There were plenty of awesome games on the original PlayStation, many of which became massive franchises over the years. But for every Metal Gear Solid, there was a Gex - a series that hit its heights on the PSX and then slowly faded into obscurity.

With the PS Vita growing in popularity and developers scrambling for ways to bring back old franchises, we thought now was the time to pick our wish list of classic franchises that we'd like to see resurrected on Sony's handheld.

Besides leaked art from a cancelled rebirth on the PlayStation 2, not much has been said about the Jet Moto series since Jet Moto 3 was released in 1999. This product placement-heavy early-generation racing dropped players onto the seats of futuristic hoverbikes which made use of magnetic grapples to zip around the otherwise unnavigable corners of the game’s levels. It was unorthodox to say the least, but provided plenty of fun to PlayStation owners in the late 90’s, helping them cope with their system’s lack of a Wave Race game.

The Vita would allow for the Jet Moto series to come back in full force, going after both the niche crowd with fond memories of the series and gamers anxious for new titles. Magnetic grappling could be tied to the back touchpad to allow for more control, and the analog sticks (remember, the original PlayStation didn’t have them at first) would make a Vita Jet Moto the most precise Jet Moto yet.

There was a time where Ape Escape was one of the biggest PlayStation brands due to its wonderful use of the newly-released Dualshock controller. Time hasn’t been kind to the series, though, and while it had a few neat sequels, the most recent iterations of the monkey-chasing series have been poor minigame compilations and random spinoffs.

Now is the time for Ape Escape to come back and to live up to its full potential. Let the portable release be for the Vita’s unique controls what the original was for the Sixaxis. Though some releases have shown proper usage of each of the features, we’re yet to see one that uses them all together without it feeling like a series of gimmicks. What better game than Ape Escape?

Before egg-stealing pigs became the villains of Angry Birds they were running around causing trouble in Tomba! and its sequel, Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return. With crazy pink hair and tattered, green shorts, protagonist Tomba marched around his island home, defeating the pigs and saving his people. Though you’ll soon be able to download Tomba on the PSN to play on the Vita, getting a full, new release in the series would obviously be preferred.

It has been over ten years since a new Tomba game was released – likely, in part, due to the closure of the developer after Tomba 2’s release. Most of the people that worked on that game ended up going over to Access Games who, besides developing the criminally underappreciated Deadly Premonition, has also released a fair share of PSP and, more recently, Vita games.

No matter your stance on Jak’s transformation from mute hero to goatee-sporting vagabond, there’s no denying that the Jak and Daxter series was the source of some of the PS2’s best platforming adventures. The colorful world, tight controls, and pleasantly-placed challenges combined the exciting exploration of Mario 64 with the offbeat cartoon flair of Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot. It’s a wonder, then, that the pairing hasn’t made the jump to modern consoles – the last time we saw this duo was in 2009’s barely-noticeable Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.

We’d like to see the series resurface on Vita, with a tone akin to the first game. Open world games aren’t the cat’s pajamas anymore – putting more emphasis on focused, reflex-testing platform jumping would be much preferred to the faux-badass styling of Jak II’s “GTA 4 Kidz” setting. With the right approach and accessibility in a Vita title, Jak and Daxter could regain the same renown as their console cousins Ratcher & Clank.

Cool Boarders enjoyed yearly releases from 1996 until 2000, with seven titles releasing in the span of 6 years. Fatigue set in, however, and the nonstop assault of new iterations caused the series’ fans to grow tired of the snowboarding franchise. Now, ten years later, things have changed; SSX’s reboot proved that people are ready for more extreme sports, and with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD getting positive buzz it’s obvious everyone is ready for retro sports games to make their comeback.

While EA has consoles locked down with SSX, Cool Boarders could likely find a good home on the Vita. Touchscreens and touchpads could make creating tracks a breeze, and motion controls could be implemented tastefully to create a wholly unique experience that still feels distinctively... cool. Plus, the developers have spent the last few years making HD remakes and PSN games, so it's not like they're too busy.

The handheld industry is in desperate need of Chop Chop Master Onion’s sagacious guidance. The only rhythm games to successfully make rapping fun, the PaRappa series was like the videogame embodiment of positive, carefree ‘80s hip-hop. Looking like a Saturday morning cartoon and playing like a musical Simon Says, PaRappa’s world and its lovable denizens have been direly missed since they last appeared on the PS2 back in 2002.

Given the success of tap-in-time-to-the-beat games like Rhythm Heaven, a Vita version of PaRappa’s rhyme-spitting antics should make ample use of the touchscreen. Better yet, it could mimic the finger-swiping motions of Elite Beat Agents or Theatrhythm Final Fantasy – if those relatively-obscure games can make it, then there’s no doubt PaRappa’s cult following would flock to the Vita for a new jam session. Remember: you gotta believe!

This JRPG franchise is about as niche as they come, but depending on your personal PlayStation history, you might remember it just as fondly as Final Fantasy or Wild Arms. These turn-based strategy games revolved around the heroics of the titular Arc, who ventured through vast worlds filled with gigantic dungeons, FF Tactics-style combat, and fulfilling character development. Though it arrived late in the PS1’s lifecycle, the three-game Arc the Lad collection was a six-disc JRPG extravaganza. Sadly, by the time Arc the Lad: End of Darkness rolled up in 2005, the series had dried up almost completely.

But Arc’s story doesn’t have to end that way. Sure, games like Disgaea or Fire Emblem might hold the majority market share for Japanese tactical RPGs, but there’s always room for more on a system like the Vita. We’d actually prefer a return to the PS1-era visuals over the generic graphics in the PS2 Arc the Lads – a look that brings us back to the days of 16-bit sprites in a 32-bit era.

Breath of Fire In the first few generations of games, every Japanese developer had some sort of RPG it championed. For Capcom, it was Breath of Fire, a series following shapeshifter Ryu, who has the awesome ability to transform into dragons. Though the Breath of Fire games have never been the most ambitious RPGs, they were all solid, and continued to get more experimental over the years.

That is, until Capcom suddenly stopped making them ten years ago. Since then, the publisher has cited increasing development costs as the rationale behind the series’ absence, but we’re not content with that excuse. Sure, creating a Final Fantasy XIII-sized game would cost a huge amount, but a more reasonable PlayStation Vita release could be just the thing Breath of Fire needs to come back into the spotlight.

It might look like the poor man’s Soul Calibur, but Bushido Blade and its 1998 sequel had heart. Though this one-on-one fighting game had similar weapon-centric duels, there was something that made it entirely unique in the world of fighters: the total lack of a health bar. Sword swipes actually worked like real life – get stabbed in the wrong spot, and you’re simply dead. Matches could be tense, lengthy standoffs or over in the blink of an eye, and the stages were ridiculously huge if you were playing in story mode. Let us not speak of the less-than-stellar follow-ups like Kabuki Warriors and Kengo.

Bushido Blade was always best enjoyed when playing with friends, and a Vita remake would have to take that into account. Perhaps some hectic – but still honorable – 4+ player combat could be implemented. Or, even better - an open world system where you customize your character and weapon before venturing into an online countryside, filled with player-controlled ronin looking to get their duel on.

Some might remember Samanosuke and his samurai associates as the tank to Dante’s motorcycle, but we think Capcom needs to give this seemingly-forgotten series some love. The game’s pacing struck a satisfying balance of play - somewhere between the methodical tempo of early Resident Evil games and the speedy sword slashing of Devil May Cry - in a quaint feudal setting filled with hideous demons. The combat instilled discipline in the player: mashing buttons versus the tougher enemies would get you nowhere. Alas, this franchise seems to have faded into the sunset after 2006’s Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.

A Vita revival could be as basic as an HD collection, or as involved as a completely new entry. The handheld could handle the PS2-era graphics with ease, and we’d be happy with fixed or free camera angles as long as the swordplay felt solid. Singleplayer samurai games seem to be on the decline lately; it’s time their glorious grandfather made his return.

What the – another beloved, cult-classic Capcom franchise that seemingly died a horrible death!? Controlling with the same lovably-clunky maneuvering as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis’ female lead Regina was awesome as the star of the only “survival panic” franchise. This Special Forces agent was capable of clearing out Jurassic Park single-handedly, thanks to her familiarity with being stalked by vicious raptors and a gigantic Tyrannosaurus (who was much like RE3’s nigh-unkillable Nemesis). Nobody remembers 2003’s Dino Crisis 3 – because much like Jason Vorhees, some survival horror elements just don’t work in space.

With up-to-date graphics and a focus on sound design (since we always play our Vita with earbuds / headphones), a new Dino Crisis could make dinosaurs legitimately scary again. Better yet, Regina could switch her stance to mimic the intense behind-the-shoulder gunplay of RE4 – in fact, the more we think about it, the more depressed we are that this game will probably never happen.

There are, obviously, plenty of other games that would make for great Vita experiences, and we're sure you have a few dozen of your own that you'd like to see brought back on Sony's fancy new handheld. Mention them in the comments below and we might update this story with some of your suggestions!

And if you want to look at more awesome PlayStation games, check out the best PlayStation games of all time and the best PS Vita games.