The Best PS3 3D games

6th Jul 2010 | 13:22

The Best PS3 3D games

Although Nintendo's 3DS was the highlight of E3 2010, it's Sony that's really pushing the third dimension.

Just as the Blu-ray disc became the industry standard, Sony now wants to make sure PS3 3D is the next step in gaming technology and beyond.

Want the latest on everything 3D? Visit our good friends over at 3D Radar for the very latest on 3D games, movies and technology including tests of all the latest 3D Kit!

The battle has already begun: Not only did the PlayStation 3 get a 3D firmware update near the beginning of June, with a selection of existing titles getting a 3D make-over via the PlayStation Network, but Sony has already started to churn out 3D TVs as well, with new models in its Bravia range.

But that's just the beginning; those PSN patches are more demonstrations of Sony's take on 3D tech than anything.

There are plenty of titles readying to take on the 3D challenge and some of them are massive. The mind-blowing show-stoppers are nearly ready - and here's what you need to look out for:


WIPEOUT HD
Let's start with a classic. WipEout HD came to the PlayStation Network in September 2008 as an already spruced-up version of the original classic. The reason people were crying out for a PS3 version of WipEout is the same reason the futuristic, hovercraft racer is probably the most anticipated of the initial 3D titles: The visual inventiveness of WipEout was what made the game stand out from the crowd.

With wisps of neon shooting down a techno light track, the sense of speed was heightened. In 3D, when those wisps flick out of the screen and the long noses of the WipEout hovercrafts stretching down the track, the two effects should compliment each other wonderfully.

Even more compelling is the fact that WipEout HD is bundled with Sony's 3D Bravia TVs - along with the likes of Motorstorm Pacific Rift and Pain - just to take the edge off that initial 3D TV price-tag.


KILLZONE 3
Killzone 3 was one of the games to get a nice big chunk of screen time as part of Sony's PS3 3D showcase at E3.

The bleak futuristic FPS is clearly a flagship for PS3 3D gaming in the platform holder's eyes and so it should be; Killzone 2 may have come under criticism for lacking variety, but it had real graphical clout and atmosphere with the haunting red eyes of the enemy Helghast peering out across the battlefield.

Killzone 3 was met with applause at E3 when the audience donned their 3D glasses and witnessed the jet packing section of in-flight combat. It's just one of the many new features Guerrilla has thrown into the series to add new gameplay dynamics and variety.

Bigger guns and more melee options will all enhance the game's explosiveness, but it's a new focus on larger battle areas and big open spaces that excited us the most. With the added depth provided by stereoscopic 3D, the detailed environments will look even richer.


MOTORSTORM APOCALYPSE
Motorstorm has always run on a different kind of fuel. Break-neck speeds, off-road madness and insane crashes make this series more about extreme sports than straight up racing.

With mud flying at the camera along with scraps of metal, wheels and the occasional fire-ball, it doesn't take a great deal of imagination to visualise what kind of killer experience Motorstorm in 3D might be.

But wait, because Motorstorm Apocalypse promises even more. This time developer Evolution has gone a little bit mad and decided to create probably the most extreme sport ever.

It's 'urban off-road racing' - with the aim of finding the biggest earthquake you can and racing right through it, while a towering city collapses around you.

The effect is impressive. Power sliding past opponents only to see a sky-scraper crumble into your path fills your field of vision with dust and debris. It's an intense experience. If Evolution had decided to steer-clear of 3D for this one, we wouldn't have found it easy to forgive them.


CRYSIS 2
When developer Crytek said that Crysis 2 on PS3 "looked impossible" during stages of development, you began to understand just how much graphical juice this staggeringly beautiful FPS needed.

But Crysis 2 is set to debut on PS3 and in full 3D, putting the nanosuit-clad player in the urban jungle of Manhattan. You only need to have a quick look at some of the recent gameplay videos to realise just how much of an impact this new environment has.

As always with Crytek, the beauty is in the detail. Maybe it's the sheets of sunlight that stream between skyscrapers and wash the concrete in perfectly defined patches, or the way the walls of Grand Central Station splinter and burst as a giant mech enemy smashes through.

Whatever it is that sets Crysis apart in the FPS world, Crysis 2 looks set to become one of the most intense and technologically impressive shooters to hit the PS3 - or indeed any console - this year.


GRAN TURISMO 5
When Gran Turismo first hit the PlayStation it was thought of as the definitive racing sim. With more cars than a child's toy box, GT offered a staggering amount of models, everything from Honda Accords to Aston Martin DB7s.

But the most impressive bit was the incredible likeness each car had to its real life counterpart. The Gran Turismo series has set the graphical standard for racers - and maybe even the world of video games as a whole - ever since.

Gran Turismo 5 has spent years in the making, but it will all pay off on release day. The racer promises almost photo-realistic renders of a massive range of cars from the slickest wheels around all the way down to the humble Kia.

With such a high graphical standard throughout the GT series you'd be forgiven for wondering how developer Polyphony Digital could possibly up the ante in an age of increasingly competitive visuals.

3D is the answer. It seems like the only way Gran Turismo could become any more visually convincing. With already pristine HD graphics, players will be dragged in even further with incredible depth on their 3D TVs.

Gran Turismo 5 threatens to do 3D presentation better than any other game in its class. It may come as a surprise to find out that Gran Turismo 5 3D has been ready for two years.

Not only that, but because GT5 runs at 60 frames per second as opposed to 30, it was apparently "easy" for Polyphony to implement the 3D visuals.

Gran Turismo has revolutionised computer graphics from its very beginning. There's no reason why it won't do the same for PS3 3D as the next step in visual wizardry when it is released this November.

Want the latest on everything 3D? Visit our good friends over a 3D Radar for the very latest on 3D games, movies and technology!

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