What We All Started With: Top 10 First Games on PlayStation

Crash Bandicoot, Tekken and other legends.

This week PlayStation turned 25 years old. On December 3, 1994, a development team led by Ken Kutaragi unveiled the game console in Japan, and to mark the occasion, we recall ten memorable games from the “first Sony” that we grew up with. 

Tekken 3

Release year: 1998
Developer: Namco
Genre: fighting game

A legendary fighting game, without which it was hard to imagine PlayStation. Today it is considered one of the best games of the genre in history. Players had to choose one of more than twenty characters and fight an unforgettable battle. 

In May 1998, Sony awarded Tekken 3 the “Platinum Prize” for sales of more than 1 million units in Japan. In the US, 1.11 million copies of the game were sold, bringing in $48.5 million in 1998 alone. This made it the third bestseller on PlayStation that year.  

Civilization II

Release year: 1996
Developer: MicroProse
Genre: turn-based strategy

A strategy game in which the goal is to build your own civilization from scratch, creating wonders of the world, cities and armies, making scientific discoveries and waging war against rivals. The winner is the one whose civilization is first to build and launch a spaceship into space. 

Hogs of War 

Release year: 2000
Developer: Infogrames Studios
Genre: turn-based strategy, artillery

Six nations of pigs wage war for control of “Mud Island.” The player chooses a nation and goes through various missions, fighting other pigs. The game is fully in 3D, and its gameplay resembles the Worms series. However, it features class development, has no terrain destructibility, and allows the use of vehicles and buildings. In the game, each soldier can be upgraded to a certain rank along one of the development branches, which grants a unique weapon and abilities. 

Resident Evil 2 

Release year: 1998
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 4
Genre: horror

The game is set in a small American town whose residents have turned into zombies under the influence of a biological weapon created by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. The main characters try to leave town, killing zombies and solving various puzzles along the way to move forward. The game consists of exploring the area, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. 

Resident Evil 2 immediately became one of the best-selling games in the US. In the first week alone, 380,000 copies were sold, generating $19 million in revenue. 

Colin McRae Rally 2

Release year: 2000
Developer: Codemasters
Genre: car simulator

A sports racing game that many of us played. It features graphics that were detailed for their time, a huge number of different tracks, and changing weather conditions. Players could customize their car as they liked, and it crashed and got damaged as in real life: windows, headlights, body, hood, everything could break and fly apart. The game also featured real cars and drivers from the 1998 World Rally Championship.

By the end of 2002, sales of Colin McRae Rally 2 had reached 4 million copies, and in the UK it became a bestseller. 

Twisted Metal 2: World Tour

Release year: 1996
Developer: SingleTrac
Genre: survival racing

The player chooses one of the characters, and their goal is to destroy all rivals. This can be done by ramming or with weapons, which are varied: a standard machine gun, seven other types of firearms, rockets and explosives. Players can also use special moves, for example, shooting backward, jumping or freezing.  

The game was popular and received excellent reviews from critics. In particular, GamePro gave the game 100 points. 

Crash Bandicoot

Release year: 1996
Developer: Naughty Dog
Genre: platformer

A popular game in which the main character, Crash, runs forward, smashes crates along the way and destroys his enemies, and also eats fruit to regain strength. When Crash collects all the crates on a level without losing a single life, he gets a precious gem. And after collecting all the gems, he unlocks a secret ending. Crash's main goal is to rescue his girlfriend, who was kidnapped by an evil scientist dreaming of enslaving the whole world. 

The game sold more than 6 million units. This makes it the eighth best-selling game in PlayStation history and the best-selling in the US. 

Driver 2

Release year: 2000
Developer: Infogrames
Genre: car simulator, action

The main character is former racing driver John Tanner, who now works in the Miami police department. He is sent undercover into a dangerous criminal gang. His goal is to prove himself as an excellent driver and gain the gang's trust, while also gathering evidence against the criminals. 

The game received the “Platinum” award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. It is given to games that have sold at least 300,000 copies in the UK. 

Medal of Honor

Release year: 1999
Developer: DreamWorks Interactive
Genre: first-person shooter

One of the best games about World War II, its creation was overseen by legendary director Steven Spielberg. The game takes place between June 12, 1944 and March 25, 1945. Players control James Patterson, an American pilot of the Air Transport Corps. 

In the UK, the game received a “Gold” sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association for selling 200,000 copies. 

Syphon Filter 2

Release year: 2000
Developer: Eidetic
Genre: third-person shooter

The main character, Gabriel Logan, must rescue his partner, who has been infected with the “Syphon Filter” virus. To do so, he searches for an antidote, and along the way he encounters many enemies and dangers. Besides everything else, he has to solve a number of complex puzzles and riddles. 

Alexey Simonchuk