• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

History of Playstation 3 (retrospective)

Xtincthed

Neo Member
what a great write up, thanks for this topic!
I absolutely love my PS3, it's by far my favorite console of this generation. So many great exclusives, call me a fan boy.. but PS3 is THE console of this generation for me :)
 

CatPee

Member
Bought my 40GB and MGS4 in '08 and never looked back. So many good times have been had since then with goodies like Uncharted, MGS4, Battlefield: BC2 MP, Wipeout HD Demon's/Dark Souls duels, etc. Nowadays, I don't play it as much due to migrating to PC, but I still keep it around for great console-only experiences like Ni No Kuni and Yakuza. Such a lovely and diverse library is what makes it so good.
 

Yawnier

Banned
The PS3 has been a great console. No doubt about that, Sony really did turn things around for it even though they have been bleeding money lately. Several of my all-time favorite games have come out on the console, I've had good times with it needless to say.

On a separate note: Your own picks for 2012 just remind me of how average of a year it was for gaming compared to '08, '09, '10, and '11. I wouldn't call 2012 a bad year for gaming necessarily, just 'weak' compared to several previous years.
 

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
Still remember picking up my BC Fatty at Best Buy and lugging that heavy fucking thing back home as fast as I could. Games like Heavenly Sword blew me away, and it just kept going. I've been dividing my time between the PS3 and 360 this whole gen, but the PS3 has always been my go-to console, despite the iffy multi-platform games and such. When it shines, the PS3 is easily the best, for me anyway.

I plan on being PS4 primary this next gen, with the Xbox 8 as a exclusive-only machine. Can't wait!
 
Great op, good work :D!

I jumped to the ps3 in i think 2008/9 with a KZ2 bundle ps3. Man those graphics were more then anything i have seen on my rrod 360. Great console
 

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
Awesome thread! Great job summing it up!

I've been a big PlayStation 3 fan and supporter since the very beginning. I was one of those guys that thought the year one PS3 lineup was fucking solid as hell. I was big pusher of Folklore, Heavenly Sword, Motorstorm, Resistance, Ratchet: ToD, Uncharted, Warhawk, since day one.

I didn't get too wrapped up in the console wars bullshit, because, in the end, I knew the games were coming. The price, for me, was right, because I wanted a Blu Ray player, and stand alone units were $1,000+ at the time. Getting a Blu Ray player, and a video game machine that would have God of War, Ratchet, Metal Gear, etc on it, for $600? It was a bargain to me. I understand why many people would disagree, however.

I didn't get my PS3 until around March 2007, around the time Motorstorm and Virtua Fighter 4 (or 5? I can never remember) released. I didn't have an HDTV at the time, but I planned on buying one. I rocked my PS3 on a 20" SDTV, and loved every minute of it. Lol. I was super jealous of my roommate, who had bought an HDTV and PS3 when it launched. Lol.

When I finally hooked up my PS3 to my new Samsung, 40" set, it was like a whole new experience to me.

The games/franchises that PlayStation 3 brought me this generation that really stand out as my favorites:

1) Uncharted franchise. Loved all 3 (and Golden Abyss on the Vita)
2) inFAMOUS franchise.
3) LittleBigPlanet franchise (ironically, the Vita version is probably the definitive LBP experience)
4) Folklore. Beautiful visuals, music, and excellent use of the Sixaxis.
5) Heavenly Sword. Nariko and Bohan are amazing characters. The motion capture is still some of the best in the industry, as is the facial animation and lip syncing. I wish more games had lip syncing as amazing as Heavenly Sword
6) thatgamecompany's trilogy. flOw, Flower, and Journey are some of the best experiences I've had in gaming.
7) Too many PSN titles to count. Digital gaming on XBLA, PSN, and Steam have helped to usher in an indie gamer renaissance, in my opinion. Too many titles to rattle off here. Digital downloadable games are, arguably, the single most important contribution to this generation for me. Lots of talent and quality all around, not just limited to PSN.
8) Metal Gear Solid 4. As a huge MGS fan, I felt that MGS4 wasn't as good as MGS3, but man, it was an amazing ride, that did an admirable job of tying up, quite literally, 25+ years of history spanning multiple gaming consoles. The microwave, and the final battle...*chills*. Unforgettable experience, even if I still love MGS3 more. Lol.
9) Heavy Rain. I don't quite get the hate this game often gets. I thought it was amazing, even if the narrative was spotty. At the very least, it showed that there is a market for different types of games beyond the "point gun at someone. pull trigger. kill target. repeat," school of game design (which is still a rather fun school, but just like chocolate; too much, and you get tired of it, or sick).

I've never regretted, not for a moment, owning a PlayStation 3. I have my backwards compatible one, and a Slim. My wife also has her own Slim. It's our primary entertainment device, despite having a 360 (RROD), and a brand new gaming PC.

I'm not as eager for new hardware as others are, but I am excited to see what Sony has planned for the PS4. The PS3 is going out with a bang, however.
 

AlexBasch

Member
Joined kinda late to the party. I wish I could have bought the PS3 back in it's rise from the ashes at 2008, it was an amazing year for that console, seen from a Xbox player.

While I switched mostly to PC gaming a year ago, I think I'll still get the PS4 at some point.
 
It had a shakey start, but currently it is a great system with fantastic exclusives. While MS seems to have abandoned a lot of it's exlusives this year, Sony seems to have doubled them. The system has matured very well.

All this makes me think of next gen. Is MS so focused on it now, that right out of the gate it will be amazingly unified and polished? Will the PS4 take 2ish years of refining before it's finally polished, or did Sony learn it's lesson with the PS3?

I buy all my cross platform titles for the 360 since they tend to run better, but I get all my HD collections for the PS3.

The controller is still awful IMO. I really expect a change next gen.

Great system. Glad I own it. I still have a backlog of around 25 games for it, so I'll be playing it for a very long time!
 

iFootball

Member
I for one, paid $599 at launch... no regrets whatsoever

... PS3 nostalgia is starting to set in, as I know I will move into PS4 as soon as its out.
 

Necrovex

Member
The system really did come a long way. It feels like the time that I barely used it at all because there was nothing on it that wasn't on 360 and likely superior there too was a lifetime ago. Now there's literally dozens of quality exclusives on the system and more coming.

It's hilarious how I always used my 360 during my high school life, now that machine is gathering dust while I adore my PS3.

I'll probably stick with the PS4. Sony knows how to make stellar exclusives.

Folklore, Heavenly Sword, the Uncharted series (besides 3 because fuck that game), inFamous 2, LBP, and Heavy Rain. So many fond memories. Mmmmmmm.
 

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
I think one of the problems that PlayStation had with the transition between the PS2 and the PS3, is that the PS2 had such an extensive library, mostly from incredibly talented 3rd parties that were really coming into their own, that Sony's genuinely quality 1st and 2nd party PS2 offerings were overlooked, and subsequently, those developers were overlooked.

I think because Sony's 1st party stable doesn't have the "household name" quality of a Mario or Zelda, many people just overlook the truly standout 1st and 2nd party series PlayStation has under its belt.

I think, with the PS3, Sony has finally shown just how diverse and talented their first party studios are, and have made some really good acquisitions this gen (Media Molecule, and Sucker Punch, for example).

Thanks to franchises like Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, and inFAMOUS really wowing people and selling units, studios like Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and Sucker Punch are getting some reputation behind them. Especially ND and SP. Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper were great franchises on the PS2, but kind of ignored, what with the throng of awesome PS2 games that seemed to release every other week.

Now, I'd argue that Uncharted, and inFAMOUS, could be potential system sellers for the PS4. Ditto for LittleBigPlanet PS4. I know I'd buy a PS4 day one if those franchises were on the PS4 within launch and the launch window.

Anyway, my point is that, this generation has been good to many of Sony's 1st party studios in the eyes of the non-hardcore PlayStation fan. The HD collections have been a great way to capitalize on the newfound popularity of studios like ND and Sucker Punch, and make some extra cash as well.
 
My fondest memories of PS3:

- Picking up my pre-order at launch from Blockbuster. 60GB unit, with Motorstorm / Resistance FOM, a HDMI cable and the Blu-Ray remote.

- Logging onto the store and instantly downloading Tekken DR and GT5 Prologue.

- Motorstorm visually blowing me away.

- When games such as Metal Gear Solid 4, FFXIII and Uncharted finally released. Especially in the case of FFXIII, it had taken forever to arrive, and I took holiday time off work to session it.

- MGS4. The game of the generation. Finished it in 2 days. Still absolutely astounds me.

- The first playthrough of Uncharted 2.

- Call of Duty 4, days worth of play online with my old friend from university. We kept in touch on COD, via headset, as we lived so far apart.

- Picking up a Move at the end of the summer and playing Sports Champions in my old flat with my friends. Fun at the time.

- My first playthrough of Journey...

I think these were the fondest memories I have from this gen.
 
Anyone remembers the F1 game using the PSP as a rear view mirror???


Also amazing thread OP, but im kind of hurt you didnt include in your timeline the creation of the game of the generation, Demon Souls. Without Sony, we wouldnt have that masterpiece.
 
Right. I've had so many requests - Demon Souls is added to the OP under the 2009 section of the timeline.

Demon's_Souls_Cover.jpg
 

amar212

Member
Anyone remembers the F1 game using the PSP as a rear view mirror???

Never released.

It was just a great idea that finished its life as debug-PSP with debug-software in Phil Harrison's hands on E3 conference.

F1 Championship Edition was released without functional option, although it exist in the game (within LAN mode you can still see the original coding).

 

SykoTech

Member
Just realized there's no mention of The Last Guardian in the OP.

Though at this rate, I question rather it deserves one.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
It's up there with the Dreamcast as my all time favorite console. It didn't have the massive software line-up of it's predecessor, but there were quite a few really special games on the triple. Between Little Big Planet, the Uncharteds, Demon's Souls, Flower, MGS4, Wipeout HD, Heavy Rain and Valkyria Chronicles, it's a console that I'll never forget. Kudos to Sony for pushing ambitious exclusives when the competition played it safe.
 
Best memories of the early-mid ps3 days were from warhawk and killzone 2. The MP in those two games tower above everything else. Those two also came out before the "COD-ification" of every shooter, so they had features like server browsing, custom games with tons of options, detailed info including ping, dedicated servers.

After that, the ps3 has been all about demons souls and dark souls.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Best memories of the early-mid ps3 days were from warhawk and killzone 2. The MP in those two games tower above everything else. Those two also came out before the "COD-ification" of every shooter, so they had features like server browsing, custom games with tons of options, detailed info including ping, dedicated servers.

I neglected to mention it in my short post above, but my time with Killzone 2's Warzone mode is one of my most fondly remembered experiences of this last generation. It's a shame that the whole revolving objectives concept hasn't been seen in many other MP games yet.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Reading the OP, it seems that many of the games on the list I loved, with the exceptions of Valkyria Chronicles, Demons Souls and Wipeout HD, were multiplat. I definitely think you should've highlighted the Atelier games, they are some of my favorite PS3 exclusives.
 

Corto

Member
What a ride... What a ride. Great thread to reminisce on these last 7 years. My PS3 took a central place on our family entertainment during that time. My son was born in 2009 and already plays some Move games and watches his favorite movies on there. Great console, great entertainment hub and the most consumer friendly console that we will see for many years to come. Excellent OP! I would just add some face melting Zone gifs from Wipeout HD+Fury but that's just me. Unfortunately... *sheds a tear for Studio Liverpool*
 
Reading the OP, it seems that many of the games on the list I loved, with the exceptions of Valkyria Chronicles, Demons Souls and Wipeout HD, were multiplat. I definitely think you should've highlighted the Atelier games, they are some of my favorite PS3 exclusives.

I like to think of myself as a JRPG fan, but I've missed some of the smaller Japanese titles this gen and so never played the Atelier games. I know there are three and Alchemist of Arland is the first, to my knowledge. Is it worth a look?
 

jett

D-Member
Honestly, the PS3 is second to the Gamecube in terms of worst console I ever owned. NES, SNES, N64, PS1, Dreamcast, PS2, they're all superior to this thing. They all offered me, at the time, with better gaming experiences. Maybe it's just me getting older. This thing also decided to have its laser die on me one month after purchase, and decided to YLOD three years after the original purchase. I can only hope my slim doesn't die any time soon. I imagine this crap weighs heavily on how I think back on the PS3. :p

Still had some good times, nice memories, some good even great games. My favorite memories were kicking ass in Uncharted 2 multiplayer with U2-GAF.

Good OP.
 

KAL2006

Banned
I jumped in at the right time, bought a slim with SSFIV. I used to own a 360 but it RROD'd on me then bought a Slim in 2010. Had a great backlog of games to get and a ton of game to look forward. And it looks like Sony just keeps given, I am glad I switched from 360 to PS3, and luckily I didn't get too much into the 360 echo system with a large XBLA collection, achievements, friend list and etc, I know many people refuse to switch cause of those reasons.
 
I was in uni when it released. I remember the hype Sony had built up for it despite there being only two games worth playing (R:FoM and Motorstorm). Seems like a lifetime ago, and now we're gearing up for PS4. I can't wait.

Awesome thread OP.
 

jett

D-Member
Watching the 2005 conference, I miss Phil Harrison. Or at least, someone with his personality and charisma. That void hasn't been filled by anyone in the big three.
 
Watching the 2005 conference, I miss Phil Harrison. Or at least, someone with his personality and charisma. That void hasn't been filled by anyone in the big three.

Harrison is at MS now. I hope he takes over the conferences. Don Mattrick fucking sucks, all I think when I see or hear him is that he is a massive tool.
 

Erasus

Member
Amazing console! KZ2, Motorstorm and folklore still look great. Heavy Rain is amazing too. Uncharted series is one of the best. And Ratchet in glorious HD! Stuff like Journey too, man great great console
 

Yawnier

Banned
Watching the 2005 conference, I miss Phil Harrison. Or at least, someone with his personality and charisma. That void hasn't been filled by anyone in the big three.

Yeah, I agree. I watched Sony's E3 2006 conference again recently and I found it a bit funny how about half way through it, he was practically trying to keep things together pretty much all by himself.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
I like to think of myself as a JRPG fan, but I've missed some of the smaller Japanese titles this gen and so never played the Atelier games. I know there are three and Alchemist of Arland is the first, to my knowledge. Is it worth a look?

There are:
Atelier Rorona
Atelier Totori
Atelier Meruru
Atelier Ayesha (coming to the states later this year I believe)

They're definitely more lighthearted RPGs and low-budget (but still have great character designs and character modeling), more focused on alchemy systems than saving the world, and things are set to a time schedule (you take on quests). They are charming games, lots of people overlook them because they think they are loli uguu games (they aren't). I'd recommend giving Totori or Meruru a try.

There's also Ar Tonelico 3 (haven't played) and the Neptunia games :p
 
There are:
Atelier Rorona
Atelier Totori
Atelier Meruru
Atelier Ayesha (coming to the states later this year I believe)

They're definitely more lighthearted RPGs and low-budget (but still have great character designs and character modeling), more focused on alchemy systems than saving the world, and things are set to a time schedule (you take on quests). They are charming games, lots of people overlook them because they think they are loli uguu games (they aren't). I'd recommend giving Totori or Meruru a try.

There's also Ar Tonelico 3 (haven't played) and the Neptunia games :p

Nice. I'll look into these games after finishing up The Last of Us in June. I'll try and play through the first game between TLOU and Lightning Returns. Spring is already too jam packed with new releases.
 

Rippa

Member
Sweet thread OP! All the ups and downs and back ups were all worth it! It has been a great ride. I can't wait for the next iteration.
 
Top Bottom