Playstation 3 Exclusives: worth it or not?

So I have a little cash to spare this month due to a lucky alignment of the stars. And this Ni No Kuni game really has me drooling. Thing is: I already have a 360, and I vastly prefer the Xbox controller. All things being equal, I would always buy the Xbox version over the PS3 version.

Exclusives that really tingle my enabling senses:
Ni No Kuni I'm no JRPG buff, having only finished FFIV on the DS. But I'm a sucker for atmosphere, and boy does this game ooze atmosphere!

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus I love me a unique game experience and own a PS2, but I could never justify the insane e-bay prices for the original version. This would allow me to get both games at a reasonable price.

Journey Same reason as above, and also a PS3 exclusive.

Exclusives I like but don't feel excited about:
Little Big Planet
Heavy Rain

Exclusives I really don't care about:
Uncharted The more I read about this, the less I care. If you're going to put an experience on rails, let it at least be an interesting story and not an Indiana Jones-ripoff.

Killzone and other FPS I don't like FPS games. Except for you, Half-Life.

So the question is: are there any other exclusives I'm forgetting about? Must-plays like ICO/SotC/Journey? Enable/Disable me as appropriate please.

I'm not interested in the Wii(U).

If you've got a little extra cash that you won't miss, go for it. I had one for a few years and ended up selling it when money got tight, but am picking up another this week specifically for Ni No Kuni, Journey and Last of Us.

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are incredible. So is Uncharted 2.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o... (click the Exclusive column twice to sort them to the top)

Disgaea, Demon's Souls, God of War, inFamous, The Last of Us, Papo & Yo, Ratchet & Clank, Valkyria Chronicles

I'd really recommend giving Uncharted 2 a look, and to a lesser extent Uncharted 1. The characters make the game, not the plot.

There are the God of War games, of course. GoW3 is a visual orgy, and the new one is coming out soon.

Flower is a wonderful game form the creators of Journey.

Valkyria Chronicles for tasty turn-based strategy action.

The Last of Us is coming out soon and looks intriguing.

Everybody has different values for money and different amounts of time available, so it's hard to answer that for you. I've enjoyed my PS3 exclusives, but if my PS3 was taken away?... there are more than enough excellent first-class games on the 360 to fill my time. It just so happens that I can spare a few hundred dollars without too much hardship. (And vice versa: I could fill my free time with just the PS3 as well.)

So, I would ask this question instead: Do I have time to play more video games, and a desire to fill it with more video games, because there just aren't enough fantastic games on the 360 to fill my leisure time?

If you do decide to get a PS3, and you prefer the 360 controller, check this out (I am currently using it): http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Elite-Wire...

As a launch 360 owner, I picked up a PS3 back when the first Slim released just for the exclusive lineup. I think I've purchased about 6 or 7 disc games and about the same number of PSN titles.

I have no regrets, but I honestly don't get that much use out of it. I hadn't turned it on for the better part of a year before I picked up Journey and Ni No Kuni back to back.

However, since I did wait, I got the PS3 at a reasonable price when I did happen to have the money to spend. In that sense, I don't feel bad about my purchase, but I would easily file it under "nice to have but didn't really need it" status.

I'll most likely do the same in the coming gen after the PS4 library grows and the console/software prices drop.

I've been contemplating the same thing. Once my Tax return hits I really want to play the following:

Resistance 1-3
Metal Gear Solid 4
Uncharted 1-3
Journey
Twisted Metal
Killzone 2-3
God of War 3
Infamous 1-2
The Last of Us
Valkyria Chronicles
The Last Guardian (Whenever that hits)
Starhawk
Tales of Xillia

I keep telling myself don't get a PS3 you don't need it and new systems will hit the shelves. But I look at that list and ughhh. Anyone know if PS4 will have backwards compatibility?

I'd bet on the PS4 not have backwards compatibility. If you want to play all those games, The Conformist, I'd say get one. That's a lot of titles.

Also, there's lots of exclusive PSN stuff that's very good, but some of those (Shatter, the PixelJunk titles) have come to PC as well.

Also, the Ratchet and Clank games, specifically the disc based PS3 ones are very good.

It was mentioned above, so I throw in another vote for Papa & Yo. Echochrome is a great puzzle game with an excellent chamber music type score. Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-powered Battle Cars is a fun car soccer game that's great for split screen. Metal Gear Solid 4 is pretty darn great, too, and was mentioned above.

I was trying to think of some older ones there.

Edit: PixelJunk Eden has some interesting things going on, but it's not longer exclusive to PS3. The Steam version made some good improvements. Okami HD is going to be great once I actually get around to playing it. There's always Demon's Souls which is now available for download. Fat Princess was good fun, but there probably aren't many people playing it anymore. Infamous 1 & 2 are pretty good. I still haven't finished the 2nd.

Beeporama, how are the thumbsticks on that thing? Long and wobbly like PS3 or short and stiff like 360? I think I want that.

Some good suggestions here. Especially Last of Us and Valkyrie Chronicles.

I was going to put a 200USD VISA gift card towards an Amazon France gift card of 145EUR, but it's blocked somewhere. If that doesn't pan out, I'll put my money elsewhere.

I plan to salvage an old laptop HD and put it in a PS3 12GB. That alone would save me another 50-60EUR. Do I need the Sony HD Mount/Caddy for this?

TheCounselor wrote:

I'd bet on the PS4 not have backwards compatibility. If you want to play all those games, The Conformist, I'd say get one. That's a lot of titles.

Also, there's lots of exclusive PSN stuff that's very good, but some of those (Shatter, the PixelJunk titles) have come to PC as well.

I agree with this. A reason commonly given for Sony buying Gaikai is to provide access to Older games on PS4. Since the architecture is so different there is almost zero hope of direct BC. But do you really want to be playing these games streaming if there's a better option?

dejanzie wrote:

Some good suggestions here. Especially Last of Us and Valkyrie Chronicles.

I was going to put a 200USD VISA gift card towards an Amazon France gift card of 145EUR, but it's blocked somewhere. If that doesn't pan out, I'll put my money elsewhere.

I plan to salvage an old laptop HD and put it in a PS3 12GB. That alone would save me another 50-60EUR. Do I need the Sony HD Mount/Caddy for this?

All you need is the 2.5" HDD. There are plenty of internet instructions floating around on the procedure.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
dejanzie wrote:

Some good suggestions here. Especially Last of Us and Valkyrie Chronicles.

I was going to put a 200USD VISA gift card towards an Amazon France gift card of 145EUR, but it's blocked somewhere. If that doesn't pan out, I'll put my money elsewhere.

I plan to salvage an old laptop HD and put it in a PS3 12GB. That alone would save me another 50-60EUR. Do I need the Sony HD Mount/Caddy for this?

All you need is the 2.5" HDD. There are plenty of internet instructions floating around on the procedure.

Are you sure you're not thinking of the Original or Slim models? From what I can tell, the super-slim 12gb model doesn't come with a mounting tray, so you'll need to get that separately.

Holy crap! I didn't realize such a thing existed. Thanks for the correction!

Can you buy any new game in the PSN store and download it? At a reasonable price (not higher than brick and mortar)?

dejanzie wrote:

Can you buy any new game in the PSN store and download it? At a reasonable price (not higher than brick and mortar)?

Not all of them, but the library is pretty huge at this point. It's often a bit cheaper for new games. I believe Ni No Kuni was $55 USD for download but $60 USD for a disc copy. There are some older PS3 games that aren't up there. Most of the time, they are reasonably priced, but there may be some fringe cases where it's cheaper to get the disc version off of Amazon when it goes on a sale.

It's a bit different in EU than in the US, though. I'm pretty sure the US selection is quite a bit better. You can view the selection here. It looks like the UK web browser store will be available in March.

Edit: I am wrong. The UK browser based store should be available for you to view. It went live last year, before the US got it. I just can't view it here in the states.

Can you buy any new game in the PSN store and download it? At a reasonable price (not higher than brick and mortar)

Only some, and it'll be higher than brick & mortar if b & m has a sale, but sans sale, it's usually competitive. Thing is psn downloading is pretty slow, so if you get home from work and plan to play something that just came out that very day, good luck. Leaving it on overnight has always been sufficient though if you don't mind waiting a day.

To the topic, I'll ditto Pixeljunk Eden and Flower. And I'd recommend uncharted 2 & 3 despite your misgivings. 1 is totally skippable IMO, but 2 and 3 are really pretty good.

dejanzie wrote:

Can you buy any new game in the PSN store and download it? At a reasonable price (not higher than brick and mortar)?

The prices are usually reasonable, and the selection is only slightly disappointing. Most big releases have been available digitally on day 1, and they are going through the back catalog adding classics from time to time. (Demon's Souls showed up digitally for $20 USD a couple of weeks ago) One of the few big drawbacks is the PS3's problem of needing double the HDD space in order to install a digital game. It's not a huge deal for the smaller titles that launched this generation's digital download trends, but when you find out that the 20GB requirement for Ni No Kuni is actually 40GB because of a sh*tty operating system limitation... (and you only have a total of 55GB in your original model PS3...) UGH. They've done better about it on the Vita, and certainly will be better on the PS4, but it's not a nice surprise to come across when this should be the wave of future convenience.

Ok, so I need some advice here. I've decided I'm going to take a good chunk of my tax return and get me something good. But I'm currently conflicted. I would really like to get a Playstation 3 because of all the exclusives that I want to play that I won't get on the X-box. But I ALSO would like an I-pad for all the numerous books I can read on it, and for it's obvious other benefits. Really looking for some input.

The Conformist wrote:

Ok, so I need some advice here. I've decided I'm going to take a good chunk of my tax return and get me something good. But I'm currently conflicted. I would really like to get a Playstation 3 because of all the exclusives that I want to play that I won't get on the X-box. But I ALSO would like an I-pad for all the numerous books I can read on it, and for it's obvious other benefits. Really looking for some input.

Get an iPad Mini 16 GB and a PS3. The form factor is better for reading books, anyways.

For a while Joe Danger was an exclusive. That's a fun one, but now it's on the 360. Also, Motorstorm is an exclusive, and I actually really like the Motorstorm RC demo, but not the full retail Motorstorm game demos.

Don't forget the retro Zelda clone: 3D Dot Game Heroes, and From Software's other PS3 exclusive, Demon's Souls, (if Demon's Souls is anything like it's sequel, Dark Souls, you might be able to pick up on 'design choice' similarities).

Valkyria Chronicles has already been mentioned, but it's fantastic and very pretty with it's watercolor-like look. The semi-real time turn based strategy gameplay is very interesting.

I loved the demo for The Unfinished Swan. It really felt like I was exploring, secluded, and had a sense of wonder to it.

Some games include: Super Stardust HD, Tokyo Jungle, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, White Knight Chronicles, Afrika & some others I'm too lazy to list.

oh yeah. forgot unfinished swan. I'll ditto that as well.

I bit the bullet and bought a PS3 Ultra Slim 12GB with HD mount for a total of 214 EUR. The sales reward credit card I got now works with Paypal, so I'll just use it to charge my PSN account and buy games from there. The three games I want most are on there (Ni No Kuni, Journey and Ico/SotC remake).

I have a week extra off after my honeymoon, home all alone. Whatever will I do to pass the time?

Thanks for all the other suggestions.

skeletonframes wrote:

Beeporama, how are the thumbsticks on that thing? Long and wobbly like PS3 or short and stiff like 360? I think I want that.

Sorry for the slow response, I've been travelling... the thumbsticks are sort and stiff like the 360.

Demon's Souls should be at the top of anyone's list.

Also Disgaea 3, Disgaea 4, and the upcoming Disgaea:D2, if you like Strategy RPGs at all.

I think someone mentioned Uncharted already. Still feel like 2 is the best, but all 3 are very fun.

As a early adopter or the 360 -- which red ringed two years ago and is out of warranty (eventually will get a new one, just can't justify $300), I got my PS3 last year and have been enjoying running the gauntlet of games that I missed on the platform -- it can be a bit trying to track down titles, but they're all fun and dirt cheap (with the exception of Tales of Graces f, still eyeing the price on that one) and finally having a Blu-ray player in the home is nice addition as well.

Whether a PS3 system is right for you is a question I can't answer for you. For me, lots of good reasons lined up for me, so I bought the machine.

My short Impression on games:

Uncharted 2 & 3 has fantastic atmosphere, decent puzzles, and lousy shooting. Worth buying both if you get them at one of those toy'rus 2 for 1 sales.

MGS is confusingly awesome if stealth games are your thing. Misogyny japanese alert.

Valkyria Chronicles is a fantastic take on the strategy rpg genre. Can get long in the tooth after 15 missions or so. Pick up the psp sequel if you can.

Journey is 2-3 hours of perfection. It made my inner child go all fuzzy.

Disgaea series is fun if you've got a bajillion hours to burn and generally funny enough to keep you going. If you want to go deep into a game -- these games are it.

God of War 3 is violence glorified. Visually impressive, but couldn't stomach the attitude and direction. I don't know if its because I've gotten all wimpy (I did play mortal kombat when I was 5), but quicktiming tearing off a person's head is not my thing anymore. Also, I hate quicktime events.

Infamous 1 & 2: Play infamous 2, its the better game of the two. Moral choice system is baloney. Still think Prototype is better.

Stele wrote:

Demon's Souls should be at the top of anyone's list. ;)

I know most people who haven't played it, or Dark Souls probably think that's crazy talk. I thought that before I picked up Dark Souls on the PC. Since January 2nd, I've put in 79 hours. This game is amazing and I was almost scared off by it's reputation. It does need to be approached with a humble attitude, but if one comes at it in the right mindset, it will become a glorious gaming experience. When the 2013 community game of the year thread pops up at the end of the year, I'm having a hard time imagining putting something above Dark Souls (even though it was released prior to 2013). The announced 3D Mario might have a chance, but I think that's it.

beeporama wrote:
skeletonframes wrote:

Beeporama, how are the thumbsticks on that thing? Long and wobbly like PS3 or short and stiff like 360? I think I want that.

Sorry for the slow response, I've been travelling... the thumbsticks are sort and stiff like the 360.

Thanks. I'll order one soon.