2013 is an exciting year for PS3, particularly because we witness a lot of blockbuster titles that tests the very limits of the PS3 system. As Santa bells ring and Christmas approaches, what does one do when your loved one is a PS3 gamer? Well…there is still time to do some last minute shopping and I am here to help you.
We start from:
Number 10: Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 is an amazing game that balances over-the-top explosive action with guns ablazing with decent stealth gameplay. The world is immersive and lush with constant danger lurking around every corner. The drawbacks would be its cheesy storyline and the annoying misrepresentation of how people of South East Asia would sound like. But if one is prepared to ignore all that, be prepared to experience the adrenaline ride of your lifetime as you see the transition of Jason Brody (the protagonist) from a naïve young man to a murdering monster.
Number 9: XCOM: Enemy Within
XCOM provide a deep tactical gameplay that constantly reminds players a mix of Valkyrie Chronicles and Ender’s game. In this game, the player is thrust into the role of the commander of an elite military organization XCOM and directs the soldiers in turn-based missions against powerful aliens with superior technology. Winning these missions with tactical style is deeply satisfying as one strives to lower the body count and to collect the valuable resource Meld. In between missions, the strategy element continues by having the player overseeing the R&D in creating new technologies, improving the base of operations and managing the organization’s resources. The learning curve is unforgiving, making players feel the heavy weight of command and layers of planning, which speaks truly well of a well-made tactical game. The only comment was that the ending feels a bit rushed, and maps were unfortunately not randomly generated. Fortunately, the replay value remains high.
Number 8: Dragon’s Crown
Dragon Crown strikes a chord and revitalises the nostalgia buried deep within gamers that played Golden Axe from Sega. The artwork was unique and stellar, with rich brush strokes accompanying the environment, characters, special effects and spells. Gameplay-wise, Dragon Crown actually caters to a broad audience, from entry-level gamers to hardcore Dungeon & Dragon players, depending on your character class and play-style. While the story may be non-existent, it could be forgiven by engaging in its spectacular boss fights, which is fascinatingly chaotic when all 4 players attack with explosions, spells, and combat animations all over the place.
Number 7: The Walking Dead (GOTY edition)
The Walking Dead offers a unique feel to the bevy of zombie games that flooded the gaming/media scene in recent years. It is not like Left4dead, Dead Island or Dead Rising. Instead of non-stop heart pounding action, Telltale games created The Walking Dead with a superb plot at its core, allowing players to interact with the environment, objects and characters with moral choices that has ambiguous consequences. It reminds us of Heavy Rain but in a different apocalyptic spin to it. The survivalist tone and the poignant connection between Lee Everrett and Clementine delivers the defining reason why even zombie games can touch the heart.
Number 6: Puppeteer
This game has truly a hidden gem with many people overlooking it without understanding how beautiful it is. The game stands alone in its originality without copying from tried-and-tested formulas, and derails from the classic shooters we have in PS3. Instead, we have truly breath-taking game that allows bosses to come out of the screen in 3D, accompanied by a magnificent opus of cellos, violins, tuba and trumpets. The platform designs are unique, the humour is there and the game makes one feel like a small kid again. As one reviewer puts it, the game blows your mind away without it feeling like a game. Play it at any age, be it any gender and you would find yourself hard-pressed to give it a negative review for this PS3 exclusive game.
If you have watched Inception and enjoyed countless hours of debate with your friend about the story, you would love Bioshock Infinite. Without spoiling too much of the story, the game promises a lot of philosophical thought behind the action in the linear gameplay. The story closes itself with a twist and an ending that left my mind questioning. The levels are exciting and the pacing is excellent, with two extremely well-developed characters in the story. What is most amazing is that it ties in the entire Bioshock universe spectacularly, by including Rapture in Bioshock 1 and Bioshock 2 as well. For a more immersive experience, I highly recommend that all 3 games are played to draw the dots across the masterpiece of a plot.
I love this game for all the childhood elements combined together. This is the lovechild of mixing Pokémon (see the familiars above), Studio Ghibli art, powerful story and an endearing cast together. Despite of having the appearance of a classic JRPG grind-fest, Ni no kuni is an underrated game that delivers a layer of complexity in both gameplay and story and leaves you impressed at its depth from start to finish, constantly pleasantly surprising you without making you bored. Puppeteer would have been a strong contender, if not for its lack of difficulty. However, Ni no kuni promises much greater hours of gameplay with balanced difficulty that demands your gaming finesse, and tugs at your heartstrings at all the right places. For more tips on raising familiars, see
this.
I have done up a review for
Tomb Raider in April 2013. That said, Tomb Raider and Ni no Kuni are ties for the same place (with Tomb Raider maybe slightly winning the edge since the new Lara Croft is so hot). Read the review and understand what the hype is all about.
GTA V is probably Rockstar’s masterpiece on the PS3, and rightly so. It munches up all the previous GTAs, chews them into pulp and spit it out like a badass. If your heart is wavering on this, or affected by all the publicity surrounding this, do not worry and just read
this. Then buy it. Because your boyfriend might just break down and cry in joy upon receiving this.
If one can mix the superb story from The Walking Dead and combine it with the gameplay of Tomb Raider and then add a bit more of a stealth gameplay together, you would get the Last of Us. This game does so well in so many fronts that it receives the coveted 10/10 score in IGN, and obtained critical acclaim for its writing, its voice acting, sound design, art design and level design. The protagonist is Joe, a brutal hardened survivor who was once a single dad before the world turned into a pandemic-ridden wasteland. With him, you have a 14 year old Ellie, a street-smart, wise and endearing girl that can’t help but to have the player rooting for her. For the setting, we have despair everywhere, depicting the ugly side of the human condition, yet exploring themes of love, sacrifice, hope and scientific ethics. The end result is a chemistry that is so amazing between the two characters as they slowly build their bond together in the face of uncertainty and danger everywhere. I wouldn’t go deeper into the story, but know that the story could have brought tears. It is that riveting and powerful.
So there we have it. All 10 of them. I hope you have enjoyed reading the top 10 PS3 games of 2013 for Christmas. If you feel that other games should also be in the Top 10, please feel free to leave your comments below.
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