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PlayStation Games - NTSC-J[]

Box Art Title Genre Description PS1-PSN
(NA)
PS1-PSN
(EU)
Aconcagua4 Aconcagua Adventure
Point'n'Click
Japanese journalist Kato follows the story of Pachamama, a woman fighting the (fictional) nation of Meruza's oppressive regime. The plane they're on crashes into the Andes mountains, and the survivors must pool their skills to progress. A very short and cinematc game with an unusual setting. Though JP-only, cutscenes are voiced in English, so it can be played easily with occasional help from a guide. Released late in the console's life, some set pieces still look fantastic; the only real drawback is the clumsy cursor interface. Gameplay. n/a n/a
AVG2Cover Advanced V.G. 2 2D Fighting

Fanservice

The long-running Variable Geo series is about laidies in waitress uniforms duking it out in an all-female martial arts tournament where the losers are publicly stripped. This edition dials down the series' erotic aspects in favor of solid 2D fighting with a variety of characters (all women), a meaty story mode, and lots of sprite-based charm. Obviously there is still a lot of fanservice to go around. JP-only.
Ace Combat 3 cover Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere [NTSC-J] Flight Combat
Arcade
A great game that was stripped of content during localization. The two-disc JP version includes Production I.G. animation, multiple characters and endings, a branching storyline and a mission in outer space. That version has been fan translated. Trailer. N N
(GER)
SLPS01267front Arcade Gears: Image Fight & X-Multiply Shoot 'em Up Arcade-perfect ports of two Irem shooters. Image Fight is a vertical space shmup with power-ups similar to R-Type, and directly inspired Radiant Silvergun. X-Multiply is a horizontal shmup set inside a human body infected by an alien virus, full of grotesque enemies and environments. Your ship even grows bullet-absorbing tentacles! Both titles are visually gorgeous and have excellent, albeit challenging, gameplay.
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Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Final 2D Fighting All girl fighting game with fast pace and simple controls. This version is a port of Sega Saturn's Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Limited made by new developer team. There is one more playable character and some gameplay mechanics were changed, so it plays a bit different than Saturn's counterpart. Because of these changes it met with mixed reception. Despite that it's still good game.
Bishi Bashi Special (JP) Bishi Bashi Special Mini-games Tons of crazy mini-games, including shaking a can into outer space or disco-dancing to make your afro-hair grow. Awesome. Gameplay. N Y
(GER)
€4.99
BombermanWarsCover Bomberman Wars Strategy Bomberman as a strategy game, you unlock various units as you progress through the map, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses, and some of them have special abilities. Japan-only, but it's very intuitive. NOW HAS A FAN-TRANSLATION, FUCK YEAH!
Capcom vs. SNK Pro (PAL) Capcom vs. SNK Pro 2D Fighting

Created by Capcom, a 4-button fighting game where characters from both companies duke it out, has an exceptional soundtracks, but the SNK characters feels kinda off because of how combos connect on Capcom games are different from KOF. A must try if you haven't yet. The sequel is for PS2, DC, Xbox OG, and GCN (and arcade). Gameplay.

Also has strange Brazilian beer commercial sample in one of the songs, which obviously became kinda of legend in that country.

N N
(GER)
Ctff
Clock Tower: The First Fear Survival Horror

Point'n'Click Adventure

Enhanced port of point and click survival horror adventure game that was originally released on Super Famicom. You play as teenage girl that must evade a killer and escape from mansion. New content was added and bugs were fixed in this version, it also supports PlayStation mouse. It was fan-translated.
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Critical Blow 3D Fighting Obscure 3D fighter created by Racdym as a sequel to Japan only Genei Tougi: Shadow Struggle. It's gameplay is combination of both 2D and 3D fighting game's mechanics but it generally feels a bit more like 2D fighter. Controls are rather simple and combat is fluid and dynamic (especially compared to many 3D fighters of that era). Graphic are nice with anime inspired character designs. It also got quite nice character customization mode in style of Street Fighter Alpha 3's World Tour mode.
DoDonPachiPS01 DoDonPachi Bullet Hell / SHUMP The father of all Bullet Hell games. Three ship types, multiple Difficulties, hard as balls at points (second wave), optional landscape mode (to more closely play like the Arcade version). Available on the Japanese PSN. Also available on the Saturn. Prequel is also on the PS1 and PSN (and Saturn). N N
(GER)
DQM-1&2 PSX Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 RPG Ports of the two GBC games with updated graphics and sound.Translated intro N N
(GER)
Slpm86090 Fatal Fury Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind 2D Fighting Port of Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (2nd installment of the Real Bout series) which adds new characters, Alfred who would later appear as a hidden challenge only character in Real Bout 2 and an Alex from Orange Clockwork lookalike who only appears in this game, differentiates from older Fatal Fury games for having only 3 attack buttons, low, mid, strong and a plane switching button, along with quasi magic series for combos, with beautiful sprite art and catchy music, a definite must try for any SNK game fan. N N
FatalFuryWildAmbitionCover Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition Fighting Fatal Fury goes 3D, thankfully it keeps the traditional 2D gameplay, so play it without remorse! This one is kind of a retelling of the first game with some later characters thrown in for fanservice, as well as two newcomers exclusive for this game. Not to mention you can play with GEEEEEEEEESE in his jumpsuit!
Gm2
Goiken Muyou II 3D Fighting Good fighting game made by former members of Virtua Fighter team, it's closest that you can get to this series on PlayStation. Just like in VF gameplay is more realistic and based on punch, kick and guard with added sidestep button. Characters are street punks from different Japanese gang subcultures, there is even Yakuza dude, so this game has very specific atmosphere. Available game modes are arcade, vs, two types of survival and team battle. Unfortunately all menus are in Japanese. Prequel Goiken Muyou: Anarchy in the Nippon was released on Sega Saturn only. The title means "your opinion is worthless".
GradiusDeluxeCover Gradius Deluxe Pack Shoot 'em Up / Compilation A compilation featuring arcade perfect ports of Gradius and Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou. Features a super cool CG intro.
Gradius gaiden-cover Gradius Gaiden Shoot 'em Up Arguably the best Gradius title ever. Choose from four different ships in single player or 2-player co-op as you traverse various unique locales with a pumping upbeat soundtrack. This is included in Gradius Collection for PSP (along with the arcade versions of Gradius I-IV). Gameplay. N N
(GER)
Harmfulpark Harmful Park Shoot 'em Up A short, JP-only shoot 'em up with adjustable difficulty levels. You have four food-based weapons (you can throw pies!) which level up separately, and each level is more colorful and ridiculous than the last. Similar to Konami's Parodius. Gameplay. n/a N
(GER)
Hermie Hopperhead Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic Platform A fun platformer in which you collect multicolored eggs which follow you around and help you throughout the game while collecting stars to upgrade your eggs and allow them to hatch and grow into their respective species. Gameplay. N N
(GER)
Hokuto no Ken Fighting PS Hokuto no Ken: Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu Action A 3D action game released by Bandai which adapts the storyline of the manga from the beginning to Kenshiro's final battle with Raoh. The game features most of the same voice actors from the TV series reprising their roles. Trailer. n/a N
ISCover iS: Internal Section Rail Shooter A nearly abstract, oddball shooter by SquareSoft where you blast through minimalist polygonal environments while gathering power-ups based on the Chinese animal horoscope. A very challenging and stylish, but brief experience. JP-only, but reading isn't necessary, and there is a fan translation in any case.
Jikkyouoshaberiparodius-psx Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~ Shoot 'em Up A fresh helping of shmup parody only for the consoles! This may very well be the best of the Parodius titles with stages based on other Konami games (FUCK YEAH Lethal Enforcers stage with KITTY TRAIN Boss!) and a hundred hidden fairies to collect. WARNING: You might want to turn off the annoying voiceover guy and the menu is a moonspeak. An updated port of the original Super Famicom release. Also available for the Sega Saturn and in Parodius Portable on PSP with some changed music. Gameplay. N N
KaisokuTenshi Kaisoku Tenshi: High Tension Comical Action Game The Rapid Angel Beat 'em up Three girls who work for a mysterious delivery service fight their way through bizarre enemies with distinct fighting styles. (You can unlock two additional characters.) A JP-only budget game now on PSN's PSOne Imports section. Presentation has a doujin game charm. Voice-acted scenes with branching paths and endings, though these remain in Japanese. Pretty easy. And fun! Gameplay. Y N
Kof98 psx King of Fighters 98, The 2D Fighting 5th Installment of the series and regarded as the best, has a huge cast of fighters from all different SNK games such as Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury among others like Ikari Warriors, Psycho Soldiers and such, with beautiful graphics that haven't dated much, arranged music and a gallery mode, the game is Japan only but the menus are fully in english, the game has no story mode since it's a "dream match", KoF 98 takes the Advanced and Extra gauges from KoF 97 and is far more balanced, a definitely must try if you're a fighting game enthusiast. Y Y
LSD Coverart LSD: Dream Emulator Action
Exploration
First-person game based on the designer's dreams where you explore a surreal world. Sessions last for up to ten minutes and touching anything in the gameworld warps you to a different location. The number of days you play are recorded and the world's textures change with time while the acid techno soundtrack adapts to changes in your "dream." Chunky PS1 polygons and constant, grating footstep sounds may turn some away. There are no objectives or explanations. JP-only. Also on JP PSN. Gameplay. N N
(GER)
Lucifer Ring jap-front Lucifer Ring Beat 'em Up Not many have heard of this game mainly due to the fact that it was only released in Japan. It's a fun Beat 'em Up game with a variety of enemies to hack your way through, with well spaced out power ups for your sword. Gameplay. N N
(GER)
Macrossvfx2japfront1mt Macross:VF-X2 Flight Combat
Arcade
HOLY FUCKING SHIT DAT SOUNDTRACK! But seriously, this sequel to Macross Digital Mission VF-X is an excellent game, fly around and shoot things out of the sky and on the ground. Your craft has 3 modes, each suited for different situations. Dialogue is in moonspeak, but it doesn't interfere with the gameplay. FUNFACT: Although the game is Jap only, the demo was released in the US in the July 1999 issue of Official Playstation Magazine Gameplay. N N
MagicalDropFCover Magical Drop F Puzzle The last game from Data East, and also the last Magical Drop title (before Golgoth acquired the rights and made Magical Drop V). It is the good old ball matching puzzle, with all characters redesigned to look more anime-esque
Mizzurnafalls2 Mizzurna Falls Action
Puzzle

You are a young man trying to figure out a string of grisly murders in your sleepy hometown over the course of three days. A predecessor to titles like Shenmue, the game's world lives and breathes; the townsfolk have paths and activities of their own and everything is lovingly detailed. Exploration is encouraged. Gameplay

A fan translation is now available https://www.romhacking.net/translations/6027/

Definitely does not resemble (or infringe upon the creative property of) the TV show Twin Peaks. Also see Deadly Premonition on the PS3/360/PC.

N N
Moon - Remix RPG Adventure Coverart MOON Remix RPG adventure RPG In 1997, Final Fantasy VII came out and took the gaming world by storm. The same year, a much less successful company released a much weirder game that never made it out of Japan. In MOON, a boy playing a generic 16-bit RPG is sucked into the gameworld, where he has become invisible and teeters on the edge of disappearing. The only way to solidify his own existence is to earn Love Points from the game's inhabitants, learning about their routines and problems, then finding a way to fix them. An RPG that runs on kindness and perseverance rather than stats and equipment, MOON's mellow color scheme, hand-drawn characters and eclectic, user-selected soundtrack will draw you in. The language barrier is a problem, but can be overcome with detailed guides (which do exist.) Gameplay.

God smiled upon us and finally got the game a Western release on the fucking Switch. In English!

See also: UFO (PS) and L.O.L. (DC), made by the same devs.

No No
Ore no Ryouri Ore no Ryouri Mini-Game / Restaurants Management Manage various tasks at restaurants using the dual shock controller. Gets pretty frantic. Like Macross:VF-X2, a demo did appear on a disc of Playstation Underground. Gameplay N N
Panzer bandit Panzer Bandit Beat 'em Up A short beat 'em up with crisp sprite work and bright colors. Playable characters include a mech-riding loli and a cigar-smoking robot. It can get rather repetitive, but is very fun in short spurts. Japan-only, but that hardly matters here. N N
(GER)
PepsimanCover Pepsiman Interactive Commercial / Action? / Racing? PEPSIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! People are thirsty and about to start a riot, you're the motherfuckin' Pepsiman, so go running around collecting Pepsi cans to save the day!
Persona2innocentsin Persona 2: Innocent Sin RPG Includes some mainline SMT elements like demon conversations. Some controversial elements, like Hitler as a boss and the option of a gay relationship, stopped it from being released overseas, but it's been fan-translated. A PSP remake is available with nice improvements. N N
(GER)
Policenauts Policenauts Adventure A pre-MGS Kojima game that plays like a point-'n-click with some action segments. Somewhat of a pulp sci-fi drama, or more accurately Lethal Weapon In Space, it has been fan-translated by the Internet. N N
(GER)
Raiden-DX PS Raiden DX Shoot 'em Up The beastly remix of Raiden II with added level select and a deepened scoring system. Training is a 15-minute endurance course on three lives only, with Novice/Expert being several remodeled levels from Raiden II. Medals decay now which forces you to factor in travel time to maximize scoring. Multiple unlockables in the form of bonus stages, an in-game encyclopedia and new soundtracks. If you found the other Raiden titles off-putting, try this. It's fun as fuck with the toothpaste laser. N N
(GER)
SalamanderDeluxeCover Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus Shoot 'em Up / Compilation Another amazing compilation, featuring Salamander and Salamander 2, as well as the Japanese version of LifeForce.
SS4 Samurai Shodown IV Fighting The fourth installment of the series, Samurai Shodown 4 incorporates new elements like quick dial a combo after an attack that all the characters have, heavily based on pokes and zoning most of the times with enough variation to make this game stand for its own, also with beautiful graphics and a full fledged story mode that has a time limit. Recommended for people just getting to know the game, characters have suicide moves just for fun, can lose their weapons and fight barehanded and all the characters have extra modes selectable right off the bat, Japan only though but you don't need it since it's a fighting game. N N
SlapHappyCover Slap Happy Rhythm Busters 2D Fighting Very nice-looking fighting game with a large and diverse roster. Features cel-shaded graphics with an urban, anime-inspired style that brings to mind Jet Set Radio or The World Ends with You. Great visuals and music aside, the gameplay itself is great if pretty basic for fighting game veterans, but the unusual character concepts (and I mean unusual) and unlockables keep things fun. Each character has a super move that requires a short rhythm mini-game to activate, hence the "Rhythm Busters" title.
Soukyugurentai PS1 cover Sōkyūgurentai: Oubu Shutsugeki Shoot 'em Up Port of the legendary arcade shoot-'em-up which uses depth, atmosphere, and art direction to create a remarkably tense and visually spectacular experience. The PS1 port suffers from occasional slowdown and some crappy FMV scenes they added in for some reason, but is still perfectly playable. However the Saturn port, which is arcade-perfect and includes more extras, is preferable if you can find it these days.
SonicWingsSpecialCover Sonic Wings Special Shoot 'em Up An excellent game that combines content from Sonic Wings 1, 2, and 3. Play as fourteen different characters, each with an unlockable alternate ship, and fight through branching stage line-ups that change depending and your choices and ship used. (The game has a total of seventeen stages with alternate versions for each one.) Though the graphics look more SNES than PS1, everything is kept lively by the series' zany humor, outlandish characters, and comical endings, plus high replay value. Actually released in Europe, but not NA.
Speed Power Gunbike cover Speed Power Gunbike Action / Vehicle Combat Awesome and obscure game where you pilot a vehicle that can seamlessly switch between Bike, Rally, and Robot modes while exploring expansive stages, fighting enemies and bosses. You can switch from Bike to Robot mode and back to Bike mode without even losing speed! The game doesn't have a ton of content but it does feature multiple characters with their own unique Gunbikes, as well as unlockable story characters.
Phantasia Tales of Phantasia Action-RPG

Remake of the first Tales game, originally on the SNES. A fantasy JRPG with fully-active, horizontal combat where you control one party member while the others act on their own. This version has expanded content and better presentation, and has been fully translated by fans. A GBA port was localized, but is really shoddy for various reasons. There is also a Japan-only PSP port with even more additional content, which is in the process of being fan-translated (allegedly).

N ?
-PSX- Time Bokan Yattaman Series - Bokan Desuyo -SLPS-01211- -Front- Time Bokan Yattaman Series: Bokan Desuyo Shoot 'em Up Second title in the Doronbo shmup series which consist in the main trio of villains from Yatterman fighting off several Tatsunoko super heroes, riding outlandish mech vehicles with different properties. The game is played in a top-down view and has your typical controls, with the addition of a dodge button that provides you with a couple of invincibility frames, which you can use to dodge several full-screen attacks. It's extremely colorful and vibrant, with varied mechs and enemies, and supports co-op. N N
Toaplan Shooting Battle 1 cover Toaplan Shooting Battle 1 Shoot 'em Up / Compilation Compilation of arcade perfect ports of Tiger-Heli and Kyuukyoku Tiger (with it's US version Twin Cobra also included). If you are fan of Toaplan shmup's you should definitely check this collection.
UFO A Day in the Life cover UFO: A day in the life Puzzle

Photography

You are an adorable alien who has come to Earth to rescue over fifty of its brethren, scattered in a previous mission gone awry. The aliens are invisible, but can still cause disturbances among earthlings. You must scrutinize a number of different locations, observe for reactions among earthlings, and snap your special camera at the right time to capture these aliens. The game demands perseverance and careful observation, made easy by colorful, pre-rendered scenery full of cartoonish, hand-drawn characters. Gameplay.
ZanacXZanacCover Zanac X Zanac Shoot 'em Up The last Compile game, and what a game! Like the Xevious above, it also includes the original Zanac.
Fifth Generation
Consoles 3DO - Commodore Amiga CD32 - Capcom CPS Changer - Atari Jaguar - Casio Loopy - SNK Neo Geo CD - Nintendo 64 - NEC PC-FX - Apple Pippin - Bandai Playdia - Sony PlayStation - Sega Saturn
Handhelds Nintendo Game Boy Color - Tiger game.com - SNK Neo Geo Pocket - Tiger R-Zone - Nintendo Virtual Boy