The video game industry continues to evolve in incredible ways, and the advancements each new game generation introduces opens the public to unprecedented experiences. Many important names have emerged as innovators in the gaming industry and Sony’s PlayStation has dominated their hardware and games for years.
Some of Sony’s most popular PlayStation franchises have changed the scope of the industry forever. Certain titles find instant success and are destined to become evergreens. However, there are also plenty of titles that gradually find an audience and reach cult classic status, but spend their first releases in anonymity.
10 Katamari Damacy is an undeniable burst of creativity that has become its own genre
Katamari Damacy has thankfully been given the time to develop a long-running franchise that continues to push its strange premise into exciting, new places. The absurd nature of Katamari Damacy is exactly why audiences love it, but this is a much harder sell for the original game in the franchise that didn’t take advantage of existing proofs of concept.
Making the unique puzzle elements and cute visual aesthetic katamaric a trendsetter in every department. This craziness led to initially anemic numbers, and the first game in the series performed so poorly that it didn’t even get a European release.
9 Ico is an artistic achievement that pushes puzzles and stories to new places
icon is a true masterpiece of gaming, offering the audience a moving story that is a testament to character development and pace. icon is often described as an extended escort mission, but it is so much more than that. The clever puzzles and grim environments are so different from the standard PS2 adventure.
In many ways, Ico ran such that the developer’s spiritual successor, Shadow of the Colossus, could walk. Both are extremely important PlayStation games, but Shadow of the Colossus explores how many of Ico’s ideas, themes, and visuals can be contextualized in a more accessible package.
8 Bushido Blade is a taxing fighting experience with a core concept that splits the audience
The fighting genre of gaming can sometimes be impossible to penetrate when it comes to striking a balance between casual button mashers and those who enjoy a tough control scheme. Bushido Blade is a samurai-focused fighting game for the original PlayStation that made a name for itself for its realistic approach to combat where fighters would lose control of their limbs if attacked viciously.
This punishing mechanic appealed to hardcore fight fans, but it frustrated the general crowd. It’s a shame when a game gets overlooked because its innovative features are too far ahead of their time.
7 Okami is a love letter to the power of art and mythology
okami is a rare artistic achievement in the game industry that really blurs the lines between entertainment and immersive art. The game is deeply stylized and influenced by ancient Japanese folklore, right down to its lupine protagonist, Amaterasu.
One of the greatest deterrents that worked against okamiIts success from the mainstream is that it was one of the last games to be released on the PlayStation 2 at a time when the PS3 hype was already in full swing. In addition, the PlayStation 2 okami original was starting to seem less essential compared to the Wii port that followed and the proper HD remaster that accompanied next-gen consoles.
6 Shadow Of Rome is a robust recreation of a terrifying period
There is so much potential in an ancient Rome video game environment. More recent titles, such as Assassin’s Creedare able to really dig into the depths of these combative time periods. Shadow of Rome is a PlayStation 2 title that uses Caesar’s assassination as the starting point for an exciting adventure that combines action and stealth gameplay before it was the norm.
Shadow of Rome does all this well, but the complex mechanics may have been enough to keep regular gamers away. Strangely enough, the first plans for a Shadow of Rome sequel would gradually change into the first game in the Dead Rising series.
5 Rez is a rhythmic rail shooter that is like no other
Sublime presentation can help take an average game to totem heights, especially when all the elements of a game work together seamlessly. Railshooters can be a polarizing genre, but these don’t feel like truncated or barren experiences when done right. rez is a kaleidoscopic creativity that embraces a synth soundtrack that compliments the patterns of the game’s combat.
The devastating explosions add to the evolving soundscape and the wireframe visuals make it feel like the player has entered an exciting virtual reality. Although initially released on Sega’s wielding Dreamcast, rez also initially struggled to find his people with his PlayStation 2 port.
4 Dark Cloud adds justifiable RTS and design components to the RPG genre
The original PlayStation helped make a name for itself through its many sprawling RPGs. Gamers were excited about what the PlayStation 2 could do with this game genre and titles like dark cloud are fascinating products of their time.
dark cloud subscribes to basic fantasy RPG stories, but it’s also heavy on crafting and real-time strategy elements that require the protagonist to rebuild his broken world. Unlike other games with unfavorable initial ratings, dark cloud at least managed to evoke enough audience that an even deeper and polarizing sequel, Dark Chroniclewas also released.
3 Psychonauts combines smart platforming with an introspective journey of the mind
Tim Schafer is a prolific director who made his mark in the late 1990s and early 2000s through acclaimed adventure titles such as Grim Fandango and pedal to the metal. Schafer slowly switched to console gaming with his company Double Fine Productions and Psychonauts made critical waves as an inventive take on the platform adventure genre for the PS2 and Xbox.
Psychonauts uses an eclectic array of psychic abilities to inform gameplay, but it’s the deep psychological journeys in characters’ minds where storytelling really shines. A small core audience embraced Psychonauts, but its marginal success is why it took over 15 years for a real sequel to come out.
2 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Gives Sony’s Gaming Mascots the Smash Bros. Treatment
Nintendo has enjoyed unprecedented success with the continued acclaim for their crossover fighting franchise, Super Smash Bros. It’s easy to see why crossover fighters that reflect a company’s legacy are popular with fans and it was only a matter of time before Sony decided to indulge in this area.
PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale should have been a guaranteed hit, but the PS3 and Vita release that combines two dozen characters from different PlayStation games failed to live up to initial sales forecasts. A cult audience persisted, but plans for a sequel and even additional DLC characters were scrapped.
1 Beyond Good & Evil loses its audience in a glorious world of whimsy
Ubisoft’s Beyond good and evil creates an immersive fantasy world that you can easily get lost in. There are intuitive action elements that bring more popular franchises such as The Legend of Zelda or metro for the mind, but Beyond good and evil is a unique vision that gains power from its overwhelming depth.
Beyond Good and Evil 2, a prequel to the PS2 title, has been announced, but it’s been two decades since the original’s release. When the game finally comes out, it will be incredibly difficult to meet the growing expectations that have taken decades to develop.
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