The fifth generation of video game consoles ushered in an era of 3D gaming that would shape the future of the industry. Many landmark titles were released during this period that would serve as an influence to the games that would follow them. Unfortunately, since this era saw polygonal gaming in its infancy, few of these aforementioned titles have aged gracefully.
These games were rightfully regarded as quality titles during their initial release, but time has not been kind to these classics. Whether it's due to technical limitations or being outshone by the titles that would follow, many of the PlayStation's greatest hits are hard to go back to.
10 Parappa The Rapper Boasts Plenty Of Charm, But Limited Lasting Appeal
The brainchild of Japanese musician and developer Masaya Matsuura, Parappa the Rapper is credited with introducing the rhythm genre to gaming. There may have only been six songs, but the novelty of a music-based game was enough to warrant a purchase during its initial release. While the paper-cut-out art style, cartoony humor, and catchy musical numbers remain as charming as ever, the young pup's first adventure is lacking in content and longevity when compared to more modern rhythm entries. It's spin off, Um Jammer Lammy, boasted more levels, gameplay modes, and a greater level of challenge.
9 Pandemonium's 2.5D Platforming Is Outshone By Klonoa and Tomba
Much like Klonoa Door to Phantomile, Pandemonium was a platformer that mixed 2D gameplay with 3D visuals. During its initial release, the twisting cameras and lively locales made these games stand out among other platformers on the market. However, while Pandemonuim's mechanics were largely nothing new, Klonoa featured an interesting capture gimmick with levels that took full advantage of this ability. There are certainly worse games of this ilk on the PlayStation such as Wild 9, but Pandemonium is still just a ho-hum platformer whose novelty has long worn off.
8 Loaded's Controls Leave Players Ill-Equiped To Deal With Its Numerous Enemies
Imagine Smash TV without the twin-stick controls, its game show premise replaced with an edgy underground comic book tone, and a more labyrinthian level structure, and gamers might have a pretty good idea of what Loaded for the PlayStation is all about. While players can strafe by holding a button, this proves to be inadequate for the multitudes of enemies and hazards that the game loves to throw at them. A follow-up, Re-Loaded, attempted to address these issues, but exacerbated most of the original game's other problems. Hotline Miami is easier to come by and more worth gamers' time and money.
7 Croc Is Outclassed By Both Crash And Spyro
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Originally intended to be a game starring Yoshi, Argonaut's Croc Legend of the Gobbos was a 3D platformer that was released during a time when the PlayStation's library was lacking in games of this ilk. Like the much-maligned Bubsy 3D, Croc utilizes tank controls that worked fine for games like Resident Evil and Grim Fandango, but were terrible for entries in the platformer genre. As the years went on, the console saw far superior 3D platformers such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Croc 2 jettisoned the tank controls, but that just wasn't enough for this franchise to stand toe-to-toe with the big boys.
6 Lara Croft's First Expeditions Are Very Treacherous
The original Tomb Raider was lauded in its day for taking the step-platforming formula introduced in titles such as Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia and bringing it into the third dimension. Before Eidos had eroded all of Lara Croft's goodwill with consumers by commissioning a new game every year, the series was highly influential and spawned a number of copycats.
However, in the decades that have passed, realistic platformers have come a long way with Prince of Persia the Sands of Time and Uncharted making Lara's tank controls and trial and error design harder to stomach.
5 MediEvil Charming Story Is Let Down By Its Combat
MediEvil put players in the armor of the undead knight Sir Daniel Fortesque. The first soldier to fall in the battle against the evil wizard Zarok, Sir Dan was falsely hailed as a hero. However, when Zarok returns and resurrects the dead, the fallen knight is given a chance to redeem himself and become the true hero of Gallowmere. The story, humor, and art direction are as compelling as ever. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the combat. Fighting is simply a matter of flailing Sir Dan's weapon and hoping the enemies die before he does. The camera also seems to be in cahoots with the evil wizard.
4 Skullmonkeys' Presentation Can't Overcome Its Dull Gameplay
The follow-up title to The Neverhood, Skullmonkeys shifted the genre from a point & click graphic adventure to an action platformer while retaining the stop-motion visuals, absurdist humor, and eclectic soundtrack that earned the original so much praise. However, in comparison to other 2D entries on the PlayStation such as Tomba, Symphony of the Night, and Oddworld, Skullmonkeys, unfortunately, does not stack up. While the presentation is very lively, the actual platforming is painfully by-the-numbers and plagued with frustrating trial and error level design. Gamers who enjoy Doug TenNapel's brand of humor are better off playing the first game or Earthworm Jim.
3 Legacy of Kain Blood Omen's Constant Loading Drags The Experience Down
The first entry in the Legacy of Kain series, Blood Omen was essentially a vampiric Link to the Past. Unfortunately, numerous design choices and technological shortcomings make this game easily outclassed by its 16-bit counterpart. Changing weapons, equipping spells, transforming into creatures, leaving the screen, or even pausing the game requires players to sit through a loading screen.
Since many of the puzzle solutions involve certain spells and weapons, the flow is constantly broken by this constant loading. Kain is also a much more lethargic warrior than Link, as his slow movements make him easily susceptible to cheap attacks.
2 Legend Of Legaia's Ho-Hum Story Make It Pale In Comparison To Other RPGs
The competition for RPGs on the PlayStation was very steep, especially with big-name developers such as Square and Konami pumping out classic after classic on the system. In a post Final Fantasy VII, Suikeoden, and Wild Arms landscape, Legend of Legaia's standout features were its visuals and combat system. Rather than incorporating pre-rendered backgrounds or 2D sprites, Legaia was a fully polygonal adventure. Instead of the turn-based battles that populated the genre, Legaia's combat was more akin to fighting games. Unfortunately, the story, characters, and soundtrack are so bland and vanilla that it becomes hard to recommend over its vastly superior competitors.
1 The Original Twisted Metal Is A Rough Ride
The debut of one of Sony's longest-running gaming franchises, Twisted Metal for the original PlayStation is a rough ride for all the wrong reasons. Regardless of which vehicle is chosen, players will have a tough time getting a hold of the controls and handling. In addition, the outlandish cutscenes which depict the competitors' respective wishes being granted by the dark host Calypso are nowhere to be seen in this installment. Instead, victorious players are rewarded with simple text descriptions of their character's fate. Players are better left checking out the sequels which addressed most of the problems and added several characters and content.