#7 – Heavy Rain
I’ll admit to underplaying the significance of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, a game that, looking back, did plenty to set the PlayStation 3 apart even if the game itself wasn’t perhaps the perfection we were expecting. Hype can be a damaging thing when it’s of levels that this game managed to achieve as ever last snippet was thrown around the internet with staggering appetite, but that’s what you get for hiding the thing from the public for so long.
Upon release, Heavy Rain presented itself as a story-based interactive movie, the player able to move key characters around certain scenes but only ever within the strict confines of the plot; it meant that the pacing and direction were maintained throughout and the game’s unique selling point (Fahrenheit notwithstanding) – the context sensitive, realistic controls – came to the forefront and gave David Cage’s brave title its identity.
Returning to Heavy Rain might also prompt a heavy heart but this is no flawed attempt – the game represents creativity and the desire to push the platform forward well beyond the limits of anything we’ve played in the past. The various plot branches actually work better than first believed, there’s solid thrills to be had in certain sections and the new Move functionality should have already prompted at least one more run through.
#6 – Gran Turismo 5
Saying Gran Turismo 5 is just a game about racing is like saying Dylan’s Hurricane is just a song about boxing. From the off, Polyphony’s six year long labour of love represents far more than the initially obvious on-track action, rather a carefully crafted love letter to the automobile, its perfectly modeled vehicles photo-realistic under even the tightest zoom levels and – for the most part – sounding just as good under the bonnet.
GT5 has its haters, it’s not an immediate, arcade ride even through the Arcade button – it’s a game that requires patience in spades to get the most out of; spending an hour tuning a car for a specific track isn’t just uncommon, it’s positively encouraged and, as your virtual garage slowly fills up with the spoils of your tarmac hugging prowess, becomes ever more rewarding.
Yes, the graphics have dragged certain aspects of Gran Turismo 4 along for the ride, the Standard cars poor in comparision with the newly developed Premiums; and, yes, the user interface is terrible, but those willing to persevere find a game that’s constantly challenging, seemingly on a perpetual cycle of evolution and – ultimately – probably the finest motorsport simulation ever seen on a console. Definitely not just a game about racing.
#5 – ModNation Racers
We were lucky enough to watch ModNation Racers grow first hand, but from that early E3 showing where the developers amazed everyone with how easy and intuitive the track editor is we knew MNR would be something rather special. Indeed, that feature alone – the ability to create basically any kind of track you wanted – was reason enough for most to part with their cash; it’s utterly brilliant, and even to this day it’s unmatched by any other console racer by virtue of just what you can craft yourself.
Of course, the game was built around the community, with an online connection almost required to get the most out of the game – ModNation Racers’ central hub constantly reminding you of new events, your friends’ progress and easy access to the game’s main features just a squirt of the gas pedal away. Yes, it brought with it some ridiculous load times but they’ve been halved since and nobody ever got anything this huge in scale right first time.
But it’s on the track where MNR wins out – ‘PS3’s own Mario Kart’ might be a little bit of a stretch but the handling and the copious drifting are a delight and the track design (those created by the studio and, naturally, the best of the community) is frequently excellent. Looking back, MNR is a seriously ambitious attempt to do something completely different on the PlayStation 3 and for the most part came up trumps: if you’re looking for solid multiplayer fun with a heart of gold and endless creative potential, then this game is essential.
Origami Killer
great article, and i like the top ten, i also think demons souls should be an essential, but im yet to play flower, mod nation racers and ive never like metal gear solid :P
Grey_Ghost13
God yes Demons Souls is essential playing. If anyone likes RPG or even action games set in a fantasy world they should play Demons Souls!
Origami Killer
edit: i dont have warhawk or god of war either :P
i would have liked to see motorstorm or resistance (the ifrst of course) on there also
ratkiller75
The demon souls difficulty curve is far too steep and so I don’t think that it appeals to a wide enough audience.
Origami Killer
@ratkiller….thats is a very reasonable point, but when you get used to the difficultly it becomes a fantsatic game, and a good plat to brag about ;)
Charmed_Fanatic
I would put R&C at the top, but thats me :P weird how none appeared on there
Erroneus
Agree, it would replace Modnations Racers for me.
TSBonyman
I was just about to say the exact same!
Otherwise a great list and an enjoyable article, particularly the ‘softening’ towards Heavy Rain ;)
AG2297
R&C? As in Ratchet and Clank? Cant stand them! Would be the absolute bottom of my list!
antem92
Great to see Warhawk on this list. So many times has this wonderful game been left out of top game lists. I have spent over 500 hours on it, so to be given this kind of recognition is great. TSA must have brilliant taste ;)
fattyuk
good list but…….
I thought at first this was going to be a 2011 list lol
beeje13
Same, I only have 2 out of the 10 games, but have played around 6
KCalpha
3 out of the 10.. Not bad eh?
Kevling
Great list! Any plans to do something similar for other formats?
fattyuk
Has the xbox got 10 exclusive games?
KCalpha
Certainly not for 2011.
Origami Killer
hahaha, if your counting viva pinyata that is :P
gazzagb
This isn’t N4G btw.
ARUMIR Sympozium
Well…. the pc has more
*runs
Juelz345
Gears of war
Gears of war 2
Halo 3
Halo ODST
Halo Reach
Alan Wake
Fable II
Fable III
Crackdown
Crackdown 2
Forza 3
Mass Effect 1
Shadow Complex
Limbo
Hydro Thunder
All of which are excellent games (except Crackdown 1 & 2..they’re horrible).
KeRaSh
Your post almost looks like the list of cars in GT5. Every car has like 20 different models. 15 games but only 10 different franchises. I’m slightly exaggerating.
fattyuk
Lol so the xbox list has 3 halos? Was talking bout individual games not franchises
aerobes
Trials HD is worth owning a 360 for alone. Simply amazing.
Juelz345
Really is sad when the fanboys come out. O well, this is the internet, right?
Bottom line is, both consoles have some solid exclusives.
In a perfect world, all people would realize this instead of pointlessly trying to put down a product that they don’t own. That and world peace, of course.
Kevling
I wasn’t intending to start a fanboy debate. In response to the snarky 360 comments about 2011, this PS3 list doesn;t contain solely 2011 games does it? It’s simply a list of PS3 exclusives everyone should play.
All I was saying, is, as a non-360 owner, I’d like to see the equivalent 360 version of this article (in a way that TSA does so well) so I can see what I’m missing, and help me decide whether or not a 360 was for me.
DrNate86
I preferred the first Uncharted single player as well! An interesting list, and I am pleased to say apart from GOW I have played them all! Will you be doing an X-Box list as well? It would be interesting to see if there are any differences in game styles.
Origami Killer
+1 on prefering the Uncharted 1 single player, it was so fresh and unique for me, and the first demo of the game just blew me away :P
aerobes
Yep, I’m with you two and nofi on this. Drakes Fortune was one of the best experiences I’ve had on PS3 and I didn’t really get along with Among Thieves. Bizarre.
stueeeee
I did love the ‘lost on a mysterious island’ idea in Uncharted 1, and the fact that it all takes place in the one place keeps me really hooked. Although I do love U2 as well. The same with MGS4, I wish they would have set it within one place again, although it gave it a lot of variety I suppose…
Mike
I’ve got 7 of those titles. Gonna get LBP2 later on.
gazzagb
Not the 10 that I would chose, but that just shows the PS3 has some very strong exclusives.
teflon
Not necessarily a list of the best PS3 exclusives, but I couldn’t agree more with it. These are the 10 that should be in every game library, and really flaunt SCE’s strong first and second party game releases.
The only one I don’t own on that list is Warhawk, though. I feel I came to the PS3 too late for that to grab me. I played launch titles etc. but never took them online, where I always think you need to try and get there in the first month or so to get the best experience.