Video games are unlike other forms of media. Instead of being a passive experience, such as watching movies or listening to music, video games require a great deal of input from the user. The greatest video games are those the player can fully immerse themselves into, making themselves a part of the experience. While the video game market is saturated with quality products, there are relatively few examples of games that completely draw you into the gameplay. The following is a list of my top 10 most immersive games on the Playstation 3.
10. Farcry 2 : Starting the list is Farcry 2 , a first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft. Dropped into an African country to stop an arms dealer, the player is put into a lush, open world. Whether in the savannah or jungle regions, the player is treated to a realistic locale, and players are allowed to tackle missions however they see fit, whether a stealthy approach or an all out assault. Or, if you like, you can create a forest fire to take out or confuse your enemies. The choice is up to the player.
9. InFamous : Next up is inFamous , a third-person action game developed by Sucker Punch. The player controls someone imbued with superhuman, lightning-based powers. Put into an open-world city, the player has the option to either become a hero or villain. The course of the player’s actions not only influence the story, but also the look of the city itself. Do good and the city will start to show improvement, or do evil and the city will deteriorate over time.
8. Dead Space : Dead Space , a third-person horror game developed by Electronic Arts, casts the player as engineer Isaac Clarke, whose crew is tasked with investigating a space vessel that broke off communication. After making contact, your crew is left stranded on the ship with the nightmarish creatures overrunning the vessel. Never before has a game made me as paranoid about seeing what is around the next corner as this one.
7. Bioshock : Bioshock is a first-person shooter developed by 2K Games. Cast as an airline crash survivor, you find yourself drawn into Rapture, an underwater metropolis created by a person who wanted a city without the constraints of morality or ethics. The player is tasked with navigating through the aftermath of the societal breakdown, and the psychopaths that still fight to control it.
6. Mass Effect 2 : Mass Effect 2 , a third-person shooter/role-playing game, was developed by Bioware. Cast as Commander Shepherd, the player is tasked with recruiting a crew to stand against the threat of the Reapers, alien lifeforms intent on destroying the universe. Every action that the player takes within the game can have consequences, changing the way the story plays out, the loyalty of your crew, or whether your crew will even be able to stay alive. Few games can match the depth of consequences that your actions can make.
5. Arkham City : Arkham City , a third-person action game developed by Rocksteady, casts you as the caped crusader, Batman. Captured by the villain Hugo Strange and brought to his prison for super-criminals, you are tasked with combating the devious plans of Batman’s greatest enemies, including the Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and the Riddler. Never before has a game been able to make you feel like Batman as much as this one.
4. Skyrim : The fifth installment in Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim is a fantasy role-playing game that casts the player as the Dragonborn, someone with the rare ability to use the language of the dragons. The range of tasks that the player can choose to do within this game is endless, as is the amount of exploring. The player can get completely lost within the game and it’s numerous locations, whether it be an idyllic village, underground cavern, or ancient ruin.
3. Dark Souls : Dark Souls , an unforgiving third-person role-playing game developed by From Software, gives all new meaning to difficulty within modern day video games. Even though the game is brutally difficult, it is never unbearably so. At least in the long run. The player learns from their mistakes, learns the tactics of their enemies, and learns the caution that is necessary to survive within the game world. Few games demand as much time actually learning the mechanics of the game as this one. And if you don’t take the time to do so, you will be punished, and punished often.
2. Red Dead Redemption : Red Dead Redemption , a third-person action game developed by Rockstar, casts the player as John Marston, an outlaw seeking atonement for his past crimes. One of the very rare games that take place within the wild west, Rockstar does an excellent job of creating a world that is very believable and sucks you into the story. Whether wrangling horses, protecting wagons from outlaws, or having epic shootouts, you definitely feel a part of the wild west.
1. Fallout 3 : Finally, we have Fallout 3 , developed by Bethesda, a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter/role-playing game. Cast as a Vault dweller, someone who has been forced to live in underground vaults to escape the nuclear holocaust, you emerge into a vast, open wasteland, begging to be explored. With a large game world to explore, and new locations to always be discovered, you will always want to risk going out into the wasteland, and battle the raiders, mutants, and irradiated wildlife that will seek your demise.
I hope you have enjoyed this list. These are all games that I have personally played and experienced, and have my highest recommendation if you are looking to find a truly immersive Playstation 3 game.
