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.
PlayStation 3 System Update 4.0 is now live and ready for your downloading pleasure. The new system update is designed to complement the launch of the PS Vita, which will be happen in Japan soon. The new update will allow the PS3 to act as a content server to the PS Vita. According to Sony, the new update will also:
allow users to copy their digital content such as games, music, photos, and videos between PS Vita and PS3, back up PS Vita game games including save data to your PS3 hard drive, and update the system software for your PS Vita system using the network features of your PS3.
Features include:
Now that Sony’s 3D PlayStation TV as well as the damn cool redesigned 3D glasses have arrived, it’s the perfect time for gamers to try out the wonderful world of 3D that only the PS3 can achieve. Whether it be games or movies, these unique 3D experiences open up a new way for gamers to immerse themselves in fantasy worlds where imaginations know no boundaries.
Our friends from the PlayStation Blog compiled a list of available and upcoming 3D games and movies on the PS3, whether they be on a Blu-Ray disc or downloadable through the PSN, these titles will take your entertainment to a whole new dimension.
Out now
*Indicates downloadable PSN title
After the jump, a list of 3D titles available on Blu-ray and on the PlayStation Video Store.
In case you didn’t know, November 17 , 2006 was a day that made history. It was the day that the PlayStation 3 was released to the world. And that means today marks the PlayStation 3’s fifth birthday.
Let’s take a few minutes to remember and celebrate the events, features, and exclusives that have made the PlayStation 3 the HD/Gaming/Movie-playing success it has become.
Hit the jump to relive the PlayStation 3’s lowest and highest moments.
Decades of older Batman games forced the titular character in beat-em-up, racing, and arcade-style brawlers, though none of them came close to literally putting players deep into the world of the Dark Knight. The world’s greatest detective and martial artist needed a game that would allow him to use his investgative skills, wits, gadgets, and dangerous fighting styles without having to be shoehorned into tired genre staples.
Thankfully, in 2009, DC had finally broken the curse with Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum; eventually winning countless game-of-the-year awards and achieving retail success in the process. This success allowed Rocksteady to create perhaps one of the greatest superhero games ever made, and definitely the best game of 2012 with Batman: Arkham City.
Say what you will about the Transformers films; one thing rings true every time. Michael Bay is an expert at creating action-packed, thrilling action and chase scenes, making each of his films a treat to watch regardless of the plot.
That’s why it was not a surprise when EA Games got Mr. Transformers himself to direct the newest (and most intense) trailer for their upcoming Need for Speed: The Run. Bay’s trailer definitely ups the action scenes and explosions to the max. Showing some of the game’s more thrilling enironments and quick-time events, Bay shows gamers why they really need to get NFS: The Run.
According to the development team, prior to directing the trailer, Michael Bay actually took his time and played the game and also consulted with the developers to get a feel for the desperation and danger Jack faces throughout the game. It definitely shows in the trailer, does it not?
The Run stars Hollywood actor Sean Faris (Never Back Down, King of Fighters) as Jack, a man with everything to lose as he joins a 200-car race that goes from the West to the East Coast of the United States. If he wins, he gets the grand prize worth $25 million. But, if he loses, he dies. This drives Jack to risk his cars and his life in pursuit of the prize and his freedom.
Need for Speed: The Run is coming to North America on November 15, 2011.
According to an article on Destructoid, a number of game developers agree that the PlayStation 3 has better system performance than the Xbox 360. Square Enix’s Julian Merceron even says that the PS3 is more powerful technically and that developers need only push their games to get the most out of the system.
“Personally, I’d say that – on PS3 – I believe there are some major improvements that can still be done, taking advantage of parallelisation and using more of the CPU for graphics tasks. At the end of current home Console life cycle, it is very possible consumers might get the feeling PS3 is slightly ahead of Xbox 360 in terms of graphics, but it will only happen if developers dedicate time to really push things on PS3!”
At this point in time, this generation’s console war has the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 tied neck and neck on their processing power and other technical specifications. In some cases, the PlayStation 3 outdoes the 360, and in other cases, the 360 outdoes the PS3.
And while many of the developers agree to this, some have also said that the extra year that the PlayStation 3 took for development has paid off as many of the later games are starting to look much better on the PS3 as compared to the 360. Case in point: Final Fantasy XIII; the PS3 version looked better graphically and performed well as compared to the Xbox 360 version.
Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi mentioned that because the PS3 took that extra year for development, and arriving later than its rival, it wins out in performance, albeit just slightly.
One of my favorite games for the PlayStation 3, Heavy Rain, affected players on a personal and emotional level; a feat rarely seen in interactive medium. The story, the characters, and their arcs are so well-written that I really was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Check out my Heavy Rain review here.
If you’re one of the crazy PS3 owners who’ve never tried the “interactive film” title, your chance is coming up as Quantic Dream has announced that Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut is coming next week.
This re-release will include all of the content cut from the original release along with “The Taxidermist” DLC, which is in my opinion, one of the most terrifying moments ever put into video game format.
Along with the deleted content and DLC, Heavy Rain Directors Cut will include:
Can you imagine all that Heavy Rain content packed into one Blu-Ray disc? Quantic Dream has also said that they will be releasing the Heavy Rain Crime Scene Dynamic Theme for FREE through the PlayStation Network to welcome to new re-release.
How awesome would it be to play as Cole McGrath using the PS Move instead of the traditional controller?
Can you imagine how much easier it would be to pepper the bad guys with electric bolts by just pointing the cursor at them, not even having to resort to a thumbstick aim? Or how about context sensitive actions that make you feel like you’re doing the attacks as well?
Well, according to a blog post by SuckerPunch Studios, players will be able to play inFamous 2 using the PlayStation Move soon. This comes at the heels of the release the inFamous 2: Festival of Blood DLC, which comes pre-packed with PlayStation Move functionality.
If you think that the Move makes playing the game a lot harder, think again. It actually works well with Infamous’ free camera system in that the move controls the camera and then switches to an over-the-shoulder view when players need to attack.
According to SuckerPunch, the inFamous 2 PlayStation Move function will be added via a free update soon. We’ll keep you updated as soon as news comes out. After the jump, watch an all new trailer and share your thoughts with us.
Earlier this week, Sony announced an accessory bundle for late purchasers of the PlayStation 3. Dubbed the “New Owner’s Kit,” the bundle is set to introduce players to the necessary items needed to maximize their PlayStation 3’s capabilities.
Priced at an affordable $69.99, the “New Owner’s Kit” includes the following items:
Normally sold by itself or with a game, the Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller retails at about $59.99, so it’s definitely a steal to get this new bundle over a controller by itself. In addition to that, PlayStation 3’s only come bundled with SD cables, and with most HDMI cables retailing for $29 and up, players are basically getting the HDMI and USB cables for an extra $10.
Now that’s some great savings! Sony has said that the new kit will be released on October 29, 2011, so go and pre-order your kit at your local game store.
MSRP: $14.99
1-Player
With all the industry hulabaloo regarding motion control, specifically the Playstation Move and Microsoft Kinect, gamers have all but forgotten about a little gadget called the Playstation Eye. A camera that tracks player movements like the Kinect, the PS Eye was an underutilized peripheral that went by the wayside a few months after its release.
Enter Kung-Fu Live, the Kinect-like fighting game experience on your PS3.
Kung-Fu Live utilizes the PS Eye to track the player’s movements and translates it onto the screen. It’s also one of the most fun, engaging, and physically demanding motion controlled games on the market today.
Hit the jump to read the full review.
Last night at five select AMC Theaters from coast-to-coast (and now online) the UNCHARTED developers at Naughty Dog launched the trailer for their highly-anticipated PlayStation game UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. The sneak-peek trailer comes a few weeks before the November 1st launch, but left developers too excited when finalizing the video that they couldn’t wait to share it. The trailer is taken entirely from UNCHARTED 3 in-game footage.
According to an interview with Eurogamer, NPD Analyst Anita Frazier said that one of Sony’s bigger game releases this fall, Resistance 3 met with a disappointing first-month, selling only 180,000 copies in the United States.
This is quite surprising, and alarming, since high-profile first person shooters usually really well. In addition, Resistance 3 was the only FPS available within a two-week time frame before other shooters were released to the market.
In the same interview, Frazier also said that compared to Resistance 2’s 385,000 first-month sales, Resistance 3 barely sold half that amount. Keep in mind though that Resistance 2 went on to sell 3 million units worldwide.
But not everything is as bad as it sounds, according to the NPD reports, Resistance 3 was actually ranked 7th among the ten best-selling games in the United States. And that was in the same month as a Gears of War and Madden release.
Resistance 3 met with critical acclaim and high reviews, with many touting it as the best game in the franchise. It introduced a brand new character, a more intimate story, and revamped multiplayer. Here’s hoping the coming months bring about more sales for the damn fine sci-fi shooter.
Earlier today, Capcom officially announced that they will be releasing a Devil May Cry HD Collection on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year. The collection will include the first three games in the series; Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition.
Hit the jump to find out more on the upcoming Devil May Cry HD Collection.
Sony has just released a minor and optional PlayStation 3 system software update 3.73 for the masses. This update is geared towards addressing “stability during use of certain PS3 format software.” No other detail is known about this new firmware or exactly which software titles are improved by this new update. More on this as we find out and if you’ve seen any additional changes, let us know in the comments section.
You must be logged in to post a comment.