Discover games · NexWave Games
PS3 thrillers for a weekend where you want to experience one story
Sometimes you want to start a story and still know the characters well when the credits roll. A free weekend can be nice for this: you don't have to look back after a long break to see what happened again. The PS3 has several exciting, well-defined campaigns that match this. These three each have a different emphasis. How far you get in one weekend depends on your available time and way of playing.
Heavy Rain: a study under time pressure
Heavy Rain revolves around the search for a missing child and the so-called Origami Killer. You experience the research through different characters. Actions that would seem small in another game, such as having a conversation or examining an object, can become tense here due to the circumstances.
The game works with choices and reactions during scenes. An uncomfortable decision can linger while the story continues. That makes a first round of play most interesting when you are not trying to check whether you are doing everything optimally. First let the consequence of a choice become part of your version of the story.
Beyond: Two Souls: a life with an invisible presence
Beyond: Two Souls follows Jodie, who is connected to an entity named Aiden. Her life is told through various periods and situations. This structure requires that you leave room for questions: you do not immediately understand every relationship or memory.
You control both Jodie and Aiden. That changes the possibilities within scenes, because the entity moves through the environment differently. This often gives the tension a supernatural color. The original PS3 issue presents the story in its own order; features added later for the PS4 version do not automatically come with a PS3 disc.
Spec Ops: The Line: unrest behind military action
Spec Ops: The Line begins with a mission in sandstorm-hit Dubai. You follow Captain Martin Walker and his team through a city where the situation is difficult to oversee. The combat uses cover and firearms, so the basic controls may feel familiar to players of other third-person shooters.
The story gradually makes that familiarity uncomfortable. What characters tell themselves and what actually happens starts to weigh more heavily than just achieving the next goal. Preferably go into this without an extensive summary: the structure and shifting tone carry the story. It is an explicitly violent game with adult themes.
A first round of play without a solution list
For these games it helps to have a few longer playing moments available. You will then stay more focused on the events and have to step out of the atmosphere less often. Do take breaks; tension doesn't have to be rushed. Subtitles can help when dialogue provides a lot of information or when you keep the volume modest.
Save watching alternate scenes for later. Reloading immediately after every decision can slow down a thriller. A completed first experience provides a good basis for investigating how different certain moments can proceed.
Check which version you choose
For second-hand PS3 games, pay attention to the language, age rating and content of the offer. A mention of bonus material on an old cover does not mean that a possible download code is still available. For the main story, you mainly want to make sure that you receive the correct game and the accompanying disc.