#4 – God of War III
Kratos is something of an icon, albeit a vastly overviolent, oversexed one. His identity discernible from silhouette alone, the Greek god of war might be born from mythology but to us he’s as real as any other gaming character: strong in physique but also in presence, the series’ third console outing is an unmissable thrill ride for any gamer, and a valuable exclusive for the PlayStation brand that stands as tall as anything else.
For the uninitiated, shame on you: God of War III is an epic third person adventure set amongst some of the most breathtaking scenery seen this generation, visually stunning and detailed to perfection, the game capable of close-up combat just as much as zoomed out jaw-dropping scale. The controls are slick and immediate, and unfaltering after a quick patch from the developers, and for anyone that’s ever played a game like this – and you can count Devil May Cry, Bayonetta and Dante’s Inferno in that list – accessible from the start.
And whilst the story veers towards hokum it’s never far from spectacle, constantly impressing and rewarding the player with new invention and a desire to one-up itself around every corner. There are sticking points (hi, Labyrinth) but there are sections that bear repeated play with ease and grace, meaning that pushing yourself to complete the tougher difficulty levels is, for the most part, a complete joy. Count God of War III amongst the finest games ever created.
#3 – Warhawk
Whilst the internet continues to discuss what Lightbox are up to next, Warhawk’s enthuiastic fleet rumbles on regardless. It’s been a while since Warhawk was released, but the servers still hold strong and the game itself is still utterly fabulous, especially with a group of friends, and although it does rely on a multiplayer fanbase ready to migrate upon release of a sequel we have a sneaking suspicion that if Dylan and co. are planning something to follow up this game, your time invested here will be more than beneficial.
Warhawk expertly balances both ground and air assaults, as you pitch your squads against players on the opposing sides. The eponymous flight crafts are nimble and deadly, but require practice; the tanks heavy but devastating; the jeeps nimble but unarmoured. And the troops themselves, equipped as required and able to hop in and out of the vehicles, are a surprisingly useful asset in the right hands. Witness a skilled clan, with expert handling of each aspect of the force, and Warhawk is a staggering show of finess and confidence.
But you don’t have to be brilliant at the game. There’s always people online willing to show you the ropes, to befriend and impart their wisdom, and although we’ve not had a Meet on the game for a while that’s no reflection on the quality of Warhawk, which still to this day stands tall amongst similar multiplayer, multiformat offerings. It is, in a word, fantastic, and has only grown in stature through generous DLC and continued player support. Long may it live.
#2 – Metal Gear Solid 4
Snake’s adventures attract a hardcore following, especially on PlayStation branded consoles. His latest, a direct sequel to earlier games and set in 2014, changes the perspective (and the emphasis) towards a more traditional third person outing, leaving behind the rather more overhead view of previous titles and meaning that gamers less eager to sneak and stealth their way around can choose to gun in all guns blazing instead, whilst, of course, keeping to the strict, evergreen standards of the series. MGS4 might try to be new, but it’s resolutely old.
Which, perhaps, is why it’s here in this list. The Metal Gear lineage might be a PlayStation-centric notion, but it’s not always been like that, the games appearing on everything from Nintendo consoles to those manufactured by Microsoft, but it’s always felt as though the Solid games feel most at home on PlayStation. Konami don’t always agree, mind (see: Raiden in Rising) but Snake himself has, on a personal level, grown up behind a Dual Shock, and this is an exclusive worth hanging on to.
The game’s massive, ambitious, and packed with more character than most of the PS3’s library, it’s endless charm and flexibility creating a substantially open title that plays to the player, never shy of offering up an easy route or dialing down the challenge whilst retaining super tough for the elite who want to get everything out of their investment. One that, now at least, is regularly found sub twenty quid and is easily worth a purchase: Metal Gear Solid 4 is a brilliant game, and a real credit to the developer, despite the continued absence of a Trophy patch…
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.