The 9 Best Upcoming PS3 Exclusives

With earth-shaking exclusive games already out on PlayStation 3 like Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and MLB 09: The Show, there’s certainly no shortage of big games you can only play on Sony’s shiny black next-gen console. And while there’s sure to be a boatload of new games announced at E3 2009, there are already quite a few PS3 exclusives on the horizon that have us salivating. Here are the nine PS3-only games we can’t wait to play (and don’t worry, we’ve got 360 and Wii editions of this feature on the way too).

9. MAG

When you’ll get to play it: Fall 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Killzone 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
I think GamePro’s previews editor Andy Burt pretty much sums up why exactly we’re eager to jump into Zipper Interactive’s (SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo series) forthcoming shooter MAG, AKA Massive Action Game, when he says that nothing will prepare you for its anarchic 256 player deathmatches that run smoothly “at 30 frames per second.” MAG features sprawling battlefields loaded with everything from infantry units, airplanes, tanks, and a variety of other man-crushing vehicles. It doesn’t have the branding of other entries on this list, but judging from what we’ve seen of MAG thus far, all that could change and we could have another huge new shooter franchise on our hands.

8. Pixel Junk: 1-4

When you’ll get to play it: 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Pixel Junk Monsters, Crash Commando
Whether you’re constructing towers to thwart the attacks of creatures in PixelJunk Monsters or swinging around levels as the Grimp in PixelJunk Eden, games in the PlayStation Network series Pixel Junk are some of the best simple pleasures you’ll find on a next-generation console (okay, we’ll admit PixelJunk Racers sucked). In the next hotly-anticipated entry, PixelJunk 1-4, players control a tank-like vehicle, rolling through stages and saving people. Even though PixelJunk 1-4 has just been announced recently, you can be sure we’ll see more of the game come E3 time. The game’s also slated for a firm 2009 release date, so we won’t have to go too much longer without another PJ game.

7. Gran Turismo 5

When you’ll get to play it: TBA, could be this year though
What to play while you’re waiting: Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Project Gotham Racing 4
The Citizen Kane of the realistic racing genre, Gran Turismo rarely fails to deliver anything less than a breathtaking racing experience. It seems like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for the next installment in Sony’s racing simulating series–the last game, Gran Turismo 4, was released back in 2004 on the PS2 for crying out loud. The delayed release of Gran Turismo 5 is almost getting to be unbearable, especially considering the fact that many gamers got a taste of the game’s shockingly photo-realistic graphics in the demo version of the game, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, which came out over a year ago. Hopefully, by the time E3 rolls around, we’ll get some update on when GT5 will hit the PlayStation 3. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

6. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

When you’ll get to play it: TBA
What to play while you’re waiting: Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
With three completely different upcoming games containing “Final Fantasy XIII” in their titles (Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Final Fantasy XIII), you might be confused as to what Versus is exactly. Its story is unrelated to the other versions of FFXIII and the game is being classified as an action RPG, borrowing battle elements from other action-heavy Square Enix games like Kingdom Hearts and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, the Versus game is not going the multiplatform route and is only being released on PS3. One of the most intriguing aspects of Versus is that it takes on a much bleaker, darker, and bloodier look and feel than previous Final Fantasy games as the game’s director Tetsuya Nomura has stated.

5. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
When you’ll get to play it: December 2, 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
A Crack in Time will be the ninth game in Insomniac’s acclaimed PS3-exclusive platforming franchise and the third game in the Ratchet & Clank Future trilogy. While details on the new game are scarce, we do know that the major selling point for the next Ratchet & Clank is how you’ll be able to time-travel in the game. This new mechanic allows the player to travel back and forth in time as well as manipulate time itself to solve puzzles and progress in the game. Something else that’s pretty interesting is the fact that it’s unclear whether or not Ratchet will be in the game at all since a different, older-looking Lombax is featured in the trailer.

4. inFamous

When you’ll get to play it: May 26, 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Crackdown, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
inFamous aims to reinvent the sandbox-style game genre and from what we’ve seen of the game, it’s achieving that very thing. Instead of other open-world games where you’re stealing lambos and using them to run over hookers like Grand Theft Auto or swinging around a city on webs like Spider-Man 2 (though you do have super hero-like abilities in inFamous), you have the option to play through the game as either a superhero or a villain with your newly acquired Raiden-esque electric powers. The game’s developer Sucker Punch has said that the player will acquire over sixty electricity-based special powers that they can cook enemies with, which sounds like enough voltage to power Las Vegas for a week. There’s no denying that inFamous is one of the most promising PS3 exclusives coming out soon.

3. Uncharted 2: Among Theives

When you’ll get to play it: Fall 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Tomb Raider: Legend
Despite not quite gaining the following of other triple A console exclusives like Gears of War or Halo, the first Uncharted received rave reviews and is regarded as one of the finest PlayStation 3 games, period. The sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, turns up the heat by introducing a robust multiplayer that supports five on five competitive matches as well as a three player co-op mode separate from the main campaign. And while the ability to play with two of your buddies is reason enough to get excited about treasure hunting once again as Nathan Drake, the game also looks gorgeous. Watch the video below to see just how pretty this sequel is.

2. Heavy Rain

When you’ll get to play it: 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: Indigo Prophecy, Omikron
Heavy Rain director and CEO of French developer Quantic Dream isn’t kidding when he says that his team has gone to great lengths to bring total immersion within his game’s universe to the player. We’ve seen the game in action, and without question Heavy Rain redefines how photo-realistic next-gen graphics can be. On top of Heavy Rain’s eye-bursting graphics, the game also boasts a number of innovations, such as the elimination of a “Game Over” screen where the game carries on even after characters die, and multiple paths the player can take that “force the player to make choices as a human being.”

1. God of War III

When you’ll get to play it: 2009, exact date will be announced at E3 2009
What to play while you’re waiting: God of War II, X-men Origins: Wolverine
Even if hack and slash action isn’t necessarily your genre of choice, if you own a PS3 you’re not going to want to miss out on the third game in Sony’s ultraviolent series. Expect to eviscerate a new batch of Greek goliaths with Kratos’ jagged-toothed blades, including nasty newcomers like hulking centaurs and monstrous goat-snake-lion-crossbreeds called Chimeras. Judging from the slew of trailers and updates on the game, it’s clear that God of War III is more than merely a continuation of where God of War II left off as its winning brand of brutal combat and over-the-top boss battles have been taken to a new level of ferociousness and scale. – Gamepro

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