There are some mighty games on Sony’s grey box, but there are also horrors better left to the dark pages of gaming history. This list is dedicated to those titles that missed the mark and are memorable for all the wrong reasons. Here are my picks for the top 10 worst games on the PlayStation.
These are the worst games on the Sony PlayStation
I want to preface this list by saying this is just my opinion and is, ultimately, a bit of fun. If you enjoy these titles, then more power to you. I’ve ordered this list with the worst at the bottom, and it gets pretty grim down there!
#10 The Land Before Time: Great Valley Racer
I have a pet peeve with kids’ games, as some use their target audience to justify a lousy experience. Great Valley Racing is one of those, and while it’s not as buggy or broken as other games on this list, it’s just plain boring.
Land Before Time lacks all the fun you’d expect from a party or kart racer. The tracks are lifeless and empty, and you can experience everything the title offers within a single race.
The saddest part about this entry is you can imagine how good a dinosaur-themed racer should be. Instead, we’re stuck with thrilling powerups like ‘Traction.’
#9 Spice World
I’m sure I’m about to upset some Spice Girls fans, but you deserve better. Spice World is a basic rhythm game featuring iconic hits that still play on the radio today.
My gripe with Spice World is the character’s designs. The ‘Chibi’ Spice Girls look horrific, and the bobbleheads make their faces look even more mangled. There are some cool ideas, like remixing songs, but it’s not as fun as it sounds.
The Spice Girls were a phenomenon in the late ’90s, and I can see fans enjoying some aspects of the Spice World game.
#8 Fifth Element
Fifth Element may not be the ‘worst’ game on this list, but it’s definitely the most disappointing. It’s a 3D adventure based on the 1997 movie.
Luc Besson’s film offers a unique blend of humor, action and sci-fi. Sadly, if you were expecting to see any of that magic in the game, you’re in for a shock. The Fifth Element game has poor controls and looks vile, especially compared to the vibrant source material.
Korben Dallas has as much maneuverability as a three-wheeled bus, and everything feels poorly executed. Sadly, Fifth Element feels like a cash grab, relying on the cover art to sell copies.
#7 Hellboy
Hellboy is another 3D action game to make the list. It features awkward controls, an unruly camera, and crude visuals. Hellboy is meant to be bulky, but it doesn’t excuse how miserable it feels to move around. Even the NPCs shuffle around as if they all have wedgies.
I appreciate the light puzzle-solving elements, but they quickly become monotonous and can’t save Hellboy from its crumbling foundations. As a side note, it looks like Hellboy is wearing black hot pants.
If you’re after games with a gothic horror setting, the Nightmare Creatures games do it much better.
#6 The Crow
Movie licensed games have a reputation for all the wrong reasons. Sadly, The Crow: City of Angels does nothing to break the trend.
The Crow loosely resembles Resident Evil with its pre-rendered backdrops and tank controls. Sadly, combat and movement are stiff and awkward, and you feel ill-equipped to deal with your opponents.
The developers were going for a dark and gritty style, but it just looks muddy and depressing on the PlayStation.
#5 Perfect Weapon
Perfect Weapon is a 3D adventure game with pre-rendered backdrops and Resident Evil-style movement controls. Sadly, the controls are laggy and unresponsive, and even running around corners is a challenge.
The strangest issue Perfect Weapon has is its camera. Although the angle is fixed as you move from scene to scene, it changes so erratically that it’s easy to get lost.
I got disoriented walking down a straight path, and if Perfect Weapon can’t even get that right, what hope is there for the rest of the game?
#4 Rascal
I find Rascal the most bizarre game in the PS1 library. On the one hand, the graphics are impressive for the time, and the main character and the themes are decent.
On the other hand, Rascal has some of the worst controls I’ve ever experienced, and they are so unfathomably bad that they ruin the entire game.
Rascal is an adventure game, but movement is so poor that precision is impossible. If you rock the d-pad left and right, you move forward, and that’s only scratching the surface.
The sad part is it feels like there was some effort in the creation of Rascal. It’s the prettiest game on this list by some margin, and that’s a trait you don’t often find in bad games. Unfortunately, the controls are so broken they sap any fun you could have with the title.
#3 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero
I’m always open to established franchises trying something new. Unfortunately, Mythologies: Sub Zero is so bad that I doubt we will ever see Mortal Kombat try another genre.
Mythologies: Sub Zero is a 2.5D platformer with a shopping list of flaws. The game demands precision platforming but gives Sub Zero some of the most inconsistent jumps I’ve ever experienced.
Movement feels responsive one moment and floaty the next, which leads to many frustrating deaths.
Sub Zero moves around as if he’s in a tournament fighter. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work in a platformer when enemies can approach you from any direction. The cutscenes are pretty cool as they feature live actors, but they can’t save the title from a resounding Fatality.
#2 Bubsy 3D
Bubsy 3D is well-known as one of the worst games on the system.
I could write a small book on everything this game does wrong, but in short, nothing works. The graphics and controls are horrific, the camera never behaves itself, and the music will send you mad.
Bubsy’s movement is stiff and awkward, but the most baffling part of the package is the levels. Many stages feel like random, colorful shapes flung together with no rhyme or reason.
In addition to the obvious issues, Bubsy 3D is littered with bugs, and glitches like falling through the floor are commonplaces.
#1 X-Bladez Inline Skater
We’re really scraping the barrel with this one. X-Bladez is a poorly made rollerblading game. I had high hopes for this one as I thought it might be like ESPN Extreme Games, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Unfortunately, X-Bladez feels half-baked and rushed. There’s no sense of speed, and it feels like you’re on rails instead of skates. The sad part is it’s such a bad game; it’s not even funny. The tracks are uninspiring, as are the drab graphics.
Oh, this game also came out in 2002. By then, the PS2 was already out, so there’s no excuse for how bad X-Bladez looks and feels to play. Out of every game on this list, this title feels phoned in and lazy, which is why it takes the number one spot over other famous PlayStation blunders.
If you need your faith restored in the PlayStation library, check out our list of the best platformers on the system for some absolute bangers.
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