Now that Sony has officially declared that it is pulling the plug on thePlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita’s digital stores, many PlayStation fans are looking topreserve some of the legacy platforms’ obscure hits. Trophy hunters are also looking to add some unique finds to their collections, though not every game on the systems supported Trophies. Many games were released before the Trophy feature was implemented in July 2008, while others were released before it became mandatory in January 2009.
However, a selection of games from this period were later patched to include Trophies. It bears mentioning that most games released without Trophies do feature Xbox Achievements for their Xbox 360 counterparts, as that feature was a requirement from the console’s launch. Still, a lot of interestingPS3games were released in this period that never received Trophies, and some may be interested to see what history has left behind.
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Folklore
Folkloreis a 2007 action-RPG developed by Game Republic and published by Sony. The game is set in Ireland and the Celtic Otherworld of Irish mythology, focusing on a young woman named Ellen and a journalist named Keats. Both playable characters work together to unravel the mystery hidden by the quaint village of Doolin. Said mystery can only be solved by seeking the memories of the dead in the dangerous, spirit-filled Netherworld.Folkloreis an interesting and often forgotten pieceof action-RPG history, and is remembered mostly for the use of the Sixaxis motion controls to absorb spirits for new abilities.
Haze
Folkloreis remembered with some fondness, but the first-person shooterHazeis not. The game was developed by Free Radical Design and published by Ubisoft in May 2008. Releases for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows were cancelled, probably because ofHaze’s poor sales and reviews. The game takes place in a dystopian future where players control a soldier that’s part of a militia making heavy use of the drug Nectar. Shortly into the game, the player character realizes the horrors of the drug and joins a rebellion to fight it. The story was trying to be current and subversive, but it fell utterly flat, and the extremely plain FPS gameplay didn’t help.
Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Swordis a 2007 action-adventure hack-and-slash game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony on the PlayStation 3. While the game isNinja Theory’s second title, many consider it the first, as it started the trend in its games to focus on both superior graphics and better combat than many of its Western peers. The game is especially well-known for its motion capture technology, which famously got actor Andy Serkis interested enough to play the main villain and co-write the script.
Lair
Less famous is the critically pannedLair, an action-adventure title developed by Factor 5 and published by Sony. It was released for the PlayStation 3 in August 2007. While the game was praised for its visuals,Lair’s gameplay left much to be desired. Players get to control a dragon-riding knight, andtake their dragon through various war sequences. Most battles took place in the air, though the dragon occasionally landed to engage in combat.
Unfortunately, the flying sequences made extensive use of the Sixaxis motion controls, dragging the experience down. It was such a high profile failure that the developers added analog stick support and DualShock 3 controller support before closing down shortly afterward. Still,Lairstill holds a place in history as the first PS3 title to be fully playable via the Remote Play function, allowing it to be accessed through theInternet on a PSP.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destructionis a 2007 platforming third-person shooter game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony. It’s the first PlayStation 3 installment in theRatchet & Clankfranchise, as well as thefirst installment for the much-acclaimedFuturesaga. It was also one of the first PS3 games to support DualShock 3 rumble without any accessories.Tools of Destructionreceived critical praise upon release. Much of that was due to the engaging and fun gameplay, though the game’s technical issues were also acknowledged. The game was nominated for several awards from gaming publications, and was considered a commercial success.
Siren: Blood Curse
Developed by Project Siren, the team that recently left Sony Japan Studio,Siren: Blood Curseis a survival horror stealth game published by Sony for the PlayStation 3. The third and final installment in theSirenseries,Blood Cursewas released in July 2008.Blood Curseis a reimagining of the first installment in the series,Siren. There were many alterations to its structure and content, along with most of the gameplay improvements introduced inForbidden Siren 2. The game follows a cast of interconnected characters as they try to survive a cursed village in a remote area of Japan. Because of its improvements,Blood Curseis generally considered the best of the threeSirengames, and the newly formedBokeh Game Studio made up of its developershope to continue its legacy.
