Spotlight: PS1 First Person Shooters (2017)

For the longest time, I agreed with the mainstream consensus that the only two first person shooters worth talking about on the PS1 were both Medal of Honor games. I held this view simply because that's what everyone said, and due to my ignorance of the PS1 library as a whole. Over the years though, as my collection has grown to over 200 games, my viewpoint has dramatically changed on the issue, because I have collected quite a few more First person shooter games for the system.

This is not a complete list as I do not own every first person shooter for the system, the biggest omission being Powerslave aka Exhumed which I have still yet to get my hands on in any form, PS1, Saturn, or PC. I also decided to stick mainly to games with traditional FPS gameplay conventions, so I will not feature some blended genre ones. I was tempted to put Descent, descent maximum and forsaken on this list, as they are hard to classify, but decided against it. Also, I consider Jumping flash to be more of a platformer than a first person shooter.

With that being said, here's a quick rundown of the First person shooters on the PS1 I own personally:

007: The World is not Enough

Lets talk about a potential recipe for disaster. Upon dropping the ball with the disappointing Tomorrow never Dies, the first Bond Game post Goldeneye, EA, the new holder of the Bond license went back to the exact same developer, Black Ops Entertainment, to make The World is Not Enough. The Result: actually, Black Ops completely made up for their mistake with a surprisingly good First Person shooter. While the PS1 version isn't on par with the Eurocom developed Nintendo 64 version, it is a completely different game and a good one in it's own right. No dual analog controls here, but single analog controls similar to those found in Goldeneye. Definitely worth a look.

Alien Resurrection

This is one to play with the lights on. The tense atmosphere will keep you on your toes in this game. This hit near the end of the PS1's lifetime, and is a solid, but very challenging FPS. The enemies are numerous, check points far apart, and the ammo is in short supply. It's a tough, but satisfying experience. It also supports Dual analog control, and even the PS1 mouse for aiming.

Alien Trilogy

This being the older of the two Aliens games on the PS1 is less atmospheric than Resurrection, but still has a great atmosphere. If you're still a fan of Doom style games, then this should be right up your alley. Essentially this is Doom in the Aliens universe. Perhaps a bit of an over-simplification, but if you still love classic doom, then look into trilogy.

Armorines: Project Swarm

Even for it's time, Armorines was a pretty average First Person Shooter. I happen to own it on the PS1 and N64. The PS1 version allows for a modern dual analog setup with some tweeking to the control settings. It also seems to move a lot faster than the N64 version which feels slightly sluggish in comparison. The PS1 version looks much uglier, and literally slows down into a slideshow at times in two-player cooperative play. If you are collecting for the PS1, this is not a bad pickup, but if you have the choice between them, the Turok-Engine running N64 version is probably the better buy.

Codename: Tenka

Also known as lifeforce Tenka in Europe has the distinguished honor of being the first fully Polygonal First person Shooter on the PS1. It's gameplay is simple get the key and open the door with a few puzzles added here and there. Tenka won't thrill every gamer, but I've always found it's gameplay engaging, and kind of disorienting at the same time. This is definitely not one for people who are not into oldschool shooter design with pre-analog controllers, and it certainly won't be the best on the PS1 for those who are. It is still worth a look, and the soundtrack is rocking with the trademark Psygnosis electronic beats. There is also some melodramatic story elements in between the levels

Delta Force: Urban Warfare

The original PC Delta Force series was one of the earliest modern/tactical shooter series', but Urban warfare is more goldeneys than tactical shooter.

Released in 2002, urban warfare is an objective based modern FPS. It's a little choppy, but it's still one of the best looking PS1 games ever released, and what's better, it's actually a fun game to play. There were some people who even made claims around the time the game was released that the graphics were PS2 quality. As stated, level setup is similar to Goldeneye, but with a more tactical feel. If I had to compare it, it feels more like a modern Medal of Honor than being more comparable to the arcadey feel of Goldeneye. The missions have a good variety to them, and this also supports dual analog control for more precise aiming.

Disruptor

And you thought that Resistance Fall of Man was Insomniac's first foray into the first person shooter genre. Disruptor adds it's own twist to the formula by adding psyonic attack abilities. The level designs, while not the greatest ever seen are still solid. The game still plays well considering the age, and the old-school design style. And lets not forget the epic Full Motion Video sequences that take place as...um...the reward for beating levels?

Doom Custom Playstation Edition

This Custom Playstation edition of Doom features levels from the original Doom, and Doom II. How many levels when compared to the PC versions? I really cannot say, as I am far from a Doom expert. This Playstation port, is less of a direct port of Doom, and would best described as Doom Remix as some changes have been made like adding color lighting, a new, moody, ambient soundtrack nixing the midi compositions of the PC version, and even adding some Doom II enemies into the original Doom.

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown

This PS1 port moves so increasingly fast that I couldn't even keep the gameplay in sync with the Saturn and N64 versions in an old comparison video I made. As far as the levels and features, it's the closest port to the PC original. It also has an excellent remixed soundtrack. Visual glitches aside, this game moves fast, and still retains the great design and gameplay first seen in the PC version. It even supports the dual analogs, but not well, and has link-cable multiplyer.

Final Doom

I've have still yet to play much of this PS1 port, but it, apparently, doesn't have all the levels of the PC original. In fact, they actually threw in 13 levels from the The Master Levels of Doom 2, but it still retains the classic Doom gameplay in moody atmospheric environments (colored lighting) with the ambient music of the first PS1 port. If you appreciate the smooth Gameplay and moody-Doom atmosphere of the original, and Doom 64, this is a no-brainer.

Kileak: The DNA Imperative

This PS1 Launch game can best be described as an early experiment in 3Dgaming. I am not sure if I fully consider it a first person shooter as it has none of the established norms of the genre like competent level designs or fun gameplay. I guess I wouldn't say the game is horrible, just incredibly bland and uninspired, granted I haven't played very far into it, so maybe it gets much better later on. Looking back, as a launch game, I could actually imagine early PS1 adopters being memorized by this one, but it certainly has no aged well at all.

Medal of Honor

I really do no have to tell anyone about Medal of Honor, so instead I will tell you what I like about the original over later high production entries into the series. What I love about the atmosphere in this game is that is goes more into the mythos of World War II as opposed to being a large battle style game. It has more of an Indiana Jones or James Bond feel to it than a Saving Private Ryan feel. It dives deeper into the rich historical-based mythology of the War and has, in my opinion, a much richer and unique atmosphere than the recent lets-coppy-Call-of-Duty-which-first-copied-us entires in the series. The original was also the first Shooter to use the WWII setting in a historically accurate way. Wolfenstein had nazis in it, but Medal of Honor was the first to really use the historical setting in an atmospherecally right way.

Medal of Honor: Underground

I have owned Underground for years, but have still yet to play it further than the first mission. Underground follows the plight of a woman in the French resistance. This one also goes into the mythology of the War, and even seems to explore Nazi Occult Practices.

Men in Black- The Series: Crashdown

This one surprised me. I must have received it in a ebay game lot, because I don't fully remember how I acquired it. I decided to pop it in to play test it, just to see how bad this licensed game I had never heard of was only to find, surprisingly a competent fully 3D fist person shooter based off the Men in Black Cartoon. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about the PS1's library, but I had never even heard of this game, and never even seen it covered in the magazines at the time either. I have only played about three levels into it, so I cannot comment on the overall quality, but from what I have played I enjoyed. Sometimes licensed games have some surprising quality to them.

PO'ed

Ever play a game that makes you ask “What the heck am I playing?” this 3DO to PlayStation port is one of those kinds of games. The zany concept of the protagonist being a being a chef on a space ship that has been overrun by aliens (Steven Segal style), is complemented by a odd cast of enemies and weapon set in what can also be described as experimental early 3D level designs. This is a strange one, but is certainly worth a look. It feels a little sluggish in the controls, but not to a game-ruining point. It also have a fun training mode where you decimate hordes of respawning baddies add infinium.

Quake II

For the longest time, the PS1 port of Quake II was green eggs and ham to me. I had no interest in playing it. I already owned it on the Nintendo 64, and later acquired the beastly PC version. I wasn't until I finally watched footage of the game in action on Youtube that I finally saw how impressive this game was. A fast paced, fully polygonal fist person shooter with an action focus, very little if any slowdown and even four player split-screen multiplayer. I was incredibly surprised and happily wrong about what has become my favorite First person shooter on the PS1. It's unfortunate release date pitting it against Medal of honor, Final Fantasy VIII and the Dreamcast launch sort of buried this one, however, in terms of fluidity, Quake II leaves all other PS1 shooters in the dust.

Star Wars- Dark Forces

The humble beginning to what eventually blossomed into the Jedi Knight franchise for Lucasarts, Dark Forces has you playing as Kyle Katarn a former Imperial stormtrooper who defected to the Rebellion. You blast your way through a multitude of Doom inspired levels and hordes of Imperial baddies.

The game came under fire for it's blurry, and choppy visuals (those prone to motion sickness, you've been warned), but if you can look beyond that, you'll find a fun and rewarding adventure set in the Star Wars universe.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear

Obviously, if you have a PC that has been made within the last seventeen years, or earlier, you probably should download the vastly superior PC version of this game if you are looking for your Rainbow Six fix. That being said, the PS1 version of the game is, playable if not incredibly flawed. With the ease of getting your hands on the PC version nowadays, I can only suggest this to PS1 specific collectors, and nostalgic gamers if this was the version you used to own.