Retro Recall: The PS1 Chronicles

It's rarely a good thing when you see an update episode from your favorite creator, and today we have to join that list. As we take this break from the show we'd like to thank everyone who supported us during this year and a half. We didn't expect the show to gain this much attention, and we can't wait to reboot it and make it even better than before! We'll see you all soon!

It's no secret that licensed games were a mixed bag during the PS1 generation. You might get lucky and find some hidden gems but more often than not you got a shameless cash grab. Courtesy of the wheel, this week we’re taking a look at Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue. Attempting to pull from the popularity of extreme sports at the time, is this one worth a second look?

In today’s gaming landscape, From Software is one of the most respected developers. From Elden Ring to Armored Core and more the company can seem to do no wrong these days. Today we’re going to go back to the beginning and take a look at their very first game, King's Field.

A game based on a movie based on a game, just that statement alone is ridiculous. Street Fighter: The Movie might be the only one of these to exist. Join us as we not only take a look at the game based on the movie, but the movie based on the game.

If you’re watching or listening to our show then you likely already know Doom, the game that popularized the FPS genre in the early 90s. Doom has been ported to about every platform imaginable, down to things as ridiculous as printers and calculators. What does the PS1 port do to separate itself from the dozens of other ports of the classic game?

When you hear a game has been ported to the PS1 from the Gameboy Advanced, it’s hard to imagine it turned out well. Today we’re looking at the only game to do so, Pinobee. A 2D platformer from the designer of Sonic the Hedgehog should be a slam dunk, but what do the game's GBA roots mean for the PS1 port?

Wrestling games have been around as long as gaming itself and the PS1 has dozens in its library. WWF Attitude is the last wrestling game made by Acclaim, do they go out with a whimper or a bang?

For our second Star Wars game on the show we're taking a look at Jedi Power Battles, a beat 'em up that was remastered not too long ago. A Star Wars game in this style should be a no brainer, is this one worth checking out? We're joined by Star Wars lore master Ryan of 156/Silence this week to help us figure it out!

Omega Boost is a rail shooter from the developers of Gran Turismo, their only non racing game. We were very excited to see what could’ve been from a studio that has been focused on one genre for over 20 years. Let’s find out if they should branch out more or just stick to racing!

FMV games are a relic of the 90s, you either love 'em or hate 'em. While the genre has made a comeback in recent years, only a few were released for the PS1. Does Brain Dead 13 break the mold, or would it be better as a movie like so many others in the genre?

Jackbox games have become a phenomenon over the course of the last decade. Gathering around your TV with friends playing some wacky games is always a good time. Today we’re gonna go back to the very beginning and take a look at the first two games in the series, You Don’t Know Jack and You Don’t Know Jack Mock 2.

It’s been a little over a year since we covered the first game in the Legacy of Kain series, so we think it’s time to take a look at its critically acclaimed sequel. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver introduces an entire new genre and graphical style to the series, but how does it stack up against the original?

It’s been a while since we played our last rhythm game, so we decided it was time to revisit the genre. Picked by our new guest Dellen, we decided to tackle the first in a forgotten series, Bust a Groove.

Ape Escape is a PS1 classic that puts the brand new DualShock controller front and center. Joined by Jack from 156/Silence, we’re going to find out just how fun it is to capture monkeys!

It’s been a year since we covered our first racing game, Destruction Derby. While we have a ton of experience playing more arcade style racing games, simulation games are a little outside of our wheelhouse. We’re very excited to take a look at the first game in a long-running series, Colin McRae Rally!

Wild 9 is a 2.5D action platformer from the creators of the Earthworm Jim series, complete with all of the wacky antics that made Jim so popular in the first place. Is this a worthy follow up? And what does 2.5D mean anyway?

Until recently, it hasn’t been possible to play the Japanese only adventure game, Aconcagua. Join us as we take another step into the world of fan translations, and find out if this forgotten game is worth playing today!

Today we’re looking at the first entry on the PS1 in the legendary Mega Man series, a port of SNES title Mega Man X3! We’re happy to be joined by Mega Man expert, Dan of The Callous Daoboys who will help us make sense of the lore and figure out if this port is worth revisiting!

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown is a port of Duke Nukem 3D for the PS1, along with some additional levels and features. The last time we played a PC port on the Playstation the results were catastrophic, will this time be any different?

For year 2 of the show, we’ve decided we want to fill in the gaps with new genres we haven’t covered yet, regardless of if we’re excited to get into them or not! Panzer Front is a very serious, very intense tank simulation game that puts you into various World War 2 battles. Join us as we get pushed to our absolute limits with the most realistic tank simulation on the PS1! Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

Turnabout is a seemingly simple puzzle game that came out extremely late in the PS1’s life cycle. The game takes you on a relaxing journey while you play with colored balls, but is it enough? 

It’s been almost a year since we played Einhander, our first schmup on the show. Mike struggled while Jimmy and Kyle used save states to get by. We felt that it was time to give the genre another shot with the Japanese exclusive cute em’ up Harmful Park!

With the year coming to a close, we decided to take a look back at all the games we covered and determine which was the best and worst in several categories. Do you agree with our choices?

For this week’s episode we couldn’t think of any better way to celebrate the holidays than to play the game based on everybody’s favorite Christmas movie, Die Hard! With three separate games in one, Die Hard Trilogy has so much to offer. But with the infamous reputation of licensed games around this time, would you be better off just watching the movies?

With the anniversary of the first episode of the show coming up soon, we couldn't think of any other way to celebrate than to play the sequel to the very first game we covered, Crash Bandicoot!

2D Zelda-likes were far and few between on the original PlayStation. Alundra aims to take the formula made popular by titles like A Link to the Past and update it with a more mature story. Does it stick the landing or should you should just stick to the classics?

This week, we’re playing 3 volumes of the Namco Museum Series. A big undertaking in itself, join us as we do our best to play through (and enjoy) dozens of classic arcade games.

Today we’re looking at one of the weirdest games on the PlayStation, Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman. The only non sports game developed by Cool Boarders developer UEP systems, this unique action game has a ton of personality. But is it style over substance? Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

Beat ‘em ups are a genre that we have somehow yet to check out on this show. The genre had its heyday in the 90s but slowly began to fade away as gamers began to look for more substantial gaming experiences. Today we’re looking at Crisis Beat, a 3D beat ‘em up that takes cues from the classic action films of the 80s and 90s.

In a much needed change of pace, today we’re looking at a little known PS1 game named Tail of the Sun. This exploration based title where you play as a caveman really pushed us to our limits. Is this weird little game a hidden gem? Or is it one of the worst games we’ve ever played?

There’s only one way to end horror month, and that’s with one of the most beloved horror games of all time. Resident Evil has been one of gaming's most iconic franchises since the beginning, and the series is still going strong to this day. Is the game that started it all still worth revisiting in 2024? Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

Once a beloved mascot for Sony, Sir Daniel hasn’t seen much action other than a less than stellar remake in recent years. For week 4 of horror month we’re going back to the beginning to find out if MediEvil is a series that deserves to be resurrected, or if it should just stay dead.

Today we look at one of the heaviest hitters in the horror genre on PlayStation. While the series may have fallen from grace in its later years, the original run of games is seen by many as some of the best horror games of all time. Join us through the terrifying atmospheric experience that is Silent Hill. Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

For week two of horror month we’ve chosen what some consider one of the greatest games of all time, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. One of the first metroidvanias along with Super Metroid, how does it feel to play this game in 2024 with so many amazing games in the genre to choose from?

October is spooky season so we’ve decided to dedicate the month to horror and horror themed games! For our first entry we’ve chosen D, an FMV adventure game that does its best to scare you with its atmosphere. FMV games sure are a product of the time, how does this one hold up? See our full ranking! https://docs.google.com/document/d/19W-VPzzsrzCnQu9dJbBTQBWCw-sBKZDVk0AopggWlfc/edit?usp=sharing Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

Farming games are a very divisive subject in our camp. Mike can't stop talking about Stardew Valley while Jimmy couldn’t be bothered with them. Join us as we tackle the only Harvest Moon game on the PlayStation!

The game of Tetris has seen very many different entries over the years. While it may be undeniably one of the greatest games ever made, some iterations have been better than others. Today, we’re looking at all of the Tetris games released on the PS1. See our full ranking! https://docs.google.com/document/d/19W-VPzzsrzCnQu9dJbBTQBWCw-sBKZDVk0AopggWlfc/edit?usp=sharing Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

For our second “sports” episode we’re looking at all 3 games in the NFL Blitz series for the PlayStation. A legendary series that vanished once EA got the exclusive NFL license, does the arcadey football action still hold up today? See our full ranking! https://docs.google.com/document/d/19W-VPzzsrzCnQu9dJbBTQBWCw-sBKZDVk0AopggWlfc/edit?usp=sharing Follow us on Social Media! https://linktr.ee/nostalgiagogglesgaming

Kart Racers were a huge part of the PS1 and N64 generation of consoles, for a while seemingly every licensed property had one. For today’s episode, we both decided to pick one of the many kart racers on the PS1 and see how they stack up against each other!

Light gun games were a staple of arcades in the 80s and 90s but never quite found an audience on home consoles. While many exist on the PS1, some consider Elemental Gearbolt to be one of the best for the console. With its higher than usual budget and anime cutscenes, is it worth revisiting it today?

While recording a short based on its cover, we discovered a little known flight combat game called Vanark. The cover is great, but is gameplay good enough to back it up?

For our second RPG covered for this series, we decided to go back to the first game in the legendary Persona series. A far cry from the games we know today, is it worth going back to the beginning?

The first in a series still running to this day, Soul Edge is a weapons based fighter that hit the ground running after its 1997 debut on the PlayStation. This being our second fighting game covered on the show, how does this stack up against Tekken? And are we still bad at fighting games?

In another double episode, we decided to take a look at the first 2 games in the Cool Boarders series. Extreme sports were the biggest they’d ever been during the PS1 generation, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Snowboarder this is not.

With its tried and true gameplay, Bomberman World is the PS1 update of the classic maze action series. Everybody loves Bomberman’s classic gameplay, but should you just stick to one of the earlier entries?

Blaster Master: Blasting Again is an update to a classic series that began all the way back on the NES. It was a tough transition to 3D for many classic series around this time, how does Blaster Master stack up among the rest?

For this week’s episode we decided to tackle some of the most well known rhythm games on the PS1, Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy. Are the lovable characters and wacky story enough to overcome the lackluster gameplay?

Based on the classic Pixar movie, A Bug’s life is one of those licensed tie in games that were ever so famous during the PS1 generation. Is this just a cash grab or is it worth a second look?

The result of a random wheel spin, Magic Carpet is a little known PC port of a flying game from 1994. Should you just skip the PlayStation and just go for the PC version? Or should you just skip this game all together?

Armored Core is an underrated series that has somehow gone on until the present day. Centered around building your mech, this game can be extremely overwhelming to the uninitiated. Will this game be too much for us?