As Sony’s newly released PlayStation 4 sails excitedly into 2014, gamers wait with bated breath to see what Sony has up its sleeve for the PS4’s inaugural year. Luckily for us there’s already a plethora of stellar titles scheduled to take the system by force in the coming months. It’s an exciting time to be a PlayStation fan, we’re sure you’ll agree, and it’s only going to get better from here on out. So join us, as PSU reels off five of the most-anticipated PS4 releases of the New Year.
Watch Dogs
Following its last-minute delay, Ubisoft’s voyeuristic action-adventure Watch Dogs took a firm, momentary backseat in the PlayStation 4 line-up. Sure, the protracted setback made Ubisoft’s tongue-in-cheek Los Santos advert campaign wholly redundant and downright hilarious, but in the grand scheme of proceedings a delay almost always has a distinct silver lining. Simply, it makes a game better. Rather than playing bug-riddled, half-baked shovelware we get the genuine article; and that’s something to be truly excited about. This age-old mantra is no more applicable than with an ambitious title such as Watch Dogs; the sheer scale of choice and line of enquiry afforded to players in its alternative, dystopian security state requires an incredible amount of effort and polish on developer, Ubisoft Montreal’s part. Players — assuming the role of Irish rogue Aiden Pearce — can hack into bank databases, city-controlled devices, get detailed accounts of any civilians encountered, and even trigger glitches in the city’s operating system — resulting in a whole manner of chaotic repercussion. This sort of malleable, multi-tiered gameplay dictates the necessity for painstaking refinement — something that the extra development time will no doubt facilitate. Those extra months of sheen has served Watch Dog’s well, and it’s now looking like a true force to be reckoned with — which is why it takes its much-deserved position on our list.
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Infamous: Second Son
One of Sony’s undoubted success stories of the last generation was developer Sucker Punch’s influential series, Infamous; a free-roaming superhero-esque sandbox title where the players’ moral compass mattered to the narrative. Gamers availed of the ‘karma’ system, choosing to use their powers for the good of Empire City or to instead wreak havoc on its citizens. Catering for two separate playstyles, a game as expansive of Infamous treaded new ground not yet seen on PS3, and as a result it was a resounding success. A sequel undoubtedly arose (aptly entitled Infamous 2), arriving to similarly high plaudits and sales. And now the stage is set for Infamous’ third iteration to debut on Sony’s newest machine. Announced way back in February of this year, Infamous: Second Son takes place some seven years after the events of the last game. Players control Delsin, a 24-year-old graffiti artist whose prospects in life seemingly match his lax, docile attitude. Upon witnessing a bus crash he comes face-to-face with a Conduit, which in turn awakens his own Conduit powers. Delsin, now with his new found powers and purpose in life, sets out to take on the oppressive regime of the DUP. Aside from Evolution Studios’ DriveClub, Infamous: Second Son is Sony’s next heavy hitter of the New Year and is sure to cause a stir when it hits on March 21, 2014.
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Destiny
For over a decade, the PlayStation faithful has had to sit idly by twiddling its thumbs whilst Xbox gamers have waxed lyrical about one of gaming’s most revered first-person shooters, Halo. And while things haven’t changed per say, PlayStation owners’ patience have been rewarded in a slightly different way. In step, Destiny — the next-generation of first-person shooters; a massively-open, ‘shared-world’ experience — where players interact and engage with one another on a threatened, post-apocalyptic vision of Earth. Bungie’s latest offering is another fine example of a mammoth undertaking; a project so colossal that it’s in been in the pipeline for over eight years. Following its rapturous reception at this year’s E3, the hype train was well and truly kicked into overdrive and the title shot straight to number one on many gamers’ wish lists. Players will avail three races: Human, Awoken and Exo, followed by a subset of three different classes: Hunters, Warlocks and Titans. These are your standard RPG-like selections each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Activision’s confidence in the game’s ability and potential is such that the publisher has already tied Bungie down to a four-game contract — a vote of confidence if one was ever needed. And who are we to argue with that? Destiny looks set to rewrite the rules of console first-person shooter interaction, and we’ll be front row and centre when it hits on September 9, 2014.
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DriveClub
Upon the realisation that Evolution Studios’ DriveClub was going to miss its purported release in tandem with the PlayStation 4’s North American launch, the agony was twofold; not only was one of the bigger guns in PS4’s stockpile now delayed until the New Year, but gamers on the machine’s predecessor were now enjoying the sumptuous driving reproduction that is Gran Turismo 6, too. Aside from the arcade-like racing found in Need for Speed: Rivals, PS4 gamers were bereft of any true driving simulators at launch. But alas, we can’t complain too much. After all, a special version of DriveClub will be made free to users through Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service, complete with that coveted Platinum trophy to boot. Evolution Studios’ mission statement seems to be one of social involvement; DriveClub will tinker itself in accordance with community conduct and patterns and will allow players to upload their finest clips to Facebook for the whole world to gawk at. If we’re honest, what’ll be most interesting in DriveClub’s case is that juxtaposition between Evolution’s off-road Motorstorm roots and its desire to emulate its contemporary Gran Turismo in a more socially-inclusive way. Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to find out how it’ll all play out, as DriveClub looks to be nailed down to a late February release date.
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Uncharted
No list involving PlayStation would ever feel complete without an offering from Sony’s finest first-party developer, Naughty Dog. The studio, creator of this year’s much-lauded PS3-exclusive, The Last of Us, was never going to be far from the rumour mill as the PlayStation 4’s Northern American launch grew ever closer. And sure enough on the eve of the release, at PS4 All Access, the bomb dropped: a new Uncharted was imminent; cue euphoric applause, stocks rising, hugs and tears (maybe a slight hyperbole) — PS3’s seminal series was making the awaited transition into the next generation. The small teaser that was shown was more than enough to convince console owner’s that 2014 was to be a special year — the year of PlayStation. And while it didn’t reveal anything of note, aside from the possible unveiling of actor Todd Stashwick as the game’s chief antagonist, it doesn’t take a lot for anyone to confidently predict that a next-gen Uncharted title will be a sight to behold. With a studio as admired as Naughty Dog at the helm you can be sure that Nathan Drake’s next outing will push the boundaries of visuals, technical advancement and storytelling. No release date has been forthcoming but we’d hazard a guess at the Holiday window of 2014 — a date that can’t come soon enough.
Are you looking forward to what Sony has to offer for the New Year? Let us know below which games you are most looking forward to…