1. Final Fantasy Tactics
Some of the games on this list were hard to pick and order, but this was a no-brainer for numero uno. This was the first strategy RPG I ever played, and remains just about the best. Intense, strategic battles, great class system, and an almost incomprehensible story (what else is new). It couldn't be beat.
2. Vagrant Story
A bit of dark horse candidate, as this game was released late in the PSX lifespan and I don't think it got the attention it deserves. Interestingly, it takes place in the same world of Ivalice as FFT. It's a long action RPG/dungeon crawler with lots of loot, exploration, weapon customization, and block puzzles. Fights required careful selection of body parts to weaken opponents, and the boss battles could be truly epic. The interesting story was told comic-book style with impressive (for the PSX) in-game animation and speech bubbles. Fans of the genre who missed this gem should really check it out if they have a chance (I think it might be on PSN).
3. Chrono Cross
The long-awaited sequel to Chrono Trigger had, perhaps, insurmountable expectations to live up to. Upon reflection 12 years later, I do believe it deserves this high of a spot on this list. The story was a great twist on the first game, and some parts really got to me, though learning the tragic fate of the beloved CT crew was truly depressing. The battle system was fairly unique and interesting, though I was disappointed it didn't carry forth CT's no-battle-screens traditions. And, as anyone who's played it knows, there are too many playable characters. But the graphics and sound were amazing for the PSX, and the story twists did keep me guessing.
4. Dragon Warrior (Quest) 7
Every time DQ7 is brought up on podcasts I listen to, it generally gets trashed as pretty much the worst in the series, for reasons I don't especially understand, because you can apply them to every DQ game. Yes, it's really long, and the graphics and sound aren't exactly impressive. But I thought the world-building the player engages in - recreating the world one landmass at a time through finding pieces and putting them together in a puzzle to bring that area to life - was innovative and cool. And I will defend its job/class system as the best in the series. It was cool to level up a character as a Mariner and a Thief and then turn them into a Pirate with no loss of experience or skills, unlike other DQ games. Last, the story was just fun - you spend all this time working to resurrect God, and he's fine and all for a while, but then turns out you've been a stooge for the Demon Lord all this time. And then you can fight the real God post-ending in a bonus dungeon. What other game can make that claim?
5. Crash Team Racing
The mid to late 90s witnessed a plethora of Mario Kart clones, and almost all of them were crap. CTR stands out as the only truly worthy imitator. Personally I found it more intense and faster than Mario Kart 64, and appreciated the ability to power-up your items with enough fruit. It also added a cool adventure mode that required you to complete different challenges in each track, like time trials. Crash Bandicoot may not have been the most enduring Sony mascot, but his kart racing game has stood the test of time.
6. Xenogears
I've never been too much of an anime fan, and this game was my first real exposure to its tropes, turned into video-game form. At the time, it blew me away. Incredibly long, convoluted story with mechs, split personalities, and weird Christian references including characters getting crucified? Sign me up! The battles were generally fun too, though I preferred hand to hand, with some awesome combo finishers (Citan's sword), to the mech combat. The soundtrack was also astounding. It's a shame the second disc had to cut everything so short (and that it's so noticeable) - it will always leave you wondering what might have been.
7. Final Fantasy 9
The highest-ranking numbered FF on my list. I know it's not everyone's favorite, but I really enjoyed all the callbacks and references to earlier games in the series. I also appreciated that the skill-learning system was much more straightforward this time around, and the summon animations were mercifully shorter. Plus, this game has Vivi the black mage, and Vivi is cool.
8. Alundra
The closest game the PSX had to a Zelda-style adventure. This game could be incredibly frustrating in parts due to sections requiring deft platforming skills and truly devious puzzles. This is the first game I remember looking up hints for on the Internet. But if you could figure things out on your own it gave you a great sense of satisfaction. The combat was fun, the story interesting, and the overworld nice and big with lots of secrets to uncover, very reminiscent of Link to the Past. Of all the games on this list, this is the one I most want to revisit, if only to see if I can figure out those damn puzzles myself this time.
9. Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Underground
With the exceptions of GoldenEye and Perfect Dark on the N64, console first-person shooters were of questionable quality until Halo came along and revolutionized the control scheme. Looking back, I really don't know how I managed to play these games with regular PS1 controller, even without the analog stick at first. But it was definitely the (mostly) realistic WWII setting that drew me in. I loved that the Nazis actually spoke German to you and I could understand it. The game had me from its opening "Conversational German for the American Soldier" demo movie. I put both on here because they are very similar and deserve a spot, though Underground gets bonus points for featuring a female protagonist of the French Resistance, taking the campaign to North Africa, and including a fun bonus mission set in Himmler's occultish castle where you get to mow down knights with your BAR. Who needs Nazi zombies?
10. Final Fantasy 8
I bought a PlayStation for Final Fantasy 7, and I loved it at the time. Looking back though, it has not aged well, for reasons too long to get into here. Its sequel also has its set of issues, but I decided it deserves a spot for ideas it introduced to the series, many of which have never been used since. The more realistic graphical style was a nice touch, as was the idea of enemies at least somewhat leveling with you. Drawing magic and the junction system were novel ideas, and I learned to abuse them to the point that I could actually beat the ultra-hard optional bosses, the only FF I've ever done that in. So FF8 claims the "final" spot on my list for daring to be different.
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