ONLY ON PLAYSTATION
The console exclusives that propelled Sony to world domination
METAL GEAR SOLID
PUB: KONAMI DEV: KONAMI
The success of Metal Gear Solid can be seen as the perfect storm of PlayStation’s new technology, the popularity of Japanese games, and Hideo Kojima’s quirks. A threequal to games few in the West had ever played in 1998, MGS embraced PlayStation’s newness and caught the imagination. The CD format ensured extensive voice acting while the memory cards and DualShock offered innovative fourth-wall-breaking gameplay. When Psycho Mantis started talking to you, not Snake, revealing your games collection and showing how powerful he was by making your controller move, you had to sit back and admire the genius at work.
RIDGE RACER
PUB: NAMCO DEV: NAMCO
Boasting ‘arcade perfection’, Ridge Racer was a dream for coin-op-obsessed gamers in 1994. Now you were promised that cuttingedge arcade game in your home, no 10p coins needed – and to an extent Namco’s racer delivered. By today’s standards this single-track racer built around time attack and perfecting powerslides is basic. But at PlayStation’s launch there was nothing else like it; fast and requiring a mastery of every turn, Ridge Racer became an obsession. It was designed to work with Namco’s NeGcon controller, which had a split pad so you could twist each side to emulate the motion of turning into a bend, which added to the game’s popularity.
TEKKEN
PUB: SONY DEV: NAMCO
Another launch game that pushed its arcade credentials, Tekken was PlayStation’s Virtua Fighter beater – it was directed by Virtua Fighter’s designer Seiichi Ishii. The days of Street Fighter felt numbered as we could now dodge and roll in three dimensions, and this was the first fighting game to simulate a 3D space. In many ways the console edition trumped the arcade version, including things like FMV cinematics and unlockable characters. In the UK Tekken became the first PlayStation game to sell over one million copies, and it has since become the best-selling fighting game series on PlayStation.
FINAL FANTASY VII
PUB: SONY DEV: SQUARE
With its filmic FMV sequences, 3D graphics, a staff count of over 100, and an $80 million budget, Final Fantasy VII set a new benchmark for videogames and ushered in the modern era of production. In its debut weekend it made $16.5 million. By the end of the year it had sold 9.8 million copies, and was responsible for a 60% rise in PlayStation console sales. FFVII was the first Killer App.
CRASH BANDICOOT
PUB: SONY DEV: NAUGHTY DOG
Back in the ‘90s every console needed a mascot. In Naughty Dog’s often comically violent Bandicoot Sony found its hero. The side-scrolling platforming would often switch to 3D running stages, showcasing PlayStation’s power to shift polygons. Selling 6.8 million units as of November 2003, Crash Bandicoot is PlayStation’s seventh-best-selling game of all time.
GRAN TURISMO
PUB: SONY DEV: POLYPHONY DIGITAL
The original Gran Turismo set in place two trends for the series: extensive development time (it took five years to make); and massive sales (over ten million lifetime sales). As well as being a fine simulation of racing, its graphics were so good you’d invite friends over just to gawp at them. With 140 cars, 11 race tracks, a CD-quality soundtrack, and advanced AI, Gran Turismo was more than a visual showcase, it set the benchmark for racing games.