6 PS3 Games With Stories That Players Loved

The PlayStation 3 got off to a relatively slow start compared to the Xbox 360. There are several reasons for that, but one of the biggest was how difficult it was to develop games for the powerful but complicated hardware. The Cell processor technology eventually led to some great games; it just took a few years to get there. That said, the PS3 eventually turned the corner and became another great console in Sony’s lineage, filled with games that pushed the industry forward in visuals, gameplay, and most importantly for this list, storytelling.

Here are six PS3 games with great stories that players had to dive into.

6) Heavy Rain

Let me be clear that Heavy Rain‘s ending is nearly nonsensical. You can’t guess what’s going to happen because the developers at Quantic Dream don’t let you. They deliberately hide the killer’s identity from the player in a way that goes against everything that generally makes for a good mystery.

Because of that, it’d be fair to say that Heavy Rain fails as a detective story. One of the key tenets of a good whodunit is that moment where the lead character reveals the killer, and you slap your forehead and exclaim, “How did I not see that?” There’s none of that here, so why is it on the list?

Well, Heavy Rain‘s ending might not be that great, but it was one of the largest drivers in pushing games as a storytelling medium forward. Previously, a game’s story was largely secondary. Here, it was the reason for admission. It wasn’t the only game that flipped the switch, but you can’t deny that it played a big part in making stories more important, earning it something of a lifetime achievement award on this list. Plus, outside of the ending, Heavy Rain‘s writing isn’t half bad.

5) The Wolf Among Us

Some people would put The Walking Dead Season 1 in this spot, and I wouldn’t fight them too hard. Both games are Telltale at its best, delivering an episodic story that you never want to put down. Like a great page-turner, this is a game you’ll feel a gravitational pull toward until you reach the ending.

To be fair, Telltale does have the rich history of Bill Willingham’s Fables comics to pull from. And this being an origin story for Bigby Wolf, there’s only so much they could do with the finale. That said, they pull it off masterfully, and fans are still hoping that the promised sequel will arrive one day.

4) Spec Ops: The Line

It’s rare to have a military shooter with a story that actually sits with you. The first Black Ops is certainly worth mentioning in that respect, but nothing in the genre really stands up next to Spec Ops: The Line. The team at Yager Development wanted to make players really think about the horrors of war, and they did so masterfully.

At a time when Call of Duty and other military shooters were at the height of their powers, Spec Ops came along and actually had something to say. CoD campaigns are generally bombastic, which makes them fun to play through, but the developers aren’t doing anything more than entertaining you. Spec Ops forces you to consider your actions, leaving many players feeling haunted by the on-screen killings they’ve committed. Hopefully, that makes them think more about what happens in real-life war, but if nothing else, you have to give Yager credit for being fully committed to its vision.

3) Dragon Age: Origins

To lightly spoil the rest of this list, I did not include Mass Effect 2. That game launched on the Xbox 360 and did not come to the PS3 until about a year later. I’m not saying ME2 would take DA:O‘s spot on this list if I didn’t view it as an Xbox game, but it’s worth mentioning my reasoning for keeping it off before you head to the comments to complain.

Anyway, the first Dragon Age is still one of the series best. That’s largely thanks to the in-depth combat that made it a standout RPG in 2009. Since then, BioWare has tried to make the series more action-heavy, taking away the tactics players loved so much in the original. However, the real reason DA:O is so beloved is because of its characters.

Look, BioWare has always been good at making companions. That said, Dragon Age: Origins has some of the best in the series. From Morrigan to Alistair to even the loyal Mabari War Hound, this cast is one of the strongest the developer has ever put together. The main story is solid fantasy fare, but like any good BioWare game, the companions are what drive you forward.

2) The Last of Us

The Last of Us is a stunning achievement, taking the PlayStation 3 out on a high note. There’s a reason it’s been remade and remastered for what feels like a thousand times. There’s also a reason the HBO adaptation didn’t need to make too many changes to make it work as a TV show.

Naughty Dog’s zombie-filled tale about Joel and Ellie is the closest any game had come to feeling like an interactive movie at the time. It was well-acted, well-written, and looked incredible. Toss in some great stealth gameplay and a few thrilling sequences, and you have the makings of a blockbuster.

What’s impressive about The Last of Us is that it’s set in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, but most of the heavy-lifting in the story comes from the father-daughter relationship built between Joel and Ellie. It seems weird for such a grounded story to serve as the central narrative as the world is ending, but that’s part of what makes The Last of Us so special.

1) Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption is a gripping Western, filled with memorable characters and jaw-dropping moments. Developer Rockstar so perfectly nailed the classic spaghetti Western look and delivered its usual brand of engrossing open world that you can’t help but get lost in.

The star of the show is former outlaw John Marston, who is coerced into hunting down his old gang for the FBI in return for the safety of his family. It quickly goes so much further, including an iconic visit to Mexico, where he helps kick off a revolution. And when everyone is locked up or dead, John is returned to his family, kicking off one of the best endings in video game history.

I won’t spoil what happens here, but the combination of story and gameplay at the end of Red Dead Redemption is something that should be taught in video game design classes. It’s a perfect mix of the two, and that final scene hasn’t really been topped since. Toss in a vengeance-filled epilogue, and you have one of the best games of all time.

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