The PlayStation 3 had a rocky start upon its 2006 release, due to its extremely high price tag and lack of a solid lineup for the first couple of years. By 2011 it regained its footing and managed to find success and makeup for past mistakes. The price had dropped, more exclusives came out, and more third-party developers started embracing the console.
The latter two points will be celebrated by the following list as we point out ten legendary PS3 games turning ten years old in 2021. A few exclusives are here, but the majority of them are multiplatform releases.
10 Uncharted 3
In 2007 Naughty Dog made the jump to a more mature franchise with Uncharted. The second game is often considered the best, but people should not ignore Uncharted 3. While people could not help but compare it to Uncharted 2 upon release, time has been kinder to it and let it stand out its own. It still retains the lightning fast pacing and incredible set pieces for which the franchise is known. Uncharted 3 moves quickly, but never forgets to insert touching character moments.
9 Dark Souls
Demon’s Souls is a flawed cult classic, though thankfully many of its issues were remedied by the recent PS5 remake. Dark Souls did a great job of accentuating Demon’s Souls strengths and perfecting the formula. It is probably the hardest of the Dark Souls trilogy, but it has also aged well and is easy to experience on the PS4 or 5 with the remaster. The difficulty is hard for some to access, but also incredibly rewarding.
8 Resistance 3
Resistance 2 embraced a lot of modern first-person shooter tropes and lost some of the unique charm of the debut entry. Fortunately, Resistance 3 returned to some of the roots while also significantly changing the vibe.
Instead of fighting alongside an army, players are on a more intimate journey through the ruined United States. Going through the campaign with a buddy in co-op is pure bliss. Insomniac has moved on from the series, but we hope it comes back some day on the PS5.
7 Portal 2
Interestingly enough, Valve’s founder Gabe Newell was extremely critical of the PS3 in the console’s early life. His attitude seemed to have changed by the time Portal 2 came out. He even took the stage an E3 Sony Press conference to announce the game was coming to PS3. Fortunately, Portal 2 on PS3 runs significantly better than the Orange Box did. The campaign is larger than its predecessor, though still retains the dark humor, and also has a separate cooperative campaign.
6 Little Big Planet 2
The first Little Big Planet showcased Media Molecule’s ambition in allowing players to create anything they dreamed of. The sequel not only carried over all the community levels from the prior entry, but also added a bevy of tools for more varied creative possibilities. It made creating a good level more complicated, but dedicated fans’ imaginations ran wild. The developer would bring their philosophy to an apex in 2020 with Dreams.
5 Mass Effect 2
It is worth mentioning how Mass Effect 2 made its way to the PS3. The first entry was published by Microsoft and an Xbox 360 exclusive. Those who played the 2011 sequel on the PS3 when it first came out still got to make decisions about prior events through an interactive comic done before the campaign starts. The first game eventually made its way to the PS3 after a while, too. The series is set to have a renaissance soon, ushered in by a remaster of the original trilogy, called Legendary Edition.
4 Rayman Origins
Rayman was sidelined for a little while as the Raving Rabbids took the spotlight. In 2011, the series was taken back to its roots as a 2D platformer. Fortunately, modern gameplay conveniences made Rayman Origins more accessible than the 1995 debut entry. The eye-popping art style has helped the graphics age gracefully, and the cooperative multiplayer is a blast. Rayman Legends is probably the better game, but do not ignore the platforming goodness present in Origins.
3 Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the generation’s biggest surprises, mostly for being a genuinely fantastic adaptation of a comic book hero. While the first game takes place in the iconic Asylum where all the criminals of Gotham live after capture, Arkham City from 2011 takes place in an open-world environment. This jump proved the right decision for the Arkham series, as the open-ended design allowed for more unique side quests. The story also went a long way towards expanding upon the Joker and Batman’s relationship.
2 Dead Space 2
Visceral Games took the over the shoulder gameplay pioneered by Resident Evil 4 and took it into the cosmos with Dead Space. As any good sequel does, Dead Space 2 took the horror to a larger setting and crafted a more compelling plot.
The protagonist, Isaac Clarke, is also given a voice in this entry. People consider Dead Space 2 the last great game of the series, since opinions were divided over Dead Space 3’s different direction.
1 Mortal Kombat
After Midway’s closure, the future of Mortal Kombat was in doubt. After the development team was rebranded as Netherrealm Studios and joined WB, the franchise was completely rebooted with a time travel hook. The gameplay returned to its 2D origins and significantly ramped up the violence. It proved to be one of the best fighting games of the generation, and successfully revived the franchise. Many other fighting games would draw inspiration from the story mode, which separates the fights with beautiful in-engine cinematics.
