1st time owner what games would you recommend?

Do you still have Portal 2? Great game. How about the Assassin's Creed series? I recommend starting at the beginning on those.

I would definitely play Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2 (and even 1), and Dead Space 1-2. Fallout 3 is fine though, also look into New Vegas. I would skip Resistance 3.

Uncharted 2, Uncharted 2, and Uncharted 2 When finished, Bioshock + Bioshock Infinite!

If you enjoyed Skyrim, you might enjoy Fallout 3.

If you like RPGs with great story, definitely pick up the Mass Effect trilogy. The first one isn't as strong gameplay-wise as ME2/3, but you'll be able to import your character (and his/her decisions) to the other two games.

The Fallout 3 GOTY can be had for $20, but as an older game, its graphics aren't as eye-popping as newer exclusive titles on the PS3. It also tends to be a bit buggy. But still very much worth playing, IMO.

I highly recommend Bioshock, but since it will be included with Bioshock Infinite, you might want to wait.

Oh, and there's this little ol' game trilogy that every PS3 owner is practically required to play. Some treasure hunting shooter-type adventure game ... but the name escapes me at the moment ... oh, what's that damn thing called? ... Ah yes, UNCHARTED!!! And like Mass Effect, it's worth playing from the start. You can get the first two games as a dual pack for cheap and the GOTY of the third for pretty cheap as well.

Don't skip Resistance 3.... If forced to choose, I would choose it over Killzone 3, but both are worth playing imo (especially in 3D). Also, I always recommend Valkyrie Chronicles and Demon's Souls to new PS3 owners who want something a bit different (along with the Uncharted series, they are my top 3 PS3 exclusive games).

I would recommend skipping the first one. There's a decent chance you'll never get through that game. There is at least one regular poster here who thinks it is the best game in the series, but the general consensus is that the series gets much better after 1.

There are a series of videos on youtube titled "Assassin's Creed: The Story So Far" that contain the cut scenes and key story missions that can fill in the story of any of the games you've missed.

Resistance 3 is perhaps my favorite solo campaign FPS on the PS3 theis generation. It is a really cool title, especially when played with the Move controller to aim at your screen like a real weapon (it also supports 3D).

Play through all three of the Uncharted games. The last two are more robust game play wise, but part of the series' appeal is the charm of the main characters, which are introduced in UC1. The story mechanics in all three are upper tier for video games and will keep you entertained.

For non-action gaming, Pinball Arcade is a favorite of mine. It recreates popular machines and sells them as DLC. It is worth a look. And as a PC gamer, you can find wider support for fighting games on console if the genre catches your interest. Tekken tag Tournament 2 and Soul Calibur V are great, recent 3D fighters. There are some good 2D fighters like Street Fighter QArcade IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to consider as well.

Lastly, look over the details of a PS+ subscription. For $50 a year (or 15 months with the current promotion) you get a lot of nice perks that can be of great value to a new PS3 owner. It usually pays for itself with great discounts on PSN games that you might purchase, and there is always a library of games you can play for no extra charge as long as you remain a member. Check it out.

If you are not used to the controls and such, the later games are far easier if you have been through them all. Why do you say people won't get through the first one?

The first Assassin's Creed starts out fine, but the game gets very repetitive. As I recall, the 9 assassinations you must complete to finish the game all turn into huge open fights that get really old really fast. The later games in series do a much better job of providing variety in the missions and not making you feel like you have to fight every guard in the city for each mission.

As for getting used to the controls, each game starts with a quick tutorial that is pretty effective as an orientation for most players.

I know that you said you had dabbled in the God of War series, but I would suggest that you go and get all the games and play them through. GoW 1 and GoW 2 are available one the same disc in the GoW Collection HD game. The two games that came out on the PSP (Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus) are in the Origins Collection disc, and of course there's GoW 3. In about a month, God of War : Ascension comes out which is a prequel (will be the "first" in the timeline of the series).

In order of the timeline, the games would be:

Ascension
Chains of Olympus
God of War I
Ghost of Sparta
God of War II
God of War III

If you like hack and slash types of games with some treasure hunting type of aspect to it, you'll like this series. If you play the games in the order they came out, or in their chronological order, they'll make a bit more sense overall but it's not absolutely necessary. The games have a great cinematic quality to them, and the storyline is one of the best I've seen in a game. It's all based HEAVILY on Greek mythology with some other mythological creatures/stories thrown in. Simply a blast to play.

Another good series that can be picked up in HD Collections is the Metal Gear Solid series. MGS1 is not included, but it can be purchased from the PSN Store for a cheap price. MGS2, MGS3, and MGS : Peace Walker, the last of those being a re-do of a PSP game, is available in the MGS HD Collection. There's also MGS4 which is exclusive to the PS3, though it tends to have a bit too much with regards to cut-scenes in it. The series itself is a great stealth based series that is quite fun to play.

Another game that can be fun for family/party type events is Rock Band. I'm sure you've heard of the Guitar Hero series, formally the competitor to Rock Band, but RB is the better of the two. RB1, RB2, RB3, Lego Rock Band, RB : Green Day, and RB : The Beatles have come out in the series. Aside from The Beatles game, just about all of the songs from prior RB games are importable into RB3. (With a fee, of course). There's also RB Blitz which is available on the PSN. This game can be played on a normal controller and includes a bunch of songs that freely export into the main RB game. There's also a TON of extra songs available as DLC for the game. The only issue could be with finding the instruments that are needed to play the game. Sadly, the constant influx of new DLC releases each week is slowly coming to an end. Still, it's a fun game and worth a try if you are into music and rhythm games.

Just seconding the recommendation for Valkyria Chronicles, a JRPG that appeals to people who aren't usually JRPG fans. The turn-based combat is addictive.
Edited by TedSeattle - 2/14/13 at 12:32am

SSX. I have put WAY more hours in this game vs any other game I have ever played.

Thirded.

Fourthed.

To repeat others' suggestions, it sounds like you'd enjoy: Killzone 2 (not 3), Uncharted 1 and 2 (not 3), and Assassin's Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations (but, again, not 3). I think you can see the pattern.

And to buck the "not 3" trend, check out Max Payne 3. It's easily my favorite story-based shooter of 2012. And Far Cry 3 (also from last year) was one of the best open-world games in a while. If you're a fan of Skyrim, you'll find a lot to enjoy in Far Cry 3.


The first Assassin's Creed is definitely not for everyone, but for those of us who like it, we tend to love it.

I had the most fun playing the following:

- The Uncharted Series
- The Infamous Series
- The Assassins Creed Series
- Heavy Rain (unlike any game you have ever played....in a good way)

If you are going to get God of War, get the Saga collection since it comes with GoW 1-3 and the two PSP remastered ones all on the same disc.

Edit: Amazon has it for sale for $35 right now, not a bad price for 5 games.

Excellent suggestion right here. Great games, great price, great advice.

One big thing to note, however. The saga collection does not come all on one disc. It has two discs, and the PSP remasters are download only. So it's basically the GoW HD Collection (GoW I, and GoW II), and the GoW III PS3 game disc. A voucher is included which you use in order to download Ghost of Sparta HD and Chains of Olympus HD via the PSN onto your hard drive.

Just wanted to point that out in case someone does buy the package and wonders where GoS and CoO are.

All the Uncharted games, GoW 3, and both Rachet and Clank games. After that, it's all third party really. I'd pick up Arkham City if you haven't played that because it's pretty awesome.

The free ones you get for paying for PSN+ membership in the PSN store.

I seriously have 25 free games to play. For people like you with no back-catalog, this is the way to go.

Can't believe no one mentioned Demon Souls or Dark Souls. Old school difficulty with tight controls. If you die, it's not because the game is cheap - you just need to get better. You will die a lot. And like a moth to a flame, you will keep coming back. They are great games, IMHO.

I've also just started playing Tomb Raider and it reminds me a lot of the Uncharted series...except the boobs part. Great game, but very much a guided and easy interactive movie-type game...like the Uncharted series.

great stuff, it's one of those series that refines the controls and concepts too, so playing through in order really allows you to see the subtle improvements they made. The story and set-pieces though increase in each. It really is one of the best series in a generation, and if you're digging U1, U2 is going to BLOW you away.

I'll also +1 the above posted on DkS and DeS. The item and leveling system in the Souls games is a pretty deep RPG based, but the gameplay is all real time action and very, very survival horror-ish. It's difficult, but only if you think you're going to button mash your way through an enemy or boss. Building a character, and exploring the awesome world and lore FROMsoftware has created is awesome.

Easily the best games to come out of Japan this generation IMO.