If you're coming into this list to relive the nostalgia of the first PlayStation's legendary launch lineup, you're in the wrong place. Sony's PS1 shook up the gaming world when it dropped in 1995 with its polygonal 3D graphics -- but it's first ten games were, for the most part -- the stuff of nightmares.
Choppy graphics, a host of bugs and titles that have long been forgotten by gamers of all ages. But that's what makes the lineup so interesting, the fact that one of the kings of console gaming could rebound from such an early blunder in their now-legendary history. And there's a few in here that aren't too shabby.
10 Street Fighter: The Movie
Starting off our list with the worst that the PS1 had to offer is Street Fighter: The Movie, the game that is based on the movie that was based on the game. Speaking of the 1994 movie, it's regarded as one of the worst films ever created with its abundance of campiness (the bad kind that's not fun to make fun of) and some of the worst acting performances ever to be featured in a film. So making a game based on the movie wasn't the best idea in the world, and maybe replacing the iconic Street Fighter characters with their lackluster film counterparts wasn't so smart either.
9 Power Serve 3D Tennis
You know times were different when in IGN's review of Power Serve 3D Tennis states, "Great graphics aren't enough to save Power Serve 3-D Tennis." 3D was so fresh off the block that the aesthetics alone were enough to get people wiping their eyes to make sure what they were staring at was real.
Looking back, however, 3D Tennis is a laughable, buggy mess of a game that probably couldn't even stand up to Atari's Pong. The gameplay makes this title almost impossible to go back to as you'll constantly find yourself getting frustrated by the controls and constant bugs.
8 Battle Arena Toshinden
When it comes to striking imagery it doesn't get much better than the stuff you get to see in Battle Arena Toshinden. While the game was shaping up to be a solid release title for the PS1, Sony even promising that it would be a "Saturn killer" when put up against Sega's Virtual Fighter.
But boy did this game fall flat on its face and it was even ported to the Saturn less than a year later, with additional features nonetheless! The game did blaze new ground as the first weapons fighter game, but would soon be trumped by Soul Edge and later Soul Caliber.
7 Air Combat
This is the first game in the acclaimed Ace Combat series, but as you might've assumed from the title the series was originally name Air Combat. While today the Ace Combat games manage to be incredible feats in terms of graphics and sound design, the series had a long way to go when it dropped in 1995.
We can't put to much blame on the developers as many of the early PlayStation titles were still deciphering how to unlock the console's power. But the mechanics were pretty solid, just needed to be a little more fine-tuned.
6 ESPN Extreme Games
In a market where sports games are dominated by NBA 2K, Madden and Fifa there wouldn't be much chance for a game by ESPN to make it. But back in the 1990s when sports games were varied and produced by several different developers there was always a market for esoteric sports games.
While ESPN Extreme Sports isn't nearly as great as SSX: Tricky, Backyard Sports Games and EA Street Games, it's really solid for a 1990's sports title. It features everything from skateboarding and rollerblading to street luge and mountain biking.
5 Zero Divide
Zero Divide could possibly be our ugliest game on this list, but as all real gamers know, graphics aren't anything -- and yes that is a scorpion robot fighting a rock'em sock'em dude. Those weren't even the strangest characters as you also had a cat robot creature and a dragon that looked like he belonged in a Pokémon game.
The best part was the game was a ton of fun to play, so much so that at the time one critic praised it as "one of the best 3-D fighting games of all time." It's a gem in the PS1's lineup and while it'll likely never come back it'd be awesome if it did.
4 NBA JAM Tournament Edition
NBA Jam is one of the best sports games ever created. It's better than even the best 2K has to offer and can even stand toe-to-toe with NBA Street games. Maybe you won't hold it in such high esteem if you like realistic sports games, but if you're like us and love some crazy video game antics in your games then NBA Jam is right up your alley.
You can break backboards, set the hoop on fire with your 3-point shots and if you're insane enough you can even jump as high as the jumbotron and slam one down. It's a fun game even if you aren't the biggest basketball fan and that's saying a lot.
3 Wipeout (Europe Only)
While Wipeout was only released as a launch title in Europe it did make it's way over to North America and Japan eventually giving it merit to appear on this list. Plus it's just such a solid overall game that paved the way for games like F-Zero and other futuristic racing games.
Sure it came out after the original F-Zero which was released in 1990, but it was the first 3D racer of it's kind. The game moves at an intoxicating fast pace and is very unforgiving making for an invigorating and very challenging experience.
2 Ridge Racer
Ridge Racer is a game that may not look impressive from first glance, but this little arcade racer has probably influenced games in its genre just as much if not more than any classic racing game. The game essentially laid out the blueprints for all those arcade racing games that you still see in your movie theaters and roller skating rinks.
Sure those types of games aren't as popular anymore, but in the '90s and 2000s, they were an unstoppable force. Ridge Racer received raving reviews when it was released with critics praising it's graphics, music and revolutionary drifting mechanics.
1 Rayman
Rayman came out in a decade when platformers were on the brink of taking a back seat to the 3D "collectathons" that would go on to steamroll the industry. But right before games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 would change gaming forever, we got 2D side-scrolling gems like Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country, and Rayman.
The original 1995 game might pale in comparison to Nintendo's all-star platformers, but it was an excellent game in its own right with incredible level design and catchy as hell music. Plus it inspired the modern Rayman games which along with a multitude of Indie titles, have brought platforming back from the dead.