While I’ve been playing video games my whole life, and it’s been my profession for over a decade,there isn’t a single console generation on which I’ve played more than the seventh.
The number of seminal video games released between 2005 and 2013 is beyond human ability to count, but I can speak fully about them sinceI was young and had more time to play everything.
RPGs, shooters, platformers, puzzlers, stealth, or musou, you name it:every platform of said era had video games available for all kinds of players, including those who like to immerse themselves completely in a single universe.
If you’re one of those people, and you happen to have hardware suitable for the upcoming series of recommendations, I invite you to read this list ofthe ten best PS3 games with over 100 hours of content.
10Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning
The Traditional RPG Incarnate
Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning
This list will be heavily dominated by RPGs given their tendency to present large universes, and there’s no better way to start than withKingdom of Amalur: Reckoning.
If you’re thinking about the genre’s most traditional stereotype,this is the kind of game that should be in the dictionary, because it ticks off every single aspect you’d expect from a medieval fantasy experience.
Numerous playable classes with skill trees, tons of side content, diverse biomes with a vast mythology, a story about defying the whims of fate, a colorful aesthetic…The game screams “RPG” from every angle, and it’s glorious.
Plus,it’s inspired by hack-and-slash games and features its own spectacular quick-time eventsthat give combat a different feel, which makes perfect sense considering the genre’s dominance at the time.
If you ask me,Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoningis among the decade’s most underrated games, and whether you’re looking for the standard version or the more recent release, it’s well worth the adventure.
9Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Unnecessarily Long and Captivating
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
I’ve been thinking since I playedMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painthat the game is excellent, even if it’s been criticized a lot, but it’s also unnecessarily long.
That’s not to say I haven’t absolutely chewed through every corner of its content,replaying it a couple of times and exploring its satisfying array of infiltration options, more so considering it’s the ultimate enhancement to a fairly mechanically linear series.
It’s not a traditional open world by any means but rather presents a tactical approach, lacking the dynamism and speed typical of this type of production.
If you can overcome this subversion of expectations and ignore the monotony you’ll likely feel when redoing missions,you’ll discoverThe Phantom Painoffers plenty to do,especially for completionists.
I know it’s not the closure we were all hoping for, but given the gameplay and graphical overhaul it represents,it’s the kind of experience that works best when you focus on what is,not what could have been.
8Dragon Age: Inquisition
BioWare’s Pinnacle
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Fextralife Wiki
It pains me to admit thatBioWare, one of my favorite developers, reached its pinnacle in 2014, because I genuinely believe they haven’t surpassed the standard set byDragon Age: Inquisition.
While I understand fans of pure role-playing didn’t find it as remarkable asDragon Age: Origins,I felt it was the ultimate power fantasy achievable for the time, with absurd scale and detail.
From hunting the titanic dragons scattered throughout the world to managing the resources of the entire Inquisition, it’s a game that attempts multiple playable systems simultaneously,achieving a comprehensive experience whose immersion was completely atypical.
Memorable characters, epic bosses, engaging side quests, easy build and companion switching, many romance stories, spectacular audiovisuals.The game had everything you could expect from an ARPG,and maybe even more.
There are many reasons to think it has more value as an action title than as an RPG, and I agree. However, if this isn’t a deterrent for you,Dragon Age: Inquisitionis a masterpiece with guaranteed fun.
7Warriors Orochi 3
The Magic of Large Numbers
Warriors Orochi 3
Whenever I can promote Musou propaganda, I’ll do it, especially if it means recommending one of the most fun video games I’ve ever played:Warriors Orochi 3.
The satisfaction of having dozens of playable characters at your disposal, each with a unique moveset and combat style,is something I can’t adequately describe because of how refined it is.
Traversing entire battlefields using the most impressive attacks you’ve ever seen and ending the lives of 132 soldiers with a single anime-style sword slash generates dopamine both the first time and the hundredth, andI say it as someone who’s been playing the same game since the early 2000s.
I’m fully aware Musou games aren’t for every player, but if you’re looking for nonstop fun for hours on end,there are only a handful of better alternatives toWarriors Orochi 3.
6Fallout 3
An Unrepeatable Open World
Few studios can followBethesda’s lead when it comes to creating open worlds, andFallout 3is among the best examples I can think of.
The title helped lay the groundwork for later post-apocalyptic worlds,establishing a new way of experiencing this kind of adventure through exploration and contemplation.
Wandering through the Wasteland is undeniably entertaining, not only due to the endless possibilities that can happen to you, as the game is packed with NPCs, enemies, side quests, and more to keep you engaged, but alsodue to the simple experience of existing in its world.
Fallout 3makes the mere act of walking through its desolate landscapes, appreciating the environmental narrative that tells you something different about its story step by step,as appealing as the idea of shooting mutants.
In fact,playing it as a survivor rather than a warrior makes it a thousand times more immersive, although that may depend largely on the type of player. Still, even if you’re not as meditative as I am, trust me, you won’t be short on content.
Synonym of Addiction
The definition of addiction is playing a game in the morning and not being able to put it down until late at night, at least according to my younger self, who was always playingDiablo 3.
Adequately explaining the entertainment and engagement offered by this captivating ARPG would require an entire thesis, givenits loot system and ever-increasing end-game provided as much content as you wanted to dedicate to it.
I played the game with multiple classes, alone, with friends, completing challenges, and fully enjoying the Paragon leveling system,never feeling even a hint of boredom or exploitation thanks to its seamlessly interconnected gameplay systems.
The quality of enjoyment was such that, even today, I still revisit the game,surprised by how easily it makes me forget about the rest of the world. It’s nowhere nearDiablo 2, but it doesn’t need to be to invite you to a deep ecosystem to lose yourself in.
4Dark Souls 2
Countless Challenges, Unstoppable Fun
Dark Souls 2
Indeed, the annoyingDark Souls 2fan has arrived to defend it once again as an excellent video game that deserves more appreciation than it has, even more so if the conversation has to do with content density.
While it’s true that more doesn’t mean better,FromSoftware has never created a title as replayable as this one, which boasts the greatest variety ofbuilds, biomes,bosses, DLCs, and mechanics to make you want to do another playthrough.
Just by introducingthe only NG+ mode in the formula that changes the experience completely, repositioning enemies, giving new attacks to bosses, and changing certain item variables, it deserves a standing ovation in an amphitheater filled with the entire world.
No other Soulsborne game, save forElden Ring, comes close to surpassing the 100-hour mark with such ease, in part becauseno other game is as fun to pursue maximum power asDark Souls 2.
You can say whatever you want about its level design, the number of enemies in each room, or the hitboxes, but the hours of entertainment it offers are undeniable.
3Borderlands 2
Loot, Dark Humor, and Brutal Gunplay
Borderlands 2
I understandBorderlandsis a franchise relegated to pure entertainment without much significance, thoughBorderlands 2is more than just overflowing fun and bad jokes that are nonetheless funny.
All the planets aligned for it to be the only game in the series to achieve true greatness beyond its gameplay content, offering a competent story with memorable characters and spectacular bosses that truly shape an extraordinary campaign.
Clearly,the greatest appeal lies in playing it co-op,taking full advantage of its addictive loop system and superbly curated gunplay. However, there’s also a superb appeal in wandering Pandora alone, killing bandits for sport, and being mesmerized by its tremendous artistic direction.
Borderlands 2isn’t the kind of video game that reminds you the industry has artistic connotations or will change you as a person. Yet,it is the kind of experience that will leave you staring at the screen for hundreds of hours, whether accompanied or not.
I am also a fan of the rest of the installments because I think it’s a pretty solid IP, but if that’s not your case, this particular title still falls into themust-have category, so it’s worth giving it a try.
2Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
The Most Underrated Gem
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
If you don’t know what it’s like to walk through Gransys, be attacked by a colossal Griffin, and defeat it by hanging from its wings while stabbing it with a dagger, then you don’t know what the prime of RPGs is:Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen.
Although this is hyperbole, it’s no less true thatCapcom’s open world isamong the most underrated titles in the history of the interactive medium, as it has nothing to envy about the big names in its genre.
The naturalness and immersion with which it envelops you within its medieval fantasy are impressive,allowing you to fight mythologically fascinating and mechanically complex beasts that turn every confrontation into a biblical battle.
Summoning meteors while fighting a Chimera, which is stunned because your companion pawn just threw a myriad of magic arrows at it, is so adrenaline-pumping and spectacular thatit’s difficult to play because you want to use your hands to applaud such a marvel.
Since the game allows you to easily changeclasses, it gives you plenty of reasons to go to NG+ mode, where a different ending awaits you that will blow your mind andmake you love this game as much as I do.
1The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The King Who Does Not Age
The passage of time has brought many things, but in my personal case, it has been unable to give me an experience as vivid asThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
With over 300 hours invested in a vanilla version with more bugs than pixels, I’ve seen every nook and cranny of the game from every possible angle, andit remains the most momentous and influential title I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
I’ve never felt a world asaliveasSkyrim’s, nor one that can carry outenvironmental storytellingof such magnitude and detail, much less one that has the power to make me feel genuinely within its spaces,thanks to its gameplay and audiovisual immersion.
Playing it was the first glimpse of fictional virtual reality I’d ever had. After all, there’s nothing like walking through the outskirts of Whiterun, defeating a dragon, absorbing its soul, and thenbeing sent to prison because you attacked a chicken in the process.
It’s riddled with technical issues, its ending is terrible, and its combat is outdated. However,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimremains the ultimate experience in terms of interactivity and immersion, which likely won’t change until its successor arrives.
