• Posted July 19th, 2012 at 22:42 EDT by PSU Staff
• 16 Comments

Uncharted. Metal Gear Solid. God of War. When you hear these names, you think of PlayStation, because PlayStation is the home of gaming's finest masterpieces. Even multi-platform games shine on Sony's consoles - powerful exclusives join hits like Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and BioShock to make PlayStation the best brand around, and PlayStation 3 the best platform to boot. Indeed, PlayStation 3's game lineup is arguably one of the greatest catalogs ever conceived, with sublime retail and digital experiences dominating every genre.

However, in the end, there can only be one champion. There can only be one elite experience that rises above the rest. There can only be one king, one game to earn the crown of Best PS3 Game of All Time.

We're letting you decide.

Starting Monday, July 23, and continuing over the next several weeks, PSU readers and community members will vote on a series of match-ups to decide the greatest PS3 game ever. We'll begin with Round 1 - a selection of 32 PS3 games that run the gamut from groundbreaking exclusives to multi-platform blockbusters. God of War III versus Red Dead Redemption. Skyrim versus Fallout 3. BioShock versus inFAMOUS. The winners will move forward in an ever-narrowing field and, as the days go by, only the absolute best of the best will remain. In the end, two games will square off in a multi-day competition to decide the Best PS3 Game of All Time.

The voting will be intense. Choosing will be difficult. Already, the staff of PlayStation Universe has torn their collective hair out deciding which games would make the cut and appear in our Top 32. We drew input from our own community and even made some drastic cuts based on your feedback. There was no set formula - as you'll see, some sequels are included alongside their predecessors, but others aren't. Likewise, you'll find interesting match-ups right off the bat - Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 2 square off in the first round. Only one can proceed, and you decide which.

The best part? This tournament is a competition for you - PSU readers and the original PlayStation community - to show off your skills and predict who will take home the coveted title. We want you to give us your picks for the Final Four, Championship Round, and Best PS3 Game Ever. Leave your picks in our official Ultimate PS3 Games Showdown forum thread, and when the dust clears, we'll tally your points and find out who will be taking home any PS3 of their choice! You can even pick a pre-order for a game like Beyond: Two Souls or The Last of Us.

OFFICIAL CONTEST ENTRY THREAD

In the meantime, you have from now until Monday, July 23, at 10 a.m. ET to give us your picks and enter the competition. Take a look at the complete graphic below (click here to view in full size) to begin planning your votes and choosing your champions.

Every day, new match-ups will hit the PSU home page. Every morning, we'll declare winners from the day before. The first eight match-ups will begin on Tuesday, July 24, so get your picks in and prepare for The Ultimate PS3 Games Showdown!

Here is how it works:
- Look for articles with "The Ultimate PS3 Showdown" in the headline everyday starting next week and running into August.
- These articles will put two games in a head-to-head battle. The winner, which must receive the most votes from our community, will go on to the next round.
- Look for the winners announced after 24-hours of voting.
- Talk about each match-up in this forum.
- Pick the right Final Four, Championship round, and the Ultimate PS3 Game and you will get a chance to win any PS3 game of your choice.

Here is the official list of first-round entrants:

NW Division:
Grand Theft Auto IV vs. Just Cause 2
Journey vs. Warhawk
Demon's Souls vs. Street Fighter IV
God of War III vs. Red Dead Redemption

NE Division:
Portal 2 vs. Killzone 2
Heavy Rain vs. Mass Effect 2
Batman: Arkham City vs. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim vs. Fallout 3

SW Division:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves vs. Assassin's Creed II
FIFA 12 vs. MLB 12 The Show
Gran Turismo 5 vs. MotorStorm
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