After a US launch which saw over 1 million consoles sold in under 24 hours, Sony’s PS4 now moves into European territory at midnight tonight, hoping to bring the fight to Microsoft’s already on-sale Xbox One.
The fourth gen console goes on sale in the UK and most European countries on Friday November 29th, with thousands of retailers opening stores at midnight tonight to cater for the masses. Hundreds are already queuing up outside stores to ensure they get there first, with some stores in London reporting people setting up camp four days ahead of the launch.
As we did with the Xbox One launch last Friday, we’ve set out to pick out the five launch games worthy of your hard earned cash and attention for when you first set up your shiny new console. Some are free and some come with the full price tag of £50 or more, so there’s hopefully something for everyone!
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Although the fourth Assassin’s Creed title is far from a PS4 exclusive, there are elements of the game which have been tailored to work with the PS4’s unique DualShock 4 controller which make the game a worthy purchase on Sony’s console. Furthermore, Ubisoft has boosted its latest swashbuckling adventure to glorious Full HD 1080p quality – something the Xbox One doesn’t do – so the graphics really are tip-top.
PS4 gamers can make use of the DualShock 4’s unique touchpad by giving it a quick click to open the map and then swiping laptop-style to pan around the map, with pinch-to-zoom functionality to boot. A neat little trick that’s far better than using the slower, traditional analog stick method.
Resogun
At just £12.79 to download digitally from the PS4’s Store – or free for those who pay for a PlayStation Plus subscription – Resogun shouldn’t be as good as it is. This game has already been heralded as the best launch title for the PS4 by The Verge and comes highly praised in many other early PS4 reviews. It’s a side-scrolling space shoot-em-up which reminds us a lot of the classic arcade title Defender, except the graphics are much more impressive and the action gives a new meaning to the phrase “fast paced”.
If you shell out on a PlayStation Plus subscription then you’ll bag Resogun for free, along with other goodies for your PS4. Either way, we’d strongly recommend this title as an early pick-up, even if just for the online co-op fun.
NBA 2K14
It featured in our top 5 launch titles for the Xbox One and damnit, we’ll feature it again for the PS4 because it’s just that good. Not a single soul who has passed in front of this game playing here at Gadget Helpline HQ hasn’t done a double take followed by something along the lines of “what do you mean, that’s not real life?” The lighting is incredible from the house lights bouncing off the super shiny court to the sweat glistening on Dwyane Wade’s face as he tries to keep composure for a free throw. The graphics really are top notch and even if you’re not a basketball fan – or even a sports fan altogether – you can easily pick up a DualShock 4 and have fun shooting for 3 points.
Don’t tell the Xbox One crew, but we reckon this title looks slightly more impressive on Sonys console…
Knack
If there’s going to be a PS4 stashed away under your Christmas tree for a young one or perhaps the whole family, Knack is hands-down the best launch title to suit gamers of all ages. Sony’s Mark Cerny is the brain behind this platformer which certainly draws comparisons to another of his previous projects which ended up being in the PlayStation hall of fame, Crash Bandicoot.
In Knack you play a cutesy little robot who must fight against the goblins, running, hopping and whacking your way through a bevy of levels in true platform fashion. It’s not one for the hardcore gamers – even Sony says so – but if you’re looking for something to let your young one play or perhaps even something different to while away some time on in between frustrated bouts of Battlefield 4 multiplayer, then Knack is a great option at launch.
FIFA 14
Not everyone is a fan of EA’s annual football title but we’ve been very impressed with the improvement in graphics over the previous gen version of the same game. We have to admit that before the arrival of the PS4 and Xbox One, we didn’t see existing franchises such as FIFA being particularly worth of our cash come launch day, but FIFA and 2K Games’ NBA have proved us wrong. There’s definitely plenty more detail, fluid movement and impressive lighting effects on offer in FIFA 14 for the PS4, a particular favourite being the individual blades of grass you can make out in the close-up replays.
At £59.99 it’s right at the top end of the price scale for PS4 games on launch day, so if you’ve previously bought the game on Xbox 360 or PS3 you probably won’t want to shell out again (and in this case, even more than you paid the first time around). However, in terms of sports games available on launch for the PS4, this is definitely the top dog and is also one of the best local multiplayer games available.
Ones to wait for
The E3 and Gamescom events this year gave us a taster of some truly awe-inspiring games which were coming up for the PS4, though not all of them would arrive on launch day. We’ve still got Watch Dogs, The Order: 1886, DRIVECLUB and loads more on the way. DRIVECLUB was initially set to be a launch title and the equivalent of Forza 5 for PS fans, but unfortunately it got pushed back. So far racing fans only have Need For Speed: Rivals and it’s not quite up to par, we think, so if you’re a petrolhead with a thirst for racing games then we’d recommend waiting for DRIVECLUB.
As for our one to watch, it’s got to be Watch Dogs. We can’t wait to control minds.
