There is no questioning the fact that the games compatible to a particular game console have a crucial role to play when it comes to its success. In this write-up on the top PS3 games, we will try to find out which games have contributed to the supremacy of PS3 over other consoles…
Sony PlayStation 3, or PS3 that it is popularly known as, has come a long way to become one of the best gaming consoles in the world; and the numerous games that are compatible to it have a crucial role to play in that. In 2011, we got a glimpse of 3D gaming on PS3 with a 3D version of Uncharted 3. In 2012, 3D gaming trend is all set to take the gaming arena by storm – with nearly half the games lined-up for release boasting of 3D capabilities. While questions about PS3 games exist in plenty, two questions in particular have been making quite a buzz in discussion forums in the cyberspace – which are the top PS3 games of all time, and which are the top PS3 games scheduled for release in 2012.
Top PS3 Games of All Time
So how exactly do you decide which are the best video games of all time? Some of the most popular video game genres are action, adventure, fighting, racing, extreme sports and survival horror. There are hundreds of games, each boasting of being the best in a specific genre. Choosing the top ten games from a list of thousands is not an easy task, and various factors – like reviews, commercial success, popularity, etc., have to be taken into consideration. Given below is a list of best PS3 games of all time; which you need to have in your collection if you happen to be a self-proclaimed PS3 loyalist.
Batman: Arkham City
Genre: Action-adventure, stealth
Review: A sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City took the gaming arena by storm with most of the critics giving it an average of 4.5 stars, and review aggregator Metacritic giving it a 96 on the scale of 100. In this installment of the Batman series, the protagonist, imprisoned in a new prison – the Arkham City, is expected to save Gotham. The Catwoman, with a side plot of her own, is also a playable character and adds to the overall fun quotient, thus making the game one of the best in recent times. (A Wii U version of Batman Arkham City is scheduled for a release on the new Nintendo console later this year.)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Genre: Action-adventure, platform
Review: One of the most critically acclaimed games of 2011, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception scored an aggregate of 92 on Metacritic. In this sequel to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, protagonist Nathan Drake travels around the world in search of the lost city – the Iram of the Pillars, accompanied by his mentor, Victor Sullivan. The game was highly praised for its brilliant storyline and amazing graphics.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action RPG
Review: With a Metacritic aggregate score of 92, the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls series – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is undoubtedly one of the best PlayStation 3 games ever. In this game, the protagonist takes on Alduin, the Dragon god, who is out to destroy the world, and defeat him. If the Metacritic aggregate of 92 is not convincing enough, the fact that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim got a 10/10 from the Wired magazine and a 5/5 from The Guardian, surely is.
Mass Effect 2
Genre: Action RPG
Review: The second installment of the Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect 2 scored an aggregate of 94 on Metacritic. It featured at the numero uno position in the list of ‘Top 100 Modern Video Games’, compiled by gaming bigwig IGN, in 2011. Mass Effect 2 was not just a critical success, but was also a commercial success. Critics were full of praise for the graphics of this game in particular, which showed a drastic improvement from that of its predecessor.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Genre: First-person shooter
Review: A direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 got favorable reviews from some of the most popular gaming websites. It scored an aggregate of 94 on Metacritic, with websites like GameSpot and GameSpy awarding it 5/5. Modern Warfare 2 was also a commercial success with as many as 22 million copies being sold by August 2011, 4.7 million of which were sold within the first 24 hours of release, in the US and UK.
Heavy Rain
Genre: Interactive drama
Review: Though a Metacritic score of 87 may not sound quite amazing as such, the Game of the Year award from CNN and Gaming Union does; and that very well tells why Heavy Rain deserves a place in the list of best video games ever. A psychological thriller video game, Heavy Rain also won IGN and GameSpy’s Best PS3 Game of the Year award in 2010. Critics were full of praises for this game, with some even going to the extent of stating that it was ‘high’ on emotional quotient.
Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Action-adventure, third-person shooter
Review: A spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption has been one of the most acclaimed games on the PS3 bandwagon. The game was highly praised for its storyline and soundtrack, among other attributes. It received an aggregate score of 95 on Metacritic, with 5/5 from the GameSpy and GamePro, and won several Game of the Year awards in 2010.
Portal 2
Genre: First-person puzzle-platform
Review: Portal 2 was a sequel to Portal – which was incidentally the Game of the Year in 2007. As a result of this, many people were of the opinion that a sequel to Portal was not viable. But addition of new features like the tractor beams and laser redirection gave Portal 2 a boost, making it one of the best PS3 games ever developed. Other than a Metacritic aggregate of 95, Portal 2 also won the Ultimate Game of the Year award at the 2011 Golden Joystick Awards.
God of War III
Genre: Action-adventure, hack and slash
Review: Any work of art based on the Greek mythology is appealing, and the God of War III is no exception to this rule. New weapons like the Soul Summon (Claws of Hades) and Nemean Roar (Nemean Cestus), were introduced in this installment of the God of War series. The game scored an aggregate of 94 on Metacritic, and won several awards including the Spike Most Anticipated Game of 2010, Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics. At 2010 Spike Awards, the protagonist of God of War III – Kratos, was awarded the Biggest Badass award.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Genre: Action-adventure
Review: One of the best selling games of all time, the Grand Theft Auto IV grossed a whopping $500 million in the first week of its release. If that doesn’t spell its success properly, the fact that this highly acclaimed game got an aggregate of 98 on Metacritic surely will. The fact that it was the first game of the Grand Theft Auto series to feature om seventh generation consoles did make it one of the most anticipated games, but Grand Theft Auto IV lived up to the expectations at the end of the day.
Top PS3 Games Scheduled for Release in 2012
If you use phrases like ‘an ardent fan of gaming’, ‘a PS3 loyalist’ or ‘a proud owner of PS3’ to describe yourself, you are in for a treat in 2012. The list of most anticipated PS3 games, which are set for a release in 2012 (see below), hints at this very fact.
Game Title | Genre |
Final Fantasy XIII-2 | Role-playing game |
Twisted Metal | Vehicular combat |
Max Payne 3 | Third-person shooter |
Mass Effect 3 | Action role-playing game |
Darksiders II | Hack and slash |
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (aka Sly 4) | Stealth |
The Last Guardian | Action-adventure |
BioShock Infinite | First-person shooter |
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Hack and slash |
The Last of Us | Survival horror |
As Sir Winston Churchill once famously said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often,” this list of top PS3 games will also change, but every change in it will bring in new additions which will only make it better. If you don’t have any of these games in your PS3 games collection, you should promptly get it. After all, these are the gems of the gaming world, which you cannot afford to miss out on.