There were well over 1,400 games officially released for the PlayStation 3. With so many games available, it is inevitable that a great game would get overlooked from time to time.
Here is a list of ten games that still haven’t received the wider acclaim they deserve. Some of the games on this list were the victim of a poorly decided release date; some of these games didn’t get noticed because of the game’s genre. What all these games do have in common though, is that they are still all under-appreciated by the general gaming community. Half of the games on this list can be purchased for $10 or less, so don’t hesitate to pick one up if given the chance.
10 MotorStorm: Apocalypse
This racing game should be in every gamer’s PS3 collection. Apocalypse is the fourth game in the MotorStorm series, and with this release Evolution Studios, the game’s developer got the formula just right.
“Beautiful chaos” are the best words to describe this game. As you race, the city of San Francisco is collapsing all around. Bridges will buckle and fall as you race along them; with the player trying to stay just ahead of the collapse. All this will be going on while explosions are lighting up the screen and the other racers are trying to run the player off the road. The most impressive aspect of all of this is that the frame rate stays constant throughout all the action. This game is also a great party game with its four-player split screen multi-play.
9 Journey
Journey isn’t a game – it is an experience. This game puts the player in control of a robed humanoid character known as the Traveler as you guide her/him to the mountain in the distance. The game’s expansive vistas and emotional soundtrack work wonderfully well at giving the player a sense of lonely solitude and purpose. The game’s graphics are so well done that at times you will find yourself putting the controller down and just admiring the beautiful imagery; knowing that you will remember this experience.
Journey's soundtrack is an orchestral composition that suits the game well. The composer gave the soundtrack an “emotional arc” and tied specific instruments to different themes or items in the game. Journey is a masterpiece that every gamer should experience at least once.
8 Child of Eden
In Child of Eden your objective is to enter the interstellar internet system called “Eden” and save the mind of a girl named Lumi from a computer virus. This rail-shooter is one of the most visually impressive games to be released for the PS3. The graphics, animation, and lighting effects in Child of Eden are hypnotically beautiful. The game only has five stages (called “Archives”), but each time you replay an archive it will be different.
The game will change the archive depending on your play-style and how well you performed during the previous playthough. The game also has a rhythmic system to the gameplay where the player attempts to destroy enemies in time with the beat of the soundtrack. Child of Eden’s developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has made many similar games that incorporate interactivity between sight and sound; however, Child of Eden is easily Tetsuya’s magnum opus.
7 3D Dot Game Heroes
When first playing 3D Dot Game Heroes, the game's similarity to The Legend of Zelda will be obvious. This was intentional, as there are numerous references to other NES games found in the game. 3D Dot Game Heroes is presented as an 8-bit 2D game world converted to a 3D world. The perspective and camera effects of this game really give the player a sense of looking down on a tabletop Lego creation.
The gameplay is similar to other action/RPG style of games – meaning it is simple, intuitive, and familiar. Players can even use their own custom character model with the 3D sprite editor. This game almost didn’t make this list because it is slowly beginning to receive the recognition it deserves, but it is still not nearly as well-known as it should be.
6 Lair
When Lair first released it was heavily criticized for its use of the motion control feature of the Six-Axis PS3 controller. This "feature" made the game nearly unplayable as the use of the motion control, and targeting system was poorly implemented. This backlash led to a patch being released which got rid of the motion controls for a more traditional control scheme using the analog sticks. Using the more conventional controls allows the player to appreciate what a great game Lair truly is.
The game plays smoothly as you swoop in on chaotic battlefields to support your ground units and duel with opposing dragon riders. The graphics are impressive, and the soundtrack is an orchestral ensemble that makes the game feel like an epic adventure. This game deserves a second chance from gamers, and can currently be purchased used for about the five dollars.
5 Dragon’s Crown
Much like 3D Dot Game Heroes, Dragon’s Crown is starting to receive a little recognition as an under-appreciated classic. The game is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up style game similar to the arcade classic Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. In fact, some of the developers who worked on Tower of Doom would later work on Dragon’s Crown. What sets Dragon’s Crown apart from other games in this genre is the role-playing elements and the length of the game.
Playing through this game takes a long time due to the numerous levels/quests. This is a good thing though, as Dragon’s Crown is superbly made. The graphics are colorful and detailed, and the gameplay is simple without getting repetitive. If you’re a fan of old-school beat ‘em ups, Dragon’s Crown might be your new favorite game.
4 Puppeteer
In today’s gaming world, 3D is king, with other styles of games mere serfs in its kingdom. Perhaps that is why this game is not given the recognition it deserves. Visually and conceptually, Puppeteer is a masterpiece. In Puppeteer you play as the puppet Kutaro as he tries to rescue the Moon Goddess from the Moon Bear King. The game is presented as a puppet show, complete with audience reactions to certain events.
The voice acting in Puppeteer is well done and really helps draw you into the story. I This is another game on this list that can be purchased fairly cheaply.
3 Sleeping Dogs
It’s hard for games like Sleeping Dogs to get out of the shadow of the Grand Theft Auto games. When it comes to open-world, crime and punishment style games, the GTA series dominates. Sleeping Dogs is a fantastic example of this style of game not taking place in Liberty City or Los Santos. You play as Hong Kong Policeman Wei Shen on his mission to take out a faction of the Triad. The game plays very much like the Grand Theft Auto series, but there are times when Sleeping Dogs is better than GTA.
One example of this is the hand-to-hand fighting in the game. The game also does a great job recreating Hong Kong; complete with a maze-like street layout in some areas. If you’re a fan of the GTA series of games, you'll be wondering why you never gave Sleeping Dogs a chance shortly after starting a new game.
2 Infamous
When listing great PS3 games, nobody ever seems to mention Infamous – or its sequel. This is a shame as Infamous is an extremely fun third-person open world game. In Infamous you play as Cole MacGrath, a courier who is given superpowers when a device he was transporting blows up in his hands.
This explosion also destroys a significant portion of the city as well, causing three gangs to begin fighting for supremacy. This game lets you choose your own path; you can be the savior or you can play the game not caring about the suffering of the people. Infamous does a great job at immersing you into the world and story-line by not having pauses to load the game. It also does an excellent job at making the player feel as though they really have god-like powers. If you haven’t played Infamous yet, you are missing out.
1 Vanquish
Of all the games on this list Vanquish, from Platinum Games and Sega, deserves more recognition as a truly great game. In Vanquish you play as Sam Gideon, a soldier who wears an advanced battle suit. It is your job to board a space colony’s ship and defeat the robotic terrorists using it as a base to attack earth.
Vanquish is a visually impressive game with equally impressive gameplay mechanics. Using the battle suit, the player can slow time down to a crawl or rocket across the battlefield. The game also lets the player take control of combat vehicles and use them to attack the enemies. The gameplay is fast and frantic; with gigantic bosses to defeat at the end of most levels. The animation is smooth, without any drop in frame rate despite the constant action happening all around the player.
The reason most gamers never tried, or even heard of, Vanquish back in the day is that it was released on the same day as Fallout: New Vegas. It went by unnoticed and was forgotten – no matter how great it was.