10. The Godfather: Part II
After a rocky first game, The Godfather: Part II combines action and strategy in a remarkable movie tie-in game that does a sublime job of capturing what it must feel like to be the head of a crime family. With ‘The Don’s View’ offering an innovative overview of your empire with the ability to send goons around the city being a highlight, The Godfather: Part II also boasts solid combat and an engrossing narrative that should please fans and newcomers to the Corleone saga alike.
9. Dead Rising 2
Although it took a rather serious turn with the third game, the Dead Rising series is loved for its quirky humour and reluctance to take itself too seriously. While there are some dark twists in the narrative and truly frightening boss fights, Dead Rising 2 is at its best – and most fun – when you’re slapping a zombie round the face with a giant pink dildo. One of the most ridiculous and addictive survival horrors in gaming.
8. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
One of the most beloved franchises in gaming, the MGS saga boasts some truly incredible titles. One of the best, Guns of the Patriots, serves an unparalleled gaming experience packed with raw, lavish gameplay and innovative ideas. The execution is nothing short of staggering and the final product is a masterpiece of stealth-based espionage action. Engrossing and cinematic, Guns of the Patriots is a masterpiece of the console.
7. Bioshock Infinite
Taking the action considerably above sea-level, this 1912-set adventure in the BioShock series offers a mysterious plot and entertaining combat in a stunningly realised world. As you learn to harness the game’s ever-growing arsenal of weapons and abilities, you will be absorbed by the unforgettable setting and complex characters. BioShock Infinite showed that there was a lot more to the series than Big Daddies and underwater cities.
6. Killzone 3
This balls-to-the-walls and ultra-intense sci-fi shooter is a truly spectacular title that tops previous iterations in the saga in every way. From traditional infantry combat to jetpacks and spaceships, the truly epic Killzone 3 has everything you could ever want from a game of its genre. Packed with stunning visuals and unforgettable moments, this is a game that will remind you why you love gaming so much in the first place.
5. Dishonored
With simply phenomenal art direction, a truly immersive world and an unprecedented seamlessness between combat, stealth and magic, Dishonored is truly one of the PS3's finest action adventures. With traces of BioShock throughout, this steampunk adventure also boasts memorable characters and wonderful voice acting, drawing you deeper into the game’s mysterious narrative and hauntingly complex world.
4. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Yo-ho, yo-ho, an assassin’s life for you! Combining the iconic game series’ format and gameplay with a pirate setting created one of the finest games on the PS3 and certainly a series highlight for Assassin’s Creed. This masterpiece of the genre features the usual stellar combat and engrossing story that the series is known for, but adds a whole lot of exploration – it doesn’t get much better than taking to the high seas and discovering new islands with your loyal crew.
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Despite 5 games in the franchise and counting, it is the Uncharted saga’s first sequel, Among Thieves, that deserves the most praise. Playing like a Hollywood action-adventure, the game features some of the most exciting and explosive sequences in the genre’s history – despite multiple attempts, developer Naughty Dog could never match the excitement of Among Thieves’ iconic train segment. An unforgettable moment in gaming that still thrills today.
2. God of War: Ascension
With new combat and puzzle mechanics building on the established award-winning gameplay, God of War: Ascension takes the bloody brutal series to new heights. With new enemies and the ability to pick up and switch weapons, combat is more intense than ever as you learn your foes weaknesses and annihilate them the only way Kratos knows how. Packed with the usual stellar character and art design, this one is a sight to behold.
1. The Last of Us
One of the finest games ever made, The Last of Us offers one of the most layered and intelligent gaming experiences thanks to brilliant AI, a stunningly realised world and phenomenal characters and story. The Last of Us immerses the player into a truly visceral experience packed with horror and heart in equal measure, and the result is nothing short of an unforgettable gaming masterpiece.