With less than 24 hours until the Playstation 4 launches, the sun is setting on the Sony’s stalwart system. Since it launched in 2006, it has given gamers a ton of great titles exclusive to it. As such, we here at Critically Sane have sat down and came up with the ten games we felt were our collective favorites. While there are titles that each of us individually would have liked to see make the list (Gran Turismo 5, The Last of Us, Metal Gear Solid 4, etc…) these are the titles that defined the console for us as a group and any way you slice it, these are some great titles.
10. Beyond Two Souls
Some say that Quantic Dream’s David Cage should stop attempting to make games and just go make a movie, like he so clearly wants to do. The thing is that dismissing his talents as a game designer because his game’s don’t fall into a nice little classification that makes one feel good is is incredibly short sighted. Beyond: Two Souls is a game, like Heavy Rain, that pushes the boundaries of cinematic gaming and the natural evolution of adventure games. While the story is weaker than Heavy Rain’s in many ways, Quantic was able to deliver a better more engaging experience that stands as one of the best on the system to date.
~ Chris Scott
9. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
At one point in time, Lara Croft was the biggest name in gaming, an interactive Indiana Jones of sorts. Unfortunately over time her adventures devolved into repetitive and unoriginal games that became less and less fun to play. Naughty Dog saw a void and dared to venture into that action-adventure arena creating a new icon, Nathan Drake. What they delivered with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was, at the time, the best Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones game to come out in years, elevating both the genre and the Playstation 3 as a gaming platform.
~ Chris Scott
8. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank is one of Sony’s most iconic franchises and one of their major holdovers from the previous generation. The first Future title, Tools of Destruction, looked like a PS3 title but played like one from the PS2. A Crack in Time though fixed that, delivering the best 3D platformer not named Mario. The game had everything one would want from a Ratchet game, great level design, a wonderful sense of humor, great visuals, and most importantly, great platforming. Add in the fantastic time based puzzles and A Crack in Time easily became the best Ratchet & Clank game so far.
~ Chris Scott
7. Killzone 2
With an excellent upgrade system, weapons that truly felt like they had weight, awesome multiplayer, and a fast-paced single player campaign, Killzone 2 was destined to be something special. The thing that sold it for me, besides the top notch visuals, was the enemy AI. Very few shooters do AI in a compelling way. But the Helghast were tough, always attempting to get around your flanks, and pressure you in ways other shooters (Call of Duty for example) simply don’t try. This was an excellent FPS endeavor, certainly the best exclusive shooter on the console.
~Tony Odett
6. Little Big Planet 2
LittleBigPlanet made a huge stir when it debuted. LittleBigPlanet 2 took that same formula and sweetened the deal. LBP2 had all of the charm, all of that whimsical awesomeness that filled the first game, but added new gadgets (like a cupcake launcher) and just more depth. There was multiplayer, both online and couch co-op. You could even play with friends online and have a buddy next to you, like my wife and I did with our friends out of state on a few occassions. The things you could create with LBP2, too, was just mind-boggling sometimes. The community has, and continues, to make some astounding levels. Media Molecule has also supported LBP2 since its release, offering new costumes to those that want to drop a few dollars. In the genre of creation, there is not a game like LittleBigPlanet 2, and Sackboy has become a mascot of sorts for Sony.
~ Don Parsons
5. Demon’s Souls
From Software’s Demon’s Souls was a game that took many by surprise. Its recipe of being brutal in its approach to gaming, deliberate in its execution, and head-scratching in its approach to story, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. However, gamers rallied behind its unwavering difficulty and interesting leveling system to find something sadistically special about it. While its spiritual successor, Dark Souls, would also appear on Xbox 360 and PC, Demon’s Souls was the catalyst for it all and it was only on Playstation.
~ Chris Scott
4. inFAMOUS
From the moment you hop into the game and see that first panelized cutscene, it’s evident that inFamous was the PS3’s first truly great comic superhero game. Cole McGrath may have been the latest in a long line of gravel-voiced male protagonists, but the story of his creation and his subsequent battles was a compelling one. What made this game truly addicting, however, was the search through the entire game map for those damn shards. Unlike most game collectibles, having shards significantly increased the strength of your powers. Cole was a blast to play, whether he was riding the wires or creating tornadoes. This game was an incredible effort.
~ Tony Odett
3. Journey
When one thinks multiplayer games, be they co-op or competitive, communication is one of the aspects that is key to success. Journey is a game that, while fine on its own, is magical when played with others and it is all because of communication. One can’t just drop a text message or talk over voice chat in Journey, instead players had to develop their own language through chirps and visual cues. Finding a partner and connecting with them in the game is something special and if one loses that connection, the world feels empty and alone. It is a one of a kind game that helped to define the Playstation 3.
~ Chris Scott
2. Heavy Rain
Most exclusives seem to involve guns, action heroes, or some charming, delightful character. Heavy Rain took a completely different approach, opting to tell a deep, rich story – much like one you would see on TV. Quantic Dreams weaves a dark, haunting tale about a father in search for his son. It was an intense plot, one that kept me glued to the TV through the duration of the game. The various endings which changed depending on how the game was played were the icing on the cake, though. There was no wrong ending, it simply depended on the choices made. Heavy Rain is a gem that will doubtfully be recreated anytime soon, and certainly shines in the Playstation 3 library.
~ Don Parsons
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
My wife watched me play through the entirety of Uncharted 2. She hasn’t done that with any game since. That speaks wonders to the awesome productions values of Uncharted 2, which made video game cinematic into an art form. The voice acting of Nathan Drake, Elena and Chloe was other-worldly, and the motion capture of such fluidity that the characters came to life in a way that no game had ever done before. This game was the triumph of narrative-driven gameplay, as every moment, from climbing the falling train in the snow to sliding down concrete blocks in an effort to save a life felt realistic. While I’m not thrilled with how subsequent games (both by Naughty Dog and others) took from this game the lesson that production values can trump gameplay, I happily look back at Uncharted 2 as a wonderful effort that valued both in equal measure. Uncharted 2 was a perfect storm, and utilized the PS3 to its maximum potential.
~ Tony Odett
Those were our favorites, what were some of your favorites?
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