21. Heavy Rain – James
Jason! Jason!
Heavy Rain was the big-hitter narrative game on PS3 in 2010. David Cage’s studio Quantic Dream, who’d previously only released two games, Omikron: The Nomad Soul (Bet you can’t guess who’s in this one) in 1999 and Fahrenheit, returned for their big budget breakout. If you’re not aware of any of the PS3 era games, you’re more likely to know of Detroit: Become Human, released in 2018 on PS4 and PC.
Heavy Rain stars a cast of characters trying to find the mysterious origami killer, who is thought to be behind numerous children’s disappearances. The game is essentially a modern-day point-and-click adventure with emphasis on the narrative rather than on moon logic puzzles. You walk your character around the scene, interacting with objects and speaking to people. At points, there are quick time events that, depending on whether you hit them, will change the story sometimes dramatically.
You mainly play as Ethan, whose son is kidnapped early on in the game and depending on your choices throughout, can have vastly different outcomes. In comparison to a Telltale game, where even though it’s claimed that “every action matters”, you generally come to the same outcome, Heavy Rain boasts 3 to 7 endings per character. I won’t spoil more of the story, but I will say that this is also available on the PS4, so if you haven’t played it and you really like narrative games, you should give it a go.
22. Steins;Gate – Riley
“Time is passing so quickly… Relativity theory is so romantic. And so sad”
Steins;Gate is the perfect time travel story, and condensing why you should check it out into a segment on a list of PS3 games is damn challenging. While slow to begin, Steins;Gate tells the story of accidentally creating a time machine and the real-world implications of housing such a device. Shady forces, corrupt governments and witnessing heartbreaking loss on repeat are just some of the hurdles Okabe Rinatarou will tackle.
Each decision, each reaction and the strife the characters face, while exaggerated, are grounded by a sense of scale and a care for the medium. The time travel mechanics feel realistic; you don’t ever question the how, it all makes some amount of logical sense. There’s a reverence to other time travel media, too, but this is by far the best I’ve experienced. Visual novels aren’t for everyone, I get that, but this is one of the best and is easily accessible on PS3 for comfortable reading, or just get it on PC if you really want to read more.
23. Alice: Madness Returns – Blaze
“Only the insane equate pain with success”
Fall back down the twisted rabbit hole in this beautifully dark take on Alice in Wonderland! As the sequel to American McGee’s Alice and a personal favourite of mine on the PS3, I implore anyone who likes Alice in Wonderland or the dark and twisted vibe to give this one a shot. After the trauma resurfaces after the fire that took her family, Alice leaves the orphanage and falls back into Wonderland to learn the truth and fend off a new evil that is spreading corruption.
Alice is a 3rd-person hack’n’slash style game where you will wield tea party-themed items (e.g. teapots and such) which become twisted weapons. These can be upgraded with teeth you collect. A focal mechanic of the game is Alice’s ability to shrink and grow to fit through key holes and reveal hidden platforms. As you progress through the levels of Wonderland, Alice will get costumes based on the aesthetic of each level, giving you different abilities. Being very useful in solving the game’s puzzles, locating collectables and the challenging Radula rooms, which grant more health in the form of paint jars.
Reveal Alice’s backstory by collecting memories that are read via voiceover as you play, which slowly reveal the truth of why Wonderland is corrupt; and the real world that’s corrupting Alice. You will also meet one of my favourite adaptations of the Cheshire Cat, who pops in periodically with snarky but wise advice for Alice.
24. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest – Riley
“Save Middle-earth, or destroy it.
Do you love Star Wars Battlefront? What if you could play that style of competitive multiplayer action, but with Lord of the Rings classes and characters? Well, you’re in luck! Lord of the Rings: Conquest takes that established formula, allows you to fight notable in-universe battles and rewards high-scoring players with legendary characters. Take control of Gandalf, Legolas or even the Witch King and fight through legions of warriors in Middle-earth.
The single-player campaign is a fun time, but the bulk of enjoyment here comes in the multiplayer. While sadly the online component of this game died out in 2011, local split-screen multiplayer is available and is a wonderful time with friends. So take your bow and start taking out some Ents and save, or destroy, Middle-earth!
25. Sonic Generations – Riley
“Hey Sonic! Enjoy your future. It’s gonna be great!“
The quintessential Sonic the Hedgehog experience made its debut on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. There’s not a lot to say about Sonic Generations that has not already been said; it’s the best of the best when it comes to boost formula Sonic, and it gave the classic gameplay a fresh coat of paint.
While Sonic X Shadow Generations is the go-to way to play this now, the original is still an incredible experience and worth running through for that Platinum trophy alone. Gotta go fast indeed. Oh, and this release still has the unlock of the original game built in, still weird they took that out of Shadow Generations.
26. Red Dead Redemption – Kane
That ending man…
Red Dead Redemption was somewhat of an anomaly when it was released. Built on the open world model of GTA, it’s a sharp departure from the original game, creating a game not many were looking for at the time, but through its own merit, it has built a huge audience over the years. The freeform sandbox fits perfectly for a game set in the wild west.
John Marston, as the protagonist, works perfectly too. A grizzled former highwayman and gang member looking to make a clean break from his past to give his family the best life he can. The motivation is relatable, and the way he acts to each new situation makes complete sense to what we know about him.
Something to note, too, is that Red Dead Redemption is one of those rare open-world sandbox games that actually nailed its ending. I won’t spoil it, obviously, but sandbox games often have an issue where their ending doesn’t measure up to the hundreds of hours you may have spent doing all there is to do in the game. No such problem here, thankfully. The ending ties up loose ends, illustrates a sombre message about your way of life being left behind by society, and implies a generational continuation.
27. Need for Speed: Most Wanted – Riley
“Dispatch, we just witnessed the suspect launch his vehicle into the air”
Take everything I said about Burnout Paradise and apply it here; this game is basically the spiritual successor. Sharing developers, concept and general idea, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is basically a polished Burnout with real car brands and a less outlandish design. The soundtrack is more pop-focused this time, rather than the rock staples of Burnout, but they fit the high-speed chases well enough. The key difference here is that police exist in the Need for Speed universe, and they are keen to hunt you down. While I find Burnout to be a better overall experience, this one is more of the same kind of fun if you’re eager for more.
28. The Darkness – Azza
Tentacles and Mafia stories are an odd mix, but they work somehow
The Darkness is odd as a concept, but in execution is brilliant. You control Jackie, the edgiest man in New York, who has found some new powers in the form of long, deadly tentacles. You will be ripping through a rival Mafia family with these insane powers at an alarming rate, with moves you may not have ever conceived of. While it’s a bit clunky by today’s standards and has since been outshone by the more well-polished sequel, The Darkness has a well-written gripping story, which more than makes up for clunky gameplay, and the gritty, trashy New York atmosphere is something that modern games should learn from.
The collectables are pretty good in the form of phone numbers that you can ring at phone boxes, and they have some hilarious results. I recommend finding these whenever you can.
29. Beyond: Two Souls – James
I wonder how WIllem Dafoe spent his Beyond: Two Souls money
Following on from the Heavy Rain entry, Beyond Two Souls is made by the same people. Quantic Dream managed to get a more well-known cast this time, with the likes of Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe gracing your screen in videogame form like never seen before.
Beyond Two Souls looks and plays exactly like Heavy Rain. Walk around, interact with objects, speak with people, QTE, repeat. This time, instead of having a cast of characters to play as, you just have one, Jodie. Jodie has a soul named Aiden linked to her, which has supernatural abilities. The story centres around Jodie and Aiden, around Jodie growing up and coming to terms with having this entity with her at all times.
If you liked Heavy Rain, you’ll like Beyond Two Souls also.
30. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Kane
You know what this is.
Since Oblivion ended up on the 360 list, Skyrim is here.
There’s a reason Skyrim has been re-released so many times. You may have played it to death, and you might even be sick of it by now, but for the uninitiated, Skyrim was one of the largest open-world fantasy role-playing games ever put to disk with a frankly astounding amount of detail for the time.
You can get lost in many aspects of the game here. The world-building carried over from previous games and expanded here gives the sense of a living world changing through the ages. The abundant factions to join and sidequests to do can keep you busy well after the main story is complete, or maybe even sidetrack you from the main quest entirely. The combat, while not the best by today’s standards, was a vast improvement from Oblivion‘s, which was often described as having no feeling of impact.
Typical of all Bethesda games, Skyrim is full of bugs and glitches, but here is where that reputation really crystallised into what it is today. That shouldn’t deter you, however, as people have come to know, the glitches are part of the experience and worth seeing for yourself.
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