The PlayStation 3 had the roughest start out of any of the Sony home consoles. During its release window,it was eclipsed by the Xbox 360, although it did have a comeback years later.
The console eventually evolved to have an impressive library of games, from every genre you may think of. However, one of the most saturated genres was first-person shooters, and while competition is always good, it did mean thatmany titles fell through the cracksand into obscurity.
The quality bar for the FPS genre was exceptionally high on the PS3, but that doesn’t mean that the ‘mid-level’ shooters were all bad. There aresome hidden gemsand unique stories to explore if you know where to look, so here’s a selection of forgotten PS3 shooters to test your trigger finger.
9Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
The Wild Wild West
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Games based on the Wild West aresurprisingly few and far between, and your choices are even more limited if you don’t include masterpieces likeRed Dead Redemption 2, which is third-person.
Call of Juarezis a welcome change from the norm and isa fun, if flawed, FPSon the PS3. In fact, there are actually four ‘Call of Juarez’ games, and if you enjoy one, I daresay you’ll find something to appreciate in all of them.
You play as a selection of characters withsubtle differences in play styles. The ‘Concentration’ mode is available in every game and allows you toslow down timeto your advantage. In my opinion, the mechanic that makes these games special is the dueling, which temporarily makes the game third-person for some stylish cinematic kills.
8Clive Barker’s Jericho
A Sprinkle Of The Supernatural
Clive Barker’s Jericho
Clive Barker’s Jerichois an ambitious, if flawed, shooter with agritty gothictone anddistinctive hero abilities.
Jericho often dips intohorror shooter territoryand nails the creepy vibes thanks to its superb soundscape. There’s also animpressively involved storywhere you will eventually control every member of a team with the game’s namesake.
Each character has clear strengths and weaknesses, butyour AI buddies aren’t the brightestand can sully the experience. Sadly, your teammates can get hurt, and it’s up to you to babysit them.
The good far outweighs the bad in this underrated shooter, butJerichofell into obscurity with a rumored sequel, which was canceled.
7Aliens vs Predator
Not Your Average Movie Tie-In
Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
Movie tie-in games have a reputation for beinglow-effort cash grabs, and this stigma was so much worse in the PS3 era. Fortunately,Aliens vs Predatoris one of the good ones and the tie inworks so much better the other wayaround.
Regardless of what you think of the films,Aliens vs Predatoris a fun first-person shooter with asurprisingly fresh gameplay loop. Instead of forcing you to choose a faction, you’re able to play as a human, alien, or predator. Each has a unique selection of weapons, with acampaign to match.
Better yet, each faction has clear strengths and weaknesses. For example, the alien is unstoppable up close, but you need to get there first. If you enjoy the various gameplay styles,AvPoffers great bang for your buck, even ifthe multiplayer element is defunctnowadays.
One For The History Books
MAGis a unique specimen on this list, as it can’t really be played in any capacity nowadays.
Back in the PS3 days, ‘always online’ games were not really a thing, but that’s precisely whatMAGwas, andit was live between 2010 and 2014. The concept was ambitious even by today’s standards. Online battles supportedover 200 players, and ongoing campaigns among factions incentivized players to log in as often as possible.
8 Best Games Like Sniper Elite
One Shot, One Kill.
MAGboastedsix game modes, and even the smallest game type, Sabotage, was a 64-player endeavour. Honestly, I like to play the games I write about, but I missedMAG, and ithasn’t been playable in any capacityfor over a decade.
The game was a serviceable modern shooter, but it’s been relegated to the pages of gaming history. Maybe we’ll get a remake someday.
5Bulletstorm
Killing In Style
Bulletstorm
Bulletstormis one of the more well-known games on the list. Still,I rarely hear people talking about it, which is a real shame.
Bulletstormis animpressive futuristic shooterwhere the goal is to perform as many stylish kills as possible. Sure, a headshot will net you a few points, but if you drop-kick your opponent into an explosive and blow his head off mid-air? Now, that’s where the real money is.
Best of all,Bulletstormis co-op, and you’re able to coordinate deadly combos with your sadistic buddies. Many Xbox users boughtBulletstormfor theGears of War 2demo it came with. Then they stuck around for the carnage.
A Forgotten ID Franchise
Id Software is best known nowadays forDoom, which makes sense as the recent games have gone fromstrength to strength.
However, the studio also madeRAGEin 2011, combining satisfying shooter mechanics and even driving sections. The game is set in apost-apocalyptic world, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was inspired by the Mad Max movies.
You’re free to approach combat as you like, althoughstealth is never a poor option. There’s also a decent variety in the weapon pool, with special ammo types making each weapon perform differently.
I’m not usually a fan of games set in the desert, butRAGE looks superb for a PS3 gameand offers an impressively rich, unforgiving world to explore.
3Far Cry 2
Everyone speaks highly of Ubisoft’sFar Cry 3and the titles after it. I completely agree with the praise, asI appreciate a decent antagonist, butwhat of the earlier titles?
Far Cry 2boasts many concepts the series is known for but in their infancy. Youplay as a hardened mercenaryin a fictional region in Africa. You’re caught in a local power struggle, which is surprisingly well executed, as you blast, shoot, and sneak your way through missions.
Oddly enough,you contract malaria at the start of the game, which must be managed with medicine. You will suffer for it if you don’t, and it’s something you must be wary of.Far Cry 2’s villains don’t hold a candle to Vaas or Pagan Min, but it’s a solid shooter nonetheless.
2Homefront
Gritty But Great
Homefrontis agritty and violent first-person military shooterset in the not-so-distant future. The game features contemporary weapons and is set in an alternate timeline where the US and North Korea are on the brink of war.
Oddly enough,Homefrontclumsily addsreal-world themesinto its story, like bird flu, but it’s a serviceable military shooter all the same.The campaign was polarizing back in 2011, with some showering it with praise, and others criticizing it.
Fortunately, the shooting mechanics are solid, and there are enoughdramatic set piecesto keep you playing through the short campaign.
The FPS market on the PS3 was heavily saturated, and whileHomefrontis decent, it needed more to stand out. If you enjoy the title,the story was loosely revisited in the 2016 sequelon the PS4.
1Singularity
Horror And Time Travel? Sign Me Up!
Singularity
Most shooter fans nowadays will know Raven Software for their hand in theCall of Dutyfranchise. But back in 2010, the studio was the lead development team foran entirely different shooter, calledSingularity.
Singularityis based ona fictional timelinewhere scientists discover a new element called E99. Everything goes wrong when a research facility for the element is wiped off the map in an explosion, and that’s where you come in.
The title boasts a decent story withfun time travel elementstaking you between the present day and the 1950s. There are alsopsychological horror elementsthat wouldn’t be out of place in something likeF.E.A.R.
Singularityreportedly had atroubled and rushed developmentperiod. If that’s true, it does explain a few of the title’s shortcomings, but also makes the finished product a little more impressive, as there are some great ideas here.
