Playstation hosted it’s latest games showcase a few weeks back. They showed a ton of games (over 30!) so I thought it might be fun to pick out some that I am most excited/interested in.
Before we get started I wanted to mention my disappointment that the Last Of Us mulitplayer title wasn’t even mentioned at this event but having seen some of the news story this past week (development struggles etc.) perhaps it was for the best. Would love some more news on that soon but it seems like maybe that one won’t be coming any time soon (if at all!).
So, here we go with what WAS shown!
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FAIRGAME$
Fairgame$ is the first title from Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond (who helped create Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs). It’s a competitive heist title with a modern day Robin Hood vibe. The game will be Player v Player with elements that change/emerge as the gameplay develops. You will have a chance to plan your heist in advance and see if you can execute it, while other teams of players do the same. Sounds great if they can deliver enough sandbox elements to each round.
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SPIDERMAN 2
More Spiderman! Venom! What more do we need? Well, much improved graphics for a start – the game looks much better than the previous title and seems like it’ll be a poster child for the PS5 graphically. The original game had fun combat and a decent story – with the addition of Miles Morales into the mix (and the ability to switch gameplay between the two) we should get even more content to enjoy.
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THE PLUCKY SQUIRE
This game just oozes charm, an adventure game which switches art styles and perspectives as you progress. One minute you’re in a Zelda-like view before the character breaks out of the book he was in and takes form in the ‘real world’. Lots of platforming and puzzle solving, this is definitely one of those smaller games to keep an eye on.
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HELLDIVERS 2
I played the first Helldivers years ago when it first came out. I felt it had a lot of promise but that I just couldn’t quite get into it. Hopefully this new version delivers on that original vision with all the current gen bells and whistles. It’s the same formula, fight off an alien invasion with three friends in co-op, calling in special loadouts and abilities to help you in battle. Could be very fun.
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PHANTOM BLADE Ø
The trailer for this one looks amazing and I’m hoping that the game actually plays as it seems. It was giving me a strong a Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance vibe and if the combat can deliver that level of action I will be most impressed. The game features elements of Ancient Chinese culture, steampunk type enemies and even hints of the occult. Looks like this may land early 2024, definitely one to watch!
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ASSASSIN’S CREED: MIRAGE
The last few Assassin’s Creed games have been pretty good, if a bit bloated. Mirage looks to be a return to the original style of the first title but with modern day gameplay. Your mileage will vary here, personally I might be ready for another AC game as I skipped Valhalla. One thing is for certain, Ubisoft need to deliver a brilliant title to sustain interest in the franchise, especially as they have multiple titles lined up. I’ll be watching this one as more info gets revealed.
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NEVA
I really enjoyed Gris, so this new title with a similar art style is pretty much locked in as a must buy for me. The trailer looks stunning and the music – the trailer track is already is my favourites playlist!
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ALAN WAKE 2
When the first Alan Wake finally came to Playstation a few years back (long after initial release on XBox) I really enjoyed it but the game did feel clunky and very PS3 era. The game studio’s last title, Control, was awesome and handled brilliantly so I’m expecting big things for Alan Wake 2. In the first game he was trapped in his own novel – what could be in store for the sequel?
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MARATHON
I don’t remember the original Marathon game from the 80’s but I do know that Destiny is a phenomenal shooter and that these guys also made Halo for Microsoft. So I’m willing to take a guess and say this will be pretty great. As you can (kind of) tell from the above, it’s a sci-fi, PvP extraction shooter. If it feels as good to play as Destiny I’ll be there, day one!
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So there you have it – lots of other great titles shown but the above are the main ones to catch my eye.
Gaming was in a bit of a weird space in 2022. Attempts to unionize at games companies in the US were met overwhelmingly with hostility from employers and Microsoft’s attempted takeover of Activision Blizzard, which would reshape the gaming landscape, still looks vaguely on course despite some scrutiny from watchdogs in the EU and US. Some titles were still going ahead with full priced releases that would then be patched to improve the experience (Sonic I’m looking at you buddy!). It meant that there were plenty of negative headlines around the industry through the year and hopefully 2023 can bring some good news back to the gaming sphere.
In terms of games I’ll open, as usual, with a brief mention for titles that I started but didn’t finish. CrisTales is a fun, turn based RPG game that plays with elements of time – your character can move back and forward through time at the push of a button. Superhot is a fascinating title where time only proceeds when you move. The aim of the game is to use that ability to perfectly time your shots (and dodge incoming enemy fire) so that each level becomes almost a puzzle piece. I also continued to pump more time into Genshin Impact, still enjoying the story of that and find the gameplay/exploration quite relaxing. Getting new characters and updating existing ones is as addictive as ever and it’s free to play – jump in and give it a try 🙂
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These next titles aren’t really games you ever finish, that’s the point of them, but I enjoyed Frost Punk – though I was a terrible mayor of a post-apocalyptic frozen wasteland settlement. Almost everyone died and, in the end, they overthrew me and forced me out of the town! 😀 Darkest Dungeon I think is just such a good game. It’s a dungeon crawler in which you lead your band of mercenaries through a set of dungeons looking for treasure and clearing out monsters. The twist here though is that every character is different and some have negative traits that come out (Cowardice, Turning On Allies, Panic etc.) which add a wonderful (if sometimes brutal) element of randomness to the game.
One of my most played games last year was a mobile game! As someone who rarely plays on phone I cannot get enough of Marvel Snap. A card-based battle game where various Marvel heroes are represented and used to win points. Something I really like about this game is the art style of the cards and the fact it has a great mix of well-known characters (Captain America, Wolverine, Incredible Hulk etc.) but also a ton of lesser-known characters (like Jubilee, Agent 13 and Angel). It’s a fun and quick game – perfect for mobile.
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I had a great time with Supermassive Games’ House Of Ashes, one of the titles in the Dark Pictures Anthology. It was a 6-8 hour blast through a supernatural underground tomb during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Your choices can (and did!) mean death for several characters and it’s always fun to see how these games play out. I’d never played Alan Wake, so I was excited to get into the remastered version. Very enjoyable but you could definitely feel in the gameplay that it was a much older game. Oxenfree tells the story of a group of friends visiting Edwards Island for the weekend, where they encounter some spooky situations – I really liked this game, it has a minimal style but is worth checking out. In Stray you play as a cat, making their way through a robotic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi world. You meet a helpful robot along the way and must try to escape from the slums of the closed off city out into the natural world again. It’s a beautiful game with a great sense of style. And it was interesting to play as a cat, which doesn’t happen too often!
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With most online games moving towards some form of time sink Battle Pass, almost all my multiplayer playtime was taken up by Battlefield 2042 and the revamped Overwatch 2. Both games have had big gameplay changes – BF2042 now feels like the dynamic, explosive game it was always meant to be. In no other game can you parachute out of a helicopter, take out a few enemies and then jump in a jeep to speed to the next objective. It’s not perfect but they keep improving it and it’s a LOT of fun. The biggest change in Overwatch 2 was moving from 6v6 to 5v5. Having one less player on each team has increased the overall speed of the game and leads to more satisfying gameplay. The longer wait to charge your ultimate ability also helps as it makes them more impactful. It’s great and it’s now free to play. Unfortunately, that brings its own issues within game items (once received regularly just for playing) now costing up to £15-£20 in real money! Disgraceful but it sounds like they will be making some changes to that element soon.
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The Quarry was a much bigger game than the more recent Supermassive Games (see House Of Ashes, above) and as such had slightly higher production values and felt more polished. I loved the ‘camp counsellor/horror’ vibe, and the characters were well written and acted. Usually in these games I end up with one or two people left alive but I managed to get a bunch of characters through the night – this game was a blast! Hitman 3 was a fitting end to the series, no doubt I’ll return to it at some stage to play the non-story stuff but the main missions were brilliant, with some ingenious ways to eliminate your targets.
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I finally finished the epic that is Days Gone, the story of a biker trying to track down his wife in a post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, the game is just too long, clocking it at nearly 60 hours for my playthrough. I think if they could’ve moved 10-15 hours or so into optional side missions this may have helped. However, I did think it was worth sticking with and by the end I had the feeling that I would’ve played a sequel (though they won’t be making one). Deathloop was a really clever game in which you lived the same day over and over, trying to piece together a puzzle and break out of the loop you’re stuck in. Interesting mechanics and a great style were slightly let down by what was, in my opinion, poor gunplay. The shooting just felt off from the start and I ended up mainly using the knife for stealth takedowns – a viable strategy but with so many weapons it would’ve been nice to experiment a bit more. A slightly smaller experience, Deliver Us The Moon, was a fun exploration game in which you make your way through an abandoned colony on the Moon to try and save humankind back on Earth. A few unforgiving stealth sections sucked some of the joy out of this but generally it was a great game.
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Guardians Of The Galaxy was possibly the most pleasant surprise of the year. I’d heard it’s mix of story, combat and teammate control was good but I wasn’t expecting that much – especially as the characters didn’t have the likenesses from the movies. That turned out to be blessing and overall, the game was a joy to play. Upgrading, and calling on, your fellow Guardians just didn’t get old and the fact you could upgrade them to suit your gameplay was awesome. God of War: Ragnarök is exactly what I wanted from a sequel – it looks amazing and continues the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus, as they mingle with famous figures from Greek mythology. If I hadn’t been laid low with COVID over the festive break I suspect I’d have finished this but I’m at around the 20-hour mark so feel OK with including on my list for 2022!
Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the weirdest, most prolonged journeys to me playing a game ever. If you’d told me upon its announcement back in 2014(!) that it would be among my games of the year I would’ve agreed, if you’d said the same thing in 2020 when the game launched as a buggy mess – I would’ve said you were crazy. But after a lot of polish and improvement, when I finally took the plunge in 2022, I found the game to be a brilliant first-person RPG. It takes a little too long to get going but then really opens up and the way you can develop your character and their relationships with others is great. I encountered minimal bugs but wish they had done a better job of communicating all the different abilities/implants and how they work. That said, it was great and I look forward to playing the new, upcoming content.
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It was a very close-run thing with God Of War: Ragnarök but my favourite game of 2022 was Horizon: Forbidden West. The continuation of Aloy’s story, set in the far-flung future after a World ending event, is an improvement on the original in almost every way. More to do, more characters to meet and a much bigger area to play in, mean that this is one of the best open world games I’ve experienced. The addition of ‘Mass Effect‘ style companion missions is most welcome and really adds to the feeling that Aloy has found friends to work with in saving the world. Exploring this huge world and battling against robot dinosaurs feels rewarding and the combat feels well-paced and fair – for the most part. There were a couple of wild difficulty spikes but nothing too frustrating in the end. I look forward to seeing where the series goes next but for now Horizon: Forbidden West takes my 2022 favourite game award!
Having seen the insane amount of consolidation and acquisitions in gaming that have punctuated the start of 2022, it felt like a good time to take a look at what this might mean going forward – along with some thoughts on the future direction of the industry.
So for some background before we dive deeper, we thought Take Two Interactive (GTA/NBA 2k/Borderlands) snapping up mobile game maker Zynga (Farmville) for over $12B in January was a huge deal but it soon emerged that Microsoft (Xbox) were preparing to swoop for Activision Blizzard (Call Of Duty/World Of Warcraft/Overwatch) in a stunning deal worth more than $68B! Yes you read that right, SIXTY EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS! Then Sony (Playstation) bought Bungie (Destiny) for $3.6B – nowhere near as much as the other deals but still a LOT of money. And breathe…
We can quickly talk about the Take Two/Zynga deal as it seems to be less interesting than the others. It looks likely that this was a play by Take Two to essentially buy their way into mobile gaming, something that has happened before with Activision Blizzard (bought Candy Crush developer King), EA (bought Glu Mobile/Playdemic) and Tencent (who bought Clash Of Clans developer Supercell way back).
Xbox’s acquisition of Activision (and just a quick note to say I’m presuming none of these deals fall apart and proceed as both parties expect) gives them access to a huge amount of game properties and developer talent. Hopefully this might even mean that older, forgotten IPs get a second chance with a reboot, maybe bring back an older game with a fresh new perspective or twist?
Microsoft had already bought legendary studio Bethesda in 2020 which makes their potential line up of games extremely tantalising to gamers. Huge franchises like Call Of Duty, Fallout, Skyrim, Doom, Overwatch and Crash Bandicoot now sit within Microsoft, not to mention newer game worlds from Dishonored, Deathloop, Sekiro, Rage and upcoming sci-fi title Starfield.
The majority of these will be Xbox exclusive on console but interestingly Microsoft don’t plan to charge for people to play them. At least not directly. Their Gamepass service, essentially Netflix for games, has been wildly successful for them (in terms of visibility and consumer experience, rather than profit) and Microsoft has committed to putting their newly released games on the service upon release. So whereas before you might’ve had to make a choice between the new Call Of Duty (£50) or the new Doom (£50) you could potentially play them both on Gamepass for your £10.99 a month. Of course I doubt Microsoft would schedule the two to release in the same month but you get the point.
Acquiring all these game franchises and studios makes total sense when you look at Game Pass. Who wouldn’t pay £10.99 a month to get a lot of great, big game titles? I mean, I would but as a PlayStation only user I currently can’t access Game Pass. Which brings me on to my final point for Microsoft’s plans: Is their end game to make Game Pass available on PlayStation?
Probably sounds insane, right? But at some stage it might make more sense for Sony to just allow Game Pass as an app on the PS5 and get a cut of revenue that they otherwise wouldn’t see anything of. With Sony now launching their new PS Plus service (as a rival to Game Pass) perhaps the odds of the Microsoft service appearing on PlayStation are smaller but I still think it would be a huge win for consumers if it happened in the future.
Speaking of Sony’s new streaming service, it’s interesting to me that they will be keeping their big, first party games away from the service – at least for a period following release. I feel like that’s the only way a service like that can be sustainable, in the same way films have a theatrical window before hitting streaming services – to maximise income to fund further projects.
Sony’s acquisition of Bungie gives them access to a ‘live game’ expert, with years of experience looking after the Destiny franchise. This could be valuable as a lot of games move to that model and even the Destiny IP itself could be something that Sony look at in terms of television/film productions – another element of the industry that is seeing serious movement, with lots of game adaptations appearing in streamers (Netflix etc.) press releases.
It certainly looks like we haven’t seen the end of the consolidation of the games industry. Square Enix recently sold off some of their Western developers and titles, perhaps a sign of an impending take over? In my opinion it’s doubtful Microsoft will make any more purchases while the Activision deal is still in progress. Might Sony stump up the cash for Square Enix? EA snapped up Codemasters last year but perhaps EA itself might end up acquired in the next few years. Would EA be an attractive target to a Netflix or Disney for them to broaden their portfolio beyond TV/Film?
Certainly a lot to talk about and the contraction of the games industry shows no sign of slowing down – it will be an interesting few years, to say the least!
2021 was a great year for gaming, with some top quality releases. Here’s my (slightly delayed) look at the previous 12 months! As always this isn’t a piece about the games that came out in 2021 but the titles I played throughout the year.
First up a game I wasn’t expecting a huge deal from, River City Girls. I played this initially as a sense check to see if it was suitable for my kids to play in co-op but ended up having an absolute blast with it! An updated version of Double Dragon/Streets Of Rage style gameplay with an old school sprite look and killer soundtrack. I’d strongly recommend checking this one out. Destruction All Stars landed on PS5 and while I really enjoyed the gameplay and style of the game it felt like after a few months no-one was really playing anymore, which was disappointing.
Genshin Impact is a free to play, open world adventure game that I have loved playing. It is pretty laid back for the most part and is a great game to just relax and explore the world. The combat is fun and the characters are interesting, with different movesets and abilities. The soundtrack is also brilliant. I really liked Spiderman Miles Morales, which I thought showcased the power of the PS5 in terms of graphics and load times. A phenomenal looking game and a title which builds on the previous game nicely.
There were a few games from previous years that I got around to playing – Gris was a beautiful art-driven platformer and Vampyr was a gloomy story about Vampires in which your choices had a big impact. One thing I really liked about Vampyr was the knock on effect of choices and how each area of London was affected differently. I loved the final season of The Walking Dead, sad though it was to say goodbye and I even returned to Horizon: Zero Dawn to play the (quite sizable) Frozen Wilds expansion. That was great and well worth a play ahead of the sequel hitting in early 2022.
I also started Days Gone on my PS5 which, so far, has been pretty enjoyable and seems like a great game. It’s your usual zombie apocalypse set up but the game gives you lots of options to approach situations and the sheer number of enemies at times is impressive. It does feel like the kind of game I’ll be playing for years potentially, as the progress seems very slow compared to a more linear title. I just hope I don’t run into the issue I had with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, where I checked out after 35 hours – burned out but nowhere near the end of the story.
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope wasn’t quite as good as Man Of Medan (the previous entry in the series) but I did enjoy this gothic tale of witchcraft and the fact that one early choice/event shapes what the enemies look like for the rest of the game is pretty awesome. Splitgate was one of those titles I tried, not expecting much. Certainly the graphics were nothing to write home about but as soon as I got into a match it sucked me in. An online competitive FPS with the ability for players to create portals to travel and shoot through, this game is an absolute delight – and free to play! Aliens: Fireteam has been fun with a friend and while it does a good job of recreating the feel of the film I can’t help but feel some of the design decisions (especially no checkpointing during missions of around 30-40 mins) hold it back from being a great game.
Of course in amongst all the new stuff there has been the ongoing online trinity of Overwatch, Rainbow 6 Siege and Rocket League, which continue to be a blast either solo or with friends. All of them with added content/events to keep things fresh here and there. These three definitely had a big amount of playtime in 2021, years after their releases. PES moved to a free to play model for this year’s game and the launch was nothing short of disastrous. Buggy to play and with hardly any features, you couldn’t have dreamt up a much worse start. But despite all that there is definitely a good football game in here. I’ve been playing it a fair amount and think by the time we get to the updated edition in the summer this might be worth giving a try, especially as it’s free.
I’ve really enjoyed my time with Hades so far, a title about escaping from the underworld via a series of dungeons that you fight your way through. Brilliant art style and music, I’m looking forward to playing more of this one. I also like what I’ve played of 13 Sentinels – this is a visual novel style adventure with some added robot mech turn based combat. The game looks gorgeous and the story so far is as outlandish as you’d expect from a sci-fi time travel title.
My two favourite games of 2021 were Ghost Of Tsushima, in terms of a single player story title, and Battlefield 2042, for online.
Ghost Of Tsushima, a tale about a samurai left for dead who recovers and casts aside the samurai code to rescue his Uncle and save his Island, plays amazingly and has great depth to the combat and stealth involved. It looks phenomenal (I was playing the original PS4 version on PS5) with environments and weather appearing in stunning detail. I thought the story here was excellent and the side missions were fantastic. There’s a lot of content here, I finished the main storyline and quite a bit of side content, clocking in at around 35 hours. If you haven’t picked this up yet I’d definitely recommend.
In terms of online multiplayer Battlefield 2042 delivered almost exactly what I wanted from a new Battlefield game. As a big fan of the series and someone that was still dipping into Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 5 last year, the release of 2042 really grabbed me. It hasn’t been without a few issues – some bugs and design choices (now fixed or in the process of being fixed) caused uproar on social media but for me personally it was more of a small annoyance than a major issue. The game itself is brilliant, feeling epic with 128 players in two teams battling over objectives on the map while environmental events (sometimes) occur. On one map a sandstorm may drift in, reducing visibility. On another a space rocket may launch from the map, or literally blow up at takeoff while you play. There are also tornados that tear across the map, an impressive spectacle. All of these happen randomly so you might go 2 or 3 rounds without an event, which makes them more impactful when they do happen. My one gripe is I’d love a few more maps in the main game but those will come in time. Another aspect is the Portal mode where you can play some maps from previous games, this is brilliant and a trip down memory lane for long time players! Overall I’ve loved my time with the game so far.
So there you have it, a look back at what I was playing last year. There’s plenty to look forward to in 2022, so let’s hope we get lots more amazing titles released through the next 12 months!
I’ve been wanting to get another selection of upcoming games I’m excited about up on the blog for a while but games kept getting announced or revealed and adding to the list! So I’ve narrowed it down to ten, as below, in no particular order.
In addition I’d like to quickly highlight a handful of other titles that didn’t make it onto the shortlist – namely Back 4 Blood, Cris Tales, Goodbye Volcano High and Ghostwire Tokyo. All games I’m really looking forward to checking out.
Not all of the below are out in 2021 but here’s the list!
Aliens: Fireteam
I know after the Aliens: Colonial Marines debacle a few years back I shouldn’t get my hopes up for a squad based Aliens game but I just can’t help myself. Alien: Isolation nailed the horror aspect of the first Alien film, might Fireteam finally be the Aliens game we’ve always wanted? The footage shown so far looks promising and I am keeping everything crossed for this title. Release date is currently scheduled for mid 2021 but we’ll have to see if it actually makes it out this year.
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Horizon: Forbidden West
The first Horizon game was a fantastic achievement from Guerrilla Games (the studio previously known for the Killzone series) and went on to have such huge success that a sequel was more or less inevitable. We are back with Aloy in Forbidden West and I’m interested to see how Guerrilla deal with the age old problem of an end game level hero starting out on a new adventure. The trailer looks excellent and I can’t wait to get my hands on this title.
Lemnis Gate
This intriguing title comes from small indie developer Ratloop Games. It’s a tactical 1v1 first person shooter in which you take turns of 25 seconds to play. With each turn the time loops over and starts again, taking into account your new actions. So for example if an enemy captured an objective on their previous turn, you might position a sniper to take them out when the time loop starts again on your turn. On the new run your enemy will no longer complete their objective but again, now it’s their turn to control the round. Sounds complex but fun and with a host of characters/abilities to use it might be a nice change of pace from your average shooter.
Division Heartland
While I’m still to fully get to grips with The Division 2, I really liked the first game. Although it was a bit light on story the gameplay was excellent while the gunplay felt tight and responsive. Mixing abilities and weapon tech into the equation gave the game a different feel from other third person shooter games out there. So perhaps a free to play version of the game, possibly with shorter, story based seasons within the larger mode could be a really smart move for Ubisoft. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on news for this one.
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
I know that this might be a slightly controversial pick with everything that happened around it’s original PS4 release last year but I’m hoping the technical issues will have been ironed out by the time the official PS5 version of the game arrives. Whether that will be enough to gloss over the other problems people had with game length and story content is something I’ll have to wait to find out. The idea of this game is something I’ve lived with for so long I feel like I have to at least see how it turned out.
Circuit Superstars
This title is a throw back to the pre-pandemic days for me. I played it at the big EGX event back in 2019 and had an absolute blast with it. Reminiscent of classic racing titles like Super Off Road and Micro Machines this is a really fun driving game in which nailing the fastest lap time is the aim of the game. The cars handled so well and it had that ‘just one more lap’ vibe that is so important for games like this. What I played was an early version of the game but was full of promise so hopefully the final product can add to what was there and deliver a top notch driving experience.
Overwatch 2
Come on, you must’ve known this one would be on the list 🙂 As someone who still regularly plays, and enjoys, the original Overwatch some 5 years after it’s release, I am very excited for the sequel. A switch to 5v5 (as opposed to the first game’s 6v6) has me interested but the reduction in the number of tanks does concern me a little. Graphically the game looks great and the new maps seem to be well designed. They need to deliver a really strong package to pull people away from the first game but fingers crossed they can pull it off.
Deathloop
I was a big fan of the Dishonored series and Deathloop looks set to follow in it’s footsteps but with a fresh setting and a cool time loop mechanic added into the mix. The style of the game is a really big plus for me and the gameplay looks very strong. In a way it also reminds me of the recent Hitman games, in which your first objective is often to work out your target’s routine and see when is the best opportunity to strike. Another delay (from May of this year) will hopefully mean a very polished game and, with Microsoft having bought the developer, a nice swansong to end my relationship with Arkane Studios game titles.
Battlefield 6
I think I’m in the minority but I really liked Battlefield V. I still play it regularly and it feels fantastic. While I do believe Dice bungled the ‘Grand Operations’ mode (see here for what I felt it could’ve been), the general moment to moment gameplay is very rewarding. With the promise of an upgrade on PS5, the content of which at this stage hasn’t been confirmed, I’m hoping for an improvement in scale, player count and destructability as well as graphics. The vehicle play and map size really marks Battlefield out from the competition so I’m excited to see what advances the developers have made with the new consoles.
Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes
Supermassive Games make great narrative titles that often host a wide variety of dialogue options and branching storylines. The latest episode in the Dark Pictures Anthology is House Of Ashes, a horror story with a slightly different background to previous titles. Taking place in Iraq during 2003, two opposing military factions fall down sinkholes during an earth tremor. They find themselves stranded in an old temple as an ancient evil awakes to greet them. The games are known for their choice based gameplay and it will be interesting to see what changes are made now that we will be handling trained military people as opposed to the regular civilian characters we have controlled previously.
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As well as everything mentioned above I’d also like to quickly highlight that I am SUPER excited to keep tabs on whatever both Jade Raymond and Amy Hennig announce via their new studios. Two industry legends that are long overdue a game release!
So, there you have it! Anything else I should be keeping an eye out for? As always feel free to give me a shout on Twitter @greghorrorshow
So you’ve got yourself a PS4 and you are now faced with a huge collection of games to consider. Fear not, I’m on hand to recommend the best in class for a few different genres/game types.
Have a look below to find something you’re interested in and some titles to explore!
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REMASTERS
The Last Of Us
One of the best remasters out there, Naughty Dog did a great job on bringing the PS3 smash to the new generation of consoles. Telling the story of Joel and Ellie as they make their way across a post-apocalyptic America, this is a must for those who haven’t played it previously. Another good shout would be Naughty Dog’s Uncharted Collection, which contains the first three Uncharted titles, all remastered.
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ACTION ADVENTURE
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Speaking of Uncharted, if you’re looking for an exciting, gun toting adventure then A Thief’s End might be the one for you. One of the best looking games I’ve ever seen, coupled with some great voice acting makes for a memorable experience. If treasure hunting isn’t your thing I’d really recommend the latest Assassin’s Creed title Syndicate, which for me was the best game in the series for years.
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WITH FRIENDS
Destiny: The Taken King
A new breed of online gaming has begun to shine on the new consoles, one in which you play with friends cooperatively rather than competitively. Destiny is one such title, much better with a few friends as opposed to playing solo. It’s a space shooter with character based special abilities that allows good flexibility. The Taken King expansion adds some extra content and is worth picking up. Alternatively, The Division does the same thing in the more realistic setting of a post-virus New York.
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DRIVING
DriveClub
Despite a troubled launch DriveClub grew into one of, if not the, best driving games around. There are tons of single player tournaments to race through and lots of options for online play, from setting challenges to racing face-to-face. If you prefer a more ‘pure’ driving game I’d also recommend Dirt Rally, which is more simulation and less arcade based.
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HORROR
Until Dawn
For horror lovers the first game that comes to mind is Until Dawn, a title in which you control a group of teenagers and try to get them to survive the night. The most interesting aspect of the game is that none of them can die or all of them can die – it all comes down to the choices you make during the game. If you’re looking for something more tense, I’d really suggest checking out Alien Isolation – especially if you have any interest in the films. It’s a bit too long but a great experience nonetheless.
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ROLE PLAYING GAMES
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If you are looking for a sprawling, lengthy campaign of around 50 odd hours (or more!) then look no further than Dragon Age. Create your own character and then enter a world of Elves and Mages, submerge yourself in archery or magic. It’s completely up to you. It’s like creating your own version of Lord Of The Rings. If fantasy isn’t your bag then consider Fallout 4, which is the exact same thing but set hundreds of years in the future after a nuclear war!
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STEALTH
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
For those of you looking for a more well measured and sneaky experience, it has to be Metal Gear Solid V. While it’s certainly possible to play the game as an action hero this title has some of the best stealth gameplay ever to grace the PlayStation 4. You take on the role of Big Boss, assigned missions ranging from hostage rescue to larger, more complex infiltration scenarios. For those of you that are comic book fans, Batman: Arkham Knight will also tick this box.
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STORY
Life Is Strange
Some of you might be looking to ease into gaming and a title that is based around story with reduced gameplay could be an option for you. In the first instance I’d recommend the awesome Life Is Strange, the tale of a college student who discovers she has the ability to rewind time. Aside from that, despite the occasional performance issue, I’d suggest checking out any of the Telltale games; The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us or Tales From The Borderlands in particular.
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FUN
Rocket League
For pure unadulterated fun, it has to be Rocket League. It’s football with cars. Quite possibly the dumbest game I’ve ever played, it’s also the most fun by far. With friends is best but even alone with random strangers online is great. There is certainly a skill to the game but it’s the pick-up-and-play-factor that makes Rocket League stand head and shoulders above other games.
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COMPETITIVE
Overwatch
I’ve gone for Overwatch here, mainly because I’ve spent most of the summer addicted to it, but you could switch it for the faster paced Call of Duty or more military focused Battlefield depending on your taste. Overwatch is a glorious 6v6 character based shooter in which you battle over objectives – its the characters that help make it memorable, you have 22 to choose from, all with various skills and abilities.
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TACTICAL
Invisible Inc.
If you’re looking for pure tactics then seek out Invisible Inc. It’s a turn based cyberpunk adventure, in which you race against time to prepare your agents for their final, high stakes mission. You’ll take control of numerous members of the team and coordinate attacks on various bases around the globe. Another excellent tactical title is Transistor, which is also turn based and has some fantastic artwork and music.
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So there you go a few suggestions to get you going, let me know if you pick any of these up and whether you enjoy them – or if you guys have any other suggestions of titles people new to the PS4 could pick up. Drop a comment below or tweet me @greghorrorshow.
I was quite excited to get the chance to play Gone Home, which had arrived on PC last year. I’d heard lots of good things about the game’s setting and atmosphere. It’s a title reminiscent of older adventure games, there isn’t a great deal of gameplay per se, it’s about unravelling the story by exploring around the environment.
Set in 1995, you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar who returns back after some months away travelling to find her family moved into a new house. To make things even weirder there is no-one home but a note on the front door from her sister Sam begging her not to look for her.
And then you’re off, first finding a way into the house and then trying to work out what has been going on in your absence. Along the way you’ll uncover clues about not only your sister but also your parents, each strand delivering more intrigue as you delve into places you probably shouldn’t – and wouldn’t under normal circumstances.
Gone Home does a good job of making you feel this, that voyeuristic vibe that should accompany rooting around in other people’s private stuff. In a lot of games it’s sometimes easy to forget that whoever you’re investigating is a person with a history and feelings, not so in Gone Home and there were a few instances that I felt genuinely uncomfortable. I think that’s a good thing as it shows they built a believable cast of characters that you know only through clues.
I loved the design of the house itself, which was interesting and quite a big area to explore. The only downside, not unique to this game but exacerbated by the freedom to move around large swathes of the house, is that there is a lot of ground to cover if you miss a clue. Which is what happened to me.
Let me preface this by saying I appreciate that I might be the only person in the world this happened to, I’m not sure what the odds are for missing clues in the game as a lot of them are signposted well. This clue came fairly deep into the game and I, essentially, didn’t click one thing in the room. Now, that is not the developers fault – I missed the clue – but I found it really disappointing there wasn’t any sort of hint system at all. Surely after an allotted time (10/15 mins) a prompt could pop up, even if it’s asking if I want a hint as opposed to just revealing it?
Instead what happened was I knew I’d missed something so went right back to the start of the house (more than once) and scoured every room again. For 45 mins. Just to put that in context, Gone Home is 2 hours long. So I spent a further amount of time the equivalent of almost half the game aimlessly walking around, frustrated. Eventually, thinking the game might be broken, I checked online, discovered what I had missed, went to the next clue and activated the following sequence. As I said earlier missing the clue is my fault, that’s a part of adventure games but I do feel if I’m turning to the internet in the belief your game is broken then maybe you should consider a form of hint system for next time.
And this broke the game for me. My immersion was shattered and I had lost any interest in the story. I walked away from the game and returned a few hours later to finish it but the experience was soured. Which is a shame because I imagine in a ‘clean’ run through this would be a short but interesting title.
Anyone who has read this blog for a while will know about my love for the Uncharted series. Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan remains one of my favourite game characters of all time and the dynamics of the relationship between Nate and Elena, among others, keep me coming back title after title. But after the release of Uncharted 3 and a teaser trailer for the fourth instalment, it was all change at developer Naughty Dog – the driving force of the series Amy Hennig left and The Last Of Us team took over the reigns. The game was rebooted and reimagined. So could they continue the good work laid out in the previous games?
The Last Of Us had a huge impact on the gaming landscape both in terms of design and character development in games. The concern from some corners was that the devs might make Uncharted too ‘serious’. I don’t feel that happened and, actually, I believe toning down a few sections really helped the characters shine. Uncharted 4 still has the bombastic, action filled set pieces I’ve always loved but now includes a few options to use stealth for battles if desired. There are still plenty of one liners and quips but also real conversations and moments of downtime. It’s a slow start compared to other Uncharted games but I think it benefits the game in the long run.
The story this time is your typical ‘one last job/coming out of retirement’ fare, all based around the reappearance of Nate’s long thought dead brother, Sam. For me, Sam was an interesting character but led to a few issues with the overall Uncharted universe. I don’t recall him having been mentioned much previously but if you ignore the ‘retcon’ of back story and just enjoy the plot it isn’t too much of an issue.
Graphically the game is a powerhouse, I’ve not seen anything like it and it’s definitely one of those games (like Driveclub or Star Wars: Battlefront) that you can use to show off what a PS4 can do. Gameplay remains largely the same, lots of climbing and firefights, although the addition of the grappling hook also gives you a lot more freedom of movement to escape from (or rush to) enemies. The AI of the enemies seems much improved and there were a few occasions that felt genuinely challenging on the Normal setting.
I was a little disappointed that Greg Edmonson didn’t return to score but I guess the new Uncharted Naughty Dog team wanted to put their own stamp on things. Henry Jackson’s score does the job and the opening theme does hit home as expected. The voice acting is, as always, truly superb. Additionally the facial capture is among the best I’ve seen, able to capture subtle expressions of thoughtfulness or glee. Newcomers Laura Bailey and Warren Kole (as Nadine and Rafe, respectively) delivered two more great characters to the series. Rafe might actually be one of my favourite all time videogame villains.
I’ve always enjoyed the shooting in these titles and Uncharted 4 delivers again, with various weapons all feeling different to handle and having a decent heft to them. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the hand to hand combat. Taking a more Last Of Us direction meant that close quarters fistfights became a mess of button mashing and hoping for the best. There were also a few sections when climbing that weren’t immediately clear on direction and I ended up falling to my death. Having said that, at least it added some (small) stakes to climbing, which hadn’t happened in previous instalments.
Multiplayer is back and bigger than ever, with fast paced action set around a few core modes. Uncharted multiplayer has always been a bit ‘Marmite’ but I’ve always enjoyed the fun nature of it and this game really ramps things up by introducing computer controlled side kicks and mystical abilities based on items from the series. This feels like a good move to me, the game thrives on the magic artefact theme so why not lean into it for multiplayer? Players remain a touch bullet-spongy, again not an issue for me but others may not like that style of combat. The grappling hook also comes into its own here and it’s very satisfying to take out a human opponent from up high!
I don’t want to go into detail about the story but I will say it was the most enjoyable one in the series for me. Uncharted 2, with its triple-crossing, pulp action comes a very close second but the character development in 4 is truly great. They have the benefit of this being the final game, which allows them the luxury of tying up some loose ends and I’ll finish this short section on the story by saying, as someone heavily invested in the series and characters, that I was really pleased as the credits rolled – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a great way to wrap up the series.
Another stellar title in the series then, as Naughty Dog continue their amazing run of games on PS4. With the increase of players on Playstation this generation lots more people will get a chance to experience Uncharted’s special brand of treasure hunting. If you haven’t already picked this up, I’d really recommend you do.
I quite enjoyed the last Call Of Duty game, Advanced Warfare, and Black Ops II was my favourite game in the entire series so I was really hopeful that Black Ops III would be another great experience.
In Black Ops II, I found that I enjoyed the story a lot more than the multiplayer especially with the option to change the outcome via decisions you make over the course of the game. With this new title I felt the balance had shifted in the other direction and when you’re not that into the multiplayer aspect of a game series, that can be an issue.
I fully expect to be in the minority here as I know the Call Of Duty series fast paced, twitch based, shooting is massively popular. It’s just never felt good to me. What’s on offer here for multiplayer is a solid set of maps (one of them even made my list of Top 30 Maps) and some new abilities/classes with which to play around with. In the wake of Titanfall and Advanced Warfare there is an added emphasis on movement, with the ability to jump boost along walls and gain some extra height quickly giving the game an even faster pace than before.
Story wise, this tale of futuristic espionage treads a familiar path – you and your team take on various groups of enemies, now also featuring robots/cyborgs, as you try to unravel a mystery with the C.I.A (your employer) at its heart. One thing I did like about the campaign was that it gave you the option to play as a male or female operative, which is pretty cool. Something I didn’t like was the fact the game ran separate versions of the campaign for online and offline story modes. So if you played offline, when you returned and were online there was no way (other than switching off your internet) to continue your game… madness!
Graphically the game looks good, as you’d expect and there are no performance issues that I encountered. The campaign supports 4 player co-op play as well so if you have friends that also have the game that’s a neat way to experience the story. Zombies mode returns and there is also a new mode called Nightmares, unlocked by finishing the campaign, that puts a different spin on the story and replaces the usual enemies with Zombies.
Overall I was a little disappointed with this instalment in the Call Of Duty series. Without an interesting story to compliment the multiplayer I didn’t feel there was enough there for me personally. In terms of the gameplay Black Ops III continues to evolve the series and brings some interesting ideas to the table but the campaign mode, while delivering something new with gender choice and co-operative play, also felt like a step backwards – especially after the way Black Ops II’s story played out. I suspect fans of the series will have loved it but there just wasn’t enough there to hook me in.
It seems like an absolute age ago that The Division was revealed at E3 2013 and gamers everywhere marveled at the footage released. Then we all remembered that Ubisoft’s previous title Watch_Dogs didn’t look quite as good as the promo materials and sighed. Over time though it felt like The Division might end up being a great game, a mix of cool story beats and multiplayer co-op.
Let’s start with the story stuff. The Division opens strongly, with an interesting video about the virus that has decimated New York. Essentially Smallpox, it was transferred to bank notes on Black Friday in an attempt to spread the virus as quickly as possible. Soon enough the city is on quarantined lockdown and the government calls on The Division – a set of sleeper agents in place for exactly this sort of emergency. You are a Division agent and your first port of call will be creating your agent. I managed to make an avatar I was happy with but the selection of faces and hair etc. is pretty limited compared to most other games, which was disappointing. Add to that the fact that your character never speaks and it means you end up not really investing in your character at all.
Despite that strong start, the story ends up being almost non-existent. A lot of it is buried in side missions and collectibles which, excluding a few interesting side missions, felt like effort for nothing. A good example of this are the missing agent missions – essentially following a set of arrows to a point where you pick up a file and get a written paragraph about the agent. Unless I missed it these aren’t agents you ever see/interact with during the story and it was a case of wondering why I was actually bothering doing the missions, which is never a good sign. The story told by the main missions isn’t particularly interesting either and when the majority of bigger ‘boss’ enemies are just the same guys you’ve already fought with an extra bar of health, it makes things a lot less dynamic.
And that’s the real disappointment of The Division because the game itself is pretty brilliant. The control of the characters and the feel of the weapons are great. It’s a super fun, third person shooter that requires elements of teamwork to excel. You can play the game on your own and matchmake with random people to play missions (something I did a few times with no problems) but The Division is best when played with friends. It’s been compared to Destiny more times than I can remember but it’s a valid comparison, especially in the sense that playing with others makes a huge difference to the overall experience. I had a massive amount of fun in my time with the game but the lack of story really did sting, especially by the end of the game when I had no investment in either my own character or the events that were unfolding.
As well as story content there is also a Player v Player arena called the Dark Zone, in which players defeat AI enemies for loot that needs to be extracted via helicopter. The twist is that players can turn on one another and steal each others loot. Doing so will mark you as a Rogue Agent for everyone else though, so you need to weigh up whether it’s worth it! It reminded me of the great heist mode in Kane and Lynch 2 and gives each moment spent waiting for the helicopter to arrive a large dose of tension. It was good fun, perhaps not enough to keep me playing but it might be the thing that brings me back from time to time.
Graphically I’m pleased to say that the developer got pretty damn close to those initial promo shots. The game looks gorgeous and the amount of detail is stunning – there seemed to be a wealth of different environments without reusing a ton of assets. It made every new arena feel like a different place so it was always a shame when the enemies turned up and were one of a set of generic types we’d seen hundreds of times before. I suppose that is a drawback of setting the game in the current time – you’re limited by enemy appearances unless you head further down the Warriors gang style of enemies.
Overall The Division is a really great game in terms of how it handles and the feel of the moment to moment gameplay. It’s wrapped in an impressive representation of New York that, at times, can be jaw-dropping. The problem is that it all feels like it’s for nothing in terms of story and character. I’m really hopeful that we will see another installment of The Division because I believe there is a really solid base here to build on. They don’t need to change the gameplay much, if they can get a more involving story around it and find a better way to tell that narrative, Ubisoft might have something very special on their hands.
GregHorrorShow 