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PS1 RPGs That Should Be On PSN
The PlayStation Store’s “classics” section has been a great way to reunite with games from your past. Games that I thought I’d never get to experience again, such as Xenogears and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, have surfaced through the store. As an RPG fan, I’m always eagerly awaiting an announcement of my favorites to be available through PSN. While the RPG selection is solid, some notable games aren’t on the store, and that’s disappointing. Here are the missing PS1 RPGs that I hope eventually find their way to PSN
Suikoden II
Suikoden II is widely heralded as the best game in the franchise, and it’s also my most desired on this list. Facing the harsh side effects of war and recruiting 108 Stars of Destiny to help take on the sadistic Luca Blight makes this entry special. The game isn’t easy to get your hands on, unless you’re willing to spend over $100 for a used copy, making a digital release even more appealing. To add to the bitterness, Japan received a PSP collection that contained both Suikoden I and II, but it never made its way to our shores. The first Suikoden hit PSN back in 2008, so it’d be nice to be able to continue on with your save into Suikoden II, since it has plenty of connections and returning characters. In April, the ESRB rated Suikoden II, which usually indicates a PSN release is on the way. Still, we haven’t heard or seen anything since then about Konami’s plans. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait or pine for it too much longer.
Lunar: The Silver Star/Lunar: Eternal Blue
The Lunar games carved out a strong niche fanbase, and it’s a shame that the series has phased out over the years after a disappointing entry on the Nintendo DS. The PS1 versions of The Silver Star and Eternal Blue are enhanced ports, but I’d gladly take those, especially considering GameArts didn’t release an Eternal Blue PSP remake. If both appeared on PSN, players could experience the two stories in their entirety. These games aren’t exactly easy to find now, but Lunar remains a memorable series from the PS1 era, representing so much about what the JRPG was about – weaving in tales of heroics to overcome evil forces.
Dragon Warrior VII
With Square Enix still leaving us out in the cold regarding plans to localize the Dragon Quest VII 3DS remake in North America, the next best thing would be to put Dragon Warrior VII on PSN. Dragon Quest has kept things simple over the years, but remains lovable for its hours on end of exploration in a fascinating world. In this entry, you’re tasked with traveling to the past to save continents from vanishing in the future. The localization could use some work, but with the absence of an updated remake, we could certainly hope for less.
Thousand Arms
Thousand Arms is full of charm. The RPG/dating sim hybrid has an intriguing steampunk world that’s on the brink of chaos. The main character Meis is a ladies man and must get to know women if he wants to learn how to reforge weapons for max power. Meis grows over the journey, and part of the fun is seeing him go from a lazy kid to a man with the world’s future on his shoulders. Thousands Arms isn’t as widely known as a lot of the other RPGs on this list, which is why I think it’s time more people find out about it.
Up next: Seeing a franchise's roots and a connection to Shadow Hearts....
Tales of Destiny
The Tales franchise has been experiencing a resurgence in the North American market, making it the perfect time for new fans to see the franchise’s beginnings. As most know, Tales’ fun action battle systems are highly acclaimed, so returning to the first title released in North America might lend perspective to its evolution. Tales of Destiny follows Stahn, a boy with a thirst for adventure, who finds more than he bargained for when he encounters a talking sword. Talking swords? Why would people ever miss out on this?
Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile remains a high point for tri-Ace and Square Enix. With solid writing and a challenging and unique twist on the turn-based battle system, this Norse mythology-based game stands out. You’re cast in the role of a valkyrie, Lenneth, who is getting the souls of warriors (Einherjar) ready for a fight over the world’s fate. Throughout her journey, you learn about the lives of these soldiers and also more about Lenneth, which is compelling in its own right. Even more of a reason for this to be on PSN? Square hasn’t made the PSP remake, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth available for download, meaning you have to get out your old system to play it.
Koudelka
The Shadow Hearts series has a strong cult following, but it remained under the radar throughout its run on the PS2. Koudelka, its spiritual predecessor, is even more unknown, but it set the foundation for Shadow Hearts, which takes place in the same universe and has ties to some of the characters. Koudelka had an intriguing blend of survival horror and tactical/RPG gameplay, but focused more on horror than on comedy unlike Shadow Hearts. The game has some amazing cutscenes that stood out at the time, further helping the eerie atmosphere get into your head.
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Similar to Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean: The Second Story had a PSP remake that never made its way to PSN. Therefore, it’d be nice to see this game available digitally; even though the PSP version smoothed over the translation, the original still holds a lot of charm with its “unique” localization, like the “That’s gonna be about 80 points” victory phrase. The sci-fi journey and tri-Ace’s fun real-time combat has a lot to offer, along with the character recruitment, branching paths, and choices. Plus, Star Ocean 2 is one of the most broken games (in a good way) that tri-Ace has ever developed. What other game allows you to accidentally trigger an end-boss that’s significantly more difficult than his standard version?
Which PS1 RPGs do you hope make their way to PSN?
Also, be sure to check out our feature on PS1 RPG Classics that hold up.
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