PlayStation 4 recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in North America and Europe, following a successful launch in November 2013. Since then, Sony’s latest powerhouse has cemented itself as the new-generation format of choice, outselling its leading rival, the Xbox One, and going on to shift a staggering 13.5 million units worldwide at the time of writing. Still, despite its undeniable success, PS4 hasn’t endured an entirely smooth transition to market; stock shortages plagued the console last Christmas, and some titles were notorious for various technical hiccups, such as Assassin’s Creed Unity and Sony’s very own DRIVECLUB. To say that Sony’s latest hardware has had a few teething problems would be putting it mildly—but then, isn’t that true of most console launches?
Regardless, a system is only as good as its software, and PS4 gamers have been treated to a diverse smargasboard of digital delights throughout the past year. Some blew us away, some failed to live up to the hype, and some proved decidedly dodgy. Still, regardless of how well they were received, they all helped define Sony’s new console in its first 12 months on the market.
Here’s 5 PS4 games that defined the console in its first year.
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KILLZONE SHADOW FALL
Guerrilla Games’ PS4 debut may be an obvious choice, but a crucial one nonetheless. A graphical poster boy for Sony’s new-generation home format since its unveiling, Killzone: Shadow Fall demonstrated succinctly what PS4 was capable of producing right out of the gate on launch. Visually, it was hard to top Shadow Fall, and while one could argue the gameplay had evolved little from its PS3 glory days, there was no denying that Guerrilla Games had upped things from a graphical point of view substantially since we last aimed down our scopes. Not only that, but it provided the stellar multiplayer component that has become synonymous with the Helghast-blasting franchise up to that point. For these reasons, it would be wrong to deny Killzone: Shadow Fall a spot on our list, as it was easily one of the most defining games for PS4 of the launch, and played an important role in establishing the system for its first year on the market
inFAMOUS: Second Son
A PS4-exclusive that actually lived up to the considerable hype that preceded it, Sucker Punch Productions’ open-world superhero romp introduced a new playable character, fresh powers, and a stunningly-realized city in which to unleash mayhem. Second Son easily proved one of the most crucial releases of PS4 in 2014, and bolstered the platform’s software output in the early stages of last year. Visually, the game was a massive step-up from what we’d seen on PS4 up until that point, and many gamers consider it to be a true next-gen experience. The gameplay remained incredibly polished and benefited from the new powers and other such additions, while the story and characters also had room to breathe, giving you a narrative that you could actually start to care about. In short, inFAMOUS: Second Son encapsulated everything that a PS4-exclusive should be.
THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED
It’s testament to just how stunning Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic adventure is that it is widely considered one of the best PS4 games to date, despite the fact it’s actually a remastered port of a PS3 game. Still, there’s no denying that Joel and Ellie’s grim trek across the fungal-infested U.S. was a resounding triumph, both aesthetically and narratively, resulting in some of the most accomplished storytelling the PlayStation brand has ever seen. Bolstered by some solid, visceral combat against infected and human foes alike, Naughty Dog’s decision to remaster the experience for PS4 was always going to go down a storm, and the addition of a silky smooth 60fps and 1080p visuals were the icing on already extremely sumptuous cake. To this day, it stands among the best-looking games to grace Sony’s shiny black beast.
DRIVECLUB
Evolution Studios’ ambitious new racer will certainly be remembered as a defining chapter in PS4’s first year, though not for the most positive of reasons. Yes, it looks gorgeous, with meticulously-crafted motors and polished tracks lighting up our screens in such a way that would make Gran Turismo bigwig Kazunori Yamauchi green with envy. However, DRIVECLUB has been perpetually dogged by issues since launch, including server problems and the fact the PS Plus Edition of the racer has even yet to see the light of day some two months after release. In fact, things were such a mess, that even Sony itself admitted to being ‘embarrassed’ by the whole fiasco. It’s a shame too, as PSU thought the game itself, problems aside, was mighty fine (although it’s clear not many of you agreed). So, while perhaps for not the right reasons, DRIVECLUB was definitely among the many games that defined PS4 in its first year on the market. Let’s just hope nothing like this dogs the console going forward, eh Sony?
DESTINY
To say that Bungie’s shared-world shooter has been a polarizing gaming experience would be a gross understatement. For many, Destiny failed to live up to the considerable hype that preceded its launch, with repetitive mission structures, grinding, and lack of a strong, cohesive narrative proving to be its downfall for many. However, those of us who were able to look past these shortcomings—or weren’t taken in by the hype in the first place, much like myself—were able to enjoy Destiny’s strongest points, namely its superb shooting mechanics, gripping multiplayer and co-op, and addictive levelling/loot system. It’s definitely a proof of concept, and there’s no denying the soundtrack and meticulously-designed environments are staples of Bungie’s keen eye for atmosphere and detail. Looking past its niggles, Destiny is still an extremely competent shooter with some brilliant co-op action, hulking boss battles, and challenging gameplay—and let’s not forget that PlayStation-exclusive content thrown into the mix, too. Destiny is definitely the marmite of PS4 gaming this year, but isn’t that what gets everyone talking?