Top 10 PS3 Action-Adventure Games

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.

Top 10 PS3 Role Playing Games (RPG)

10. Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom

Boasting a beautifully compelling story and built around a rewarding fusion of stealth and action, Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom. Taking place in one of the most richly designed worlds in the genre and truly interesting characters, this underrated modern classic is long overdue for a reappraisal. With fantastic pacing and a perfect balance between exploration, combat and puzzles, this one is a must-see for fans of the genre.

9. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

This exciting chapter in the Dragon’s Dogma franchise delivered a huge new area filled with missions, enemies and more – plus, all the content from the original game. The result is a game that will keep you entertained for many hours as you journey across the cursed Bitterblack Isle facing terrifying foes, embarking on many quests and taking your hero to new heights with new high-level skills and augments.

8. Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

This beautifully realised RPG combines both western and Japanese styles of gameplay, resulting in a unique and addictive title. With stunningly animated cutscenes by Studio Ghibli, a tactical yet simple combat system and a myriad of secondary quests and mini-games, this one is packed with content. As you join Oliver on a quest across a strange new world, you will be immersed in a variety of incredible environments, landscapes and cities.

7. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

This intense and richly designed adventure is packed with riveting storyline and exploration, incredible combat and rich customisation. One of the biggest and best RPGs on the PS3, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is never discussed in the same breath as Skyrim and Dragon Age and that is a crime. The result is an absolute masterpiece of the RPG genre and a game that deserves to be considered one of the finest titles on the PS3.

6. Dragon Age: Inquisition

With an engrossing character-driven story and a diverse, stunning and immersive world to explore, Dragon Age: Inquisition’s player-shaped world will keep you busy for many hours. With the freedom to completely customise the appearance and abilities of your hero, followers, outposts and strongholds, there is certainly enough content here to keep you busy beyond the lengthy story mode. This phenomenal RPG certainly lives up to the word epic.

5. Demon’s Souls

One of the most unique examples of the genre, Demon’s Souls combes the best aspects of the RPG and action adventure genres, resulting in a stunning game that has you slicing, smashing and shooting your way through vicious enemies in an immersive open-ended narrative with several paths to journey down. With endless customisation and the ability to pursue and refine skills of your choosing, this is an incredible action RPG title that deserves its legendary status as one of the finest RPG titles on the PS3.

4. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

One of the most celebrated titles in the RPG genre, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is an absolutely iconic title. Best experienced with friends, this addictive adventure allows you to choose your character from a range of unique classes before levelling up throughout the game to unlock devastating powers and legendary equipment. With a focus on button-mashing action and grinding, Diablo III is a game that rewards your time – expect to pump hours into this one.

3. Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls titles are not games that you complete – the main quests are only a tiny part of the content, with the world themselves taking more of players’ time. My fondest memories are not of beating quests, but rather exploring Tamriel, speaking to people, reading into the lore through the in-game literature, and trading. There is just so much going on here that it will consume your life – but in the best possible way. An absolute marvel of gaming. 

2. Fallout 3

One of the biggest and best RPGs in gaming, Fallout 3 is a masterpiece that will take over your life. As you tread the line between good and evil and scour the post-apocalyptic wasteland, prepare to embark on one of the best adventures on the PlayStation 3 – now packed with oodles of DLC content in the Game of the Year Edition. Will you be a good citizen or a dastardly villain?

1. Persona 5

Persona 5 is not just one of the longest games on the PS3, but one of the best. It is a masterpiece. This unforgettable Japanese RPG is packed with vibrantly stylised visuals, elegant anime cut-scenes and a stunning soundtrack from Shoji Meguro. The result is a phenomenal game, and it is generally considered to take up to and over 100 hours to complete - especially as patience and slow, thoughtful play is rewarded.

Top 10 PS3 Racing Games

10. Midnight Club Los Angeles

With at times downright bizarre physics, Midnight Club Los Angeles has a certain character and arcade charm to it that puts it high up on this list. With a simple career mode – beat everyone and become the champ of Los Angeles – this is a good old-fashioned racer with a focus on fun. With very little customisation or settings you can change, Midnight Club Los Angeles is a reminder that a good racing game only needs to put you behind the wheel to have a good time. 

9. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

This passionate love letter to classic SEGA characters and franchises is a wonderful call back to the heyday of gaming and provides a heavy emphasis on fan service. But this is more than style over substance – beneath the surface lies a truly effective kart racer, which could just beat Mario Kart on the track. A well-balanced, entertaining and delightfully entertaining arcade racer that is certainly the most fun entry on this list.

8. GRID

Packed with powerful race cars and beautifully realized locations over three continents, GRID challenges players to conquer everything from official race tracks to urban street races. With a focus on the thrill of the race and not on endless customisation and vehicle collecting, this is a game that blends the best elements of driving simulation and arcade racers to deliver an exhilarating driving experience that will thrill fans and newcomers to the genre alike.

7. Gran Turismo 6

With more than 1200 cars and a phenomenal physics engine, Gran Turismo 6 is any car-lover’s

dream. As you explore the game’s 33 locations, you will be in absolute awe of the graphical

presentation – Gran Turismo 6 pushed the PlayStation 3 to its limit and the result is nothing short of mesmerising. This is a game that looks and plays absolutely beautifully.

6. Split/Second Velocity

This unique and over-the-top title puts players into a fictional reality TV show where they must race for money and glory. Packed with stunts and ridiculous events including shockwave-inducing explosions, buckling highways and breaching dams, this crazy arcade racer doesn’t take itself seriously at all and the result is one of the most fun titles in the genre.

5. Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012

Most Wanted allows players to compete in three types of events: sprint races, which involves traveling from one point of the city to another, standard circuit races, and speed runs. But the game’s highlight is the ambush races, where the player starts surrounded by cops and must evade their pursuit as quickly as possible. The result is a thrilling title that stands out as one of the best in the Need for Speed series.

4. Dirt 3

This super-charged and endlessly fun racer combines the usual rally racing with delightfully bonkers mini-games including “Outbreak” which challenges the driver to spread a zombie infection and “Invasion” which involves smashing wooden targets. Also included is a gymkhana mode that puts drivers in obstacle courses, challenging them to perform tricks to earn points. Colourful and fun, DiRT 3 is a riot.

3. WipeOut HD Fury

Adrenaline begins where gravity ends in this futuristic and chaotic arcade racer, offering anti-grav combat racing and a pounding techno soundtrack. With a ridiculously smooth framerate and stunning neon-soaked visuals, this thrilling sci-fi racer offers a unique and exciting experience that few other racing games can even come close to matching.

2. Need For Speed Hot Pursuit

Offering a full career mode for either a street-racer or police officer, this action-packed arcade title puts players in an open world featuring over 100 miles of open road, four times larger than that of Burnout Paradise. As the police, you can order in radar jammers or road blocks, while as a racer you can hit higher speeds to elude capture. The result is a surprisingly strategic racer than creates a heated rivalry between the racers and the law.

1. Burnout Paradise - Ultimate Box

Take a trip to Paradise City with this exciting reinvention of the Burnout series that, thanks to the overall tone and chaotic gameplay, reminds gamers why it was so beloved in the first place. The deeply innovative and exciting Burnout Paradise is a stunning and endlessly rewarding racing title that encourages carnage in the way only Burnout knows how. Throw out the driver’s handbook and let the chaos flow through you.