An A-Z of great PlayStation games - Part 6: P, Q, and R.

Part six of this series brings me to the awkward P, Q, and R section.

My PlayStation collection has grown slowly over years to well over 120 games and while I do, and in fact just did, call it a ‘collection’, every one of my games was bought to be played and kept because it was enjoyed.

With this in mind I'm allowing myself the caveat of honourable mentions - something I’ve always resisted before.

I’m splitting these up into bite-sized chunks of three or four at a time, so on with the latest batch. 

With due respect given to three great Point Blank games and a couple of Parasite Eves, I find it pretty difficult to look past Pocket Fighter when it comes to the PlayStation 'P's.

Does that rhyme? Maybe, nearly. Anyway.

Taking the little chibi characters that acted out moves in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and giving them a full on fighting game engine to knock about in was a genius idea - and the result is a mad-cap fighter that's loaded with fun and a surprising amount of depth.

In keeping with the cute graphics, Pocket Fighter is far simpler than Street Fighter 2 or any of the other series with characters represented, but has enough going on to prevent it feeling basic or dull.

There are gems to collect, Flash combos to learn, and specials to unleash - each delivered with the same flair for silliness that permeates every aspect of the game.

And it's this silliness that makes Pocket Fighter such an absolute joy to play. Whether it Chun-Li cosplaying as Jill Valentine or Zangief's 'evolution of man' combo, the creativity and humour of every frame od animation makes this a game worth playing with every single character in the roster.

Good old Quake II, eh? Where would the humble A-Z writer be without the classic shooter from ID?

Honestly, I haven't played the PS version of Quake II, the series only entry on the hardware, but wikipedia tell's me that the port team went out of their way to get it as close to the PC version as possible, even including support for the PlayStation mouse... which is pretty cool really.

So, erm, yeah. Quake II, it's pretty good. Probably.

Hideaki Itsuno is not a household name like certain other Japanese game directors, but when you see his CV it's difficult to know exactly why. His credits as director include the 3 most recent Devil May Cry games, both of the fantastic Power Stone titles for Dreamcast, cult weapon fighter Star Gladiator, Capcom vs SNK 2, and, most recently, he was the creator of Dragon's Dogma. Way back in 1997, though, he came up with the sensational Rival Schools: United by Fate.

Rival Schools is so good, in fact, that despite 2 Resident Evils to consider, 4 Ridge Racers, 2 RollCages, and even fantastic curiosities such as Rising Zan: Samurai Gunman, and R/C Stunt Copter, it's without hesitation, reservation, or caveat that I've chosen Rival Schools on this occasion.

This fast paced tag fighter features a brilliantly original cast cultivated from the students and faculty of 4 rival schools in Japan.

There are story-lines and perspectives aplenty, but it the hugely inventive special moves and team-up animations that set this apart from almost every other fighting game out there - and make it almost as much fun to watch as play.