2011 has been one of the best and worst years for PlayStation owners. First-party titles like Uncharted 3, Killzone 3, Infamous 2 all came out showing that the PS3 is still the “de facto” console for the best quality first-party games. While third-party exclusives like Back to The Future: The game, Disgaea 4, and Yakuza 4 brought unique experiences to PS3 owners that they’ll never find on any other consoles.

This list spotlights the best first exclusives games found on the PS3 in 2011.

Motorstorm: Apocalypse

The off-road racing game that had players yelling “Holy $***” all over the world is also one of the best racing exclusives on the PS3. Motorstorm: Apocalypse brought the franchise into the future (end of the world in fact) and introduces drastically evolving tracks that kept drivers on the edge of their seats every race. Players not only battle other drivers but the environment as well. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters stand between drivers and the finish line. Add fantastic online play, a kick-ass soundtrack, a story-focused single player campaign, and you’ve got the fastest, craziest, most death-defying racing game available only on the PS3.

SOCOM 4

This SOCOM title was a welcome return as original developers – Zipper Interactive – took the reigns and released a game that every couch commando should play. Touting a deeper story-based campaign, the return of traditional SOCOM multiplayer, Move functionality, SOCOM 4 redeems the franchise after the bomb that was Confrontation. One of the bigger additions to the game was the cover system that allowed players to crouch behind cover and aim or blind-fire.

ICO And Shadow Of The Colossus HD Collection

What else can be said about these two classic games? Every “games as art” debate has had these two titles at their forefront for their surprisingly deep and engaging story, character relationships, and beautiful art design. In ICO, players have to help a girl escape a castle while being hunted by shadow creatures. The player interacts with the girl with basic instructions yet will feel a connection with her as the story progresses; there’s no understandable dialogue, just emotional signs that bring players that much closer to the game world.

Shadow Of The Colossus casts players as Wander, a young man intent on slaying Colossi to revive his girl. On the surface, game is basically a series of boss-fights, yet with closer inspection, it’s actually an action/puzzle/platformer that require players to use strategies as well as use each of the Colossi’s weakness to their advantage. SOTC’s world is a lonely one and players will definitely feel a bond with their horse “Agro”  as their only friend and ally.

Infamous 2

SuckerPunch Studio’s sequel to the open-world super hero/villain game starts up with a bang and never lets up. Cole McGrath retains all of his powers from the original and gains fire, ice, as well as devastating ionic powers to decimate his opponents with. Infamous 2 also features a brand-new city to play in; New Marais (a city based on New Orleans) environments foreign to the franchise like swamps, rivers and other places for Cole to save (or conquer). The action never lets up and setpieces are almost always epic in scale. Infamous 2 should be on everyone’s list.

Killzone 3

Killzone 3’s story picks up right after the end of the second one. Sev, Rico and the rest of the invading ISA forces are trapped in the planet Helghan and must fight for their lives. Killzone 3 is definitely the bleakest one of the series yet. Sev realizes that they are trapped in the middle of a Helghast civil war and must find a way to stop the planned invasion of ISA planets. Killzone 3 features environments that are new to the franchise like swamps, jungles, snow-covered tundras and others that will blow people away. It also features some of the most detailed and awe-inspiring graphics found on the PS3 this year. (Perhaps only matched by Uncharted 3)

That’s not including the 32-player multiplayer aspect as well as 3D and PlayStation Move/Sharphooter support. If any there was any game that’s the poster boy for all of Sony’s cool and crazy inventions, Killzone 3 would be it.

Little Big Planet 2

Create any game you can imagine. That’s pretty much all there is that can be said about LBP2. The game basically gives players a deeply customizable creation suite that allows for hundreds if not thousands of great game creations of different genres. A first person shooter? Doable! A Side-Scrolling beat em up? Doable! A space shoot-em up? Doable! Sackboy returns and offers gamers the ability to create pretty much everything under the sun. The only limit is their imagination.

Resistance 3

Nathan Hale may have died in R2, but Joseph Capelli continues the fight against the Chimera in R3. The human race is all but extinct with a few hundred survivors creating settlements away from cities and countries occupied by the Chimeran invaders. The game is pretty much a cross-country journey that takes players through a myriad of locations and environments really show the death and destruction that the Chimera brought upon the earth. With no army to speak of, no weapons of mass-destruction to use against the invaders, Capelli treks from one state to another hoping to go back to his hometown and perhaps see his family one last time before the end comes.

The game features PlayStation Move support as well as a scaled down (but still fun) multiplayer option with upgradable kits and unlockable perks a la Modern Warfare.

Uncharted 3

Undoubtedly the best game on the PS3 thus far, Uncharted 3 takes players (as Nathan Drake) on a journey of a global scale. In their search for the “Atlantis of the Sands” Nate and Victor must use all of their cunning, smarts, and fighting skills to avoid certain death at the hands of a person from their shady past. Uncharted 3 boasts ultra-realistic graphics and effects like water, fire, sand as well as a sweeping soundtrack and voicework that must be heard to be believed.

Oh and the game also features a fully featured Co-op mode that really fleshes out the story as well as competitive multiplayer that has become the standard for mp games on the PS3. Definitely a complete package and a great reason to get a PS3 in 2011.

Our next list will have the PS3’s top third-party exclusives that came out in 2011. Stay tuned for that!

Discuss:

What was your favorite first-party exclusive game that came out this year and why? Let us know in the comments section below!