The PlayStation 3 concluded its main run in 2013, going out on a high with titles like The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto 5, and BioShock Infinite. The system's last full year as Sony's flagship hardware also had a couple of noteworthy releases, primarily Mass Effect 3, Journey, Borderlands 2, and Max Payne 3. Overall, 2012 was not an extremely memorable year for PS3 exclusives, although Twisted Metal, Tokyo Jungle, and Yakuza: Dead Souls are fondly remembered.
A decade later, only a select few 2012 PS3 games are still part of the cultural zeitgeist. The gaming industry moves quickly, condemning plenty of good titles to hazy memories at best. What are some forgotten PS3 gems that turned 10 in 2022?
6 Binary Domain
During the PS4 era, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's international profile exploded with the success of Yakuza 0. Nowadays, Sega's developer is almost exclusively associated with the Like a Dragon franchise, but the company's first official release under the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio banner had nothing to do with that license.
Binary Domain is a sci-fi third-person shooter that focuses heavily on directing AI teammates. Set in a well-realized universe and featuring satisfying albeit unspectacular gunplay, Binary Domain is polished, ambitious, and action-packed. While not entirely unknown, Sega's title struggled commercially in the United States, even if it did eventually find an audience through PS Plus.
5 I Am Alive
Rare as it is nowadays, Ubisoft used to develop and publish new IPs quite regularly. These projects were not always bona fide successes, but they helped diversify the company's portfolio. Garnering a mixed reception at the time of its release, I Am Alive has been all but forgotten over the last decade, doomed forever to serve as Ubisoft Connect filler.
Although rough around the edges, the post-apocalyptic survival game envisions a fascinating world defined by crumbling towers and splashes of human survivors. Focusing on verticality, I Am Alive structures its areas around climbing, an act made nail-bitingly tense through a stamina meter that could spell doom if not properly managed. In some ways, I Am Alive is reminiscent of the original Assassin's Creed, a middling project with good ideas capable of spawning a great sequel. Sadly, I Am Alive 2 never came to be.
4 Ridge Racer Unbounded
The last numbered Ridge Racer came out in 2006 for the PlayStation 3, and Namco Bandai has given no indication that a future featuring Ridge Racer 8 is a possibility. What is sometimes overlooked is that the franchise continued for a couple of years after Ridge Racer 7, concluding on home consoles with Unbounded.
Rather than an arcade racer, Unbounded is a vehicular combat game akin to something like Burnout or FlatOut. In fact, the spin-off was developed by Bugbear Entertainment, the company that handled the first three FlatOut titles (and the only ones worth playing). That's not to say the spin-off completely drops Ridge Racer's traditional drift-based gameplay, just that Unbounded emphasizes aggression and explosiveness more than previous entries. Fans of the franchise should give this one a try.
3 Shank 2
2010's Shank is a bloody side-scroller with an eye-catching visual style and decent but slightly clunky combat. Klei Entertainment created an inconsequential but fun game, and the same can be said for its sequel. Despite being essentially an improved version of its predecessor, Shank 2 did not get too much attention upon release, and it would be a stretch to say the game has grown a cult following over the last decade.
That said, Shank 2 seems tailor-made for that type of reputation. Thanks to its comic book aesthetic, the game's graphics have aged beautifully. The fast-paced and gory combat is responsive and deeper than it might seem on the surface. Shank 2 needs to be on a service like PS Plus Premium so it could be discovered by a new generation.
2 Syndicate
A complete departure from 1993's Syndicate, a real-time tactics game, the 2012 reboot is a first-person shooter set in a futuristic world where everyone has a chip in their heads. As Miles Kilo, players work as a EuroCorp agent, one of several mega corporations that govern this universe. Eventually, Miles learns that maybe his employer is not to be trusted.
Syndicate seems like one of those reboots that should be mocked for stripping its inspiration of everything that made it unique. In some ways, Starbreeze Studios' title is guilty of doing just that, and the game wastes an intriguing setting on a fairly underwhelming narrative. Yet, when viewed in a vacuum, Syndicate is an above-average shooter with an awesome mechanic revolving around hacking the chips of enemies. The 8-hour campaign compares favorably with plenty of other first-person shooters on the PS3 or Xbox 360.
1 Quantum Conundrum
From one of the minds behind 2007's Portal, Quantum Conundrum is another first-person puzzle game. When his uncle scientist blows an experiment and becomes trapped in another dimension, a child protagonist must work their way through an unpredictable mansion en route to an array of generators. Luckily, they have a special glove that allows them to manipulate four dimensions.
Quantum Conundrum guides players through different rooms that serve as self-contained puzzles, and these brain-teasers are generally imaginative and challenging. Visually, the 2012 game has a charming cartoonish aesthetic that still looks fine in this day and age.
