PS1 Games

Final Fantasy IX

Dark times have spread over the world of Gaia. Four separate governing nations, some blinded by their short-sighted greed, some persevering in the name of justice

• Dark times have spread over the world of Gaia. Four separate governing nations, some blinded by their short-sighted greed, some persevering in the name of justice, are battling on and off in a deadly game for power. One kingdom, that of Lindblum, headed by the honorable and trustworthy Regent Cid, finally decides to take a stand against the unspeakable massacres by the troops of Alexandria. Enl

Rating: (out of 745 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.99
Price: $ 11.05

Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross follows a boy named Serge across parallel worlds--both the world in which he lives and one in which he drowned 10 years earlier.Chrono Cross, the sequel to the Super Nintendo classic Chrono Trigger, turns out to be well worth the wait. Taking off 20 years after the first game, Chrono Cross follows a boy named Serge across parallel worlds--both the world in which he lives and one in which he drowned 10 years earlier. Chrono Cross will wow players with beautiful prerendered graphics and a unique battle system. Elements replace magic and items in battle, and using the same element three times in a row will ultimately increase your power. In addition to using elements, the accuracy of physical attacks is determined by probability, with easier-to-land weak attacks setting up fierce blows. The plot, while a bit slow to develop, is full of interesting characters. Players will need to travel between the two worlds to advance the plot. While many of these areas will initially appear to look similar, you'll find them to be quite different upon closer examination of the details. For instance, a plant that is extinct in one world thrives in the other. My only qualm with Chrono Cross is that, despite the complexities of the battle system, veterans will have an easy time with early battles. Still, there's much to like about this SquareSoft epic. --Robb Guido Pros: Lavish, vibrantly colored graphics Unique battle system involving elements and casting away role-playing clichés like experience and magic points Cons: Easy battles due to powerful offensive and cure elements For hours, players will be saying, "Get to the

• Featuring a story line developed by the creator of "Chrono Trigger" and "Xenogears," Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by its development team. Format: PSX Genre: RPG (VG) Age: 662248900087 UPC: 662248900087 Manufacturer No: 9780

Rating: (out of 358 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 11.05

Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto is back--and the popular mission-based driving game is nastier than ever! Grand Theft Auto 2 plays much like its predecessor, and that is not necessarily a good thing. The graphics in the original were terrible, and GTA 2 does little to amend this deficiency. The game camera looks straight down on the action, making it difficult to judge relative heights. The grainy game objects don't help matters much, either. Plus, the game's missions mainly consist of fetching things for crime lords, with a few assassination missions thrown in every so often. Still, Grand Theft Auto 2 is a terrific game to boot up for 30 minutes if you want to blow off some steam. You don't necessarily have to take on any missions. Instead, you can brainlessly roam around the enormous city environments performing random acts of violence. (However, we don't recommend that you try this at home!). Few games of any type offer this sort of reckless, open-ended mayhem. Police chases are wilder than ever thanks to new units with improved interception techniques. New weapons also add some much-needed variety to the carnage that players are bound to create. If you never played the original, skip it and pick up this version. You might also consider getting some therapy, if time permits. --T. Byrl Baker Pros:
Artificial intelligence is somewhat improved Controls are a little better than the original Cons:
Few gameplay improvements from the original Less than impressive graphics Gameplay suffers from slowdown

Rating: (out of 62 reviews)

List Price: $ 28.99
Price: $ 11.74

Final Fantasy VIII

PendingSquareSoft has always had a sure-fire hit when releasing any of their Final Fantasy titles, and Final Fantasy VIII should be no exception. The basis of a good RPG (role-playing game) has always been the story; spectacular graphics are secondary. Final Fantasy VIII's involved and interesting story line is filled with great twists, well-developed characters, suspense, and romance. As an added bonus, the graphics are beautiful. Everything--from the low-lit jazz club to the steam-filled railroad tunnels--is gorgeous and perfectly sets the mood and tone of a scene. The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience. The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president. You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence: the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking Pros: A story to beat all stories Characters worth caring about Hey--it's from SquareSoft Stunning animations Cons: Too many random battles Combat is, as always, turn-based and offers minimal excitement Weak souls might give up after two or three discs of play

• Squall, a member of an elite military team, is forced into a conflict beyond imagination
• To survive he must contend with a desperate rival, a powerful sorceress and his own mysterious dreams
• Contains realistic detailed characters and background graphics
• A breathtaking musical score enhances game play
• Another great edition of the Final Fantasy series of games

Rating: (out of 1118 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 12.79

Namco's Museum Vol. 3

SIX GAMES IN ONE...GALAXIAN, MS. PAC-MAN, POLE POSITION 2, DIG DUG, PHOZON, AND THE TOWER OF DRUAGA.

The main attraction on this volume has to be Dig-Dug. For you youngins out there, the game features a little guy with an air pump (Dig-Dug) who digs underground tunnels searching for Pooka and Fygar, two crazy-looking monsters who eat Dig-Dugs like they're going out of style. The object is simple - find all the Pookas and Fygars and pump them full of air until they explode. The game is completely addictive and may be enough reason by itself to pick up the package.

Ms. Pac-Man was the insanely popular sequel to Pac-Man, and it added several different mazes to the game, as well as adding a female character in the hope of dragging women of the 80s into arcades. It worked, and Ms. Pac-Man was nearly as big a hit as the original, which only added to the rolling keg of fury that the entire Pac-Man series encompassed.From the makers of Soul Calibur comes a tour of the ancient days of gaming. For those who remember Ms. Pac-Man and Atari, for those who loved Dig-Dug, and those of you who spent way too many quarters on Galaxian, this little treasure is for you. While it does contain some forgettable titles such as Phozon, a deadly boring puzzle game, and the Tower of Druaga, a sad, sad attempt at a top-down role-playing game, Namco Museum Vol. 3 is worth its price for the addictive classics alone. Pole Position II is also included, and, unlike modern racing games where you can knock opposing racers out of the way with a quick side swipe, Pole Position II's car explodes at the slightest contact. This was too much of a habit to break, but the nostalgia

• ALL TIME CLASSIC
• VOUME 3 VERSION SEVERAL GAMES INSIDE
• GREAT FOR ALL AGES
• ALL-TIME FAVORITE
• HARD GAME TO FIND

Rating: (out of 17 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.99
Price: $ 13.99

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

LIVE the SAGA in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for PlayStation. You will participate in the dramatic events from the Star Wars Episode I story--and beyond. The action in The Phantom Menace will pick up where the movie begins--as two heroic Jedi Knights dock on the Trade Federation Battleship above the planet Naboo. The journey takes you to such locations as Naboo, Tatooine, and all the way to the Galactic capital world of Coruscant as you confront imposing threats to freedom in the midst of a galaxy in crisis.As the room fills with poison gas, you and Qui-Gon race down the hall and stop in front of five Trade Federation droids. Your lightsaber hums to life as you and your master block and reflect the hail of blaster bolts, leaving the offending droids in pieces. As your enemies grow to seemingly hopeless numbers, you extend your hand in a Jedi force push. Again all that is left are fried circuits. Leaping over chasms, destroying droid armies, saving entire planets is all in a day's work when you are a Jedi. And we all want to be Jedi... right? In Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, you assume the roles of Obi Wan, Qui-Gon, Queen Amidala, and Captain Panaka as they struggle to save Naboo and defeat the Trade Federation's sinister agents. Exciting battles, terrific sound effects, and a true-to-the-movie story line make this game a treat for any Star Wars fan. The graphics could be sharper, but the overall Star Wars experience is not diminished by this fact. Instead, the gameplay itself takes you away from an immersive Star Wars feel: it's just strange to see a Jedi use a rocket launcher. I was also hoping that lightsabers would cut through just about anything, but sadly this

• 1 Player
• Analog Control Compatible
• Vibration Function Compatible
• Rated T for Teen

Rating: (out of 76 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 14.14

The Legend of Dragoon

A four-disc RPG epic, The Legend of Dragoon is set in a time of swords, magic, and dragons. Ten thousand years prior, the Dragon War pitted Dragoons--humans with the power to control dragons--against Enslavers, magicians who sought to enslave the humans. Now Dart, a young warrior, is on a quest to find the demon that killed his parents. The Legend of Dragoon features prerendered, 3-D backgrounds and detailed, polygonal figures. Several nonplaying characters and many full-motion video scenes take you through the complex story. The game's turn-based battle engine allows you to increase the strength of an attack through repeated button taps and shows the percentage increase you've created. A timing feature in the battle modes allows you to add devastating combinations to your attacks. The Spirit Points you accumulate during your quest can be used to unlock a special power, known as the Dragon attack.Talk about going out with a bang! Sony Computer Entertainment released its four-disc The Legend of Dragoon for the PlayStation only months before the release of that console's successor, the PlayStation2. This very absorbing role-playing game, with hours upon hours of story and inventive gameplay, might just be the last great title for the glorious PSX. The copious story begins with Dart, a vengeful young man with spiky hair and red armor who embarks on a desperate rescue mission to break his childhood sweetheart out of a castle prison. The two join forces with a knight who is trying to end a war that's destroying the region. Dart soon learns that he is a Dragoon--a human who's privy to the spiritual power of dragons. Like all RPG heroes, Dart is up against impossible

• 3 years in the making with a development team of over 100 members
• Transform into Dragoons and unleash extraordinary powers
• Incredibly diverse characters wield unique weapons and Dragoon attacks powered by the elements
• Totally unique and innovative tactical combat "Additionals" System
• Discover the truth about the Black Monster

Rating: (out of 378 reviews)

List Price: $ 39.99
Price: $ 14.95

SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge

In SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge, players take the role of SpongeBob on a quest to secure the autographs of his heroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. This is no simple task: SpongeBob must complete silly errands such as retrieving beauty products from the bottom of the world and fetching Kelp Kandy Bars. SpongeBob even has to borrow a time machine and travel to prehistoric Bikini Bottom to find a shell-bra outfit made of rare clams. Whether he's searching for the ultimate spatula to perfect his Krabby Patty-flipping technique at the Krusty Krab, or just hanging out with his best friend Patrick (an amiable starfish), SpongeBob's good intentions and overzealous nature usually create chaos in his underwater world.

• Playstation Format
• SpongeBob Squarepants

Rating: (out of 31 reviews)

List Price: $ 28.99
Price: $ 24.95

Twisted Metal 4

Suffering from road rage? Prefer offensive driving? Check out Twisted Metal 4, the latest edition in PlayStation's bestselling demolition derby franchise. The game opens with news of the return of Sweet Tooth, this title's maniacal clown who is up to his not-so-funny antics again. Along with a horde of mini-sized clowns, he presents eight interactive battlegrounds on which to do combat, including his bedroom, the carnival, and eight hidden levels.Suffering from road rage? Prefer offensive driving? Check out Twisted Metal 4, the latest edition in PlayStation's bestselling demolition derby franchise. The game opens with news of the return of Sweet Tooth, this title's maniacal clown who is up to his not-so-funny antics again. Along with a horde of mini-sized clowns, he presents eight interactive battlegrounds on which to do combat, including his bedroom, the carnival, and eight hidden levels. These new environments have more traps and gizmos than previous Twisted Metal games, including randomly deposited gas barrels, secret areas, and new weapons in larger quantities. The game also introduces the ability to drive on walls and make giant leaps from building to building. Players can choose from 20 new characters and deathmobiles, including a demented family with a fierce station wagon or rock star Rob Zombie's Dragula mobile. Also new to this edition of the car-combat freak show is the "create a car" option, which allows you to customize a car's size, color, model, and special weapon. The rock and rap soundtrack for this combat chaos is provided by Rob Zombie, Cypress Hill, Cirrus, Ghoulspoon, One Minute Silence, and Skold. A multi-tap (sold separately) allows up to four people to play at once. --Carrie Bell Pros: The next installment in an already successful franchise New

• The final installment in an already successful franchise
• New cars, new characters, and a new plot
• Up to 4 players can hit the road with a multi-tap (sold separately)

Rating: (out of 77 reviews)

List Price: $ 9.99
Price: $ 8.99

Final Fantasy Anthology

Final Fantasy Anthology incorporates two of the most beloved FINAL FANTASY titles ever published. First released as FINAL FANTASY III in the U.S., FINAL FANTASY VI brings back all of the qualities that made it the best selling RPG of its time, and adds a few bonuses unique to this re-release. The second title in this compilation, FINAL FANTASY V, is seeing its first ever release in the U.S. Featuring an innovative 'Job' system and a story that will take the player to different worlds, this title will finally show U.S. gamers what they have been missing. If you are new to the FINAL FANTASY universe, pick up Anthology as way of getting to know the series that has garnered the praise of millions. If you are already a fan, pick it up to relive the magic once again.Showcasing two installments of SquareSoft's wildly popular role-playing game (RPG) series, Final Fantasy Anthology features the U.S. debut of Final Fantasy V, and reintroduces one of the best RPGs of all time, Final Fantasy VI, originally released as Final Fantasy III on the Super Nintendo gaming system. Both games are straight Super Nintendo conversions, so their 2-D graphics and 16-bit sounds are admittedly subpar by PlayStation standards. However, SquareSoft has added brand-new, beautifully animated movies for both titles, and has given Final Fantasy VI the star treatment it deserves by adding a bonus mode where gamers can access loads of supplementary material, such as artwork and data files on the game's monsters and items. While Final Fantasy V is one of weaker entries in the series, Final Fantasy VI alone is totally worth the price of Final Fantasy Anthology. Endearingly melodramatic characters, a genuinely epic story line, and rock-solid gameplay

• Includes both Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI
• Original 2-D graphics and 16-bit sounds
• For 1 player

Rating: (out of 260 reviews)

List Price: $ 16.99
Price: $ 10.80