PlayStation 4 Review

PlayStation 4 - Games

Sony might have got the hardware right with PS4, but it still needs to prove itself on software. The first-party launch line-up is underwhelming, led by a decent flagship FPS – Killzone: Shadow Fall - that shows what the console can do, but let down by a lack of any other really compelling exclusives. DriveClub, the racer from Motorstorm-creators Evolution, has been held back until next year, while Knack is a disastrous cutesy platformer that leaves you pining for the glory days of Jak and Daxter.


With the only other notable exclusives being Contrast, a stylish and imaginative indie 3D platformer let down by a lack of polish, and Rezogun, a slick, retro-themed take on the arcade classic Defender, it’s a struggle to think of any justification to side with the PS4 right now. Killzone is nearly great, but is nearly great enough to sell a £350 console? Rezogun is brilliant, but nobody’s idea of a killer app.


On the plus side, the cross-platform titles look marginally better on PS4 than they do on Xbox One, and to the millions of gamers who have only played on a PS3 or Xbox 360, they will be a revelation. Battlefield 4 looks noticeably better and runs noticeably smoother on the PS4 than on the last-generation consoles, with the higher-resolution textures, enhanced lighting, particle effects and anti-aliasing of the PC version in play. It also gives console owners the chance to play 64-player matches for the first time; a massive step-up from the 24-player matches on the current-generation systems. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is improved vastly by smoother frame rates, HD textures, more polygon-rich character models and better lighting, not to mention a much prettier and more generously animated world.


Need for Speed: Rivals takes the crown as the most visually-accomplished arcade racer on the market. Call of Duty: Ghosts looks much like it does on PC with the settings dialled to High, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes looks and plays as well on PS4 as it does on any other platform. Buy a PS4 now and you won’t get a raft of great exclusives, but you won’t suffer from a lack of strong, good-looking games. Just make sure you buy the physical versions. For reasons nobody can comprehend, prices on the PSN store are a good £5 to £15 higher.


The real meat is to come next year, with Bungie’s merger of online gaming and epic single-player in Destiny, Sucker Punch’s promising superhero sim, inFamous: Second Son and the aforementioned Driveclub. And that’s forgetting Ready At Dawn’s cool-looking steampunk action game, The Order, and – with luck – Uncharted 4. Destiny isn’t an exclusive, but gets an early beta on PS4, while the others give Sony an opportunity to prove the new console’s mettle. With Microsoft pushing its Xbox One hard, and one of the year’s key titles, Titanfall, an Xbox One/PC exclusive, it needs to make an impact early on.