5 Most Underrated PS1 Games

Gamers loved the first PlayStation console and for good reason. The system gave us games like "Chrono Cross," "Gran Turismo," and "Final Fantasy VII." In fact, gamers still love the PlayStation, which is why some PS1 games are worth a fortune and could help you into an early retirement.

In some ways, the PS1 is still around. Fans have never stopped playing their old consoles, and untold thousands of gamers have emulated the PS1 on their PCs. Some series that started out on the PS1 are still getting sequels on the PS5 today, so even players who've never touched the first DualShock controller have some connection to the PS1.

The PS1 was such a stacked console that gamers have forgotten some PS1 hits that could have been console-sellers on another platform. The biggest hits on the PS1 will likely be remastered, revisited, and re-released for as long as video games exist, so we want to highlight the titles that rounded out the console's deliciously bloated catalog. The most underrated PS1 games are, unsurprisingly, entirely worth playing today.

Who knew a slice-of-life story could make for one of wildest and wackiest video games ever made? "Incredible Crisis" is a PlayStation title that debuted in Japan in 1999. English translations of the game came out in 2000, and then the whole world got to experience this fever dream of a game. The game is made up of 24 levels divided into four different sections. Each section follows a different member of a Japanese family who's trying to get home to celebrate their grandmother's birthday.

In terms of gameplay, "Incredible Crisis" is a bit like a retro-ized "Warioware." Players have to complete a series of minigames to help whichever character they're following in the level. Sometimes characters need to play rhythm games while they travel or solve shopping-centric puzzles to ensure their day goes off without a hitch. The more mistakes players make, the more their character's stress meter fills up.

When the stress meter is completely filled, players lose a life and have to start over, but they have the potential to earn back extra lives at the end of each section. "Incredible Crisis" is one of the goofiest games on PS1, and that silliness combined with its genuinely fun minigames makes for a truly memorable experience that more players should have for themselves.

One PlayStation game pioneered a new genre all the way back in 1996. "PaRappa the Rapper" debuted that year, fully two years before the advent of "Dance Dance Revolution," another PlayStation game that also almost single-handedly launched the rhythm game genre. In "PaRappa the Rapper" players control the titular canine musician as he tries to win the heart of his one true love, Sunny Funny. Like Mario and Peach before them, PaRappa and Sunny don't have an easy road to romance, but the journey transforms PaRappa into a true star.

Players help PaRappa master his preferred artform by pressing specific buttons in time with the game's music. Often a teacher will rap lines for PaRappa, and then players will need to repeat the line back to boost their U Rappin' meter and increase their score on the song. After beating the game, players can try out their freestyle rapping skills in a special Cool Mode, which has the potential to unlock new characters for the game.

It probably goes without saying that "PaRappa the Rapper" has an absolutely stellar soundtrack. You'll be humming the tunes and rapping them back to yourself for weeks after finishing the game. "PaRappa" has since been released on both PSP and PS4, but it's still one of the most underrated games from the early days of the PlayStation.

If you ate some late night pizza slices and fell asleep watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas," you might have a dream that feels something like "MediEvil." Developed in-house by Sony, the action-adventure game landed on the PlayStation in 1998. Gamers were immediately entranced by the game's cartoonishly gothic art style, and players who decided to take the plunge quickly found themselves falling in love with one of the best PS1 games ever made.

"MediEvil" plays like a hack-and-slash game with a ghoulish imagination. As the skeletal Sir Daniel Fortesque, players can wield a mighty arsenal to fight everything from ants to imps to flying eyeballs. Clubs, swords, daggers, and crossbows are all on offer, but when players are really hard-pressed for weaponry, they can have Sir Dan rip off his own arm and use it to bash monsters to death.

The game carries players through a variety of levels that all have secrets to unlock, and it even has a secret ending that only the most committed players will find. Bashing ghouls and shooting down bats is a blast in "MediEvil," and the game's art direction is still striking despite the dated graphics. "MediEvil" is, simply put, one of the most unique and charming adventures on the console.

In 2000, "Hogs of War" was some of the most fun that two people could have on an original PlayStation. It's a tactical strategy game that clearly took some inspiration from the "Worms" franchise that hit it big in the '90s. Matches pit two or more teams of hogs against each other in frenetic, destructive combat. Players can customize their squads by assigning each hog a class that gives them some kind of wartime specialty. There are heavy gunners, engineers, spies, and medics. In addition to an arsenal of guns and bombs, players can also unlock tanks, bunkers, and other pieces of heavy equipment for their squad.

"Hogs of War" could keep a single player busy for plenty of hours with its lengthy campaign that plays as a parody of World War I. The real fun begins when you plug in some extra controllers. "Hogs of War" supports up to four players for local multiplayer, and battles get particularly chaotic when your friends are in on the action. "Hogs of War" has a surprisingly deep tactical combat system, and fans of the genre might have missed out on it because of the game's over-the-top goofy tone. Luckily, it's not as hard to find as some other nearly unplayable PS1 games, so anyone who missed out can still give the game a chance. 

Calling "Dino Crisis" a "Resident Evil" game with dinosaurs would not be entirely accurate, but it wouldn't be far off the mark either. The first "Dino Crisis" game debuted on PlayStation in 1999 and was developed by the same team who created Capcom's infamous horror series. "Resident Evil" director Shinji Mikami also led the team working on "Dino Crisis," which follows a group of special forces soldiers who have to survive in a secret facility that's filled with time-displaced dinosaurs.

Players control a character named Regina, and despite all her training, there's not much she can do against the dinosaurs. Most of the gameplay centers on escaping the dinosaurs and solving puzzles throughout the facility. The game uses fully 3D environments instead of rendered backgrounds like "Resident Evil," and there's a particular focus on exploration as players search for keys, save points, and medical supplies.

Some of the thrilling dinosaur chase sequences are reminiscent of the scariest moments from "Resident Evil," but "Dino Crisis" consistently manages to feel fresh instead of derivative. "Dino Crisis" was popular enough to fuel a few sequels, but it was never a truly massive hit. Today it's an interesting footnote in PS1 history, and it's something every diehard fan of the console should give a try.