Playstation 4 (PS4), the eighth-generation console from SONY, was unveiled on 15th November 2013, in North America. Competing with Xbox One and Nintendo Wii U, the console was the first to output in full 4K resolution, becoming the fifth-best selling console of all time, with a total of 117 million units sold.
Spawning a wealth of fan favourites such as Fortnite, Batman: Arkham Knight, The Last Of Us Part II, and Minecraft, the PS4 offered, (and still offers) gamers a truly vast variety of titles across all platforms. But which was the greatest?
These are, CULTR’s Top 10 PS4 Games of All Time…
10. STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT
Offering a Call of Duty style ‘shoot-’em-up’ experience alongside a multiplayer squadron, Battlefront is as much about strategy as it is raw stealth and accuracy. Blessed with supreme attention to detail, the game (later followed by Battlefront II) was a wet-dream for nerds like myself who had longed for a snowy confrontation on the Planet Hoth, with X-Wings flying overhead, and AT-AT Walkers plunging through the frozen ground. Characters also feel realistic to their correlating strength, with Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker able to command moves that the likes of Chewie could only dream of. An incredible audiovisual experience, and one of the PS4’s most frenetic gameplays.
9. CRASH BANDICOOT: N SANE TRILOGY
The PS1’s unofficial poster-boy managed to make it all the way to PS4 for the reboot of his classic world. Tweaked with an HD visual upgrade, the newly smoothed graphics offer a playful glow, with jungle foliage now prickling out in lush greens, and water effects splashing with that added edge of vigour. Crash himself is in fine form, once again, with a gameplay which also now introduces us to his sister Coco, a nice modern twist of gender equality. And of course, the same familiar foes return, with Cortex overseeing our favourite Bandicoot’s downfall. With all the feel of a Saturday morning in the 90s, mixed with 21st century aesthetics, it’s tough to recall a more polished reboot.
8. NBA 2K17
The NBA series has been a staple part of yearly gaming titles since EA’s dawn of dominance, but in 2K17, Visual Concepts hit the motherload. On court, improvements were made to the extra boost of accuracy on jump shots, allowing signature specials from the the likes of Steph Curry to really feel like Curry himself, whilst improved dribbling features allow those rim-dunks from LeBron to really ting in thanks to a huge leap in the sound design, with unique buzzers and hoop sounds in different arenas. NBA 2K17 also taps into the legacy aspect of the sport in fine detail, with unlockable players like Allen Iverson making an appearance through the ‘Hall of Fame’ setting.
7. UNCHARTED 4: A THIEVE’S END
Described by IGN as “a remarkable achievement in blockbuster storytelling and graphical beauty”, Uncharted 4 is a masterpiece in action choreography. Spanning around 15 hours in terms of start to finish gameplay, the title’s unique feature comes in the remarkable oil-painting style reflections of characters in puddles, which move in real-time, or the sway of grass blades in the wind. Showcasing every microfibre of the PS4’s visual capabilities, Uncharted 4 is undoubtedly of the most jaw-dropping experiences the console has to offer.
6. HOGWARTS LEGACY
Once upon a time, fans of the Harry Potter world were left to imagine the day their hero’s life in Hogwarts could be experienced first-hand. The PS1 tried, and ultimately failed, with those now hilarious bad Hagrid graphics, but step forward Hogwarts Legacy, with a brand-new storyline set away from the familiar Harry/Ron/Hermione trident. Here, in this open-world format, you’re finally free to explore the stone-cobbled halls and illuminate the Forbidden Forest with your Lumos spell. From dragons, broomsticks, and everything in between, Hogwarts Legacy finally offered gamers the illegitimate PS4 lovechild of a drunken Harry Potter & GTA hook-up.
5. STAR WARS: JEDI FALLEN ORDER
The second Star Wars title in this list of 10, ‘Fallen Order’ follows the story of Cal Kestis, one of the very few remaining jedi in the galaxy, following Palpatine’s ‘Order 66’ purge just five years earlier. Allowing the user to peruse old tombs and fresh worlds (the Woookiee homeland of Kashyyyk is a particular highlight, as is the violent red dust of Dathomir), the end result is a George Lucas-inspired Tomb Raider with lightsabers. In addition to this, battles with foes are intense as blades whirl and sparks fly, in scenes reminiscent of Luke bludgeoning Vader in Return of the Jedi. All in all, a near-perfect Star Wars title.
4. GOD OF WAR
Feeling like a full cinematic experience as much as it does a game, God of War is a slick composition of exploration and puzzle-mastery, giving gamers a rewarding and deep understanding of each character. Blessed with a spacious score, and framed with one continuous shot which never cuts away, it is this constant which focuses on the relationship between Kratos and his young son, Atreus. Set in a Norse mythology-inspired world, the story also encompasses an indelible supporting cast, a gorgeous world consistently rewarding to explore, and immensely satisfying Greek-God combat.
3. MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN
If swinging round Manhattan via an open-world New York in gloriously crisp 4K isn’t your idea of fun, you might want to re-evaluate your life. Shot in third-person perspective, and complete with a 360 degree angle spinner on your right analogue stick, much of this game is just spent sat at the top of the Empire State Building’s most northern tip, admiring the absolutely astounding visuals of the world below. But when Peter Parker isn’t taking a stroll through Central Park, there’s also an array of baddies to beat. Slow-mo combat features allow you to savour the final takedown of any set of goons, amid the perfect mix of jumping, crawling, web zipping, and wall running.
2. RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
Cementing a spot in the top 5 best selling games ever made, across ALL consoles (no mean feat when you consider it beat the likes of Zelda, The Sims, Pokemon, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Call of Duty to the accolade), is Red Dead Redemption 2. The slow-paced PS4 favourite offers a much broader world than the 2010 original, now giving gamers a whopping 60-hour length storyline. Unlike GTA, also made by Rockstar, Red Dead’s relaxed pace perfectly fits the beauty of the title, with thick forests and alligator-infested swamps offering perfect spots of exploration for a long-day on horseback.
1. GTA V
How could it be anything else? With an eye-boggling total of 215 million copies sold worldwide, GTA V is a true global behemoth, commanding 2nd on the list of best selling games ever made (only beaten, remarkably, by Tetris). Such is the unique chokehold this title has the gaming world in, we’re still salivating for the next version in the series, a full 12 years later. From climbing ladders, getting yanked out of a car you’ve just stolen and thrown to the ground, and flipping the bird, GTA V left no stone un-turned in a search for realism. Even in-mission events, like when Michael’s son hands him a soda in the car, are animated, with Michael’s hand bringing it up to the camera as he takes a sip. Not just the best PS4 game ever made, but the best game ever made, period.
Do you agree with our selections? Wanna shout out those hidden gems you think we might have missed? Why not head over to our CULTR Instagram page to start the debate!
