Launching on Dec. 3, the PlayStation Classic promises to transport nostalgic gamers back to the '90s with 20 preloaded classics, including Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Grand Theft Auto. But for every Resident Evil and Twisted Metal on the retro console's lineup, there's a stinker like Destruction Derby or Cool Boarders 2. As such, we've ranked every single game on Sony's upcoming nostalgia box, so you can skip the filler and get right to the good stuff once you pick your console up.
20. I.Q.: Intelligent Qube
Intelligent Qube is a 3D puzzle game in which you must get from Point A to Point B without getting crushed by increasingly complex sets of moving cubes. While this is probably the most obscure cut in the entire collection (and not the best puzzle game on the system), those looking for a good mental challenge will probably get an hour or two of amusement out of this one. — Mike Andronico
19. Jumping Flash!
Perhaps best known as "that game from the demo disc," Jumping Flash! is a first-person platformer that has you bounce around 3D levels as a robotic rabbit named Robbit (seriously). While it doesn't hold up to the standards of today's 3D platformers, Jumping Flash! was an important showpiece for what 3D games were capable of on Sony's then-new console. It's, at the very least, worth popping into this game to see what gamers once considered "revolutionary." — Mike Andronico
18. Destruction Derby
In the earliest days of the PlayStation, when your options for racing games pretty much consisted of Ridge Racer, Wipeout and Jet Moto, Destruction Derby may have offered enough to steal your attention for a short time, despite its nonexistent track design and bare-bones gameplay. However, PlayStation owners wouldn't remain that desperate for long. And that's why, if we were forced to choose, we'd much rather have the game's more fleshed-out sequel on the roster here. But even then, the sequel would also have struggled for the spotlight against Ridge Racer Type 4's staggering production values and Twisted Metal's timelessly addictive multiplayer thrills. — Adam Ismail
17. Mr. Driller
Mr. Driller is a simple but addicting puzzler that blends some of the basic digging gameplay of Dig Dug with a color-matching mechanic that rewards good strategy and fast reflexes. While it's not the best puzzle game on the PlayStation Classic, Mr. Diller is worth dipping into to get a few rounds of colorful block-destroying fun. — Mike Andronico
16. Cool Boarders 2
At the height of '90s extreme-sports fever, Cool Boarders 2 may have been fine enough. But it simply hasn't aged well, with its dodgy collision detection, sparse graphics and painfully slow gameplay. It also didn't help things that a few months after Cool Boarders 2's late-'97 release, Nintendo trotted out 1080° Snowboarding on the N64, which was pretty much better in every conceivable way. That relegated this PlayStation title to being the kind of game you desperately tried to convince your friends was as good as the one you all really wanted to play. — Adam Ismail
15. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Mudokons are friends, not food! Nowhere is this more true than in Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. Abe, the titular protagonist, fights to free his people from enslavement and overhears the company overseer's plans to turn those people into the next affordable treat. Over the course of this classic platformer, Abe will liberate his fellow Mudokons while gaining incredible powers from his people's lost history. Widely praised during its debut, Oddworld offers a great mix of puzzle and platforming action. — Sherri L. Smith
14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
One of the first popular tactical shooters, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six stood out by favoring strategy and stealth over running around and going guns-blazing. While the game was a hit on PC thanks to its compelling campaign and then-novel multiplayer format, its PlayStation port isn't nearly as beloved, due to its inferior graphics and features. Still, if you're a fan of modern installments such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, you should at least check out how the series began. — Mike Andronico
13. Wild Arms
Wild Arms is one of those "small-but-devoted-fan-base" series that seems almost synonymous with PlayStation consoles. In that respect, if nothing else, it's a good choice for inclusion on the PlayStation Classic. In this Old West-themed JRPG, you'll take control of Rudy, Jack and Cecilia, three very different adventurers who find themselves drawn together in — what else? — a quest to save the world. The game's setting is its main draw, because it deftly combines elements of traditional fantasy with a Wild West vibe. In the game's turn-based battles, your guns — and the ammo they use — are of paramount importance. But the graphics were a bit dated, even when the game first came out, and Wild Amrs is ultimately pretty similar to other good JRPGs of the time. — Marshall Honorof
12. Battle Arena Toshinden
Battle Arena Toshinden doesn't hold up super well in the grand scheme of fighting games, but it was a heck of a novel showpiece for the then-nascent PlayStation when the game launched in 1995. This game was both one of the first true 3D fighters as well as one of the first prominent weapons-based fighting games, allowing a degree of movement and combat that was mostly unheard of at the time. While series such as Tekken and Soulcalibur would go on to refine what Toshinden started, this game is well worth dipping into as a piece of fighting game history. — Mike Andronico
11. Revelations: Persona
To damn it with faint praise, Revelations: Persona is probably the second-best RPG on the PlayStation Classic. (You already know what the best is.) This spin-off from the weird, genre-defying Shin Megami Tensei series stars a group of high school students who find themselves trapped in a mysterious, monstrous version of their hometown. By calling upon beneficent-ish demons called Personas, they fight back against a strange, corrupting influence — all while navigating their own petty schoolyard dramas. While the first Persona lacks the over-the-top dialogue and nuanced social mechanics from later entries in the series, it gives you plenty of ways to customize your party and alter the story. There's even a way to play through a totally different, much tougher story campaign, if you're so inclined. — Marshall Honorof
10. Grand Theft Auto
The Grand Theft Auto series looked very different back in 1997. Instead of a sprawling, open-world epic crime drama, it was a top-down, third-person shooter with a twisted sense of humor. You play as a criminal who can — but doesn't have to — take on a number of destructive tasks for crime outfits in Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas. The game has six levels, and in order to win, all you have to do is score a certain number of points. While it's easiest to do this by following your directives, you can also just cause mayhem, earning points for every car stolen, pedestrian mowed down and piece of property destroyed. It's weird and crass, but it holds up better than you might expect. — Marshall Honorof
9. Syphon Filter
International espionage and bioweapons abound in Syphon Filter, a third-person shooter that became wildly popular on PlayStation. Gamers play as Gabriel Logan, a member of a secret government organization called the Agency. He and his partner, Lian Xing, are on the trail of bioterrorist Erich Rhoemer, who's plotting to release the deadly Syphon Filter virus in Washington, D.C. But like in any good covert-ops thriller, there are a lot of twists and turns along the way. For its time, Syphon Filter was a well-received step in the stealth-action genre. — Sherri L. Smith
8. Ridge Racer Type 4
Yeah, yeah — we know the gleeful proclamations of a certain ex-Sony CEO are probably ringing in your head right now. But here's the thing: Ridge Racer Type 4 happens to be one of the greatest arcade racers ever made, and it's the height of a series that, in its early days, was synonymous with the PlayStation brand. In fact, to call it just an arcade racer is a grave injustice; R4, with its moving story mode, classy acid-jazz soundtrack, futuristic visual style and vision for world building, is best described as a racing drama. And even as technology has improved and graphics continually push the boundaries of realism, the immersion of R4's narrative and style make it truly one of a kind and arguably the finest artistic statement the genre has ever seen or will ever see.— Adam Ismail
7. Rayman
Just a year before Nintendo revolutionized the platformer with Super Mario 64, Michel Ancel at Ubisoft created one of the most beautiful side scrollers the world had ever seen. Rayman is a strange little man with no arms, no legs, a huge nose — and an incredible prowess for running and jumping. Thanks to gorgeously rendered backgrounds and large, colorful sprites, Rayman is a pleasure to look at, but it's even more fun to play. The game's levels are chock-full of new abilities to master and secrets to find. Admittedly, the game gets a bit punishing toward the end, because you need to track down every last doodad before you can see the ending. But Rayman is a platformer from 1995 — if it's not difficult and a little bit abstruse, it's not doing its job right. — Marshall Honorof
6. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Great puzzle games are timeless, and that's absolutely the case with Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. This competitive color-matching puzzler lets you play as cutesy versions of beloved characters such as Ryu, Chun-Li and Morrigan, all of whom unleash special attacks every time you clear a big chunk of gems off of the playing field. From its easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay to a vibrant art style that still holds up today, Puzzle Fighter is one of the best games to take for a spin on your PlayStation Classic — especially with a friend. — Mike Andronico
5. Tekken 3
Tekken 3 refined the PlayStation's defining fighting franchise to near-perfection, and the title holds up well today. The third installment in Namco's beloved 3D brawler series beefed up the roster with now-iconic characters such as Jin Kazama, Hwoarang and Ling Xiaoyu while deepening Tekken's tight, addictive combat with more movement and defense options. And if you don't have a friend nearby to trade blows with, you can play through a ton of fun solo content, including the Tekken Force beat-'em-up mode and the silly but entertaining Tekken Ball. — Mike Andronico
4. Resident Evil: Director’s Cut
You can't talk about the original PlayStation without talking about Resident Evil, and Resident Evil: Director's Cut is the definitive classic version of the genre-defining horror game. You'll get to experience every jump scare (damn those dogs) and boss fight (damn you, Tyrant) that made Resident Evil such a staple in the '90s, You also get a special Arrange Mode that remixes item and enemy placement while adding new weapons.
Sure, the PlayStation Classic really should have Resident Evil 2, and sure, there's an excellent HD remake of Resident Evil available on modern platforms. But if you pick up Sony's retro console, you owe it to yourself to see how the series began. — Mike Andronico
3. Twisted Metal
The good news: One of the greatest multiplayer experiences of its generation is making its way to the PlayStation Classic. The bad news: You're limited to just two players — a sign of the times — and for some reason, Sony opted to overlook this game's improved sequel, with its more-expansive maps and smoother gameplay. Regardless, Twisted Metal defined the car-combat genre during the title's time, and its inclusion on Sony's roster here is deserved. Unfortunately, however, Calypso failed to grant our wish to get developer SingleTrac's other game, Jet Moto, on the console as well. However, we can't say we're surprised — that guy always had a way of weaseling out of promises. — Adam Ismail
2. Metal Gear Solid
For over a decade, fans have been shouting, "SNAAAAKE!" in tribute to the bonkers brilliance of Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid. Filled with countless memorable moments — from your first time sneaking around in a cardboard box to that time the creepy, villainous Psycho Mantis read the data on your memory card — MGS is a key title in the history of most PlayStation owners. And if you're one of the few who've never played a Metal Gear game, get ready for the craziest story line ever. It's mostly explained in voice-over-based communications, filled with twists and surprises. — Henry T. Casey
1. Final Fantasy VII
While FF7 may be one of the most repackaged and resold PS1 games — it's available on everything from the PS4 to the iPad — the PS1 Classic would be laughably incomplete without this title. The game's Active Time Battle system enabled intensely paced fights that gave you a slight amount of time to plan. And while the tone of the eco-rebels at Avalanche may seem a bit corny by today's standards, protagonist Cloud Strife's whiny, self-centered behavior certainly crossed over to straight-up humorous. — Henry T. Casey
