Depending on how you look at it, I was one of the organised
or very lucky ones to get Sony’s next-gen console, the PlayStation 4, on the
first day of release. I told everyone I knew that for the whole weekend I’d be
busy trying out the three games that came with the system. I’ll go into a
little bit about these as well later. I’d also like to draw your attention a
blog post from October where I attended Play Expo and got my first look at the
console, controller and one game. Read it here.
I’m not making any secret of the fact I have always been a
PlayStation gamer. I wasn’t keen on the Xbox and while the 360 was better,
there was never a big reason for me to switch. I’m pretty good at being
objective but make of that what you will.
Console
Sharp, angular and very stylish is the easiest way to
describe the PS4 console. I’ve read plenty of comments about how people don’t
like it but it’s a definite improvement from the PS3 and it is plenty heavy –
despite not being much bigger than a slim line PS3. My package came with two
controllers and the camera, which offers little for me and my current selection
of games but some interesting things to explore and try. This will hopefully be
explored more in the future and while the camera most likely isn’t as advanced
as the Microsoft counterpart, it is very responsive.
While you can connect to the internet wirelessly, unless you
have a PlayStation Plus account (which is the paid version of the PlayStation
Network) a lot of the online functionality and online multiplayer aspects of
the games are not available. While not overly expensive, and with some handy
features, it’s worth considering. Cloud storage will be one of the most used
aspects, I predict, given the size of the hard drive, which sounds impressive,
until you realise how big the game files are on the PS4. As an average guess,
you might get 10 saved on there, and cloud storage will be needed if you don’t
want to delete anything.
Better than that, though, is the fact you don’t have to wait
for a game to download or install completely before you play it. Installing
what you need as you need it makes the system much more efficient. Just
something to keep in mind!
Killzone: Shadow Fall
This was the game included in the box with the console. I
haven’t played the Killzone games
other than the main console titles – the handheld console games eluded me – and
each one was pretty good. The gameplay was good and each time, Killzone offered stunning visuals with a
less than brilliant story. For Killzone:
Shadow Fall, the pattern is largely the same. As expected with the next-gen
console, the graphics are incredible (but if they weren’t, I’d be very
disappointed) and the gameplay is still very good. The PS4 controller is well
used and the touchpad has a use, although somewhat basic for what I would have
liked. All you do with it is swipe up, down, left or right to determine the
actions of your drone. It’s a start, but nowhere near what I’d hope it would be
capable of.
Overall, it’s a great game that continues the legacy of Killzone well. The story and characters
could be better but I’ve been blown away with how good it looks and how well it
plays that I can get past it. The multiplayer was fun as well, which is useful
in an FPS title.
Need for Speed: Rivals
So, generally I like my racing games more in the format of a
bunch of cars on a circuit for X amount of laps and trying not to blow myself up.
Boring? Probably – but that comes with being a motorsport fan. When they
release an F1 title for this console, I’ll be first in line for it. Need for Speed: Rivals is a pretty fun
game which is stunning to look at (and that’s just the cars) and very easy to
play. Two very quick intros at the start give you the basics of playing as a
racer and a cop. You can switch between the two at any point and with a number
of challenges, modes and things to unlock there’s plenty to keep you busy.
I crash a lot on this game. I’d rather pick a slower car
with better handling, although it doesn’t help much, to give myself the best
chance. The crashes can be spectacular though. What does get me is that while
it’s fun to play offline on your own, the open world concept that lets you race
against anyone (AI or player) at any time. This is the default setting.
Battlefield 4
I have to admit, FPS titles such as Battlefield or Call of Duty
never really appealed to me – there was nothing wrong with them, I just prefer
fantasy/sci-fi stuff if given the choice, and there are some great sci-fi
shooters which I usually end up playing more. Once again, this game looked
stunning. I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout as I tried to work
out what was happening and where and who and what weapon I should use and who
was shooting me and where my team was. If you are familiar with the genre, and
probably previous titles of this series, you might be fine. Otherwise, it can
be a little overwhelming at first.
Saying that, I couldn’t stop playing for hours, no matter
how hungry I got. If it can keep me like that, and I’m not the biggest FPS fan,
then it’s probably a good shout. I prefer the genre of Killzone: Shadow Fall, but Battlefield
4 plays just as well and I’m more invested to the story and team right now.
However, the touchpad use is even more limited on this title, which is a shame.
Summary
This probably goes without saying but I’m generally
impressed so far. Having to pay for PlayStation Plus is a bit annoying but
something that will probably come good over time. This console is definitely
geared to gamers so far and the only thing I’m worried about is hard drive
space. We’ll see how that pans out in the future but it’s been a very good
weekend and no issues whatsoever so far!
No comments:
Post a Comment