Finally aiming to clear my PS3 backlog. Suggestions on where to start?

[TheNotoriousAFG]

After fiddling with my 3DS for months, and finishing the great adventure that was Dragon Quest VIII (one of the GOATs everyone), I've decided to go back to my PS3 and knock out some titles that I've picked up over the past two years via PSN sales. The list I'm considering is as follows:

1. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (already played ~3 hours recently)
2. KH 1.5 Remix, KH 2.5 Remix (have both)
3. FF X/X-2 Remaster
4. Atelier Escha, Atelier Shallie (have both)
5. Uncharted trilogy
6. Mass Effect trilogy
7. Ni No Kuni
8. The Last of Us
9. Shadow of the Colossus
10. Tales of Graces F (got 15 hours in but it's been months)
11. Tales of Xillia, Tales of Xillia 2 (have both)
12. Valkyria Chronicles
13. Child of Light

I realize this is a hefty list that I probably will never finish - but if anyone had any particularly fantastic experiences with these games and want to recommend them to get through first, I'd appreciate it! The last PS3 game I played was Persona 5 this past summer, and it was 100 hours of (mostly) pure fun :) Thank you in advance.

 

[Couscous]

The Last of Us for sure. It is a great game and the culmination of all other cinematic games of the seventh generation of consoles. If you don't like it you will probably dislike Uncharted as well.

 

[TheNotoriousAFG]

The Last of Us for sure. It is a great game and the culmination of all other cinematic games of the seventh generation of consoles. If you don't like it you will probably dislike Uncharted as well.

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I actually attempted Uncharted 1 for a spell. I really loved the cinematics, but the shooting aspect is really hard for me. I seem to always die on this one particular shooting sequence at the beginning. For someone who isn't the best at shooters, is it still accessible?

 

[panda-zebra]

Last of Us, Child of Light, FFX

All that Tales of... and the trilogies, not so much.

 

[delalaser]

Ni no kuni if u can overlook shitty combat mechanics. I love ghibli and it felt like playing a ghibli movie.

Not to hijack ur thread but can someone explain how to play Shadow of collosus? Any tips?

 

[JonathanNielson]

I've played almost everything on that list and there's nothing I wouldn't recommend. Standouts are Uncharted, Last of Us, and Ni No Kuni. If you can play the Mass Effect games on another platform, I would probably do that. I played all three on PS3, and while it was definitely playable, it was a bit rough.

 

[RAWRferal]

Play Mass Effect now.

 

[nightstalker962]

I actually attempted Uncharted 1 for a spell. I really loved the cinematics, but the shooting aspect is really hard for me. I seem to always die on this one particular shooting sequence at the beginning. For someone who isn't the best at shooters, is it still accessible?

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Assuming you're playing Uncharted on the DualShock 3, it takes some getting used to, lol.

 

[Couscous]

I actually attempted Uncharted 1 for a spell. I really loved the cinematics, but the shooting aspect is really hard for me. I seem to always die on this one particular shooting sequence at the beginning. For someone who isn't the best at shooters, is it still accessible?

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The shooting is more difficult in The Last of Us, but it is way better than in Uncharted 1-3. Shooting is only one of the multiple options in The Last of Us. You can also craft deadly molotovs and bombs and other lethal weapons. The game is also more of a stealth game. You can do like 90% of the encounther with stealt only.

If you loved the cinematics in Uncharted 1 you wille love them in The Last of Us. It's still the game to beat when it comes to narratives.

 

[ShortNasty]

Alternate types/genres/series if possible. It alleviates fatigue. Also, if you aren't feeling a game after 5 or so hours, then move to the next in the list, and put the current one on the back burner. That list is perfectly doable for this year if you focus on just these games. Here's my suggested order:

• Uncharted 1
• Odins Sphere
• FFX
• Mass Effect 1
• Kingdom Hearts 1
• Atelier Escha
• Uncharted 2
• FF x-2
• Shadow of Collosus
• Kingdom Hearts 2
• Mass Effect 2
• Child of Light
• Valkyria Chronicles
• Tales of Graces F
• Uncharted 3
• Atelier Shallie
• Mass Effect 3
• Ni No Kuni
• Tales of Xillia
• Pick some kingdom Hearts stuff
• Last of Us
• Tales of Xillia 2
• Kingdom Hearts stuff

Good luck. Backlogs are booty, and hopefully completing this part of yours will inform you purchasing habits moving forward.

 

[slashf]

Finish de games that are only on ps3. Uncharted is more balanced and the reworked cover mechanic is gorgeous. And the other the framerate is much better on the ps4.

 

[Redcrayon]

Valkyria Chronicles was the game I bought a PS3 for and it didn't disappoint. Great game, the art direction holds up well too, that watercolour effect and the rural, European villages gives it a really nice palette for the 'fantasy world war II' backdrop. Other than that, Uncharted 2 and Mass Effect 2 are my picks of the bunch.

 

[Sir Guts]

Start with Ni No Kuni. It'll give you with a similar joy to what P5 gave you

 

[ThePrince]

A lot of those have much better versions on newer hardware so if your planning on getting a Ps4 or have a PC perhaps wait to play them there.

That said I would probably suggest Valkyria Chronicles or The Last of Us from that list (I haven't played them all). You don't really need to worry about being too good at shooters for Valkyria as it's turn based.

Mass Effect trilogy is also great, especially carrying your saves over. Ni No Kuni is beautiful but I never finished it as I didn't find the combat very enjoyable.

 

[Flon]

Atelier Escha, Atelier Shallie (have both)

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I recently finished these and they are a lot of fun, but did you finish the first game in the "Dusk" trilogy; Atelier Ayesha? I thought that game was amazing and the best Atelier on the PS3 alongside Atelier Meruru.

Tales of Graces F (got 15 hours in but it's been months)

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While I do have a decently high opinion of Tales of Graces, I'd say that if you weren't enjoying the first arc as adult Asbel, then it might not be worth it to tackle the game again. I found the games' narrative to weaken afterwards and often you'll feel like you're just going from town to dungeon until the end.

 

[Deleted member 12186]

1) play shorter games using howlongtobeat
2) play games that have some new game coming out or already out that you want to play.
3) play based on older to newer

Those are three ways I decide

 

[DC5remy]

Ni no kuni would be my starting point. Such a great JRPG

 

[SocksForWok]

Are you looking to Platinum these games or just finish them as soon as possible?

 

[TheBeardedOne]

Child of Light was a really good game. I'd start there. It's not too demanding and a good place to start.

 

[mindatlarge]

Recently played through Ni No Kuni and had a blast. Finding familiars you like in combat (think Pokemon but easier to capture) then evolving them to make them even more potent in battle was really fun. It's a great story too and gives you that old fashion JRPG feel. The beginning may be linear, but the game really opens up and lets you explore the world before too long. Totally worth your time, imo.

 

[ComputerBlue]

You've got some absolutely amazing games in that backlog.

Only thing I would suggest is not playing similar games back to back otherwise you'll tire of them and might not appreciate them as much as you should.

So if you play TLoU, don't jump into Uncharted right after, play tales or KH, then play Mass Effect etc etc.

 

[Drakhyrr]

I normally choose the next game I want to play like this:

1 - What genre am I feeling like playing?
FPS? Racing? Hack n' Slash? Always mix them up!

And then, one of these 2 criteria:

Older -> newest
Worst -> best

You don't have to play bad games, but try to find an order of quality that suits you. The objective here is to make an order where the next game is better than the last one. Say, for example, that you can stomach old games, but still can't say graphics don't matter. Then pick an older game first! The next time you return to this genre, you will get to advance in graphics. Here are the games I've finished this year, in order:

Killzone 2
Halo Wars
Halo 2: Anniversary
Unravel
Halo 3

I was really LTTP for Halo 3, and I had finished Halo 2 years ago, so I wanted to get to it, but didn't want to get burned out. See there is an RTS and a puzzle platformer between the FPSs. Graphics don't really matter to me, but I like to play a series in an order and watch they evolve. I'm currently playing Rise of the Tomb Raider, having played all the previous games in the series in the past years. BTW, Uncharted Trilogy and TLOU are also in my backlog, and I will evetually play them like this: U1, something else, U2, something, U3, something else, TLOU.

 

[BasilZero]

I would go for Ni No Kuni first.


Speaking of which, I'm also trying to cut down on my backlog for my PS3 which is currently my biggest console backlog.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Odin Sphere easily tops that list. Sad at no Tokyo Jungle or Legasista, though.

 

[En-ou]

Ni No Kuni. Fantastic RPG from Level 5.

 

[ZER0]

If you start with Tales of Xilla, you should pick Jude as a character or the beginning of the story will be a lot more confusing.

 

[En-ou]

Ni no kuni if u can overlook shitty combat mechanics. I love ghibli and it felt like playing a ghibli movie.

Not to hijack ur thread but can someone explain how to play Shadow of collosus? Any tips?

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Had zero problem with combat. It's fun, addicting and strategic.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Play the KH games, as KH3 will finally come out this year, and remember to play KH2 in Critical Mode to play one of the best Action games ever made.

 

[ZER0]

Had zero problem with combat. It's fun, addicting and strategic.

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Interesting, how long are you into the game?

I really liked it at the beginning, but I never finished it because it got pretty repetitive in my opinion.

I didn't really like all the monster encounters, there where way to many on the map imo.

 

[wtd2009]

After fiddling with my 3DS for months, and finishing the great adventure that was Dragon Quest VIII (one of the GOATs everyone), I've decided to go back to my PS3 and knock out some titles that I've picked up over the past two years via PSN sales. The list I'm considering is as follows:

1. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (already played ~3 hours recently)
2. KH 1.5 Remix, KH 2.5 Remix (have both)
3. FF X/X-2 Remaster
4. Atelier Escha, Atelier Shallie (have both)
5. Uncharted trilogy
6. Mass Effect trilogy
7. Ni No Kuni
8. The Last of Us
9. Shadow of the Colossus
10. Tales of Graces F (got 15 hours in but it's been months)
11. Tales of Xillia, Tales of Xillia 2 (have both)
12. Valkyria Chronicles
13. Child of Light

I realize this is a hefty list that I probably will never finish - but if anyone had any particularly fantastic experiences with these games and want to recommend them to get through first, I'd appreciate it! The last PS3 game I played was Persona 5 this past summer, and it was 100 hours of (mostly) pure fun :) Thank you in advance.

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Wow a year ago my backlog looked nearly identical to yours, though I've managed to make a decent amount of progress the last year so here are some tips based on my experience.

You can throw uncharted on very easy mode with all the aim assists and whatnot and fly through it, so i recommend that because its a really fun ride without too much time commitment. Like starring in your own movie.

The same goes for the last of us. Take the frustrating moments out by turning on easy mode and what you're left with is a great story and a beautiful piece of work from naughty dog. Turn the lights off, the sound up and enjoy.

Ni no kuni is great but I recommend playing through it when you have a few weeks to leisurely play through and enjoy the beautiful world, fantastic soundtrack, cinematics, and enjoyable characters. I love this game. It was the first game I played through when I got back into gaming after a 10 year break.

Mass effect is a bit of a time investment but worth the journey. Avoid planet exploring in the first one because it's a slog and can make you burn out. It has no real impact on the big picture and takes a lot of your time for not much return.

Play ffx. Just don't play ffx2.

Child of light is a blast, you can finish that in a couple days so just pick a down weekend and hole up.

The tales series is fine, they each have their faults. Graces story is a total cheese fest and had me rolling my eyes by the end, xilia has less than exciting environments, xilia 2 overstayed it's welcome IMO. But if you like jrpgs they give you the fix. I would play them after you've gone through ni no kuni. I just think a lot more thought and care was put into NNK and it shows, and if you happen to burn out on jprgs in the process of covering your back log then it would be a real shame for NNK to be a casualty of that.

I played through kingdom hearts 1.5 and though I finished it, it didn't really stick with me. I found myself bored often. I think it was the pacing. I am planning to tackle 2.5 this year in hopes of a more memorable and enjoyable experience. Give it a try though, it may resonate with you.

I would also second the above suggestion to alternate genres. This will help you avoid burn out and make each game more meaningful.

if you can cover the list you're going to have a great gaming year, that's a great backlog!

 

[TheNotoriousAFG]

Whew, thanks for the replies everyone! Let me try to respond to a few :) I highly doubt I'll be able to finish all of these in a year (university schedule is draining but I do graduate in May), but my goal is to knock out as many as possible.

Are you looking to Platinum these games or just finish them as soon as possible?

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Finish as soon as possible - platinum is too much work and I don't really care about achievements. I've tried before, and the process is too tedious for me to platinum.

I recently finished these and they are a lot of fun, but did you finish the first game in the "Dusk" trilogy; Atelier Ayesha? I thought that game was amazing and the best Atelier on the PS3 alongside Atelier Meruru.

While I do have a decently high opinion of Tales of Graces, I'd say that if you weren't enjoying the first arc as adult Asbel, then it might not be worth it to tackle the game again. I found the games' narrative to weaken afterwards and often you'll feel like you're just going from town to dungeon until the end.

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I was having fun with Graces f; I put it down because life things came up, and I just haven't picked it back up since :( The combat was confusing to me though, so I'm worried I will be too rusty/forgot plot points to properly play the game again. Also, I read an LP of Ayesha! Picked up the other two because the game was super charming to read about :)

Ni no kuni would be my starting point. Such a great JRPG

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See, I love the aesthetics but have heard awful things about the battle system and the AI. Is it still a worthwhile journey despite that?

Alternate types/genres/series if possible. It alleviates fatigue. Also, if you aren't feeling a game after 5 or so hours, then move to the next in the list, and put the current one on the back burner. That list is perfectly doable for this year if you focus on just these games. Here's my suggested order:

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Thanks for the suggestion! I actually saved this in my Notes. I might use this order honestly, as gaming fatigue is real for me. I've only been playing uber long JRPGs (the only 3 games I've completed on my PS3 were the Trails of Cold Steel games and Persona 5 for reference), so breaking up the pace once in a while would be nice for me.

I normally choose the next game I want to play like this:

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Mmmmmm, this is a good method. It's hard for me to objectively rank these games though, since they come from different genres and are all reasonably critically acclaimed. I think the balance for me will be with picking shorter games in between longer ones, because constantly digging into long games wears the soul after a while. FE Echoes was 30 hours, and that was a nice sized adventure that had proper pacing as a result of its "shorter" length :)

 

[Jersey_Tom]

Ni No Kuni for my money.

Game will charm you to death.

 

[tiebreaker]

Ni No Kuni. I mean, the sequel is coming soon. Now would be a great time to get in.

 

[Ghost305]

I'd probably start with Shadow of the Colossus.

It was a phenomenal game in 2005, but as time passes its controls can feel dated. The longer you wait to play that particular version, the lesser the experience you'll probably have. Though this is a non issue if you pick up the PS4 remake.

I would also personally recommend playing games like Uncharted trilogy, Last of Us, and Valkyria on PS4 over PS3. The improved resolution and especially frame rate in those games really make a huge difference.

 

[En-ou]

Interesting, how long are you into the game?

I really liked it at the beginning, but I never finished it because it got pretty repetitive in my opinion.

I didn't really like all the monster encounters, there where way to many on the map imo.

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I finished it. As you progress monsters on the map will start running away from you. You gain lots of nice magic and summons for Oliver also. The strat comes into matching proper familiars that will counter others and countering an enemy move right before it hits. It's quite satisfying once you open up many spells. And this is coming from someone who usually is very picky with RPG combat.

 

[Zing]

Currently playing Tales of Xillia and it's been a great game overall. I've enjoyed every moment of it. If you like JRPG such as Persona, I feel it fits right in with all the "party chat" and variety of characters, each with their own niche.

It got put on hold thanks to Monster Hunter World, but I'm about 40 hours in and nearing the end, I believe (I never spoil games for myself, so I'm not sure).

 

[ohlawd]

1. Atelier Escha, Atelier Shallie (have both)
2. Mass Effect trilogy
3. Tales of Xillia, Tales of Xillia 2 (have both)
4. Child of Light

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there you go. I took out the crap

 

[bahorel]

Ni no Kuni is amazing and I'm sad I left it in my backlog as long as I did.

Kingdom Hearts if you want to get in on the zeitgeist coming up for KH3

 

[Fularu]

there you go. I took out the crap

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Why did you leave the Xilia games then? :P

 

[ohlawd]

Why did you leave the Xilia games then? :P

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They're aight games. Graces F plays like shit.

 

[Deleted member 71]

Xillia's alright, but I found myself dropping it as it never really grabbed me.

imho, I'd play these games first:
Shadow of the Colossus, Odin Sphere, Uncharted 2 and Valkyria Chronicles.

Feel free to play any of the other games afterwards. Kingdom Hearts will consume you and I have no way to recommend how you play those games. Birth by Sleep and the original are the only games I've played in the series properly, and I really enjoyed both of them.