THE sun is slowly setting on Sony’s PlayStation 4, as we watch the powerhouse that is the PlayStation 5 rise over the horizon.
Now is the perfect chance to look back with fondness at all the incredible games the PS4 had to offer.
The PS4 had a number of great looking consoles.
Its library is broad. From RPG to FPS, there is something for everyone from this console’s games.
If you haven’t played any of the games from the list below, now is the time to make sure you have space in your backlog.
These ten games epitomise what made the PS4 so great.
If you don’t have time for anything else, you’ll feel your purchase of the PS4 worthwhile even if you only get these ten bangers under your belt.
10. Until Dawn
Choice matter in this horror game.
With stars such as Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere, the acting in Until Dawn is some of the best that gaming has to offer.
The story is cliché. A group of teenagers venture up to a spooky mansion in the snow covered mountain only to get trapped with no contact to the outside world.
Yet as you make the decisions for them, you become invested in whether each one lives or dies.
And yes, they can all die.
9. Dreams
Dreams lets you build anything you can think of.
Dreams isn’t a game in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a tool through which the players can create anything they imagine.
Yes, finally our dreams can become memes.
People are talented. If there is something you wish you could play, someone probably already created it.
From the motorcycle scene from Tron to a completely explorable Hogwart’s Castle: Dreams has it all, and is well worth exploring.
8. God of War
The touching tale of father and son.
Gaming may be saturated with remasters, remakes, and reboots, but the 2018 God of War reboot really sets the bar.
Moving away from the Greek mythology of the original trilogy, this starts a new story; one where Kratos has a son and he’s landed in the realm of Norse myth.
This isn’t a classic revenge story. Instead it’s the touching tale of father and child.
7. Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 brings the horror to first-person.
Giving Resident Evil 7 a VR mode was a strong move considering it is one of the most terrifying games to come out this decade.
Taking the series into first person and centering the evil around the members of the Baker family turned up the fear factor.
When you run around freely constantly shredding down armies of bin bag monsters, you become immune to the peril.
But one redneck chasing you endlessly with a chainsaw will always be terrifying.
6. Nier: Automata
Nier:Automata is a fan favourite.
There is something special about games which subvert your expectations, and few things confuse more than opening up an RPG and being confronted with a SHMUP – a scrolling shoot-’em-up like from the old days.
This is only the first of Nier: Automata’s deceptions.
You have to play through the story multiple times, with each playthrough discovering more of what you missed.
You can even decide to delete your save file in order to get another ending.
5. The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2 showed a different side of Ellie’s story.
While The Last of Us Part 2 has been divisive among fans, it expands and improves on everything from the original, bringing in new characters and story elements.
Taking on multiple perspectives, you are no longer fixed into the story of Joel and Ellie.
You now see how their actions affect the lives of other survivors.
It will make you question the line between good and evil.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Sword, sorcery and sex are the three hallmarks of Witcher 3
The meme that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is game of the year every year is there for a reason.
It’s one of the most accomplished games ever made.
The world is vast, and yet tightly packed with story beats, and side missions which teach us more about the game’s rich world.
All this and Geralt gets in a nice big steamy bath. No further questions.
3. Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 has one of gaming’s most beautiful open worlds.
Every now and then a game comes along which raises the bar for the medium, and in 2018 that game was Red Dead Redemption 2.
If you thought the world of The Witcher 3 was vast, then gird your loins for the seemingly never ending plains of America’s Wild West.
Protagonist Arthur Morgan is a more nuanced take on the cowboy hero, where his human side shines through.
2. Persona 5 Royal
RPG meets high school drama.
Persona 5 was almost 20 years in the making, and it shows. Not in a bad way like Duke Nukem Forever does – in a good way. A very good way.
The team looked at the way video games were improving, explored all the best concepts, and pieced them together for a fresh take.
Gameplay aside, it bears only a passing resemblance to Persona 4.
While it is an eye-watering 100+ hours long, it somehow all seems necessary.
1. Bloodborne
Bloodborne encouraged up close combat.
While the world screams Elden Ring, we must all remember how FromSoftware got to this point. The studio’s design style is so unique it spawned its own gaming genre.
Bloodborne improved on the Dark Souls formula by removing defensive mechanics to base the game around action and speed.
With its high risk, high reward playstyle you will spend your life chasing the high you feel when a boss bar empties out.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
