You have got PSN+, so you got Uncharted 3 to start with ! I find Uncharted 2 to be a better game, find that cheap and play that first as UC2 characters make an appearance in UC3.
Get Journey. its a 2 hour game but is unique and you won't find it anywhere else. Get Resistance 3, if you like co-op shooters. Good game, great atmosphere and lot of fun in split-screen. Reisistance 2 has superb 8 player co-op but I wouldn't know how populated it would be now.Get Far Cry 3 if you haven't played it already. Demons Souls is free on PS+ right now. Another unique experience not to be missed. Also, Ico and SOTC are free on PS+ right now, if u missed them during the PS2 era, now is the best time.
Get MGS4, if you like stealth and japanese games ! MGS3 is even better but you might not like the controls. Get Killzone 2, brilliant atmospheric shooter , no matter what people say. Get God of War 3 and kill every god you ever knew ! Amazing graphics and presentation there.
and if you like Adventure games, get Heavy Rain. Since you already have the Last of Us, I don't know how much the other games will impress you, but they are all unmissable in my books.
Welcome Rancid!
I actually can't add much more than RenegadeRocks just posted- those games he mentioned are the ones to get IMO.
Uncharted 2 is brilliant - and Uncharted 3 follows up on that. Both are immensly better than the first part, and IMO, more enjoyable than Last of Us (although I just started playing it - but it's quite a serious theme).
Then, as was mentioned, God of War 3 is a awesome. If you do get it, perhaps play it on normal, although even then, it can be frustrating at times since it starts epic. But it's definately one of the show-case games on the PS3 you won't regret if you fight your way through it. Forget about Ascensions.
Then, personally, I'd also get Wipeout HD if you like futuristic racers. It's something, if I'm not mistaken, that's nothing like you can get on Xbox, so it might be something unique. I'm also pretty sure you could get it rather cheap. What makes this a great game is the sense of speed, great sound and there's a lot of skill involved. It might be difficult in the beginning, but it's soooo satisfying when you get the hang of it and start mastering the quicker speed modes.
If you want something to entertain guests with a lot of fun factor - LittleBigPlanet 2 is hard to overlook. The perfect game to have when you have people over, especially girls.
KillZone 2 as mentioned is brilliant - though it's probably hard to impress a gamer coming from the Xbox. I personally think the single-player experience is better in KZ3 - the mechanics are a bit better and make it a bit more enjoyable ride. The wow effect IMO is also a bit bigger. I do prefer the artistic visuals and the online multiplayer in KZ2 better, but I still think if you're new to the whole KZ series, part 3 is the more enjoyable ride.
Among my favorite games is also MGS4. Very special game and a definate must-play IMO, especially if you are thinking of trying out MGS5 on either Xbox One or PS4 eventually. I actually prefer MGS3 too, but that's only a HD release of the PS2 game. Both are very recommendable though and I'm sure it's a type of game, you won't have experienced on Xbox (I think it's very unique in the way the story and gameplay get you hooked on the game - Hideo Kojima is simply a genius).
Now, as for enjoyable cheap mini games that are DD-only:
Definately check out Super Star Dust HD. Very good platform shooter with great sound in FullHD. Highly addictive. If you're unsure, check out some videos on YouTube. For the price it costs, it's great.
You may also like some of the PixelJunk games. I really like Racers (fun when you have lots of people over), but Shooter is good too or Eden - both can be played co-op, but I don't think online. They are just some nice stylistic mini games that pose a great challenge inbetween.
Hope you get some enjoyment out of the large investment you just made! :smile:
Super Star Dust is one of my favorite games on the system and I still like wipeout a lot but everything else they mention? For you? I'm not sure these are actually good suggestions. I would certainly love to read what I could only imagine would be a fiery post should you happen to buy and install and install and install MGS4. Killzone 2 was mostly unremarkable for me but you might like it. I don't believe I ever finished Heavy Rain so I can't/won't comment. I preferred the Uncharted series to MGS4 and Killzone 2 by a lot. Oh, as crazy as it may sound High Velocity Bowling was also one of my favorite titles.