{"id":7990,"date":"2017-10-18T16:50:20","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T15:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=7990"},"modified":"2024-03-14T12:01:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T12:01:39","slug":"the-10-most-underrated-ps3-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2017\/10\/18\/the-10-most-underrated-ps3-games\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 most underrated PS3 games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The PlayStation 3 played host to a lot of fantastic games: <em>The Last of Us, Uncharted, Grand Theft Auto V &#8211;<\/em>\u00a0the list goes on.<\/p>\n<p>However, quite a few hidden gems were buried under that avalanche of quality. Whether it was due to poor marketing, unfair reviews or just plain old ignorance, the following games largely fell by the wayside&#8230; but they deserve a second chance.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Spec Ops: The Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kIoJnMT3yUI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On the surface, <em>Spec Ops: The Line <\/em>looks like your average modern military shooter; it has a cover system similar to <em>Gears of War<\/em>, squad tactics like <em>Rainbow Six <\/em>and the look and feel of <em>Modern Warfare<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Dig a little deeper, though, and you\u2019ll discover a surprisingly intelligent game that\u2019s brave enough to question the morality of war and its use in entertainment.<\/p>\n<p>You play as Captain Martin Walker, the leader of an elite military squad sent on a recon mission in a storm-ravaged Dubai, which is now under the control of a rogue US army unit.<\/p>\n<p>Like any war game, you\u2019re responsible for a lot of deaths. However, these deaths and the various moral decisions you\u2019re forced to make take their toll on Walker. As the game progresses, Walker becomes more aggressive and beings to experience hallucinations.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a uniquely intelligent take on warfare, rejecting the gung-ho action of <em>Call of Duty <\/em>for something altogether more thought-provoking and downbeat. Perhaps that\u2019s why it didn\u2019t sell very well, despite winning numerous awards for its story.<\/p>\n<p>If you enjoy military shooters, add this to your \u201d\u02dcto play\u2019 list.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/spec-ops-the-line-including-fubar-pac\"><strong>Buy <em>Spec Ops: The Line <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Shadows of the Damned<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aEoJsJGU3jM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Shadows of the Damned <\/em>is the result of a collaboration between two of the biggest names in gaming, Suda51 (No More Heroes, Killer7) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, The Evil Within), yet largely slipped under the radar.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the concept was just too far-out for most people. You play as a Mexican demon hunter, Garcia Hotspur, who has to travel to the City of the Damned (which we hear is lovely this time of year) to save his true love. Accompanying him is his assistant, a skull named Johnson who can also turn into a variety of guns (yes, really).<\/p>\n<p><em>Shadow of the Damned<\/em>\u2019s odd concept was watered down significantly from Suda 51\u2019s original concepts, which were met with confusion by publishers EA. The result was a game that neither Suda or Mikami were totally happy with, to the extent that Suda\u2019s heart was \u201d\u02dcbroken\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>That might explain why the game didn\u2019t perform as well as expected. Still, it\u2019s well worth a blast if you\u2019re looking for a unique adventure game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/shadows-of-the-damned-68c7afb2-29dd-48ae-8d14-011f555d7a97\"><strong>Buy <em>Shadows of the Damned <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0ISlVt5nF2c\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Take one of the most popular genres of music in the world, get the genius behind <em>Psychonauts <\/em>to make a game based on it and cast one of the most popular comedy actors around to voice the main character \u201d\u201c a formula for success, surely?<\/p>\n<p>Well&#8230; kinda. <em>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend <\/em>is an action adventure game set in a fantasy world inspired by heavy metal album covers. You play as Eddie, a roadie (voiced by Jack Black) tasked with protecting the land\u2019s human population with an axe, a hot road and his trusty Flying V.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, he encounters a number of weird and wonderful characters voiced by heavy metal royalty like Lemmy, Rob Halford and Lita Ford. He even meets the Guardian of Metal, voiced with aplomb by none other than Ozzy Osborne.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and there\u2019s a sweet soundtrack featuring the likes of Motorhead, Mastodon and Tenacious D too. So why is <em>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend<\/em> underappreciated?<\/p>\n<p>The answer lies a few hours into the game, when the third person action gives way to a full-blown real time strategy game. This element was largely left of the marketing, mainly out of a fear that console gamers weren\u2019t into it, and took some players by surprise (and not always in a good way).<\/p>\n<p><em>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend <\/em>still got decent reviews and sold fairly well, but it still didn\u2019t get as much love as it perhaps deserved. Hopefully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamespot.com\/articles\/e3-2017-brutal-legend-2-will-happen-eventually-dir\/1100-6450936\/\">the long rumoured sequel<\/a> will perform a little better.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/brutal-legend-ps3\"><strong>Buy <em>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Vanquish<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wT5wg51JB8w\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Vanquish <\/em>is a third person shooter developed by PlatinumGames and directed by Shinji Mikami, who has a knack for creating underappreciated games (unless they\u2019re called <em>Resident Evil<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>In an overcrowded genre, <em>Vanquish <\/em>stands out for its intense pace, inspired by classic \u201d\u02dcbullet hell\u2019 space shooters, and lavish Manga-style visuals. It\u2019s a tough game that requires fast reflexes, a kind mind and a lot of determination.<\/p>\n<p>The plot follows a researcher who is sent on a mission to stop a Russian terrorist from launching a attack on New York City from a space station. He\u2019s equipped with an Augmented Reaction Suit (complete with jet boosters in both the arms and legs) and something called the BLADE system, which can replicate any weapon imaginable.<\/p>\n<p><em>Vanquish<\/em> stands out from its dull peers, although it didn\u2019t quite capture the public\u2019s imagination. Do yourself a favour and give it a try.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/vanquish\"><strong>Buy <em>Vanquish <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cEd9Dfc_Vlk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Like <em>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West <\/em>has a lot going for it. Based on the classic Chinese novel <em>Journey to the West<\/em>, it was written by Alex Garland of <em>28 Days Later <\/em>and <em>Ex Machina <\/em>fame and featured the many talents of Andy Serkis (<em>Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>It also looks incredible, with colourful, rich environments, and its 3D platforming gameplay is both engaging and entertaining. The story, which follows a warrior named Monkey, is fantastic by your usual gaming standards too.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason, though, <em>Enslaved <\/em>didn\u2019t quite click with the public. It was expected to sell a million units within a month of launch but sold less than half that. It had only sold 730,000 copies by September 2011, which led to the cancellation of a planned sequel.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/enslaved-odyssey-to-the-west-playstation-3\"><strong>Buy <em>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Split\/Second: Velocity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WpnUzI04_1s\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Racing games are a dying art (<em>Forza <\/em>and <em>Gran Turismo<\/em> not withstanding), with quite a few high profile flops over the past few years.<\/p>\n<p><em>Split\/Second <\/em>is arguably one of them, selling just 86,000 copies worldwide. Those low sales weren\u2019t due to a lack of quality though.<\/p>\n<p>The game is positioned as a fictional reality TV show where contestants race for money and pride. Although you drive a \u201d\u02dcproper\u2019 car, the game is more reminiscent of a kart racer with fast-paced controls and power ups (mainly consisting of huge explosions that either damage your opponents, open up shortcuts or change the track entirely).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a shame <em>Split\/Second<\/em> didn\u2019t catch on really, but there\u2019s still plenty of fun to be had \u201d\u201c especially as you can pick it up so cheap.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/split-second\"><strong>Buy <em>Split\/Second <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>The Saboteur<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XhTizv7XYeU?si=zH4zvTEWYAp11tTC\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>The Saboteur <\/em>had a lot going for it: a great setting, a great story and, most importantly, great <em>Grand Theft Auto <\/em>style gameplay. Unfortunately, due to the studio behind it shutting down around the time of release, it was criminally under-marketed and barely anyone played it.<\/p>\n<p>The game puts you in the shoes of an Irish mechanic named Sean Devlin, who is in Paris to seek revenge for the death of his friend at the hands of a particularly nasty Nazi.<\/p>\n<p>This is the push off point for exploring Paris, driving very fast and beating up baddies. <em>The Saboteur <\/em>is a little rough around the edges but it\u2019s extremely fun and its unique art style put it ahead of the myriad <em>GTA <\/em>clones released in the late \u201d\u02dc00s\/early \u201d\u02dc10s.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/the-saboteur\">Buy <em>The Saboteur <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Bulletstorm<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DAF_waUaERQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t played <em>Bulletstorm, <\/em>the chances are you\u2019ve seen its infamous TV ad mocking <em>Halo\u2019s <\/em>much-loved \u201d\u02dcDiorama\u2019 ad campaign. The irreverent tone of the commercial captures <em>Bulletstorm\u2019s <\/em>heady mix of crude humour, high-octane fun and an almost total lack of seriousness.<\/p>\n<p>You play as mercenary who has crash-landed on a planet full of flesh-eating space mutants. Your mission? Blast as many of them as possible as creatively as you can. The more creative your kills, the more points you get. Your points can then be spent on new guns and upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, <em>Bulletstorm <\/em>sold less than a million copies; Epic Games even claimed that they failed to turn a profit on it. It\u2019s got a second shot at success in the form of a recent remaster, although the original is a lot cheaper.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/bulletstorm-58387a10-8a51-4714-8c6a-86a6e59da928\">Buy <em>Bulletstorm <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Bionic Commando<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7D7wWMpHpmg?si=6PpTA2l9i0okiIB4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Bionic Commando <\/em>is a remake of the classic NES shoot-em-up, transplanting the game\u2019s retro trappings into the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n<p>You play as a bionic government agent named Nathan Spencer (voiced by Faith No More\u2019s Mike Patton) who is betrayed and left to fight for his survival. It\u2019s a bit like <em>Blade Runner <\/em>(although not quite as good, because&#8230;well, what is?), except with a bloke with a bionic arm rather than a brooding Harrison Ford.<\/p>\n<p><em>Bionic Commando <\/em>isn\u2019t perfect, but it deserves more praise than it received at the time.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/bionic-commando-ps3\">Buy <em>Bionic Commando <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Bioshock 2 <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tzWTcDydlpM?si=l9z4p-N0TBzql5tI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Bioshock 2 <\/em>is the dark sheep of the family: it didn\u2019t receive as much praise as the original and didn\u2019t receive as much attention as <em>Infinite. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps that\u2019s because it\u2019s similar to the original in quite a lot of ways; it\u2019s set in the same location (albeit 8 years later) and the gameplay is similar. However, <em>Bioshock 2 <\/em>improves on many of the original\u2019s elements, including the weapons and plasmids.<\/p>\n<p>The plot is arguably more engaging than the original too, using a thought-provoking antagonist to drive a surprisingly emotional warning on the perils of extreme views.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you get to play as a Big Daddy. You can\u2019t argue with that.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/products\/bioshock-2-ps3\">Buy <em>Bioshock 2 <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Did you know you can <a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/games\/playstation-3\/\">buy PS3 games<\/a> at incredible prices on the musicMagpie Store? We\u2019ve got thousands to choose from, plus you\u2019ll get FREE delivery on all orders. Why wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/games\/playstation-3\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5210 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/SHOP-NOW.png\" alt=\"SHOP NOW\" width=\"299\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here are the 10 most underrated PS3 games:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Spec Ops: The Line<\/li>\n<li>Shadows of the Damned<\/li>\n<li>Br\u00c3\u00bctal Legend<\/li>\n<li>Vanquish<\/li>\n<li>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West<\/li>\n<li>Split\/Second: Velocity<\/li>\n<li>The Saboteur<\/li>\n<li>Bulletstorm<\/li>\n<li>Bionic Commando<\/li>\n<li>Bioshock 2<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The PlayStation 3 played host to a lot of fantastic games: The Last of Us, Uncharted, Grand Theft Auto V &#8211;\u00a0the list goes on. However, quite a few hidden gems were buried under that avalanche of quality. Whether it was due to poor marketing, unfair reviews or just plain old &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[593],"tags":[1561,1948],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7990"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17121,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990\/revisions\/17121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}