Long ago were the days of thePlayStation 3, which hit the shelves back in November 2006. Ever since, players grown accustomed to the newer era of consoles with the mind-blowing graphics of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One being closely followed by the further advancements of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Although the ’90s kids are mourning the loss of the infamous GameCube, fans can’t argue that the Nintendo Switch has surpassed all prior consoles with improved portability and handling.
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It was theniche genre of horrorwherein thePlayStation 3found long-lasting success. But as gamers celebrate modern-day masterpieces likeThe Quarry,Resident Evil Village,andThe Last of Us: Part II,let’s not forget where it all began — the humble beginnings of a now-outdated but undeniably influential console and the genre-bending titles it so proudly boasted before all production on PS3 games halted for good in 2020.
10Saw: The Video Game
Now, there’s a whole host of thoroughly enjoyable horror games out there, so one might not be so inclined to selectSaw: The Video Gameout of them all. The horror survival, patterned after the groundbreaking gorefest that is theSawfranchise, wasn’t so well-received in 2009. It took some considerable years, butSaw: The Video Gamemanifested a loyal fanbase after critics bashed it relentlessly, eventually ascending to cult status.
Straight from the minds at Zombie Studios, the game centers on Detective Tapp — introduced inSaw(2004) and portrayed by Danny Glover — as he navigates a labyrinth of Jigsaw-esque traps after awakening inside an abandoned insane asylum. Although the gameplay mechanics could be stodgy at times, it was a true love letter to gorehounds as Zombie Studios graciously invitedSawcreatives James Wan and Leigh Whannell aboard for their professional input with designing the traps.
9Alice: Madness Returns
What if Lewis Carroll’sAlice in Wonderlandwere inspired by Grimm’s Fairytales? Well,Alice: Madness Returnswould be some such brainchild. The game served as a sequel to the less impactful PS3 titleAmerican McGee’s Alice,which invites players to take control of Alice Liddell, an unhinged girl whose difficult relationship with trauma spirals into sheer madness. InAlice: Madness Returns, Alice flees the orphanage in which she lives to rid herself of the trauma caused by her family’s demise years prior, and the treacherous journey to uncover the secrets of the past leads her straight to a corrupt Wonderland.
Although American McGee had expressed interest in reviving the franchise, even conceiving the titles asAlice in Otherlandand laterAlice: Asylum, but EA had rejected several pitches and refused to fund the efforts of a trilogy. Years later, despite the promises of a sequel falling through, theAliceseries still manages to hold a candle to wider-known psychological horrors.
8The Evil Within
WithResident Evilcreator Shinji Mikam at the helm, it comes as no surprise thatThe Evil Withinperformed above and beyond several soaring expectations. Adopting the same mechanics as the precedingResident Eviltitles, Tango Gameworks’The Evil Withinfollows Leon Kennedy wannabe Sebastian Castellanos as he explores a distorted world filled with nightmarish creatures. Although there isn’t much of an integrated plot per se, the narrative is divided into 15 chapters, wherein Sebastian makes use of his environment in order to survive the hoards of ‘Haunted’ that pursue him.
IfResident EvilandSilent Hillwere to reproduce,The Evil Withinwould be the byproduct of that glorious crossover. Inevitably,The Evil Withinwas compared to Mikami’sResident Evilfranchise rather favorably, especially since it came out duing a time when the latter’s mainline entries were more action than horror. Three years later, in 2017, Tango Gameworks resumed Sebastian’s story withThe Evil Within 2, which — despite technological advancements — struggled to build a legacy as significant as its predecessor.
7Siren: Blood Curse
Aptly named Project Siren (since renamed Japan Studio), the developers behindSiren: Blood Cursewent on to create the action-adventure gameGravity Rushand its sequel,Gravity Rush 2. AlthoughBlood Cursewas the third and final installment in the trilogy, it was intended to be a reimagining of the original, which released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It also borrows some many alterations seen inForbidden Siren 2, one of the earliest examples of the butterfly effect technique (later popularized by Supermassive Games’Until Dawn) in gaming.
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Each overlapping chapter focuses on a different playable character, all able to utilize the signature “Sight Jack” ability.Blood Cursehighly encourages stealth gameplay over the less time-consuming action-based approach. Without a doubt,Blood Curseis one of the most rewarding experiences in the entirety of the survival horror catalog and paved the way for the future (now the present) of mind-bending cinematic thrills.
It needs no introduction, nor does the show-stopping AMC television series on which it’s based. Despite the severe lack ofJeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan(fans have managed to excuse it), Telltale Games’The Walking Deadmight just be the developer’s biggest claim to fame, far outdoing even its successor,Batman: The Telltale Series.Although Telltale Games disbanded in 2018, there’s no denying how pivotal the episodic action-horror has been for not only the genre, but also the emerging animation style, which cleverly replicates Tony Moore’s unmistakable artistry.
In veryThe Last of Usfashion, a zombie apocalypse in Georgia forces Lee Everett to act as the parental guardian to a young girl named Clementine during the search for her biological parents. Considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time,The Walking Deadwon several Game of the Year awards, eventually spawning three more seasons and concluding in 2019. Other Telltale titles includeThe Wolf Among Usand the aforementionedBatmanseries, but none quite so noteworthy asThe Walking Dead.
5Resident Evil 5
Critics might have unfavorably comparedResident Evil 5toThe Evil Within, but never let it be said that the former doesn’t deserve the utmost recognition. The olderResident Evilgames might be a dying breed in the wake ofResident Evil 7: BiohazardandResident Evil Village, but as the saying goes — “a classic never goes out of style” — and Chris and Sheva’s fast-paced co-op adventure is no exception. Capcom ticked all the boxes with this one, granting players with both a trademark strongman and an equally capable female lead.
Not just that, but familiar faces resurface in Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker; except this time, there’s a plot twist that no one would have seen coming. It wouldn’t be accurate to say there’s ever been a bad Resident Evil game, but lackluster is a better term. Thankfully,Resident Evil 5is neither. It fires on all cylinders, evenoffering up the chance to cooperatewith a buddy of one’s choosing to heighten the fun. Although the game was re-released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, there’s no outshining the PlayStation 3 copy.
4Resident Evil 4
It was a real toss-up betweenResident Evil 4andResident Evil 5. Both games were interchangeable for the fifth and fourth spots, but Leon S. Kennedy’s solo venture manages to outdo its successor — but it’s close. Recently, Capcom unveiled aResident Evil 4remake, which invited fans old and new torelive Leon’s adventureswith the luxury of PlayStation 5 graphics. But again, nothing beats the classics.Resident Evil 4was created for the GameCube, but several versions eventually made their way to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and more.
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In the game, the RPD’s very own Leon S. Kennedy sets out on a mission to rescue the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, who’s been kidnapped by a religious cult. Along the way, Leon reunites with anti-hero Ada Wong, a fan-favorite amongResident Evilfanatics.Resident Evil 4won multiple Game of the Year awards, along with the approval of countless critics, becoming a cross-platform hit in the process.
Welcoming the lone science-fiction horror on the list, the second entry in theDead Spacefranchise has proven to be the best that developers Visceral Games have to offer. Drawing heavy inspiration from 1979’sAlien,the game follows Isaac Clarkeas he fights lethal monstrosities known as Necromorphs aboard a space station. Clarke must solve puzzles to progress, all while fighting off Necromorphs and clinging to his sanity as a debilitating mental illness impairs his judgment.
Many considerDead Space 2to be superior to the original, improving upon the gameplay, the atmosphere, the graphics and the overall narrative. During its opening week, it sold two million copies effortlessly, although EA weren’t overly pleased by its commercial performance. AlthoughDead Space 2spawned a sequel in 2013, the series succumbed to apparent dormancy until a remake ofDead Spacewas released in 2023. No doubt, fans are holding out for a re-release ofDead Space 2— arguably the best entry in the series.
2Silent Hill HD Collection
Marketed as a remaster of the ports forSilent Hill 2andSilent Hill 3, the HD Collection is technically two games in one, butSilent Hill 2is absolutely the main selling point. Furthermore,Silent Hill 2was released on the PlayStation 2, but we’ll overlook that for the sake of the PlayStation 3 re-release. Following James Sunderland, the sequel sees the widower travel to the ominous town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife informing him that she will await his arrival. The objective is to control James as he navigates Silent Hill, encountering all manner of deadly monsters.
All one can expect from a sequel is to improve upon the source material, whichSilent Hill 2does effectively well. Not only does itachieve a frightening atmosphere, it never falters in delivering a hard-hitting message and proving itself much more insightful than it appears. On the surface, it seems nothing more than another carbon copy of the same tired formula, but there’s much more depth to James' adventure than it initially seems.
1The Last Of Us
Although it markets itself as an action-adventure, not a horror, there’s an obvious overlap in genres. Despite being 10 years old, Naughty Dog is still reaping the rewards ofThe Last of Us,especially as the resounding success of HBO’s live-action adaptation welcomed a whole batch of newcomers to the franchise. Although it originally released on the PlayStation 3,The Last of Ushas undergone remaster after remaster, eventually finding a home on the PlayStation 5 and PC.
The story follows hardened smuggler Joel who reluctantly agrees to transport loud-mouthed teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States to hopefully find a cure to the Cordyceps infection plaguing the world. There’s no explanation needed as to howThe Last of Uswon so many accolades, but its sequel,The Last of Us: Part IIis somehow a marginal improvement on an already astounding story.
