Best budget PS3 games?

So it all started when I was looking at a Roku player for Netflix streaming, and realized for an extra $50 I could get a Blu-Ray player that does the same thing, plus replaces my broken DVD player (saving me $40) and of course plays Blu-Ray discs if I ever want to.

Then I started looking at the PS3 which can do all of that, plus streams my nearly 400 ripped DVDs, effectively giving me a second AppleTV for the other room (no more moving the ATV up and down stairs anymore, yay!) for a little over $100 more - which is less than getting another AppleTV. Oh and it plays games, which I like when I have time. So I think I will be picking one up after this holiday season wraps up.

I haven't played any games in over 2 years, and it was Wii before that, so lets just say I've never played a PS3 and I haven't played any cross-platform games that were released after the PS3 was. I expect by this time there should be a pretty decent selection of older games that I can pick up fairly cheap... what are your recommendations?

I tend to distrust game reviewers, but the titles I've read good things about in my little looking are Modern Warfare (1 and 2, but 1 is down to the $30 range now, so might as well start there) and Assassin's Creed (again, 1 being the budget option at this point). My gaming time is pretty limited these days, so I'd like to stick to games which

-aren't too long (say 20 hours max, but 10-12 being good)
-can be played with week long plus gaps between sessions (so nothing where it is hard to figure out what you are supposed to be doing when you get back to it - I love and hate Zelda games for this reason)
-cheap ($30 and under, used is OK)
-split screen co-op is a plus, as is online play which allows me to jump in for an hour and have a quick bit of fun.
-I like shooters, both FPS and 3rd person action type games, light puzzling, action-RPGs which are to the point and don't run on for 60 hours (Fable was pretty fun, for example)... but I'm open to suggestions.

Awesome, appreciate the recommendations. Watched an inFamous video review and it's certainly unique looking, will certainly check it out. Resistance looks like a pretty interesting shooter, too, though I'd never heard of it before now, so thanks for those.

I remember Ratchet and Clank from the N64 days, it seems like... was that a game for the N64 or am I thinking of something else?

I love the idea of Fallout 3... but I can't bring myself to devote that sort of time to a game. Too much other stuff to do! Read a little about MGS4 and died a bit inside after seeing 20-30+ minute cutscenes mentioned. If I wanted a movie I would just watch a movie.

Gamefly seems like it would be a ripoff of me. $16 a month or just buy a cheap game every other month for the same money, but get to keep the game (or resell it) and rotate them around for variety...

Acorn said:

im in the same boat. im just waiting for decent bundle that I dont have to get up at 3am to get.

if you dont have that much time to play gamefly may be the best option. rent a game. keep it as long as you want. return it when your done. same price.

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You can get a PS3 slim 120gb for MSRP plus Uncharted and inFAMOUS right from Sony for $300 if you order before 12/5 (though it's backordered for a couple weeks atm). I'd jump on it if I had the cash right this second, but waiting until after xmas for that reason - mainly wanted to be sure that there were enough games for <$30 for it to make sense to get a PS3 and just not jump on one of the Netflix ready BluRay players that are on sale now.

happydudeca said:

The nice thing about Fallout 3 is that if you only complete the main quest the game can be over in a matter of hours. Once you play it through once I expect in 5 hours you can beat the game again. If you want, however, there are hours and hours worth of side quests and exploration to do which add the to the game experience but are not technically required to beat the game. You can put in as much time as you want.

Now that the game of the year edition is out you can probably find it at a cheaper price.

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That's interesting... I will have to keep it in mind and if I see a good deal pick it up to try out.

Thanks again for the suggestions... wanted to mention I had a chance to play Guitar Hero 3 at a friend's place and surprised no one mentioned it as a good budget game - $38 at Amazon with wireless guitar, and it's actually quite entertaining.

Also, is there any reason NOT to get a "fat"/3rd gen PS3 over the slim, assuming I can save $50-70? The "refurb"/used 40/80gb PS3s from Gamestop are $230/250 respectively so represent what seems to be a pretty decent deal. Note, I'm unconcerned about noise, the unit will be in an AV equipment rack/closet far enough from me to make no appreciable impact on me. Any other concerns I should have about an older model?

ManhattanPrjct said:

One thing to be mindful of is that some older versions have their advantages over both the Slim and their older brethren.

My PS3 which is about 1.5 years old is backwards compatible, so you can play PS2 games (which can be as low as $5 each used). Mine also has 4 USB ports instead of 2, so if you get Guitar Hero or an Eyecam, you won't run out of ports.

However I know the Slim is supposedly more energy conscious, which is nice, since sometimes I feel like my PS3 can heat an entire room!

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Ya, I read about the older backwards compatible models, but unfortunately they seem pretty hard to come by and expensive. While I would LIKE that option (never had a PS2 so there's tons of games for it I never played) I wouldn't be willing to pay more for it (used PS2's are pretty cheap these days).