9 Lost Blockbusters Might Find A New Home On PS5 This Year

With PlayStation’s 30th anniversary just in our rearview mirror, there’s one era in the brand’s history that still feels remarkably underrepresented in today’s gaming landscape. While Xbox has committed to backward compatibility and Nintendo has grown its collection of classic titles available via the Switch’s online service, Sony’s taken the more limited route of releasing just a handful of its pre-PS4 titles. Among them, nearly none are games that were released on the PlayStation 3.

Thankfully, that could change soon according to developer Implicit Conversions. In a roadmap featured on its official website, the company has a “PlayStation 3 Emulator” listed as being researched and prototyped. If this were any other development team, this would be easy to write off as one of many PS3 emulator projects in the ether. But Implicit Conversions has helped Sony bring original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games to PS5 via PlayStation Plus in the past. Considering its history, there could be something more in store for down the line.

If true, PlayStation could be poised to finally catch up to its two counterparts in the one area where it’s fallen behind. More importantly, it could mean a chance to finally revisit some of the finest games stuck on the 18-year-old console. Here are nine PlayStation 3 exclusives we’d love to see make a return.

3D Dot Game Heroes

Silicon Studio’s love letter to The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, and other 8-bit classics was an underrated and overlooked gem at the time of its release in 2010.The fact that 3D Dot Game Heroes has been totally stuck on PlayStation 3 means this already obscure title from the publisher of the Persona series rarely gets the recognition it deserves even among retro gaming communities.

The game’s gorgeous 3D pixel art would look even more stunning on modern displays. And in a post-Minecraft industry, the game’s powerful character editor (which lets you create virtually any character from gaming’s past and present in 3D) would be a big hit with today’s audiences. 3D Dot Game Heroes is practically begging for a re-release, and a straight port on PlayStation Plus could be the trick.

Echochrome

While Echochrome’s simplistic aesthetic and perspective puzzle gameplay probably don’t need a powerful emulator to run properly, a PlayStation 3 classics program would be a wonderful excuse to bring it back. The series, which began in 2008, was synonymous with PlayStation during the era (it was also released on PSP) and marks Sony Japan Studio at its most inventive. The DualSense’s many gimmicks, like its haptic feedback features and motion controls, could be a neat addition if Sony wants to spruce up this forgotten PlayStation classic.

God Of War: Ascension

Speaking of forgotten, few entries in well-established blockbuster franchises are as overlooked as 2013’s God Of War: Ascension. Set ten years before the original God of War, Ascension chronicles Kratos’ encounter with the Furies after breaking his blood oath with members of the Greek pantheon. From a gameplay standpoint, Ascension refines the crunchy combat of God Of War 3. It is also the only God Of War game to feature both co-op and competitive multiplayer, both of which are implemented surprisingly well. Adding this one to the PlayStation Store would be a treat for those who love Sony Santa Monica’s 2018 reboot and missed this oddball entry the first time around.

Heavenly Sword

While Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 earned Ninja Theory two honors at The Game Awards last month, their technological breakthroughs as a developer date way back to 2007. The team’s sophomore effort Heavenly Sword was one of the PlayStation 3’s earliest visual showcases. Starring a gorgeously animated heroine capable of mindblowing flurries of Devil May Cry-style offense (which Capcom likely took notice of), Heavenly Sword seemed like PlayStation’s next big action franchise at the start of the generation before disappearing altogether.

The studio has since been purchased by Microsoft. However, with the tech company’s new lax attitude towards platform exclusivity, maybe this lost franchise gets a second lease on life on modern hardware.

Infamous

Sucker Punch Productions biggest contribution to the PlayStation 3 era was the Infamous series. The Ghost Of Tsushima studio’s first open-world action game was actually about an all-original superhero named Cole McGrath figuring out how to use his newfound electricity powers. It’s a surprisingly fun game that was both visually impressive and refreshingly creative. And while some of the divergent story choices may seem a little binary by today’s standards, its fun mix of ranged and close-quarters combat and city traversal still plays well some 15 years later. Including it and its 2011 sequel on modern PlayStation consoles would be a tremendous addition to any library.

Killzone 2

Few shooters feel as heavy and as gritty as Killzone 2. While the controversial lead-up to its launch is often more remembered than the final product, Killzone 2 is an exceptionally well-made first-person shooter. From its stunning visuals that somehow still hold up today, to its hefty, brash gunplay, Killzone 2 deserves to be preserved. Since developer Guerrilla Games has no interest in going back to the series in the wake of Horizon’s success, making both PS3 Killzone games available for download would be an appreciated middle ground for those still singing this classic shooter’s praises.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift

The PlayStation 3 has countless fantastic racing games. But while stuff like Modnation Racers and Gran Turismo 5 have since been replaced by improved sequels or titles that do their shtick better, nothing has quite replaced the chaotic sprints of Evolution Studios’ Motorstorm series. The first game was a decent and visually impressive launch title for the PS3 set in dry deserts and canyons, its 2008 sequel was bigger and badder in almost every way. The lush island environments that made up the game’s tracks were even more stunning than the original. The existence of vegetation meant each vehicle class (rally cars, monster trucks, dirtbikes, and plenty of others) had strengths and weaknesses when barrelling toward the finish line.

It's a crime that the Motorstorm series no longer exists. PlayStation shuttered Evolution in 2016 after the middling launch of DriveClub. But it doesn’t mean the studio’s arcade-y magnum opus should remain unplayable.

Rachet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Some of Ratchet & Clank’s most obscure games are playable on PlayStation 5 thanks to the Classics catalog. But somehow the first Ratchet & Clank game to appear on a console other than the PlayStation 2 (as well as its many sequels) is nowhere to be found. It’s a real shame too because 2007’s Tools of Destruction marks a significant step forward for the series, as it was the first to truly realize the feeling that Ratchet & Clank was a playable big-budget animated feature film.

Developer Insomniac Games has more than enough on its plate with the upcoming Wolverine game and a Spider-Man sequel on the horizon, so a remaster of Rachet and Clack’s PS3 adventures is probably out of the question. But revisiting these through the Classic catalog the same way you can its PSP spin-offs would be a welcome add.

Resistance 3

Today, Insomniac Games is known as one of the most prolific developers around, delivering multiple titles in short periods of time. During the PS3 era, things were no different. At the same time it was dropping beloved entries in the Ratchet & Clank series, they also delivered arguably the PS3’s most interesting launch title. Resistance: Fall of Man was a first-person shooter about an alien invasion set during an alternate 1950s. The first set up an intriguing original premise, the second ramped up its scale, but 2011’s third entry brought things to a new standard.

Insomniac, the studio behind Marvel’s Spider-Man and Sunset Overdrive, has its DNA is all over this uncharacteristically serious shooter. Compelling weapons that are always selectable in a weapon wheel, an embrace of horror, and exceptionally good multiplayer are all on display. Resistance 3 was a perfect sequel and the soaring highpoint for a series that shouldn’t be left fallow on the PlayStation 3.