#the glowy beans were a last minute addition

[veamers]

OUGH i love how soft this one came out

[eggoreviews]

20 Dream Games for the Playstation Classic!

The PS1 Classic came out last year. Everyone got excited for a minute, but then we found out it was missing almost everything! Here’s my personal list of the 20 games I reckon should’ve been included. I’ll stick to one per franchise to keep it fair, but I might have to break that rule once. Hope you enjoy/agree!

Note: This is just my opinion. There might be some ones you don’t agree with, and I might have cut some ones from the original lineup you liked. Sorry in advance lol

Before I kick off the list, thought I’d briefly list off the games I cut from the Classic’s actual lineup:

Battle Arena Toshinden

Cool Boarders 2

Destruction Derby

Intelligent Qube

Jumping Flash

Mr. Driller

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

Resident Evil (you’ll see why)

Ridge Racer Type 4

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Syphon Filter

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six

Twisted Metal

Wild Arms

Aight, let’s go.

1. Final Fantasy VII

The quintessential PS1 JRPG, of course FF7 had to stick around from the original lineup. Like it or loathe it, FF7 defined its console and is still highly regarded as one of the best JRPGs of all time. Playstation wouldn’t really be Playstation without this game. This was the game that pushed Final Fantasy into 3D, and firmly into the hearts and minds of players everywhere. There’s little else to say, other than that you kind of already know how iconic this one is.

2. Grand Theft Auto

The humble beginnings of a now mammoth franchise, the first entry in the now legendary GTA series was a top down weird thing that let you explore three separate cities in whatever cars you can find. While this doesn’t hold up especially well today admittedly, GTA was an important milestone, not just for its series but for its console generation and has certainly earned its iconic status to belong on the PS Classic. This one was a good choice.

3. Metal Gear Solid

Another obvious choice, MGS is where Metal Gear really became Metal Gear. Brilliantly cheesy voice acting, awesome stealth gameplay, suitably weird story and the birth of the now iconic codex screen, MGS is like the archetypal cold war film wrapped in a supremely fun package on the PS1. If this wasn’t here, there is no PS Classic and that’s just the tea.

4. Revelations: Persona

This was one I wasn’t expecting an appearance from on the PS Classic, but I’m glad it did. In my head, the beginnings of this extremely weird spin-off JRPG series is an essential piece of kit on a classic compilation. Everyone hoping to experience the best of what PS1 had to offer should probably try this one out and while it certainly isn’t for everyone, it’s certainly unforgettable and deserves its place among the rest of this lot. But hey, maybe I’m biased because I’m obsessed with Persona 5.

5. Rayman

The first in the franchise that spawned my favourite 2D platformer of all time, Rayman made his glorious start on the PS1. While some may argue that the second entry in this colourful, creative platformer series deserves the spot, I’m with Sony in giving the spot to the first instead. Despite the cringey, cliche villain name they went for, this game was innovative for its time and had its own unique art style that still holds up remarkably well today. This limbless boy has earned his place.

6. Tekken 3

The final game from the original 20 I’m carrying over into my list, my thoughts are that this compilation was in need of a traditional fighting game and Tekken 3 perfectly fits the bill. This acts as one of the most iconic fighters on the PS1, and is pretty much superior in every way to the previous two entries, bringing with it more characters, more moves to pull off and a better, smoother combat system in general. This is the perfect fighter for fans of retro and takes its place rather nicely on the classic console.

7. Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus

Here’s the reason why I cut Abe’s Oddysee, to replace it with what is arguably its vastly superior sequel! Oddysee is still good, but for newcomers to this extremely odd platformer, the larger variety of power-ups and potential strategies is a much better pick for those unfamiliar with the franchise. To put it simply, Exoddus just holds up better today than its predecessor. Get ready for what is kind of nightmare fuel though, as the slightly unsettling imagery and character designs are bound to make you feel a little uneasy as you traverse dystopian, industrial environments as a weird amphibian thing.

8. Resident Evil 2

And, predictably, here’s why I cut the first RE, because there was no way I was leaving this franchise off my list. It was a tough one, but the second just won out. In my mind, RE2 just improved upon the first one in so many ways. While the first was a horrifying, strategic blast through an infested mansion that became one of the PS1′s defining games, RE2 took what the first one did well and built on it immeasurably. More developed characters, a fleshed out story, more unique environments to explore. Even though the map got exponentially bigger, that feeling of claustrophobia never went away and it was awesome the level of horror they could achieve with 90s graphics. As a legendary horror game, RE2′s the one I would go with.

9. Bishi Bashi Special

I know what you’re probably thinking, ‘this arsehole cut Ridge Racer but they’re making room for Uncle Bean?’ Well, hear me out. A lot of you may not have heard of Bishi Bashi Special. It’s a little known Japanese party game that is the maddest thing you will ever play. And in a classic compilation filled with iconic RPGs and the like, I felt that injecting a little chaotic madness into the mix was never gonna be a bad thing. There’s nothing on the PS1 that even comes close to the level of chaotic fun this gives you and shows the pure variety of the console’s back catalog. I’m very firm on this game’s place. Fight me about it.

10. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

A hack-and-slash game with fully rendered 3D open environments, starring a kickarse silent vampire with glowy eyes. It’s a real wonder they didn’t put this on the starting lineup. For real though, Soul Reaver was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, really testing the PS1 to the limit with its graphics and control scheme. An awesome tech demo for the time that still holds up well today, but is also a solid game in general. Very worthy of this list.

11. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

As pretty much any PS fan will tell you, this game kind of has to be here. And everyone won’t shut up about it for good reason. While Castlevania made its start on Nintendo systems with the original trilogy, it really made its mark on the industry when Symphony of the Night dropped onto the PS1 in 1997. It took what made the other games so great and built on it all, providing a sprawling platforming epic filled with collectible power-ups, hidden places to explore and a story that, at the time, defined the franchise. Many would argue that the series still hasn’t topped this entry, and as such is an essential addition that is sorely missing from the real thing.

12. Tomb Raider II

Tomb Raider is, well, iconic. I’ve used that word a lot but it’s true. Lara Croft and the franchise she belongs to are iconic, especially to the Playstation. And like Castlevania, the lack of any Tomb Raider on the Classic is almost criminal. This title encompassed everything that makes the original Tomb Raider trilogy so great, interesting puzzles and areas that require a lot of strategic thought to traverse, a decent selection of weapons and vehicles and a sense of genuine fun and adventure that runs through the whole thing. Tomb Raider is cool, and it doesn’t need much introduction. And for me, this was the most glaring omission of them all.

13. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

While we’re on the subject of glaring omissions, here’s what was basically the PS1′s answer to Mario and Sonic, Crash Bandicoot. In particular, I’ve chosen Crash 2 because I feel it’s the best experience for new players. Crash 1, while it’s the original, is full of a load of fuckery that may put newcomers off altogether if they can’t master the jolty controls and the slightly unfair life system. Not a bad game, just not great for those new to the franchise. Crash 2 just sort of lends itself better to the classic, challenging but not too much 2D platforming the series is known for. Well-designed, aesthetically pleasing levels, consistently fun mechanics and even a story you can sort of follow. This was Crash at his best, and it needed to be here.

14. Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon

Yet another PS Classic omission that made people sad, Spyro acted as the lesser known, but still suitably iconic second mascot for the PS1. Unlike his orange counterpart, Spyro’s levels felt much less linear and were more of an explorative collectathon rather than a straight platformer. And of the original trilogy, it’s pretty safe to say that number 3 consolidated everything the first two nailed and made it as perfect as it could be. Year of the Dragon defined the series at the time, and it needed to be onboard as much as Crash.

15. Crash Team Racing

Look at me go, I’ve finally broken my franchise rule. But in this one instance, considering how wildly different the 2 Crash games are, I think we can let it slide. CTR was never really meant to happen, it was mostly just a side project for the guys at Naughty Dog to do while they still had the rights. And the result was an awesome, fast-paced and crazy experience to rival Mario Kart. Unlike Nintendo’s equivalent at the time, CTR had much heavier, clunkier feels to the karts you drove, which really made you feel like you were driving this hunk of metal. You had power-ups that kept everything interesting, shortcuts to learn and even a full-on Diddy Kong Racing style adventure mode. Guess we’ll just have to wait for the remaster to relive this one.

16. MediEvil

I’ll be honest, this was the one I was most disappointed to have missing from the Classic. I absolutely adore this game. I love the story, the concept of Sir Dan as a character, the combat and the lovely gothic areas you encounter from a mausoleum to ghost pirate ship. But most of all, the cheeky, totally stupid British humour running through the whole thing, particularly through the game’s archetypal villain Zarok, makes the whole game as funny as it is epic, with a suitably rousing soundtrack following you on your journey to prove you’re not the zero everyone thinks you are. Classic game, desperately needed a place on the lineup.

17. Gran Turismo 2

I’m going to preface this by saying that I don’t care much for realistic racing games, I don’t derive a lot of joy out of them and they aren’t really my cup of tea. But in my efforts to keep this lineup as diverse as possible, I thought I’d include the game that really pushed the PS1′s graphical capabilities to its limits and almost created a game that surpassed its console generation in its looks. There’s a whole wealth of content here; a whole bunch of cars to unlock and a beefy career mode to keep you busy for a fair while. And this game differs from other racing games on the system by rewarding strategic thought and encouraging players to think through every action they take on the race track, which for me makes this the most immersive racer on the system.

18. PaRappa the Rapper

Okay, I know. I really did just put this here. But come on, PaRappa ended up in PS All Stars, so he’s gotta mean something to someone, right? It doesn’t matter how you slice it, this paper dog properly revolutionised rhythm games at the time, creating a fun and responsive, if a little short, experience that was certainly unique for the time. This is another that would definitely fall under the weird category, but it’s a bit of Playstation that doesn’t get mentioned nearly enough and it’s worth a spot on pure fun factor alone.

19. Ape Escape

As one of the first games to rely entirely on the Dualshock analog sticks, Ape Escape is another that falls into the ‘must mean something to someone’ category, as Ape Escape also ended up with a character in PS All Stars. This one is a fairly simple foray, but it was met with a lot of love from fans, as you play as a tiny, chibi version of the dude from Yu Gi Oh (tell me I’m wrong) and round up a bunch of escaped apes in varying platforming levels with a cool selection of gadgets. It’s here because it’s here, let it be.

20. Silent Hill

Silent Hill is pretty much as iconic as horror games get, and yet I somehow managed to forget about it until I got the 20th and final game on my list. It was claustrophobic, gory, full of metaphors you really don’t want to dig into and, most of all, it was terrifying. The constant fog, while it was mostly implemented to account for lack of draw distance, worked in the game’s favour and became a staple in the series. For the PS1 era, this game and the series it belongs to properly nailed the scare factor and left everyone who went near it feeling at least a bit uneasy. Saying this belongs here is an understatement.

Cool, there’s my list. My probably quite badly justified list clouded by pure fan-ness. But anyway, hope you agreed with some of my picks and let me know what games you would’ve liked to see on the otherwise questionable PS Classic lineup below. Thank for reading !

[shyquisitor]

Speak Easy

Chapter 1.1: Family Reunion

Summary:  Kirkwall never gets a break. The cities political state is always unstable, and one needs a scapegoat for all the evils of the city. The prohibition movement has taken root in the city state, which is change the balance of power. at least there are still some “Coffee shops” serving the most legal of drinks. Prohibition AU

Fiowyn Belongs to me, Millie Belongs to @calamity-writes

Fiowyn hummed the soft tune drifting from the old radio, with only the coffee machines as her witness. She cleaned the various coffee mugs, The Legend of Calenhad prompted far enough to be safe from the water, but close enough to read.

Their was a certain magic that filled the air when The Grind was silent between waves of client. The radios note seemed crisper, The woods colors looked richer, The light filtering through the front window filtered through more softly...

The door opened with a too powerful swing, knocking into the wall to the point of making some of the tableware shake in its wake.

And the magic was gone

The women dried her hands off before tending to the new customer. In front of her stood a tall human, with a muscular built trapped in a well cut suit he clearly wanted to escape. His hair was a mess, with most of his bangs hiding his tired blue eye. “Garrett, the usual?” She reached for the portafilter and some of her lighter coffee beans.

The man not so much sat as let himself fall on one of the counter chairs. He gave her a weak smile before nodding yes. She tampered down the coffee grinds into the filter before securing the device in the machine. With a few taps for good measure, she flipped the switch to let the drink brew.

Why Garrett insisted on his coffee to be an Denerino instead of simply having filtered she never knew, he always ruined the drink with the obscene amount of sugar he like to add in anyways. at this point she simply prepared the drink and added the brown sugar in for him, hoping that would stop him from completely overdoing it. For the final touch, she reached for a bottle under the counter, the content a pleasant amber.

She glanced at the regular before adding the final ingredient to his drink “So, from 1 to Mabari, how Ferelden would you like your coffee today?”

“Carvers Mabari Tattoo” the man answered in a heartbeat. That was not a good sign.

She opened the bottle and poured a little more of the liquid then was entirely appropriate for a mid afternoon drink into the coffee and slid it across the counter. “Bad day?”

She received a noncommittal grunt from Garrett, who reached across the counter to grab two sugar packets that he promptly added to his coffee before drinking it eagerly. Fi had barely the time to clean the machine before he was done, a little foam on his mustache.

He pushed the cup back towards her, awaiting for a refill. Yup, bad day.

She slid the second cup to him “Was it because of your meeting with the city council?”

Garrett sipped his coffee before answering “the meeting would have been fine if it were not for his majesty dragging me to lunch to discuss the new proposals he is pushing to the viscount”

Ouch. The prince of Starkhaven had been one of the most vocal advocates of the regulating alcohol sales, and was known for his unwavering prohibition position “Sebastian trying to tighten alcohol sales again?”

He propped his elbow on the table, hand held high. “First the super restrictive alcohol licenses” The index flipped up “then the limits on hours of sales” Another finger up “Then the huge fines put in place for public intoxication” Another diggit flick up “Now he wants to propose that anything with more than 12% alcohol be banned” with a heavy sigh he returned to his drink.

Well this was much juicier, and much worse than she had expected “But that would ban most wines, and whiskey, and scotch. Isn’t Starhaven known for their Scotch?”

He gave her a small nod before continued drinking, pausing to give her a smile “Which is why I need to drink it while it’s still legal”

The barista started the next drink before he finished the last. At this point she split evenly the golden liquid with the coffee “You should come in the evening then. Isabela would love to hear your misery and help you get obscenely drunk.” She cleaned up her work station in practiced motions “I for one would appreciate you leaving my shift sober”

She could hope, but as he brought the third cup to his lips she knew that would not be the case. At least now he had a easy smile spreading to his lips. For such a tall man he was a surprising lightweight.

A small group entered the store, stealing her attention. With a smooth motion she was at the cash “Welcome! What can I get you?” with practiced speed she rang the two first up, but took her time with the third man. “And for you?”

His amber eyes did a once over of the menu before deciding “A caramel Machiato, if it’s not too much trouble” he pulled out a few copper which he promptly offered her.

“A drink as sweet as you, coming right up” She gave him a wink before setting to her work. Within minutes, the drinks were served. She slid them to them, giving the tan man a final smile “Come again.”

From the corner of her eyes she could see the man being teased by his friends, blush still on his cheeks. When she finally returned her Attention to Garrett, a slight pout was adorning his face “What?”

A dramatic sigh escaped his lips “Why don’t you flirt with me like that anymore”

She couldn’t help to crack a smile at the question “Garrett, you're gay”

He furrowed his brows “So?”

A part of her wanted to call him out on the absurdity, but then again, this was Garrett “Fine, I’ll flirt with you more” She folded her arms over her chest “Happy?”

“Very” He set down the now empty cup “I should be on my way”

As she leaned in to grab the third emptied mug Fi sniffed the man breath. The elf gave him a sour expression before pointing to the stair leading up “you, mister, badly need to brush your teeth after those drinks.”

He sat back up straight, hand on his heart, mock offence plastered on his face “My good Lady you dare say my breath is not up to your standards!”

She shot an eyebrow up “Certainly not good enough to kiss, or leave through those door” As if summoned, the front door swung open to let a short man in.

Fiowyn tried to greet her boss, but was cut off by Garrett “Varric! Resolve an argument for us?”

Sauntering over he gave them both a look before crossing his arm over his chest “Oh? What's happened this time?”

This time the redhead was faster “Garrett has enjoyed a few Ferelden Coffees, and needs to brush his teeth before he heads out” She tried to look intimidating. She knew that it almost never worked. One still needs to try.

“And I can guarantee that my breath is up to model citizen standards” Garrett leaned a little too far forward with his words, His Face dangerously close to his shorter friends. Varrics nose crinkled oh so slightly. ‘Victory’

Varric pushed him slightly back up “You heard Fluffy; Go brush your teeth, this fine establishment does have a reputation to keep” The grin in his voice was audible. In the end Fi was just happy he had sided with her this time.

Garrett finally stood up, relenting to the request “It has a reputation?”

Varric tried but failed at looking offended by the remark, smirk easily heard through his words “Just go brush your teeth.”

Fiowyn bent over the counter to shout at the tipsy man “And pay your tab this time”

Varric dramatically turned to the women and made his way to the back of the counter, starting to make an espresso “Oh come now Fluffy, just put those on mine”

“I know he’s your favorite Varric, but the both of you will need to actually pay your bills at some point” it was true, even if he was the owner, his tendency to drink the entire stock was making a real dent in the profits. How the place stayed afloat was a mystery.

Varric was about to protest once more when shouts came from the floor above, followed by a slamming door and loud footsteps. Gareth stumbled down the stairs “What did you put in my drink?”

The small women gave a side glance to the dwarf beside her “The usual. Why?”

The poor man pointed back up the stairs, still rattled “Well I’m pretty sure I hallucinated a ghost holding a child up there”

Another side glance was exchanged between the two. In moments Varric had pulled his prised bianca from his back while the elf had pulled out a small handgun from a hidden compartment under the counter, rune in the other hand to ensure no misfires.

Fi Jumped over the counter before suddenly stopping her march towards the upper floor “Wait, just. Garret, Try to describe it. this ghost, what’d look like?” it was unlikely but...

“Super pale, like white hair, white skin, but weird glowy purple eyes” His answer came quickly.

Fiowyns demeanor suddenly changed as the realisation of what was in the upper appartement dawned over her. She gave the handgun to Varric before heading for the upper level “Garret keep an eye on the shop” He made a move to protest “One more Ferelden coffee on the house if you agree to do it”

She didn’t wait for his answer before making her way up the stairs, Varric in tow “What’s going on fluffy?” he  tried to get ahead of her, slow her down, but the hallway was too narrow “Mind telling me why a ghost is suddenly appearing in my room?”

Fi arrived at the room, door still ajar “Oh, it isn’t any ghost” She pushed it open. The room was dark as always. Varric did tend to keep the window and curtains closed. But an uncharacteristic breeze was passing through the room, making the smell of paper, ink, and cologne milder. The room was in it’s usual disarray, with no items missing at a first glance. Instead some additions were in the room. By the window was a travel bag, battered but sturdy. More importantly was the being seated comfortably in Varric's old armchair. An elven women, pale as a ghost with striking purple eyes. A small toddler on was on her lap, rubbing their eyes as if to shake away sleep.

Fiowyn huffed and crossed her arms over her chest “Millie, I asked you to use the front door”