the only thing i knew about sega was playing sonic 3 on the psp of a friend of my mom with literally no knowledge of what the fuck a dreamcast was until i had internet access, so i dunno man

[land-of-brains-and-chocolate]

i’ve talked about venom voices a lot already, mostly in terms of trends instead of specific incarnations because a lot of those are just really lackluster. there just isn’t much to do with a part that’s nothing but an evil alien beast.

hank azaria, tas: so like, extremely fucking funny eddie, love to hear him new yawking about, wouldn’t trade it for the world. not much to do with what i’d prefer for the comics, but that doesn’t even matter. i actually do like the venom effect, i like that it doesn’t fall into the “deep growly scary” OR the “shitty little lizard” categories that later established themselves, it’s just an alien echo. rod wilson, mvc2: i have opinions on mvc barks but not these ones. brian drummond, unlimited: sounds like a growlier tas, except with zero personality or humour. just like the show for 90% of its runtime! daran norris, ps1: oh i get excited every time those campy electric guitar chords strike. what a performance. what a gem of a game. came out before cash cow mania set in, so it’s based on the actual 80s and 90s comics! that’s it! that’s all it had! this is the only adaptation to hit venom’s bombastic, hilarious speech patterns, so it’s the only one where line delivery matters, and it’s flawless. it’s also the only deep growly scary voice that isn’t completely embarrassing, it isn’t post-processed at all, that guy just sounds like that. jason bryden, nemesis: THAT’S IT. THAT’S THE FIRST SHITTY LITTLE LIZARD. arthur burghardt, usm game: that’s ultimate venom, that doesn’t even count. he can sound like that, why not, he’s not saying anything worth understanding. steve blum, mua: steve blum does a pretty charming mix of the shitty little lizard and the deep growly scary, in my opinion. what i mean by this is that i just hear starscream. quinton flynn, friend or foe: oh that guy played spider-man in ultimate alliance. how many video game voice actors are out there? anyway, as far as shitty little lizards go, this sucks. topher grace, sm3: god. ben diskin, spectacular: a pretty sweet voice for that sweet, sweet eddie. pretty okay venom effect. the symbiote’s solo voice isn’t in here but it genuinely nearly killed me the first time i heard it. almost choked me to death on my own spit. keith szarabajka, web of shadows: creepy, i guess! i’d like more experiments with softer voices, or rather, voices with the potential to go soft. that’s missing from all but one, and that one isn’t even in this. chopper bernet, mua2: that’s mac! troy baker, pinball: they got troy baker for a pinball table and made him do the most generic deep growly scary voice before post-processing it beyond recognition? i guess he wasn’t as big back then. matt lanter, usm: that’s harry!

[punchodile-defunct]

My 10 Favorite Video Games of All Time

Just a list I felt like making! They're in no particular order, except for my all-time favorite.

10. Final Fantasy 9

Of the one's I've played, this is the one I've enjoyed and played the most. Its charming fantasy world and characters appealed to me, and I enjoyed its gameplay systems the most of the PS1 games.

9. Fire Emblem Awakening

This was my introduction to Fire Emblem, which is one of my favorite franchises now. I loved the tactical gameplay and the character interactions.

8. Halo: Reach

My introduction to the Halo series and non-Nintendo gaming as a whole, I'll always have a soft spot for this one. Tight shooter gameplay and a heartbreaking story make this Halo game stand out to me.

7. Kirby's Return to Dream Land

Another introduction to one of my favorite series, this is easily my favorite of the Kirby games. Immensely charming and fun, and the co-op let me share it with my brothers.

6. Super Mario Odyssey

I've been a Mario fan ever since I started gaming, but this one is easily the best for me. An enchanting and delightful adventure where you can go and do what you want, with memorable worlds and immensely satisfying free-form gameplay, as well as one of the coolest finales of any Nintendo game.

5. Kid Icarus Uprising

Easily one of the most unique gaming experiences I've had, Kid Icarus Uprising is an inspired re-invention of an old and criminally underused franchise. It easily has some of the best writing i've seen in a game, the story moves at a breakneck pace, and the characters are all hilarious and memorable. It pioneered systems that Sakurai would use in future games such as the difficulty slider, and was a wild ride from start to finish.

4. Kingdom Hearts (358/2 Days)

I adore the whole series, but Days is my favorite, with nostalgia admittedly being a big factor. It was the first KH game I played, and while it's not quite as polished, its story remains my absolute favorite from the series. Roxas, Axel, and Xion's tragic story is one of my favorites.

3. Super Smash Bros (Ultimate)

The Smash franchise is one of my oldest favorites, and the latest entry provides almost everything I've wanted from a new game.

2. Hollow Knight

This game blew me away. Hollow Knight is a brilliant and haunting experience. Tough as nails but incredibly rewarding, it is a game that gives you freedom to explore and fight the mysteries of Hallownest the way you want to, with an alluring sense of mystique inviting you to uncover the tragedy of what happened. It has a beautiful animation style and soundtrack; it is a work of art.

And finally, my all-time favorite

1. The Wonderful 101

I don't know how to describe what makes this game so special to me. It appeals to so many of the things I like: stylish and quick action, colorful characters, crazy moments. This game is one of the few that constantly exceeded my expectations; there was never a full moment for me. While it is very lighthearted and silly, it balances that with genuinely heartfelt and emotional moments. I can't really describe it, but I feel like this game is the one that I would give to someone to show them who i am as a person. Something about it resonated with me deeper than pretty much any other game on this list. I've never had another gaming experience like the one I had playing through the Wonderful 101, which is why I can definitively say that it is my favorite game of all time.

Feel free to share your favorite games as well! I made this because I wanted to share something about myself, and I want to encourage others to do the same.