Though Sony's PlayStation 2 went down as one of the most successful video game consoles of all time, the same can't be said of the console's successor, the PlayStation 3. An overly-expensive system that launched a full year behind the competition, this PlayStation iteration was marred with issues from the very beginning.
Compounding this was the fact that the PS3 didn't offer a very compelling launch library. Most of its highest-selling games were multiplatform, and most of the 21 day-one release struggled to earn anything higher than a 75 on Metacritic. That's not to say there weren't any worthwhile games on Sony's console, and these 10 are likely to be remembered by dedicated PlayStation fans.
10 F.E.A.R. (Metascore 72)
Founded in 1994, Monolith has produced some of the most important first- and third-person action games of all time. From the classic FPS Blood on DOS to the terrific Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor on modern consoles, they've built up quite the track record over the years.
That fame was bolstered with the release of F.E.A.R. in 2005, which was subsequently ported to the PS3 as a launch title a year later. A truly terrifying horror-themed shooter not dissimilar to games like Doom 3 or Dead Space, F.E.A.R. was a real thriller on PlayStation, though it's arguably dated visuals and varied performance issues stunted its score on Metacritic.
9 Need For Speed: Carbon (Metascore 75)
The successors to EA's critically-acclaimed arcade racer Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Carbon represented a bit of a strange evolution for the series. Though it remains a beloved NFS title that could run circles around clunkers like 2013's Rivals and 2017's Payback, it came with a few strange caveats which likely hampered its Metascore.
Carbon focused on racing as a team rather than as an individual, emphasized an outrageously unrealistic drifting scheme, and played up a story about which few really cared. Still, the online offerings were robust for the time, and it remains a solid series entry, as well as a noteworthy PlayStation launch title.
8 Tony Hawk's Project 8 (Metascore 76)
One of the last generally favorable entries in the Tony Hawk franchise—and one of the final quality skating titles ever, if we're being honest—Tony Hawk's Projekt 8 used the next-gen power of the PS3 to open up the game's world and ensure a skating experience free of those pesky loading screens.
Projekt 8 tasked players with climbing the ranks as a beginning skater and eventually landing a spot in Tony Hawks' coveted top eight. Though the gameplay wasn't all that thoroughly remixed and the soundtrack was uncharacteristically forgettable, Projekt 8 was the swan song for a franchise many gamers grew up with.
7 Ridge Racer 7 (Metascore 78)
Once a Sony console staple, the Ridge Racer franchise had lost a lot of steam by the mid-2000s, and Ridge Racer 7 on the PS3 was more or less the last real entry in the series sans 2012's Ridge Racer Unbounded.
That said, it was a quality title in a lineage that prided itself on zany racing action. Real-world physics hold no sway over drivers in these games, and those who dare to drift the most will likely come out on top. Ridge Racer 7 also helped to showcase the system's graphical capabilities early on and served as a competent title in a genre that would increasingly focus on realism in later years.
6 Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Metascore 78)
Released two years prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot that would propel many of the game's characters into the mainstream spotlight, Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a fairly basic top-down beat-em-up title that entertained hardcore Marvel fans without going above and beyond or delivering anything truly memorable in terms of gameplay.
Spanning a suite of notable in-universe locations and featuring upward of 100 comic book characters, Marvel Ultimate Alliance aimed to please, and, for dedicated fans, it may well have been a system seller. Though a bit half-baked and monotonous in places, it earned an overall score of 78 on Metacritic.
5 Call of Duty 3 (Metascore 80)
Long before the series stumbled into the loot box-crazed, live service slump in which it has lingered for years, Call of Duty was a premiere first-person shooter designed to sell consoles and awe gamers. The series' third installment would largely be overshadowed by Modern Warfare, the following entry, though CoD 3 was a quality title in its own right.
Taking place during the third world war, CoD 3 released during the height of the popularity of such titles. The only game in the franchise to never receive a PC port, it's remembered as one of the best shooters of the early days of the seventh generation.
4 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Metascore 81)
Though the series fizzled out shortly after its namesake's infidelity became a matter of public record, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 was a quality sports title that didn't rely on hoaky marketing or gimmicky motion control schemes to sell.
Of primary importance with this iteration was the pseudo-RPG system which saw custom characters grow and improve as they gained experience. Totally divorced from what we would expect from a modern-day sports sim, PGA tour 07 was actually fairly involved and asked quite a bit of the player, particularly in the early game. We may never see this series return, but this particular entry may be one worth returning to, and its Metascore reflects that.
3 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (Metascore 86)
Even during the early days of the seventh console generation, it was obvious that online multiplayer would become a major staple of gaming. Titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Gears of War, and Halo 3 vied for gamers time and attention, but flying just under the radar was a well-reviewed Tom Clancy game that provided some equally-compelling multiplayer action.
A third-person squad-based cover shooter released before cover shooting became standardized, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas feels pretty far removed from today's Rainbow Six: Siege. Featuring a full campaign and an incredible amount of depth for a shooter, it was a must-play for first- and third-person shooter fans at the time.
2 Resistance: Fall Of Man (Metascore 86)
Originally touted as Sony's Halo-killer, Resistance: Fall of Man, though failing to live up to its marketing, was a compelling sci-fi alternate history FPS which helped to establish the PS3 as a console worth owning. The most unique exclusive title during the system's launch window, Resistance would go on to spawn a trilogy that is still well-remembered.
A tough as nails, downright insane take on the World War II shooter genre, Resistance mixes classic weapons of the period with alien armaments and tasks them with fighting back against an extra-terrestrial force that may as well have come from the Halo universe.
1 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Metascore 93)
Often remembered as one of the greatest fantasy RPGs of all time, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was the must-own PS3 launch title for anyone picking up the console back in 2006. Packed with literally hundreds of hours of role-playing fun, it was the only game in Sony's 21-title day-one lineup to score over a 90 on Metacritic.
Though it's very dated by today's standards and has more or less been made obsolete by Skyrim, it's direct successor, Oblivion is still a wildly enjoyable time. The PS3 port may not trump the PC release, but fans of the series may still want to give it a go on the now-aging console.