As we approach the 8th anniversary of the release of the Playstation 3 in Japan, and the end of its long lifespan (though Sony will continue to support the system with releases through 2015), we’re looking back at our 20 favourite games to grace the console since its release. Here are the first ten…
20. House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut
A revamp of the classic arcade shooter series for the PS3, House of the Dead:Overkill does an excellent job of highlighting how well Playstation Move controllers work in terms of fluidity and accuracy. Whilst not hugely revolutionary in terms of the shooter genre, It’s the cheesy, sardonic pulp-fiction vibe the game generates, that helps it stand apart from its peers.
Overkill by name and nature, the MA15+ rating is a dead give away to the gory, intense, immensely sweary and sexually explicit story which awaits. Special Agent G (who is horribly stereo-typed) and Detective Washington are assigned a goal of figuring out why mutants have overrun a southern american town, a mission that culminates into a grossly freakish ending gamers can get to in about 4 hours. Not the most challenging light-gun shooter out there, but still a hell of a lot of fun in an ‘ I’m disgusted by all this OTT exploitive horror, and yet I can’t stop playing’ way . – Nazia Hafiz
19. Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA IV took everything that was great about III, spinning it into a more immersive world, taking full advantage of all of the new Playstation’s processing power – giving us a massive city to explore, a compelling narrative and more side quests than we knew what to do with. Of course it wasn’t without its controversy like any good Grand Theft Auto game, and it remains one of the system’s brightest moments to this day. – Larry Heath
18. Marvel vs. Capcom 3
I have not had this much fun with a fighting game in years. A truly mind-boggling amount of characters to choose from, crazy animations, an easy-to-learn-but-difficult-to-master fighting system that was accessible to newbies and deep enough to keep the enthusiasts happy. Nuff said. – David Smith
17. Catherine
This innovative, cartoonish puzzle game will make you cry. It will make you cry and throw your controller on the floor and have to buy a new one. In that respect, Catherine is an on-going expense. But something about that simple concept of climbing up a bunch of blocks while your time limit really REALLY stresses you out, is fun. Maybe we just like being punished. – Chris Singh
16. Mass Effect 2
It’s the middle of this epic saga which has it at it’s strongest. Initially, I dreaded it. I had gotten so used to the mechanics and narrative of the first Mass Effect that I didn’t think anything could possibly top it. And then I discovered ‘Slam’. Slam is that power that is kind of like cheating, but it’s oh-so-fun. Building on this, the powers you can assign teammates all take what was great about Mass Effect and multiply them by 10. In fact, everything about this sequel is 10 times as good as the first one. Sadly, the third couldn’t live up to this greatness. – Chris Singh
15. Borderlands 2
With the surreal cartoonish feel, and the gritty, disturbing wasteland full of monsters and outlaws, Borderlands 2 takes everything that was great about it’s predecessor and amplifies them by a ridiculous amount. Piecing together a very vast world, Gearbox Software gave us something we want to explore over and over again while introducing a crazy amount of ways to play. If it wasn’t for Bioshock, this would be my favourite game of the PS3 generation with no exception. It’s the game which I have spent most of the time reminiscing about, and that’s simply because Gearbox Software made sure that each and every mission was as exciting as the last – Chris Singh
14. Portal 2
Few games have been as equally innovative and hilarious as Portal, which seemingly came out of nowhere as part of the Half-Life 2 Orange Box. But let’s face it – it was pretty short. We were all excited when Portal 2 was announced, but knew that the original was going to be a hard product to live up to. Once Stephen Merchant was announced as a voice, we once again got excited – and as Wheatley, he did not disappoint. Nor did JK Simmons as Cave Johnson. The game revolutionised its own gameplay, adding in a phenomenal Multiplayer storyline that followed on from the hilarious and entrancing single player mode as well as an “in Motion” DLC. There was so much to enjoy here and it easily makes our list of 20 best Playstation games of all time. – Larry Heath
13. Bioshock
This is the best first person shooter I have ever played. Without exception. Sure, I haven’t played every single first person shooter ever made; but I highly doubt they could top this. It’s THE best story I have followed in a video game (I haven’t played Last of Us *shock*) and one of the most beautifully constructed environments I have seen. This reiterated the artistic value of video games, and it does so while throwing you into a world you won’t ever forget. – Chris Singh
12. Star Ocean: The Last Hope International
Hands down one of the best modern RPGs I have played. This game is so incredibly long and comprehensive that it’s almost impossible to forget the story long after you those sad credits roll. The tale is compelling; a well written story with interesting character development and involving plot twists, while the gameplay is addictively fun. Once you get used to the unique battle system, I don’t think you’ll be going back to Final Fantasy any time soon (unless it’s FF7). – Chris Singh
11. South Park – Stick of Truth
Usually games spun off popular tv/animated series bomb out, but this release received rave reviews from the gaming industry and with good reason. This role based game is a MUST for South Park fans, but anyone could appreciate the painstaking detail injected into the characters, the setting and sub-plots associated with missions. Gamers play as the ‘new kid’ whom they can customise and assign to four different classes in the campaign (Fighter, Thief, Mage and Jew). The new kid can utilise a ‘buddy’ during fights, and these have some great special abilities, synonymous to their character’s portrayal in the tv series.
There are so many hilarious gags incorporated into the game, it’s as ridiculously crude and exceedingly clever as it’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. If gamers aren’t distracted by the little side missions available, they can get through it in about 8 hours, which just isn’t long enough! There was the usual controversy the series attracts, over censorship in Australia of some cut scenes (e.g alien abduction and probe scenes) which I think the hype made more exciting than they were. But just being able to randomly punch people in the street and laugh at their reactions was enough of a selling point for this gamer… – Nazia Hafiz
Stay Tuned for the Top 10!
