My top PS1 games playable on Vita (2018)

(Editor’s note – please check out my newest, up-to-date list of the 25 best PS1 games playable on Vita!)

A supplement to my previous posts about favourite Vita games and PSP games, I thought I would list the best PS1 games which are playable on Vita too. There’s a vast amount of classics on the store and although I’ve only gotten around to a few of them, they’re still incredible games to take on the go with you. All of the titles in this list I’d recommend wholeheartedly despite their age!

 

15. Hogs of War

A brilliant strategy game that takes the Worms formula and moves it into the third dimension (before Team 17 attempted that themselves), Hogs of War mixes in a hilarious sense of humour (with fantastic British voice acting) alongside a heap of customisation, making it a classic that’s well worth revisiting. Check out my review here.

 

14. Jumping Flash!

So it looks pretty bad now and can be beaten in an afternoon sitting, but Jumping Flash! still offers a brand of 3D platforming that no other game has really been able to. Leap into the sky and explore levels from great heights while playing as the adorable law-enforcement robot rabbit Robbit – check out my review here.

 

13. Tomb Raider

Lara Croft became a household name thanks to her first PS1 adventure and it’s easy to see why – aside from her charismatic and likeable character, the game itself is a brilliant Indiana Jones-style adventure through tombs and forgotten kingdoms – the gunplay is slightly wonky, but everything else is enormous fun. Check out my review here.

 

12. Tekken 2

It might not be the definitive game in the series on PS1, but Tekken 2 is still a fantastic fighting game and a great evolution over the original. More characters; an interesting story and some great nuance to the mechanics make it a title well worth checking out – just look past the slightly clunky graphics (my review of the game is here).

 

11. Ridge Racer Type 4

The Ridge Racer series has been around on PlayStation hardware since the launch of PS1 but Type 4 is arguably the ultimate culmination of the franchise. Featuring a meaty single-player mode; intricate drift-focused gameplay and some stunning (for the time) visuals, this one is well worth revisiting on the Vita thanks to rock-solid gameplay.

 

10. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

I was never as big a fan of the Crash Bandicoot games as I was some of its contemporaries, but Warped is undoubtedly a fantastic time from start to finish. Featuring varied gameplay; some great platforming challenges and a tonne of levels (plus the addition of the adorable Pura), it’s a PS1 masterclass. Check out my review here.

 

9. Final Fantasy IX

IX never quite resonated with me in the same way that VII and VIII did but seeing as they’re among my favourite games ever, that would be a difficult task. It’s still a fantastically epic JRPG – featuring a sweeping storyline; brilliant characters and a beautiful soundtrack.

 

8. Theme Hospital

Bullfrog were absolute masters of their craft and arguably Theme Hospital is their greatest achievement – a micro-management game that has you running a hospital complete with vomiting patients; outbreaks of ‘bloaty head’; doctors who just want to slack off and a hilarious receptionist. It’s just brilliant – check out my review here.

 

7. Crash Team Racing

Hands down the best Crash Bandicoot game ever made, Crash Team Racing brings together a number of characters from the franchise’s history in a wacky kart-racer that gave Mario Kart 64 a run for its money. A fleshed-out adventure mode provides enough single-player content to keep you coming back and the title’s addictive gameplay makes it a definite classic (and probably the best kart-racer on Vita too). Check out my review here.

 

6. Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer (Ripto’s Rage in NA)

Using the collectathon template of the original and taking it in a fresh direction with plenty of new characters; challenges and puzzles, Gateway to Glimmer marked a turning point in the franchise that would eventually lead to the seminal Year of the Dragon. Yet on its own, it’s still a fantastic game – check out my review here.

 

5. Metal Gear Solid

A groundbreaking achievement in storytelling; world-building and stealth-action gameplay, Metal Gear Solid paved the way for so much in this industry and remains brilliant to this day. Interesting characters; a compelling plot and some fantastic set-pieces bring together a brilliant overall package that remains memorable long after its dramatic conclusion. Check out my review here.

 

4. Spyro the Dragon

Different than its successors but in a fantastically unique way, Spyro the Dragon is a solitary adventure that sees you freeing captured dragon’s and defeating Gnasty Gnorc. Just everything about it works perfectly – colour; sound; platforming etc. that makes it still brilliant to play today, check out my review here.

 

3. Final Fantasy VII

The game that got me into JRPG’s – a sweeping epic that follows mercenary Cloud Strife as he goes on a globe-trotting adventure to save everything he holds dear. The narrative may get confusing at times, but the cast of characters and overall plot here are among the best I’ve ever seen in gaming – throw in a fun battle system and a massive planet to explore and you’ve got a classic that’s as good now as it ever was.

 

2. Final Fantasy VIII

After beating VII, I thought it would be nigh-on impossible to make a better game than that – but I was wrong; Final Fantasy VIII is an amazing adventure with still-beautiful graphics; a gorgeous soundtrack (my god, the soundtrack is beautiful) and an even better combat system. What set it apart for me was the fantastic story of warring nations and sorceresses and the ideas that it toys with, which got me thinking about what really happened long after the game’s conclusion.

 

1. Spyro: Year of the Dragon

I recently replayed it and found it to be just as good as I remembered it, Spyro: Year of the Dragon is likely my favourite videogame ever made. Absolutely gorgeous from start to finish thanks to some beautiful level design (and an amazing use of colour); more varied gameplay than ever thanks to the addition of more playable characters; a touching and amusing story told in the best manner since the franchise’s beginnings and featuring a sublime soundtrack, gaming has arguably never been better than this and it’s a modern classic in every sense of the word. Check out my review here.

 

The final list coming up tomorrow – my top 10 favourite Vita games!