Console launches are strange days – conjecture and speculation run rampant from dingy basements to crowded bars to the highest halls of media. Opinions are hurled about recklessly by everyone from the most well-informed expert to the most wildly ignorant blowhard – and often, the accuracy of both is roughly comparable. Until a console actually releases into the passionately energetic hands of the consumer, it’s often hard to separate truth from rumor from propaganda.
Here at Pixelated Geek, we know how much you care about your gaming. We also know how much you care about your dollar. So over the next month, we’ll be giving you detailed information on the details of the next-generation of gaming consoles, without any of the nonsense, bias, or personal motivation that you’ll find in a lot of alternative sources.
The big day is close. You’re already dreaming about that big, beautiful blue box. You’ve stocked up on soda, you’ve got Doritos for days. You’ve rearranged your entertainment center – you’ve already got that perfect little square of real estate lined up for your brand-spankin’-new PS4.
But you’re no fool. This isn’t your first rodeo. You know how console launches are – a massive build-up of expectation. The hype-train departed months ago and has built up so much steam that it’s nigh off the rails. So often, we get that big, beautiful box home, we rip it to tiny shreds and reveal the glory within, we reverently but oh so quickly connect the electronic glory before us and … realize there are absolutely no games worth playing at a console launch.
The Xbox 360’s launch was hardly a brilliant affair – of the 12 titles accompanying Microsoft’s sophomore effort, only two were really any good. The PlayStation 3 launch library a touch larger, but suffered equally from a dearth of quality. Thankfully, it’s not an issue that the industry seems willing to continue to ignore – the Wii U did a significantly better job with some 30 titles between retail and download titles, many of which still top the sales list for the platform. Sony’s most recent console release, the VITA , had 41 releases in the first two months, and has one of the higher aggregate review averages in the industry.
As you’ve probably heard, the PlayStation 4 graces shelves this Friday, November the 15th. This initial launch line-up, as it often does, has dwindled and shifted as the release day approached, but the list of titles officially confirmed by Sony remains at a strong 23. Of those 25, 14 are disc-based retail releases, 3 are Free-To-Play MMOs adapted for the console, and the remaining are exclusive to the PlayStation Network.
More importantly, the PS4 has over 150 announced titles in development, and based on current projections, at least 20 of those will be out in the next sixth months. And so it looks like, with a little bit of luck, Sony will have avoided the launch window doldrums – which means you’ve got a decision. And we’re here to make that decision a little bit easier.
Because It Looks Oh So Yummy – Killzone: Shadow Fall
The Killzone franchise is synonymous with cutting-edge visuals, and Guerilla’s latest entry into the franchise is no exception. Sony has made it clear from early days that they intend the burly Sci-Fi shooter to be the poster-boy for NextGen visuals, and based on everything we’ve seen thus far, Killzone: Shadow Fall is hard to argue against.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzyibMjn7YE[/youtube]
Because It’s Just Plain Fun – Knack
Sony has built its success on the backs of broadly appealing action titles from the beginning – Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, Little Big Planet among them – and for the PlayStation 4, they’re fielding Japan Studios Knack. Knack is a gorgeous action-platformer with incredibly intricate physics simulation in which you control an adorable little robot with a knack … har … for assimilating the powers and physical properties of enemy and environment alike. Veteran designer Mark Cerny has described his new title as “a little bit like Crash Bandicoot and Katamari Damacy, with a touch of God of War.”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNiG9osRHc4&list=PLol_ykYs3OQ7hTI6FiZJrjma5XbRUT8JF&index=1[/youtube]
Because You Want to Talk Some Smack – Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
There’s not much else that gets a gamer heated like a good ‘old fashioned slugfest, and very few developers deliver as visceral an experience as Netherrealm Studios. Injustice is easily one of the deepest and most satisfying experiences in the tourney fighting genre, and the Ultimate Edition – read as every bit of of DLC included – is coming to the PlayStation 4 on launch day.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPEMEt9zxPw[/youtube]
Because You Need Your Sport Fix – Madden 25/FIFA 14/NBA 2K14
Year-in year-out these juggernauts represent the best there are in the field of sports simulation, and all three will be making their way to shelves on the PlayStation 4’s launch day. No matter your preference, the PS4’s got you covered.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50nQJQdq_NM[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajy4eVDw2VQ[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AL1ZkIJ2zQ[/youtube]
Because You Want A Timesink – Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Say what you will about Ubisoft’s psuedo-historical psuedo-sci-fi action franchise. The stealth action adventure made itself into a household name in just over six years, and in that time sold more than 55 million units worldwide. Reticent after the underwhelming ACIII? Well, guess what? PIRATES. End argument.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8kjdZLnrXM[/youtube]
And the best part about all of these? They’ll be available Day One at your retailer of choice for your PlayStation 4. So grab a copy, crack open a soda, and get to playin’!