25 Best Playstation Games #5 – #1

Oh, the many nights lost to trying to perfect those tricky, tricky runs. When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater burst onto the scene, gamers were delighted to find the perfect blend of extreme sports and video game sensibilities. When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 came out, classes were skipped, sick days were used, and the sleepless nights began. THPS2 improved on everything from the first game, and added new features like customizable skaters and the manual (the trick, not the instructions). Playing with friends was just as much fun as playing solo, as often teamwork was needed to get some of those elusive letters. The franchise's heyday may long be over, but few will ever forget what THPS2 meant to them.

We know what you're thinking. "Another game from Squaresoft? Didn't anyone else develop games for the PlayStation?" Well, yeah, they did, but a only the tiniest of minority of those developers made games on par with the quality found in most of Squaresofts PSX titles. Chrono Cross, a spiritual sequel to Super Nintendo's classic Chrono Trigger, was another in a long list of Square games that made their mark on the PlayStation faithful. Chrono Cross didn't have much in common with Chrono Trigger from a narrative standpoint, but did use many of the same core mechanics that made that game such as fan-favorite. Chrono Cross does get some flack for not being a true sequel, but it's still a quality game in its own right.

One of the greatest games ever made, Metal Gear Solid still stands today as an incredible piece of development mastery. Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear had a decent fanbase from its early NES days, but MGS turned things up to 11. Graphics? Outstanding. Stealth gameplay? Groundbreaking. Story? Well, okay, if there's one area where MGS gets a bit muddled, it's in the story department. But that's not to say the first game doesn't still hold up incredibly well. Spanning two discs, Metal Gear Solid put the PSX to the test, and put gamers into a frenzy. Metal Gear Solid isn't just in the gaming hall of fame, it's got its own wing.

Final Fantasy 7, aka "the game that launched a thousand fanboys." There's little to say about Final Fantasy 7 that hasn't already been said elsewhere, but it's still amazing to recall just how many PlayStations Squaresoft sold for Sony with this game. If you were playing FF7 while a friend was over, the minute they got in their mom's car they started begging for a PSX and a copy of the game. Even when considering just how many different Final Fantasies there have been over the years, it's hard to believe just how much of the story has stuck with so many players. What's more, FF7 was the first RPG for many, many players, resulting in continued love of the genre, and an almost unequivocal fanaticism most developers can only dream of.

The most fondly recalled of all Castlevania games, Symphony of the Night has rightly earned its place as the best PlayStation game of all time. Simply put, the game is awesome. There are few other descriptors to aptly put what this game means into words. There was a huge map, memorably (bad) dialogue, RPG elements, and one of the most outstanding original scores to ever appear in a video game. All manner of secrets lurked inside Dracula's castle, and backtracking wasn't just encouraged, it was necessary if you wanted to get that crucial completion percentage above 100 percent. A few games on this list could be considered the greatest game ever made, but Castlevania: Symphony of the Night outranks them all, and truly has the pedigree to be considered not just the best this console has ever seen; but to arguably be the best game ever developed. Congrats, Castlevania! You're #1 in our 25 Best Playstation Games list.