PS1

I didn't play this game much to be honest, although I appreciated it as sort of a "grown up Zelda". I purchased it on PSN not long ago to revisit the game and it's stood the test of time, which I suppose is largely due to it being a 2D game. Alundra was great for PS1 owners who grew up on A Link to the Past as I had, because it sort of felt like an evolution or different take on that formula.

Alundra 2 is pretty damn different from the first, I'm surprised they even called it number 2. I didn't play this game much either but I have fond memories of my mom playing this almost religiously. I haven't seen or played it in years, but I always thought it never reached the heights of the original.

Ape Escape was pretty much the poster boy for the Duel Analog controller, which I guess was a response to the N64's analog stick. For the record though, Ape Escape is a damn fine platformer with a great concept and solid gameplay to boot. Sadly it's become one of those old Sony franchises lost to time, but I'll always have great fondness for this game. Plus it had a kick ass soundtrack.

I would consider this a "B Game" from the last great era of Square Soft. I have a HUGE soft spot for Musashi, although I'm not sure how much it holds up now.

Gosh I remember beating this game and feeling incredibly proud of myself. Why? Because I'm completely awful at old school Castlevania games, but for some reason this one just clicked with me. The "Remixed" version adds a new soundtrack and redesigned Simon, but it's fundamentally the same as the original version.

The classic, the grand master, the mother of all that is good and great in this world. Symphony of the Night is beyond brilliant - a bona fide masterpiece! Legendary voice acting, amazing sprites, the soundtrack to end all soundtracks, stunning level design....

IT'S ALL THERE.

Perhaps the strangest sequel to ever grace any RPG franchise, Chrono Cross lives on in endless debates over its crazy plot and relationship with Chrono Trigger, but I gotta say I absolutely adore this game. I've never beaten it but I'd love to jump back into this one day. I would KILL for Square to return to this quality of game development.

Also should note that the soundtrack is completely beautiful..

A relic from a lost time.

One of my favorite childhood games. I have very fond memories of playing through Crash Bandicoot with my brothers as a kid. I actually popped this in a while back just for shit and giggles and I gotta say that it's still fun, if a little dated.

Crash 2 was such a vast improvement over the first Crash, which became a staple of what Naughty Dog would do later on with Uncharted. While Crash 1 established the style, Crash 2 refined it almost to perfection. It's also the Crash that I'm probably least familiar with. I rented it a ton when it came out, but I didn't actually own it till after until a year or two after I got Crash 3.

Crash 3 is amazing, there's not doubt about it. I was ADDICTED to this damn game as a kid. In my eyes, Crash 3 is the culmination of everything they were trying to do with the series. The added variety such as vehicles, playing as Crash's sister, and different locales make for damn good game. And lest we forget the relic challenges and the challenging secret levels! Sometimes I wonder if this is still Naughty Dog's best trilogy...