BlueKunai
1996
The first game I ever played. Clunky and under-developed in areas but a certified classic for a reason.
2001
A very stock-standard boiler plate kart racer. There's an okay amount of challenge variety and content to actually complete, but the core gameplay is a little too simple for its own good. There's a pretty decent roster of characters, but the difference between each of them being entirely cosmetic feels like a massive missed opportunity.
2010
I played NieR for the first time in late 2014 after hearing buzz about it's hidden gem status. The gameplay was functional but stiff, it ran like shit and visually it felt more at home on the original Xbox. In spite of all that, it was one of the most gripping games I played in the 2010s. The story and characters became fast favourites of mine, the bizzare changes in gameplay elements kept me interested on what was going to happen next, and the OST to this day is at the top of my list.
1998
Know as Kula World in PAL regions. One of my favourite puzzle platformers with a simple but satisfying presentation and a well-paced difficulty curve.
1998
Very clunky and pretty dated but nonetheless enjoyable considering I didn't grow up playing with it. Dark and gritty gothic levels and enjoyably British dialogue.
2000
The first MediEvil was enjoyable enough, but good lord I did not like this one at all. The core gameplay is mostly retained, but the new Victorian London setting is drab and a massive step back, the nerfing of health fountains makes the game unnessicarily punishing, the story and characters are complete nonsense and the voice acting is painful to listen to. Dan was a lot more likeable when he could only mumble.
1998
Stealth games really aren't my specialty, but MGS1 nonetheless was incredibly enjoyable and really impressed me playing it for the first time in 2015. Presentation manages to be very cinematic considering the limitations of the PS1 and the boss encounters were a lot of fun.
2005
General gameplay is pretty rough around the edges for DoubleFine's first whack at a the action platformers of the 2000s with a little mix of adventure game design that Tim Schafer is known for. It's well and truly made up for with its memorable cast of characters, inventive worlds, striking visual design and top notch writing.
1998
While by no means the most mechanically polished or developed of the series, the more simple collectathon approach with no backtracking, minimalist story and more prog-rock leaning soundtrack make it one of my goto comfort games I replay almost every year.
Spyro 1s gameplay refined with new moves and powerups and new mission based activities to diversify the side content. Backtracking for activities and collectables gated behind power-ups can be a bit of a hassle if you're going for 100%, especially the tiered ones that you need to replay upon return.
Kingdom Hearts peaked here. The combat has an unmatched flow and overlooked depth to it that every subsequent entry has tried and failed to emulate, and the story had a definitive end to it and was leagues more digestible than the tangled mess the series devolved into after Nomura's brain fell out somewhere around 2009.
1997
A fast paced and satisfying blend of platforming and RPG mechanics set in a gorgeously colourful world. A real hidden gem for the PS1. Just a shame how much of it was cut compared to the original vision.
The criminally overlooked sequel to Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. While I prefer the stages and story of the original, this one takes the gameplay of the first and polishes it to a mirror sheen. The difficulty is ramped right up but balanced out with the new Quick-save system that alleviates Oddysee's frustrating checkpoint-based saves. The selection of hazards and creatures is greatly expanded and provides all matter of creative and challenging gauntlets. The Magog on the March segments are also the height of the comedy in this series.
Crash 2 but bigger, basically. The Time Trials, power-ups and massively improved boss fights are a welcome addition to the series, let down only by the gimmicky vehicle levels.
Perfectly servicable licensed platformer with cute visuals and varied level design. Sadly peaks in the first half in regards to level design and creative secrets.