Summary
After its rocky and barren launch period, the PlayStation 3 started to hit its stride a couple of years into its lifespan, and ended up becoming the home for many beloved gaming IPs. By 2006, Sony and Microsoft’s consoles started to offer much more power to work with. Developers started to push what was graphically possible and, as a result, manyPS3-era gameshold up to modern gamers' visual expectations, even if lighting effects and reflections aren’t as fancy.
For horror fans,thePS3 wasn’t the golden age of survival horror that the previous consoles had been, but it did spawn some new IPs that have become hallmarks of the genre. With classics likeDead SpaceandAlien Isolationin its library, there are plenty of PS3 horror games that are well worth playing today. These are thePS3horror games that have aged the best. While many of these games are multiplatform, the fact that they were also on PS3 makes them worth consideration.
Originally released in 2014,Alien Isolationwas across-generational gamethat came to both PS3 and PS4. While sacrifices were made to get the game running on PS3, this game is still one of the best-looking horror games that ever came to the platform. In such an immersion-focused game, any hit to the fidelity does take a little away from the experience. Yet, for gamers who hadn’t upgraded their consoles at the time,Alien Isolationdid enough with its tense stealth gameplay to draw them in.
While the game featured combat with hostile NPCs and androids, the main focus ofAlien Isolationis the ever-present, looming threat of the Xenomorph. The player is unable to kill the alien, and after a certain point in the story, it’s always hunting them. This leads to a ramping tension in the gameplay that givesIsolationa survival horror tone that most otherAliengames have avoided. Since it’s readily available on modern platforms looking and playing better than it did in the PS3-era, it’s easy to sayAlien Isolationholds up with modern horror experiences.
WhileDead Spacewas an excellent game,Dead Space 2improved on the original in a number of ways, including more fluid gameplay and pacing. Some players may prefer theResident Evilmansion-style exploration of the original game’s map, but journeying around the sprawl felt like a more directed adventure, while still allowing for player choice and exploration.
Dead Space 2made combat feel even more visceral, Isaac’s weapons and his iconic stomp still feel great to use even today. It also expanded on the original game’s Zero-G sections, giving players full control of Isaac with the Zero-G boots, as opposed to the first game’s system of moving from surface to surface automatically.Dead Space 2remains a fantastic game to play, with plenty of memorable moments in the puzzles, combat, and narrative.
Siren Blood Curseis a unique survival horror game from the former Sony Japan Studio. The game was the first in the series to make it to the west, as a reimagining of the series' first game. Players see the story through the viewpoints of multiple characters as they search the mysterious Hanuda village.
Even more so than other games of the time,Siren Blood Cursefocuses on stealth and puzzle solving over action. In most cases, enemies can only be defeated temporarily, making running and hiding a player’s best option. Puzzle solving is given an extra dimension through the sight-jack ability, allowing players to see through the eyes of one character while controlling their main character in split-screen. The tense stealth gameplay andJapanese horror atmosphereofSiren Blood Cursestill hold up, though some mechanics feel a little awkward by today’s standards.
In 2005,Condemnedintroduced the dark FPS series with survival horror elements and a focus on brutal melee combat. The 2008 sequel,Condemned 2: Bloodshot, improved both the combat and gameplay variety in comparison to the original. The game follows the continuing story of former FBI agent Ethan Thomas from the first game, as he pursues another series of violent and gruesome serial killings.
The melee combat feels visceral and brutal, with more options in combat than the first game’s block and response system. The game ramps up the supernatural aspects as the story unfolds, and while it’s more on the action side of horror, there are certainly some dark moments. In terms of the combination of tone, themes, and gameplay, there aren’t many games like theCondemnedseries, and without a modern entry in the franchise, both games are worth revisiting.
2008’sDead Spacewas a truly original take on the survival horror genre. The futuristic sci-fi setting of the U.S.S Ishimura was novel enough, but the developers chose to go further than just making a zombie game in space, introducing the necromorphs and the innovative limb-severing combat. One of the game’s greatest strengths is how it links gameplay, themes, plot, and setting through the use of diagetic puzzles involving Isaac’s engineering skills and weapons based on his profession.
While the original game is showing its age, it remains a survival horror classic. Even though there is a modern remake of the game, the experience is markedly different between the two games. While the modern remake competes with the best modern3rd person survival horror, the original retains more of the tone of a traditional survival horror game.
FormerResident Evildirector Shinji Mikami developedThe Evil Withinalong with his team at Tango Gameworks. TheResident Evil 4director’s influence on the game is obvious, and fans of that era ofREwill find a lot to love inThe Evil Within. While it didn’t release until 2014, the game did come toPS3at launch. Unfortunately, that version did come with some technical issues that hurt the overall experience.
With that said,The Evil Withinis a delightfully old-school take on survival horror, with some unique gameplay of its own. Players traverse a nightmarescape that, without going into spoilers, doesn’t take place in reality. That’s fairly obvious to the player, as environments can change and warp according to events progressing. This adds a surreal tone to the horror, giving the player the sense that they don’t know exactly what’s going on. The story doesn’t necessarily stick the landing, but the journey through the game is fun.
Condemneddeveloper Monolith’s other significantPS3-era serieswasF.E.A.R, and while this game is also a horror FPS,F.E.A.Rtakes a very different approach to the genre. The game’s FPS action is fast-paced and stylish, giving the player access to bullet-time slow motion to enable power-fantasy FPS combat. The enemy AI is smart and will use tactical maneuvers like flanking to give players a challenge.
Rather than taking away from the horror, the high-octane action actually works in favor of the game’s darker and spookier moments. The player is often caught off guard when these Japanese horror-influenced elements become more prevalent throughout the game.F.E.A.Rabsolutely holds up against modern FPS experience. The game would be higher on the list if it weren’t for the fact that thePS3release was its weakest version.
1Clive Barker’s Jericho
Clive Barker’s Jericho
When a lost city mysteriously re-appears in a remote desert of the Middle East, the Department of Occult Warfare sends in a Jericho team - a special forces unit trained in both conventional warfare and the arcane arts. Their mission: To hunt down and destroy the evil at the heart of the city.• An original story from the twisted mind of horror legend Clive Barker, creator of Hellraiser• Intense first-person shooter action• Battle horrific creatures• Awesome weapons & paranormal powers• Thrilling squad-based horror
Released in 2007Clive Barker’s Jerichois a squad-based horror FPS with unique gameplay mechanics and a deep storyline. Players control one of a seven-member squad entering a lost city in order to stop an ancient evil from being awoken. Players are mostly free to switch between squad members, and each character has a different, often supernatural, ability they can use.
This squad-based, character-switching gameplay leads to some fun approaches to combat, and abilities are also used at various points to progress. There are also sections where the player is forced to use a certain character or smaller group, meaning the player gets to know each squad member. The story is deep, but a little convoluted.Jerichois still worth revisiting as an FPS though.
