Over on Destructoid, an interesting article appeared recently titled “Getting the most out of your PlayStation 3 in 2018.” It serves as a nice walkthrough both for those new to the console and those who might very well be on their third or fourth or seventh iteration of it. And it no doubt begs the question of why in the world would anyone want to invest in a PS3, Xbox 360, or heck, even a Wii/Wii U at this point? Not only are so many slightly older games now available on current consoles and PC in various ways, but there’s no stopping the cavalcade of amazing new games that are only available on the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Why bother looking back when there’s so much good stuff on the horizon?!
One’s own answers run a spectrum. On one end are those who have little to no desire to play anything from the previous generation or on those consoles. Sure, they might look back with fond memories, but given the choice between playing a circa 2010 game and a brand new release, “new” wins out over “old.” Add to that the qualms of being an adult gamer, and one simply may not have the time to go back and play older games, because frankly, there’s not enough time to play the new ones!
On the other end may be folks who, for whatever reason, never wanted or had the opportunity to invest in a PS3, Xbox 360, etc. Maybe they’re lifelong PC gamers who wouldn’t feel the need to bother. Going back to being an adult, maybe kids entered into the picture during that time and more important expenditures ensued. Maybe they’re perfectly happy with their still-working Xboxes and PS2s and PS1s and the grand compendium of games that are readily available for them. If you game, you play what you like, and that’s that.
But maybe, just maybe, to those on either end, snagging a new “old” console on the cheap these days seems more enticing than spending many hundreds of dollars on something new, with the added cost of all those new games? Tis a good question.
I fall somewhere in the middle, because these days, I prefer playing on the Xbox 360 and PS3. (If my recent Amazon queue is any indication, I’m doing my part to keep the last console generation alive and well!) I’m not immune to the calls of your Horizon: Zero Dawns and Persona 5s, I’m just more personally interested in exploring the offerings on those consoles. Because while I played a few games on them originally, my deep, deep, deep Nintendo roots kept me mostly tethered to all things Mario and such. I know now that I overlooked a sea of great games simply because they weren’t Nintendo games. And since I’m not overly swayed by 4K graphics or being on the cutting edge, sticking to my PS3 and Xbox 360 just makes sense presently. I know that’ll likely change eventually, but my happiness lies in the recent past. Yours may not, and that’s cool.
So…if I were to put together a “last console generation care package,” what would it look like? I’m glad you asked! Though, I guess we’d have to consider few different packages, depending on the console. As well, are we talking about games exclusive only to one console? Hmm, as I can only consider the games I’ve played, that might get a little tricky, so I’ll likely end up with a mix. In any event, here are my “care packages” for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii (with the Gamecube, by extension) – three games apiece – and I’ve love to see yours in the comments! (P. S. I would like to bolster my own PS3 and Xbox 360 libraries, so any and all recommendations are welcome!)
My PS3 care package:
- LittleBigPlanet – full-scale platforming that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy, but not too warm and fuzzy, as the game can be challenging!
- Uncharted 2 – a near-perfect combination of action/adventure gaming and fantastic puzzling, all tied up with a bow in the form of a wise-cracking hero.
- Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix – three games in one! A very pretty KH compilation containing Final Mix, Chain of Memories, and 358/2 Days.
My Xbox 360 care package:
- Fable II – classic, no-frills RPGing; overlook any and all pretenses and simply have fun becoming a wealthy ruler!
- Red Dead Redemption – Old West thrills with a GTA vibe; I will take my Xbox 360 copy of RDR to my grave.
- Mass Effect 2 – fantastic mission-based play with memorable characters and a well-written “saving the universe” story; simply unforgettable.
My Wii/Gamecube care package:
- Epic Mickey – forget that they ever made a sequel and delight in some old-school Disney adventuring, with fairly decent motion controls.
- Metroid Prime – Duh. (Okay, look. I know I had my own set of issues with the game, but if you can’t or won’t play Super Metroid, give Metroid Prime a try.)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – an intense and heady experience; extremely grounded in the Zelda universe, yet wholly unique.
Lede image by Flickr user Nate Allen (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
VIRTUAL BASTION 
I like your care package selections for the last generation consoles. I mix between new and older consoles. There are still games I want to play on the Xbox 360 or others that I haven’t yet and I’m happy to keep playing on them when I have the chance.
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Thanks! Yeah, I’m sticking to playing older games on console and newer games on PC, mostly. There are just so many interesting games to play. Too many, really! 🙂
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Absolutely, too many games to play. So many good games to play.
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I’ve yet to the make the jump to next gen. I’m still playing through the Wii back catalog (including GameCube discs and N64 game downloads), and my PS3 (too many games to get through!).
I think you’re right, the fact that many of these older games are fairly cheap second-hand is a big factor. And I’m only now getting to the games I missed the first time around.
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Well, with the PS3 and Wii, you could keep quite busy with them for many years to come! The sheer amount of gaming goodness available is almost overwhelming. Between online stores and flea markets, older games are ripe for the picking! Honestly, the biggest issue is to prevent oneself from hoarding. There’s only so much room in the house, after all…
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I really need to play Fable II. I played the first one and loved it. I need more time to play games… you should totally add that to the care packages 🙂
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…and this is why we each need our own TARDIS, haha. As I’ve lamented before, I really hope that I’m still able to game when I’ve retired, because right now, I feel like that’s the next life-stage where I’ll actually have time again!
If it helps any, Fable II is not a long game. You could get through the main story in a couple dozen hours.
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I think mine would be as such:
PS3
*Uncharted 2
*Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time
*Journey
Xbox 360
*Halo Reach
*Gears of War 3
*Lost Odyssey
Wii
*Super Mario Galaxy 2
*The Last Story
*Xenoblade Chronicles
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Ooo, nice all around! I considered adding The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles to my Wii list, but I came round to seeing them as “next steps,” especially since XC can be quite confounding at times.
I have Lost Odyssey sitting on my Xbox 360 as we speak. I think I picked it up for free, and I don’t know much about it. What’s it like?
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The 360 is the generation I gave up on as I got bored of the annualised sequel, but now I am going back to it and finding a lot that I like.I bought a PS4 about a year ago and I still can’t find very much that interests me, as it seems be mostly re-releases to PS3/360 era, so I too am mostly keeping that gen alive.
Not sure I have any games on either that i’d seriously recommend. Maybe Fallout: New Vegas and Alan Wake.
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Fallout: New Vegas is an excellent recommendation! I gave Alan Wake a go years back when we still had the disc. Not sure why, but it just didn’t stick with me then. I’d very much like to re-add it to the library at some point and try again.
Since getting our PS4, I think I’ve done more game watching than playing. 🙂 I do enjoy seeing new games in all their graphical glory, but nothing’s quite drawn me in to the point where I’m like “I MUST play [x game] on the PS4!” Heck, the other day I loaded up GTA V on the ol’ PS3, and both my husband and I commented on how amazing that game looks, and this was as he was playing Assassin’s Creed: Origins. The older generation has still got it!
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Alan Wake for me was an interesting story, but the gameplay relied too heavily on being in the forest. I liked it, but you could tell the devs knew the forest bits were the best so kept coming up with ways to get you back in to the forest.
At the time my favourite game was Left 4 Dead, but I imagine that the servers are (sorry) dead…
Other than that? Dark Souls, I only just got into it but 1 is probably the best.
I’ve still never played an Assassins Creed
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AC games aren’t all that, but they can be quite fun at times. That said, I’ve really only played through most of the first game, all of ACII, and the beginning of ACIII. The second game takes the cake, hands down.
Oh, Dark Souls! Yes, I’ve heard that the first one is quite good. I’d like to add that to my library someday.
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Reblogged this on Recollections of Play and commented:
So here’s a heretical thought. Instead of spending $60 on the latest and greatest game for the latest and greatest console, why not spend $60 on three, four, or even more slightly older games for those slightly older consoles that could very well provide as much, if not more entertainment? I know, GASP!!, right? But…maybe not, as I recently discussed over on Virtual Bastion.
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Great list 🙂 Our PS3 and Xbox 360 are definitely still hooked up and used from time to time. Recently, I’ve been playing Tomb Raider on the 360.
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Thanks! And that’s the Tomb Raider reboot, right? Such an awesome game! I also played it on the 360 and loved it.
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Yup, the reboot! It is great! I hope the upcoming movie will do it justice.
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