Despite receiving tons of negative reviews at launch, the PlayStation 3 became one of Sony's most successful consoles but not because of the number of sales but because of the advanced hardware the PS3 used. And that's because the PlayStation 3 was the first console to use an HDMI port while using Blu-ray Disk technology as its primary storage. On top of that, the Air Force Research Laboratory used over 1,700 PS3s to create one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, proving how advanced the PlayStation 3 was then.
Thanks to these advancements, game developers were able to create some of the best PlayStation game series of all time (some of which gamers continue to play even on the latest-gen console). One of the most popular genres for the PlayStation 3 was the Real-Time Action RPG since the technical advancements for game development had come a long way from the early days of Action RPGs. But, out of the hundreds of Action RPGs developed, only a handful remain close to heart for gamers.
6 Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
- Worldwide Release Year: 2012
Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning was perhaps one of the most ambitious Action RPGs of the PlayStation 3 era, mostly due to the people in charge of the game development and design. The game's executive designer was Ken Rolston (game designer for the Elder Scroll series), while the lore director was R. A. Salvatore (a fantasy novelist). Todd McFarlane (comic book artist for the Spider-Man franchise) was the art director, and the musical score would be made by Grant Kirkhope (musical genius that created the music for games like GoldenEye 007 and Donkey Kong 64).
This Real-Time Action RPG had one of the largest open worlds of the time, spanning over five regions filled with enemies and NPCs. This game also had an extensive crafting system that would keep gamers busy for hours on end. But, one of the most notable features in Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning was that every action a player performed would affect the game's ending.
5 Tales Of Xillia
- Worldwide Release Year: 2013
The Tales series started in 1995 on the PlayStation 1 and gained enough popularity in Japan that it now has over 15 games within the series. Tales of Xillia was the thirteenth installment in the game series, introducing new gameplay features and mechanics that would revolutionize the entire franchise. For starters, the Field Map (the open world map) was far more extensive than its predecessors, providing players with hours of exploration.
The Battle Screen (where the player would battle enemies) also received an upgrade since the enemy AI would pose more of a challenge. Several DLCs were also released on the PlayStation store but only provided players with cosmetic items they could use on various characters in their party.
4 Darksiders
- Worldwide Release Year: 2010
Within the Real-Time Action RPGs, only a few Hack 'n' Slash games are worthy of a gamer's attention, and Darksiders is one of them. Darksiders borrowed many gameplay features from the God of War series and merged them with the Devil May Cry series, creating a unique Action RPG that received critical acclaim from gamers. Aside from fighting hordes of mobs and giant boss enemies, players could execute special kill moves that resembled Mortal Kombat's infamous Fatality moves.
Players could choose from a vast arsenal of weapons, from a 2-handed scythe to a shotgun pistol. Another interesting gameplay feature was the Chaos Form which would transform War (the protagonist) into a fiery beast that resembled the Baalrog from the LotR franchise. The only downside of Darksiders was the quick time events, which were extremely common in the PlayStation 3 era of video games.
3 Dark Souls
- Worldwide Release Year: 2011
Even though Dark Souls was plagued with technical issues that would make the game sometimes unplayable, it still became one of the greatest video games ever made, according to several reputable game journalists. And that's because it was the first of its kind since it didn't hold a player's hand by guiding them through the game but would encourage them to explore for themselves.
On top of that, Dark Souls had some of (and continues to have) the most challenging mobs and bosses, forcing players to die repeatedly before passing on to the next area. But, the best aspect of Dark Souls was that players had the freedom of beating the game with their unique playstyle, not being tied to a "meta build" as most RPGs had at the time. And with the introduction of Multiplayer, players had a chance to show off their skills to other players, adding more content to the game.
2 Mass Effect
- Worldwide Release Year: 2007
Perhaps the most critically acclaimed game of the PS3 era was Mass Effect since it won over ten awards for best game of the year. And that's because Mass Effect changed how game developers made Action RPGs by introducing an intricate dialogue and morality system. Moreover, every action a player made (from completing side quests to interacting with certain characters) would drastically change the game's ending and continue to affect the following entries in the Mass Effect series.
Mass Effect featured various unique classes players could choose and adapt to their playstyle. Overall, the Mass Effect series continues to be one of gaming history's best interactive storylines that very few RPGs have been able to top.
1 Nier
- Worldwide Release Year: 2010
Despite performing poorly in the Western market, Nier has become a cult classic among Action RPG fans since it has lots of replayability value. And that's because every New Game+ (up to +++) adds new gameplay content and expands on the original ending. Another aspect that made Nier a cult classic was that it mixed in various genres throughout the playthrough.
For example, in certain portions of the game, it would transform into a top-down shooter, where the player must defeat hordes of enemies. In other areas of the game, it would transform into a 2-D platformer, similar to the Mega Man game series. Without any doubt, Nier provided players with an ample amount of gameplay features that only were appreciated years later.