The Evolution Of PlayStation
5. The PS3's Golden Years
Despite the PlayStation 3's disappointing launch, it wasn't all bad.
Although teething problems with the console's Cell processor meant that third-party games performed poorer on this more expensive system, first-party titles were nevertheless some of the best-looking games out there. Titles like Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet and Ratchet & Clank Futures: Tools Of Destruction showed people what the PS3 was capable of, and the best was still to come.
After trailing behind Microsoft for years, Sony would make a comeback with a slimmer, cheaper PS3, which made picking up the console a much more viable option.
More importantly, though, the more experience developers had making games this generation, the better they got at utilising PS3 hardware. Games only got more visually stunning throughout the console's life, giving players the likes of The Last Of Us, Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, as just some titles that still hold up today.
This generation was when Sony excelled at delivering narrative-driven cinematic experiences. Now that the games themselves looked and played better than ever, the stories they told resonated more with all who played.