PlayStation

G-Police

Released on PlayStation at the climax of '97 to a veritable orgasm of acclaim, G-Police nonetheless failed to win favour with the average punter. In principle a title for the archetypal 'gamer', G-Police offered excellent visuals fused with story-led gameplay. It wasn't the sort of thing you could really pick up and master (or appreciate) as a 'casual' gamer. But the potential was there. Cruelly, no-one bought it to discover that...

Smash Court Tennis

Now this is an odd example of a game failing to realise its true potential. An update of Namco's similarly-titled SNES classic, Smash Court Tennis was an early PlayStation release. Reviews, at the time, were mixed. Some loved it, and have namechecked it ever since; others, tellingly, were indifferent at first but now retrospectively cite it as a PS great. However, Sony only appear to have released... ooh, about six copies onto the market, largely because there was so little demand. You can't buy it for love nor money now...

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

To the knowledgeable console gamer, the Castlevania name is legendary. This PlayStation update of Konami's venerable franchise owed a debt of gratitude to the timeless Super Metroid, a game it resembles in more ways than one. It is, in short, a fantastic game. Despite a few 'mixed' reviews, Symphony of the Night was hailed by the PS press as a true 'gamer's game' - a title you must own if you're au fait with sprawling console adventures. It's a pity such folk evidently weren't reading at the time...

Circuit Breakers
Sequel to the vastly underrated Supersonic Racers, Circuit Breakers is a Micro Machines V3-style top-down racer. When The Official UK PlayStation Magazine got hold of a copy, the entire office ground to a halt as editorial activities were curtailed in favour of multiplayer CB sessions. Cries of 'Hooray!' and 'You bastard!' filled the air as marathon stints in the games room made for disgruntled former drinking partners of the staff. And that was much the case for other videogame magazines. So why did it fail to live up to its 'must-buy' billing at retail level? It's a mystery, and nothing but.

ISS Deluxe

Released a few months before the 'proper' PlayStation update of International Superstar Soccer, ISS Deluxe is a warts-'n'-all port of the SNES favourite. As you may well know, first generation PS kickabouts were fine titles to behold, but didn't actually play a good game of footie. ISS Deluxe did - as many pundits pointed out. It looked (and looks) dated, but it's arguably the most well-designed and most playable simulation of football ever created. Lamentably, PlayStation owners saw ISS Deluxe's (admittedly ropey) sprites and cried 'Sod that!' Shame.