Sony PlayStation 1 - Must Have Games

[TL]

I have owned a few of these over the years without ever being a massive fan of the machine, among the piles of mediocre dross these are the games I have really enjoyed on it:

Blockbuster
Command & Conquer 1&2
Worms
Gran Turismo 1&2
LMA Manager
WWE Smackdown 2
ISS '98
ECW Anarchy Rulz
Railroad Tycoon 2
Grand Theft Auto 1,2 & London
Gauntlet Legions
Baldies
Raiden
Doom
My Golf

[Vyothric]

Haven't played many games on the PS1.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
G-Darius
Sexy Parodius (I think I would have liked this if I didn't play it competitively)

That's about it 

Also, while I haven't played the PS1 version of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, I'd recommend that anyway if it's anywhere near as good as on the PC.

[AmigaJay]

I still prefer some of the early PS1 games:

Wipeout 1
Destruction Derby 1
Tekken 1
Doom
Need For Speed (yes 3do fanboys it is much better!)
Tomb Raider (Despite dodgy controls this was still groundbreaking at the time, Mario 64 can suck my balls!)
F1 97

[108 Stars]

For me this was my favorite system ever. Just too many great games to list them.

To not make the top ten too dull I will put series as a single entry.

• Metal Gear Solid: The pinnacle of story driven games at the time. You could talk with your backup team about every little thing, from the Alaskan rat population to nuclear disarmement contracts. This, great story, cutscenes and voiceacting and the simple, yet adictive hide-and-seek gameply mades it a milestone in game history.
• Suikoden: Looked a bit dated, but had a lot to offer. 108 characters in each, great dramatic, political stories, six-man turn-based battles.
• Final Fantasy: Cinematic RPGs with emotional stories and innovative gameplay systems.
• Dragon Quest VII: Bad graphics, but 120 hours of charming, naive RPG gameplay
• Resident Evil: Capcom took what Alone in the Dark invented and just did it better and much more playable. Part 1 is a great example of atmosphere in games.
• Silent Hill: Another intense horror-adventure. Games can't get much scarier
• Street Fighter Alpha 3: Best Street Fighter game to this day imo.
• Tekken 3: Great visuals, huge roster and just a lot of fun.
• Broken Sword: Wonderful adventures by Revolution Software
• Grandia: Game Arts' finest hour: fully 3D JRPG that just feels very charming.

[Greyfox]

well I loved my PS1 back in the day, and for me these would be classed as some of the best in my opinion

1.Tekken Series (1,2,3)
2.Resident Evil Series (1,2,3)
3.Silent Hill
4.Syphon Filter Series (1,2,3)
5.Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Series (1,2)
6.Driver Series (1,2)
7.Ridge Racer Series (1,2,3,4)
8.Metal Gear Solid
9.Gran Turismo Series (1,2)
10. Bishi bashi
11. Silent Bomber
12.Dino Crisis Series (1,2)
13.Tobal Series (1,2)
14.Soul Reaver
15.Legacy of Kain Series (1,2)

[Carlos]

Parappa the Rapper.

[Bobinator]

Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10sFlnhiDkw

I've always been a huge fan of Crash, and this is my personal favorite. The first game was way too difficult to really enjoy, but the second game fixed a lot of its problems and ended up being a much better game. The third game perfects the formula, though. You've got the same platforming the first two games had, which is basically a 2D game put into a 3D plane. It sounds unusual if you haven't played a Crash game, but it honestly works pretty well. Add in a lot of secrets and replay value, including using new abilities in old levels, and you've got one of the best platformers on the Playstation.

Bloody Roar 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZcJrnd2A8U

For various reasons, including some seriously ugly character design, the first game is worth skipping for this one. Basically, imagine a 3D fighting game like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, only it generally plays a lot faster. Now imagine that you have a button that makes your character transform into a slavering were-beast, capable of gripping your opponent by the throat and swinging them like a rag doll. This is pretty much my favorite 3D fighting game, for the beast gimmick, which adds quite a lot to gameplay, quick gameplay at a constant 60 FPS, and a really good rock soundtrack.

Twisted Metal 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoOqc5kW4Eo

Much like Bloody Roar, the first game in the series didn't really find its way until the sequel came out. Basically, this game is a cross between a driving game, and a fighting game. As one of several different vehicles, including sports cars, motorcycles, buggies, and ice cream trucks, you play a driver out to get a wish from the mysterious Calypso. (It usually doesn't end up going well.) Basically, you drive around the map, collect different weapon pick-ups, and use them to destroy your enemies. Basically, imagine any Mario Kart battle mode mixed with Quake and you won't be entirely off.

[Rogue Trooper]

Adding a few not yet mentioned:

Xcom (best console version, even better with a mouse). Warzone 2100-Superb RTS, Einhander-reason i had my PS1 chipped, N20-head melter! and Overboard-Really wish it'd appeared on PSN.

[DZ-Jay]

How about Odd's World?  I think it was a fantastic game.

    dZ.

[dcultrapro]

I won't mention any that can be found on better hardware such as Saturn or Dreamcast (unless I am not aware of a port) but here are my top games for it from memory

Armored Core
Final Fantasy VIII
Oddworld Abes Odyssey
Metal Gear Solid
Ghost In The Shell
Street Fighter EX plus a
Smackdown vs Raw (any year)

I have recently been playing emulated versions of SOTN and a few others but as I haven't played them properly I thought it best not to include them.

[onthinice]

I have a few of the NASCAR games and not too much of anything else. I thought that '99 and 2000 were some of the best racing games I have played.

[DZ-Jay]

How about Odd's World?  I think it was a fantastic game.

    dZ.

I meant Oddworld Abe's Oddessey

[Shadowrunner]

For me the number one game that comes to mind is Castlevania SOTN.  Depending on the day or the mood I'm in I will often say it's my favorite game of all time. Never drops out of the top three anyway.

[Flukesy]

Metal Gear Solid and Street Fighter Alpha 3 for me.
Die hard trilogy was enjoyable in a strange way

[Console Compulsive]

So many great games to put on the list. These are some of my personal favorites in no order of preference.

1) Resident Evil Series - So much more atmospheric than the modern RE games
2) Doom & Final Doom - Epic run and gun gaming with added BFG
3) Worms - Fun with banana bombs
4) Hogs of War - like worms but in 3D with pigs, tanks, minefields, Bunkers and Rik Mayall
5) Tomb Raider series - I know she has become a bit old hat now but the first 3 games were great
6) Duke Nukem series - If you haven't played Duke Nukem 3D yet.....Why? Time to kill was a bit like Tomb Raider with smutty humor but the third installment, Land of the Babes, was a bit Meh!
7) Jumping Flash - Jump a giant robot rabbit around a fully 3d environment while shooting nasties.