The original PlayStation shook things up for the industry. Could Sony manage to make a console as well as their music players, VCRs, and TVs? That was the question but the worry over a new console crowding the market was soon diminished when it went on sale.
It wasn’t a giant hit from the start, but the library soon grew thanks to partnerships with giant brands such as Square. Many great franchises began on the PS1 and continued onward such as Crash Bandicoot, Wild Arms, and Tekken. Unfortunately, there were also several series that weren’t so lucky. These are some of the biggest examples that started and ended during this generation. Some of these examples did come close to continuing onward though.
8 Alundra
The first Alundra game was like a clone of The Legend of Zelda. It was a top-down action-adventure game with a sprawling world to explore. The second, and last game, was 3D and focused more on the action than the puzzle and exploration aspects. Both games are PS1 classics that are still treasured to this day.
Unfortunately, they weren’t big enough to get a third sequel on the next big Sony platform, the PS2. For Zelda fans, these two gems should not be missed.
7 Battle Arena Toshinden
Battle Arena Toshinden was a launch fighting game for the PS1 in North America. It was good to have 3D arena fighter at launch for the multiplayer fans out there. It was a huge series on the platform, spawning four core games in a relatively short amount of time.
There was even a fifth game, Battle Arena Nitoshinden, but it was exclusive to Japan. It featured the same gameplay, but the characters were super deformed, sporting the classic chibi aesthetic that is all over Japan.
6 Bushido Blade
Bushido Blade is another fighting game series, although it is played relatively differently than Battle Arena Toshinden. Also, there were only two games before Square pulled the plug.
Each hero had a standard weapon in the versus mode, but the campaign allowed players to swap blades. Characters would die in one hit, meaning that it was one of the toughest fighters to master. The closest equivalent today would be the two Nidhogg games that carry on the legacy of these cult classics.
5 Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was one of the first 3D platformers on the system. There were two games on PS1 featuring this lovable-looking crocodile. There was a third game too, but it was a remake of the original, and it was for the Game Boy Color instead.
It was released in 2000 which was at the tail end of the PS1’s twilight years which also spelled the end for the Croc series. Stranger reboots have happened, but it seems like a miracle is needed to revive Croc in any form today.
4 Fighting Force
Fighting Force went through an interesting development cycle between its two games. The first was a co-op focused brawler that was a bit basic as an early PS1 title but was still engaging. The sequel dropped the multiplayer aspect and also added more shooting to the brawler formula.
There were plans to make a third game which would have come to the PS2, Xbox, and maybe even GameCube. It would have also brought back co-op. Unfortunately, it hit some snags and never saw the light of day, but there are screenshots and video footage out there for those interested.
3 Jet Moto
Jet Moto was another game that saw many sequels on the PS1 in a short amount of time. They were racing games based on jet skis. There were three games in total, but there were two planned sequels. There was also an emphasis on doing tricks.
The first sequel was also going to be on the PS1 while the other was going to be for the PS2. Both games were canceled but like Fighting Force 3, there is footage out there to check out.
2 Mega Man Legends
Of the PS1 games that almost got potential sequels, the Mega Man Legends series came the closest. First, the PS1 had three games for it. Two core titles focused on Mega Man Trigger while the other, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, was about the pirates he faced in both games.
The second game ended on an infamously huge cliffhanger that still haunts fans to this day. Mega Man Legends 3 was announced for the 3DS and even got a beta test for early adopters. There’s a lot of content out there to look at, but it’s still not as cool as getting a finished product.
1 Tomba
Tomba began as a Metroidvania-like starring a caveman-like adventurer, Tomba. He was tasked with getting rid of an evil pig army that invaded his island. The first game was an action platformer in 2D with simple sprites. The sequel tried to add more 3D flavor to the aesthetic.
The sequel is not as good, but both games are still worth playing. They were small titles even back then, so it is no surprise that they never got a third game even though that is probably a wish of the fans out there.
