Editor's Note: List last updated September 4, 2015

The PlayStation 3 era has come to a close, so it's time now to look, one last time, at the 25 most incredible experiences it gave us. Even with much of the list largely established, this last update came with some tough decisions, but here it is: IGN’s Top 25 PlayStation 3 games.

The primary question this top 25 list is intended to answer is simple: "What are the 25 best games we played on this platform?" How much fun we had with the games is obviously our primary concern, but we also considered elements like longevity/staying power, influence, and innovation.

This time around, your selection committee is: Vince Ingenito (Editor), Justin Davis (Executive Editor), Marty Sliva (Senior Editor), Mitch Dyer (former Editor), and Miranda Sanchez (Editor)

Our criteria are as follows:What do you think of our selections? Let us know in the comments, and sound-off with your own Top PS3 Games lists.And now, without further ado...

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Smart, beautiful, atmospheric puzzle-platformers have boomed in recent years, and Braid paved the way for all of them. Its subtle storytelling and novel mechanics made it quite unlike anything that had been seen when it came out in 2008, and though many have come seeking its crown, none have been able to match its time-bending gameplay, or its powerful message.

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We are currently experiencing the second golden age of fighting games, and while there lots of great ones to play right now, Street Fighter 4 kicked in the door and let them all in, re-establishing fighting games as a broadly appealing genre. It brings a mix of familiar fundamentals and all-new systems that give players of every skill level something to learn and enjoy.

The original Dead Space is one of the PS3’s most atmospheric and disturbing experiences. Although the series changed significantly with each entry, the original is an authentic and diverse work of horror. At times, it evokes pure, unspeakable terror: the sinister, space religion of Unitology and its foundational artefact, The Marker, lend Dead Space a sublimely weird power. But it’s not just interested in atmosphere and suspense, either; it knows there’s plenty of mileage in the gruesome and grotesque, too. The game’s recurrent enemies, Necromorphs, are reanimated corpses stretch into macabre shapes. Limbs sprout from nowhere and tendons rip. They’re horrifying, and can be killed only by strategically hacking off limbs using Isaac Clarke’s arsenal of modified engineering tools. It sounds gross, and it is, but it helped established Dead Space as the PS3’s essential horror game.

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Few first person shooters set their sights as high as Bioshock

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South Park: The Stick of Truth succeeds so brilliantly because it feels just like playing through an epic season of the show itself. This is no surprise, given the deep involvement of show creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone. The writing is absurd, shocking, and hilarious. Best of all, references to the series’ beloved recurring jokes actually push them forward, and don’t feel like wink-nudge inclusions. The actual RPG combat could have been an afterthought, but here, too The Stick of Truth succeeds. Buffs and debuffs, timed button attacks, mana conservation and more give the accessible fighting system just enough depth to remain compelling. Finally, being able to simply run around and explore a fully realized version of South Park itself is a simple pleasure fans of the show probably thought they would never get to experience. The entire polished experience is a must-play.

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Dishonored represents a rare parity between evocative world-building and player-driven gameplay. The city of Dunwall is a principle character in the tale of Dishonored, but it’s also your playground – a beautifully crafted jungle gym in which to use Corvo’s many entertaining abilities however you see fit. Usually, games sacrifice freedom in order to tell an interesting story, but Dishonored refuses to make such compromises.

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Each act of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots feels almost like its own game. The tone, the approach, and the way an aging Solid Snake gets the job done vary significantly. This is a massive and ambitious stealth game with memorable characters, huge story payoffs, and satisfying combat. Yes, Guns of the Patriots has a lot of cutscenes, but they're the interesting and surprising results of your unforgettable infiltration.

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Telltale’s The Walking Dead isn’t a game about slaying zombies. It's a game about what happens to people in a world gone to hell. Focusing on the human side of the zombie apocalypse is admittedly already in the spirit of the comics upon which the game is based, but the difference here is that Telltale’s take on The Walking Dead forces you to make the tough decisions. Decisions you have to live with. The real star of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, of course, is Clementine, the young girl who finds herself under the protection of leading man Lee. The relationship between Lee and Clementine, a child character of rare authenticity, is executed with incredible finesse.

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Dark Souls is one of the most brutally challenging -- but ultimately rewarding -- games of the past decade. Its combat design is superb, but requires your utmost attention at all times. Each encounter is a puzzle that needs to be solved, and until you crack the code, prepare to die… again… and again. But aside from the challenge, the world of Dark Souls contains an impeccable sense of geography that hearkens back to Zebes in Super Metroid or the castle in Symphony of the Night. Discovering how each area connects back to the Firelink Shrine is an absolute treat. If you’re willing the put in the time and effort it takes to learn its intricacies, Dark Souls rewards you with one of the most memorable adventures in recent memory.

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Far Cry 3’s Rook Island establishes itself from the first moment as an absolutely insane and lethal video game location, filled with an equally off-kilter collection of villains, “helpful” friends, and wild animals. It often feels like protagonist Jason Brody - and indeed virtually every other member of of the cast - is losing it. The game feels unhinged. And it’s fantastic. This narrative emphasis on insanity and control is a perfect fit for the game’s open-world FPS gameplay. You could clear an enemy compound through careful traps, planning, and stealth. Or you could just roll a Jeep covered in C4 directly into the center square and pull the trigger.