Gaming's last stands

The last stand of: Sony PlayStation
Last official UK release: FIFA Soccer 2005 (Oct 2004)
Last official US release:FIFA Soccer 2005
Paul Hossack, Lead Producer on PS2's FIFA 08 is proud of FIFA Soccer 2005 for being the last game officially released for the console. Sadly, as with most sports games, it's since been forgotten, especially when its next-gen counterparts are so much more detailed, not to mention more up-to-date in terms of squads. Still, nine years after FIFAfirst appeared on the machine, it's amazing how long PSone actually lasted.

Final hurrahs: Metal Slug X, WRC Arcade
With PS2 finding mass-market success years before PSone ceased production, there were several titles that slipped completely under the radar for many gamers as they switched generations from old to new. Metal Slug X, although lacking some of the animation frames of the Neo Geo original, is still a great blast on the old machine and we still love seeing how far we can get through the game on one life. The sprites are still massive and there's very little slowdown - technically impressive and timeless in its appeal.

Above: PlayStation kept going for ages, although the release of quality titles slowed dramatically near the end of its lifespan

There was also WRC Arcade - an all-action take on the rallying genre that was becoming dominated by realistic racers. While nowhere near the standards of today's Colin McRae DiRT or the new Sega Rally, it was nonetheless an exhilarating blast. A journalist at the time said that if it had been released a year earlier, it would be on the front cover of their mag. As it was, it disappeared without trace. Pity.

Above: PlayStation kept going for ages, although the release of quality titles slowed dramatically near the end of its lifespan

There was also WRC Arcade - an all-action take on the rallying genre that was becoming dominated by realistic racers. While nowhere near the standards of today's Colin McRae DiRT or the new Sega Rally, it was nonetheless an exhilarating blast. A journalist at the time said that if it had been released a year earlier, it would be on the front cover of their mag. As it was, it disappeared without trace. Pity.

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.

Latest in Gaming
GDC The Game Developers logo
When is the Game Developers Conference 2025 and why is it so interesting?
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Everything announced at Pokemon Presents 2025
Saros screenshot featuring the main character and am imposing monster in the background with a swirling void in its chest and multiple arms with balls of fire
Everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play February 2025
Close up shot of an anime schoolgirl with a superhero mask over her eyes in a screenshot from Mightreya.
My Steam wishlist is bigger than ever thanks to the indie devs flooding social media with 15-second clips explaining their games
FGS Spring 2025
The Future Games Show Spring Showcase is back and will have a new live segment from the GDC event floor
A close-up of the Doom Slayer in the upcoming PC game, Doom: The Dark Ages.
Xbox Developer Direct 2025: date, time, and where to stream the showcase
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2