(yet another) Please Recommend Some Games Thread.

The Game Room
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I bought a PS3 over the holidays. Specifically I bought it for Buzz TV and Little Big Planet. Those are both fun, but…

My all time favourite video games are Myst and it’s sequels. I also liked several of the Zork games.

Is there anything similar for PS3? In general I like the puzzle solving aspect, but want to avoid things that include, y’know, actual video game skills like combat, running & jumping, hand-eye coordination… I totally suck at video games, basically, and like solving puzzles.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
thwartme

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I’ll posit that the PS2 will have a far larger library of that kind of game than the PS3 ever will have. (No critiscism against the PS3 - I have one) I haven’t kept up with the lip flapping after I bought mine, so I don’t know if the newer models are backwards compatible at all, which is something you ought to check.

Here’s some starters:

  • Beyond Good & Evil (Action Adventure, but you’ve got a camera, not a gun.)
  • Ico
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Psychonauts (Action platformer, but utterly hilarious)
  • Okami
  • The Lego X games [Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc]
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http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus
Here’s a resource from Sony regarding title compatibility. From here on out, PS3 won’t be backwards compatible. If you got an 80GB, you’ll have to check the model number. The Metal Gear bundle fetches a premium because they are compatible.

I’ll second the suggestions made already, though most of them require some platform jumping that might frustrate you (since the couple spots in Shadow of the Colossus and Psychonauts I had trouble with come right near the end of the game, it made it doubly irritating) but they are so great otherwise, I would still recommend them. Beyond G&E 2 is in the works for PS3, finally.

If you can get more into traditional RPGs, Disgaia 3 is a PS3 exclusive that is pretty deep. The graphics are bad, but the mechanics are complex and require a decent amount of strategy. Like Psychonauts, it has a warped sense of humor.

Fallout 3 is another I might suggest renting if you’re worried about the combat. You can play it as an action game or pause it and choose your combat actions. The real heart of it though, is an extremely immersive world with lots of wandering around exploring quietly, and complex moral dilemmas that let you decide how to resolve them.

Valkyria Chronicles just came out and is really fun. Once again though, more RPG battlefield tactics opposed to pure puzzle solving.

If your PS3 is backwards compatible, I’ll dig through my boxes of PS2 games and try to come up with something closer to Myst, but there’s not really too much of the explore at your leisure style on the consoles.
I know you just got a PS3, but the DS experienced a revival of exactly the type of puzzle game you’re asking about. There are lots, some better than others.

HEAVY RAIN is one to keep in mind, it’s not out yet (sometime this year), but the company’s other games were heavily puzzle and moral decision based. Dragon Age is coming to PS3 for Christmas this year, but it should be excellent. Brutal Legend is from the makers of Psychonauts and will also becoming later this year.

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The correct spelling is Disgaea 3.

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Thanks for the responses. I’ve checked reviews of some of them, and they look pretty cool. in particular Ico & Shadow of the Colossus look great, although I’m clearly going to have to learn how to fight. Beyond Good & Evil is a contender to.

Strange Machine, a question about the compatibility website… it’s got listings for a 20GB model, and an 80GB model, but mine is a 160GB model, CECHP01. Any idea how I check that?

thanks for your help, both of you!

thwartme

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I’m sorry to tell you that while you have the biggest and baddest PS3 out there right now, it is not backwards compatible.

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The rumor I heard (who knows?) is that part of the reason for removing the compatibility was that Sony will offer downloadable games from their marketplace. Both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are first-party Sony games, so if the rumor is true, I imagine they’ll be some of the very first available to download.

Also, there is a PS3 game in the works from the same team, but I don’t think they’ve even revealed the name yet.

Bottom line: not a huge amount of classic gaming yet, but this year should be great.

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Okay, thanks. I guess I have to get that thing hooked up online, then.

Billp