I did the top XBLA games last week, so it only seems fair to give the PSN a lil' lovin'. It may not have the breadth 360 has, but I'd argue the top selections absolutely go toe-to-toe with the other service.

Top Ten Playstation Network Games

#10. Warhawk

Copout because this is on disc too? Whatever. Stick to the dogfight-only rooms and Warhawk remains a shockingly great and essential PS3 game. I was just as surprised as everyone else when this turned out not to be a throwaway Battlefield clone, but instead brought something to the table. And God knows I lurv my planes.

#9. Calling All Cars

Someone crazy thought upbasketball with cop cars and criminals... and they're kind of awesome for it. While it lasted online, Calling All Cars was a full on riot. A little shallow? Of course. But had lots of loony, screaming fun to offer? Absolutely.

#8. Wipeout HD

Wipeout is awesome. HD is awesome. How could the product be anything less than, you guessed it, awesome? Answer: it's not.

#7. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty

In lieu of simply leaving me out in the cold until (presumably) this coming holiday season, Insomniac graciously threw me a Ratchet-flavored bone late last year in the form of Quest for Booty. It's honestly nothing more than an extention of Tools of Destruction... which I gave a 9.5 and called the best platformer in half a decade. No biggy.

#6. Echochrome

An absolute brain-bender. Rotate the environment to completely destroy your thought process and create whole new platforms... out of nothing but black lines on a stark white canvas. It's ballsy and a really great little puzzler. A bonus: it'll go on your PSP too.

#5. flOw

The precursor to last month's Flower (which you may or may not see later on this list), flOw is a weird little title that I can only assume is made so much better by the use of *ahem* herbal enhancements. Even sober, flOw is a crazy mindfuck of an experience that is really worth having. Intense gameplay it may not have, but the audio/visual presentation more than makes up for that. Funky to the max.

#4. Pixel Junk Eden

A highly unconventional (the word of the day for PSN) platformer where you swing around and propel yourself up. It's beautiful, entrancing and really, really stylish. Pixel Junk is now a force to be reckoned with thanks to Eden.

#3. Super Stardust HD

When it comes to intense twin stick shooters, Super Stardust HD is only overtaken by Geometry Wars 2 in my mind. It takes the whole concept further by introducing shields, a rotating battlefield and, most importantly, different guns, enemies and their weaknesses to said new weaponry. It's so good I bought it again on my PSP just so I could carry it around with me to get my ice beam fix. I really love this game.

#2. Flower

Flower encompasses everything that's great about the Playstation network's art house approach to their downloadable games. It's incredibly original, aesthetically brilliant and rather chill. Flower just does everything exactly right, nailing the visuals along with the silky smooth controls and ends up being a slight classic.

#1. Everyday Shooter

Everyday is another shooter indeed. I play this game just about every day, so I ought to know. Really, it's just flat out masterful. A totally original vision untainted by anything, which makes it tough as shit more often than not, but it's absolutely worth the beating it'll serve you up. I gravitate heavily towards games where you manipulate the sound with your play (Rez, Lumines, etc.), and Everyday Shooter is quite possibly the pinnacle of that brilliant sub-genre. I'm absolutely stoaked to see what Jonathan Mak has in store for his next project.

Written by :

Aaron

 

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edgeofblade

Top Ten Tuesdays: PSN Must-Haves Mar 17 2009 17:06:14 I found Warhawk to be WAY too complex for what it tried to be. It was like playing a technical 2d fighter and not having any fun. Weapon switching was a clunky affair, especially when your thumbs are already tied up FLYING the damn thing. Maybe I just don't like dogfighting, but I found the game way to nuanced and awkward to get into.

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