The 24 Best PS3 Games

Credit: THQ

24. UFC Undisputed 2010

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's follow-up to the 2009 Undisputed changes everything from the ground up, with a tweaked combat system, revamped controls, and a fleshed out career mode that essentially mirrors the feeling of grinding through the minor leagues of mixed martial arts (MMA) to signing with the big show. Aside from packing a bigger roster of fighters, UFC 2010 also shows that the development team spent some time in the gym, with a modified stand-up game that incorporates dodging and swaying. New fighting styles like Karate and Greco-Roman Wrestling add some more tactics to Octagon fights, and a variety of extra combat animations lend to the realistic nature of the game's several in-ring match-ups. If you're a fight fan, UFC 2010 will make you brush up on some fundamentals.
Credit: Sony

23. Sports Champions

Where else can you play a game of Bocce but in Sports Champions? Call it the Wii Sports of the PlayStation Move, but that doesn't take away the fact that the ambitious Sports Champions offers a game-changing experience in the motion-controls market. Boasting a collecting of activities including archery, volleyball, and table tennis, this PlayStation Move launch title goes from conventional sports to archaic standouts like "Gladiator Duel" without missing a beat. Not only can you test your skills against a buddy, but Sports Champions also offers a a Champion Cup mode where you can go head-to-head in an Olympic style marathon to see who's the best gamer-slash-athlete in the bunch.
Credit: Capcom

22. Super Street Fighter IV

A quick follow-up sequel to one of the best fighting games in years, Super Street Fighter IV is everything its predecessor was and more. Ten new characters, improved online gameplay, and new bonus stages all come in this stacked update; including the good 'ol "destroy the car" challenge from Street Fighter II and III. Moreover, Capcom also gave the fighting engine in SSFIV a bit of a tune-up, with new special moves, new Ultra Combos, and subtle tweaks everywhere else to give the World Warriors just a little more balance.
Credit: Suckerpunch

21. inFamous

Usually, when a game makes you choose between good and evil, the paths are so similar or uninspired that playing through a second time seems like a chore. inFamous turned this gameplay element on its head with the Karma System, which actually changed the way you could unleash your electricity-based powers on Empire City. If you're a hero, crowds love you, but if you're a jerk to random bystanders, they'll actually pelt you with rocks or run in terror. Sucker Punch also nailed the exploration mechanics in inFamous, making simple things like getting from one end of town to another fluid and satisfying (as long as you didn't run into a chain link fence). Whether you play the game as a good guy or a total ass, inFamous is a PS3 game that represents sandbox-style gameplay taken to near-perfection.
Credit: 2K Games

20. Bioshock 2

Taking the role of Delta, an amnesiac prototype Big Daddy awoken in a Rapture that has decayed for over a decade, Bioshock 2 puts the power in your hands as you search for your missing Little Sister companion. Bioshock 2 also features a multiplayer mode with its own story, detailing the fall of Rapture during its civil war. Not only can you play the role of a BIg Daddy, but you can also play the game as one of several Splicer characters — each one with the ability to gain Plasmids and extra weaponry. It's a welcome touch to see Bioshock 2 bring multiplayer to Rapture, and with unique modes like "Capture the Sister" and "Team ADAM Grab," it's got an identity completely unique to the game's world.
Credit: THQ

19. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

As main protagonist "Monkey," you'll traverse the land that used to be the United States while bodyguarding Trip, a young woman with unparalleled technical brilliance. Monkey is a muscular powerhouse with a knack for dismembering killer robots, but Trip is the brains out of the outfit, pointing out traps and potential targets along the way, while also holding Monkey's metaphorical leash by way of a cybernetic headband. More than a simple escort adventure, Enslaved makes real effort in telling a story — the relationship between Monkey and Trip is the key focus here, and as you travel the world with them, their banter-filled teamwork adds to an interesting tale.
Credit: Namco-Bandai

18. Demon's Souls

Every once in while, there's a video game that just wants to kill you; and Demon's Souls is incredibly ruthless. From the start of the game, you're placed in the shoes of a warrior who is killed shortly upon breaching the Deep Fog. At that point onward, the stakes of death increase, as Demon's Souls strips you of almost everything you earn each time you die. Demon's Souls may be merciless in the penalties for death, but it's balanced by robust features like class customization, online co-op gameplay, and combat that changes constantly depending on your class and weaponry. As you grow in strength and tackles bigger monsters, the game consistently tries to top each challenge, with each goal just a hair more difficult than the last. If you're any kind of RPG addict, the kingdom of Boletaria will surely suck you in.
Credit: EA

17. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Even if you consider it Electronic Arts' answer to Modern Warfare, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 still offers a lot more than the average war combat game, offering multiplayer maps that emulate environments from the Panama Canal to the Alaskan Rockies to the dense jungles of South America. Bad Company 2 also includes a single-player story that takes your squad of commandos from Bolivia to Chile to Colombia. Alongside the plot of an alternate Present Day that sees the Russian government launching a world-wide military invasion of its neighboring countries, it's a wild take on modern war that only Battlefield could do. Come for the multiplayer, stay for everything else
Credit: Activision

16. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops may not continue the modern guerilla combat motif of the last two blockbuster games, but Treyarch's take on the Cold War still feels incredibly fresh. Taking the role of special forces operative Alex Mason, Black Ops goes into the places previously unseen by the series, like the dense jungles of Vietnam and the war-torn fields of Cuba. On the multi-player side, Black Ops offers a completely reengineered system, with weapons getting as many upgrades as the various soldier classes. Upgrades are more kind to skill, and even new gamers won't get left completely in the dust due to active experience gains. There's even zombies, a Smash T.V. like mini-game, and tons of other explosive amounts of content in the total package. Black Ops may not be Modern Warfare, but it's still a big damn game.
Credit: Visceral Games

15. Dead Space

Visceral Games pretty much dethroned Capcom's longstanding undead-hunting horror franchise Resident Evil as the king of the survival-horror genre when they released their blood-curdling masterpiece in terror, Dead Space, which featured gruesome beasties reminiscent of those from John Carpenter's The Thing. It wasn't the fact that Dead Space approached survival-horror in an all-new way — the game actually borrowed quite a bit from Resident Evil 4 in terms of the way you move around and combat enemies — no, what made Dead Space so terrifying was the dread-soaked atmosphere, the mood of being alone in space, and the disgusting mutated passengers infesting the mining ship you're stuck on... passengers that only get grosser and more frightening as the game progresses.
Credit: Media Molecule

14. LittleBigPlanet

Whether you choose to classify Media Molecule's delightful PlayStation 3-exclusive game as a user-generated content creator or just a platformer with some fresh ideas, LittleBigPlanet is still one of the most imaginative next-gen games out there. It's not often that modern games encourage the player to be creative, and LBP does a remarkable job of easing you into the creation process in way that has you putting together your own levels and content quickly, without overwhelming you. In fact, one of the reasons LittleBigPlanet has done so well for itself is because it's so accessible. Creating your own levels is a concept that sounds good on paper, but is something that rarely works without turning off the majority of gamers who don't have the patience to learn complicated user-creation tools. And LBP was proved that user-creation can be user-friendly.
Credit: Ubisoft

13. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Releasing just a short year after the second installment, our initial expectations for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood had us wondering if it could properly live up to the series' sterling reputation. Thankfully, it seems our fears were misplaced, and Brotherhood adds a rich new chapter to the tale of the war between the Templars and the Assassins. The game's campaign has evolved to include more squad-based elements, which blend wonderfully into the new-for-the-franchise multiplayer mode. Brotherhood's innovative online gameplay features modes in which each player has a different opponent as a target, making every match a superb blend of action and strategy. It may have left a few too many of the franchise's mysteries unsolved, but as far as gameplay goes, this assassin hit its mark
Credit: Rockstar Games

12. Grand Theft Auto IV

In Liberty City, you can do anything you want, regardless of legality. Grand Theft Auto IV's free-roaming gameplay contributes to the of Liberty City as a living, breathing place, and everything from the TV shows to the local radio has a unique design to it. And when you've finished running around the city with Nico and Co., Liberty City still has untold stories in the form of polished downloadable content. If you take a dive and see everything the city has to offer, you'll want to take an extended vacation.
Credit: Quantic Dream

11. Heavy Rain

More interactive story than video game, Heavy Rain is a groundbreaking title from developer Quantic Dream that makes a strong argument for video games being the new standard in interactive fiction. Along with Quick Time Events and context sensitive sequences, Heavy Rain also makes frequent use of the PlayStation 3's unique Sixaxis control scheme, as players will often have to mimic realistic actions during the game. Whether it's running from an armed assailant or trying to question a suspect, Heavy Rain's constantly-branching chains of events ensure that playing through the story will usually result in vastly different endings. Aside from the gameplay aspect, Heavy Rain also pushes the graphical envelope, with high-tech rendering and motion capture used to portray the cast of Heavy Rain — making the overall experience feel more real than most other PS3 games can claim to be
Credit: Rocksteady Games

10. Batman: Arkham Asylum

No one expected Batman: Arkham Asylum to be this good. In fact, no one expected it to be one of the most impressive and thrilling action games to ever hit the PlayStation 3. Thankfully, Rocksteady Studios and Warner Bros./DC Comics made the invaluable choice of enlisting help from the best talent possible, including big-ticket names like Paul Dini, Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and of course, Mark Hamill. For once, a video game developer got everything right in a Batman game, and Rocksteady Studios even went as far as including The Joker as a playable character for PS3 gamers. But most rewarding was the fact that The Caped Crusader fought like a demon from Hell, his tools were inventive and intuitive, and the atmosphere of Arkham Island was as demented and dangerous as its inhabitants. Welcome back, Batman.
Credit: Harmonix

9. Rock Band 3

Until now, the Rock Band series has only let you pretend to play an instrument like the professionals. Rock Band 3 changes all that, as Harmonix has once again raised the bar. With the introduction of the new guitar peripherals and the Keyboard Controller, Rock Band 3 adds additional tools to your own collection of plastic hardware, along with new modes, new avatar gear, and a streamlined interface. But the biggest addition, Pro Mode, sets Rock Band 3 apart from the pack by actually being able to each you real music — consider it extra guitar lessons.
Credit: Guerilla Games

8. Killzone 2

Sure, the original Killzone may have failed to be the "Halo-killer" it was proclaimed to be, but after a painfully long time in development (the sequel was supposed to be a PS3 launch title), Guerilla Games finally delivered a first-person shooter that pushed its console to its boundaries, mostly in terms of graphics. Even stunningly polished shooters like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare lacked the level of detail displayed in Killzone 2's bleak, post-apocalyptic wastelands and war-scorched cities. As soon as you boot up Guerilla's killer FPS sequel, there's no ignoring the mind-blowing lengths that the team behind the game has gone to, bringing the battlefield to life. Killzone 2 remains to be one of the best next-gen shooters, and is one PS3 game that's recommended for those who can appreciate its gritty science-fiction spin on the genre.
Credit: 2K Games

7. BioShock

Generally, gamers relish the ability to kill, maim and obliterate their enemies and obstacles, but BioShock changed the entire experience with solid, inventive gameplay and a new moral compass. This sleeper hit from 2K Games, a studio formerly known for high-profile but moderately successful strings of PC role-playing games (Jade Empire, Civilization IV, Sid Meier's Pirates), sold Xbox 360s and unintentionally became a flagship title for the console with little buildup and a huge amount of positive press. When it finally made the transition to the PlayStation 3, BioShock also came with a new "Survivor Mode" that made the already tough gameplay even harder than before, which was all the reason we needed to play the game just one more time.
Credit: Ubisoft

6. Assassin's Creed 2

Ubisoft recreated the historic environment of 15th century Italy with the same care and attention to detail that Leonardo da Vinci gave to The Last Supper. No matter how well you can build a city, you almost can't do better than Assassin's Creed 2. Taking the stylish and addictive motions of the previous game's protagonist, the near-superhuman Altair, Assassin's Creed 2 went further towards the present with Ezio, the new assassin on the block. Noting both the forwards and backwards steps of the previous title, Ubisoft made sure that Ezio moves in ways that his predecessor never could: wading through waterways, stealing his opponents' weapons, and even flying through the skies with the help of some handy contraptions
Credit: Activision

5. Modern Warfare 2

Gut-wrenching moments and fast-paced FPS action were the bread and butter of the first Modern Warfare. After taking the Normandy Invasion as far as it could go, Infinity Ward took their coveted franchise into the modern era with amazing results. Since then, Modern Warfare 2 has proved to be a more-than-worthy successor to 2007's Game of the Year, upping the ante with an insanely gripping story, even better multiplayer, and enough controversial decisions to jar any player back into reality, even if just for a split second. Even if you never go back to the solo missions after the first time around, playing online is so deep and incredibly well-polished, you'll have little to no excuse to get tired of Modern Warfare 2.
Credit: Sony

4. God of War 3

Bringing an end to the main story of Kratos and his quest for revenge against Mount Olympus, God of War 3 brings everything in the saga to a definite conclusion. God of War 3 also boosts the technical achievements from the previous PS3 title, with high-definition graphics, huge character models in the Titans, and battles that will have Kratos facing off against dozens upon dozens of enemies at once. Of course, there's also plenty of the series' trademarks on hand, too — gory finishing moves, huge detailed environments, and (of course) a "special" adult themed mini-game that's definitely NFSW.
Credit: Rockstar Games

3. Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption has everything that you'd expect from a traditional western: a gritty hero, nefarious bandits, and tales of honor and betrayal. But this title brings even more to the table with Rockstar's trademark brand of open-world gameplay. Whether you're roping cattle, tracking down bounties, stopping a robbery, or just playing a round of cards, Red Dead Redemption's open wilderness lies at your fingertips, just waiting for you to saddle up and get dirty. Throughout John Marston's tale, the game is peppered with gunfights, stagecoach races, quick draw shootouts, and just about anything else you'd expect from a modern Western. Depending on how you play the game, other westerners will either run at the sight of Marston or worship the ground he walks on, making everything you do in Red Dead Redemption both lasting and important. In the end, it's up to you whether you want to be a law-abiding hero or a low-down criminal, but the choices are expansive nonetheless.
Credit: Naughty Dog

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

When you call any title the video game equivalent of Raiders of the Lost Ark, you know that the action has to be impressively over-the-top, the characters must evoke unmistakable charm, and the experience has to rival everything else of its genre. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does exactly that, bringing back a more flawed, more human Nathan Drake, who's in a bigger adventure than even he can handle in one of the most highly acclaimed PS3 games yet. Even with the memorable Hollywood-style action-adventure in the bag, the multiplayer proves to be a showcase for the vastly improved gameplay. With a cover system that feels refreshingly more natural and spontaneous than Gears of War, and explosive weapons that can tear down the walls around your character, you'll have your hands full trying to stay ahead of the action.
Credit: Konami

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Gamers, this is the one. If you're planning to buy a PlayStation 3, or you already have one, Metal Gear Solid 4 should be at the top of your list. It's an epic stealth-shooter with jaw-dropping graphics and a massively detailed storyline. Sure, the 20-minute cinema scenes can drag on a bit too long, but the game's quality shines through in every aspect of its production. Unlockable rewards, 70+ weapons, and a well-designed online mode will keep you playing months after you've completed the core single-player experience. If you've ever loved a shooter, a stealth game, or an action game, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a can't-miss title.