Sony almost didn’t have a console because their efforts with Nintendo fell through. When the CD-based version of the SNES was canceled, Sony did not give up and instead produced their own console, the PlayStation. The PS1 was released in Japan first in 1994 followed by a North American launch in 1995. With the delay in the West, North Americans did get the benefit of more games around launch.
Still, there were some exclusives in Japan in 1995 that were never released in North America or at least were delayed. Between Japanese games and launch titles in the West, 1995 was a big year for the PS1, and here’s why.
Arc the Ladwas an early PS1 RPG that combined classic enemy encounters with grid-based tactics. It was released in 1995 in Japan but would not hit the West untilArc the Lad Collectionwas released for the PS1 in 2002. It combined the three main games and a spinoff all in one neat little bundle.
It’s a notable franchise because it was initially published by Sony and developed by G-Craft, the developer who independently started makingFront Missiongamesbefore Square sealed the deal and bought them. Technically, the last game in this franchise wasArc the Lad Rin 2018 but that was a mobile game whereasArc the Lad: End of Darknesswas the last console game as of 2004 in Japan and 2005 in North America.
7Beyond The Beyond
One Of Two Early RPGs
Beyond the Beyondwas the second big RPG to hit the PS1 exclusively but this RPG never had as great of a progression asArc the Lad. It was this game in 1995, a year before the West would get it, and then it was never reissued again digitally nor did it get any sequels.
The developer, Camelot, did go on to make great things though likeGolden Sunand the variousMario-based sports spinoffsfor Nintendo.Golden Sunfans can see a lot of similarities withBeyond the Beyondfrom the big sprites in battle to the text-based prompts. Maybe one day Sony will reboot the franchise even without Camelot.
6Cho Aniki - Kyukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyo Otoko
What Exactly Is This Game?
Cho Aniki - Kyukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyo Otokocan roughly be translated toSuper Big Brother - The Ultimate, Most Powerful Man in the Milky Way. At its core, it’sa horizontal shooterakin toR-TypeorGradiuswith one big difference: big beefy half-nude men.
All enemies are digitized actors in wild costumes all trying to gun the player down in some of the weirdest levels imaginable. It’s part of theCho Anikiseries, most of which were never released outside of Japan. This game was a Japanese exclusive too for many years but it was eventually released in 2010 on PSN for the PS3 crowd.
5The Firemen 2: Pete & Danny
Five These Firefighters An Emblem
The Firemen 2: Pete & Dannyis another game that was not released in North America initially. It made it onto PSN late into the PS3’s life cycle in 2014. Funnily enough, the first game which was on the SNES, did make it to PAL regions besides Japan but not North America.
Regions aside,The Firemen 2: Pete & Dannywas an interesting top-down action-adventure game wherein players fought fires and solved puzzles to rescue civilians. It took place around Christmas in an amusement park which is still a unique setting fora firefighter gamethat was surprisingly captivating to play too.
BeforeCrash BandicootandSpyro the Dragonlit up the PS1platformer scene, there wasJumping Flash. Players assumed the role of a giant mech robot in short levels with collectible objectives. It had a good run on the PS1 with the first two games making it to North America while the third game,Robbit Mon Dieu, did not.
The trilogy has been re-released several times digitally over the years, even on the PS5. Also, Jumping Flash was immortalized in Astro Bot as one of the many rescues, so the series is still alive somewhat even if there hasn’t been a new game in decades.
Raymanwas Ubisoft’s biggest mascotfor quite a long time before he was eventually sidestepped by his enemies, the Rabbids. Development for the first game was planned on the CD-based version of the SNES and there is a prototype of the build out there if fans want to check it out. Eventually, it made it to the Atari Jaguar and PS1 instead when the PS1 launched in North America.
The Rayman franchise EXPLODED with tons of sequels and spinoffs across a plethora of platforms. While the last Rayman-focused console game wasRayman Legendsin 2013, again, the Rabbids have made a splash recently with games likeMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Plus there have been mobile games and Rayman made a cameo in the Netflix anime,Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.
Twisted Metalrocked the PS1 for players wishing to destroy cars in big explosions. Compared to the rest of theTwisted Metalseries, the first game is timid as many of the sequels are thought of as superior games. The final iteration wasTwisted Metalin 2012 for the PS3 and besides some re-releases of older games digitally, the series has been dead in game form.
However, in multimedia,Twisted Metalis doing well thanks to the 2023 live-action adaptation of Peacock which did get greenlit for a second season. Will this lead to a new game soon, especially for the franchise’s 30th anniversary?
Suikodenwas one of Konami’s big RPG franchises for a good decade and more. The original made it to the PS1 in Japan in 1995 with the West getting it a year later. There were copious amounts of sequels and re-releases withGenso Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Centurybeing the last new official game in 2012 for the PSP.
It was released in Japan only which was sad back then butSuikodenfans can rejoice because the series is getting revived soon. Konami is re-releasing the first two games in HD viaSuikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Warswhich is a great way to celebrate thirty years of service.
