Thank you Sony!

[Steelmaker]

Now that Ghost of Tsushima has released, effectively marking the last AAA exclusive for PS4, thank you Sony for one hell of a generation! I think all that's left to say is...



GREATNESS ACHIEVED!!

[Zivouhr]

Some real classic 1st party Sony releases there, yes, for PS4. A number there I haven't played. Matterfall, 1st time I heard of that one.

[Leonidas King]

Bummer, thought it was for free game or something that they were giving out.

[Diesel]

PS4 was a great generation that gave me two games in my personal Top 10 favorite games with Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn, the best way to play another in my Top 10 in Uncharted 2 and numerous other fantastic games: Spider-Man, Final Fantasy 7, inFAMOUS Second Son, Arkham Knight (minus the batmobile of course), Shadow of Mordor, Ratchet and Clank, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate. Plus allowing me to discover and love Final Fantasy X and XII through their remasters.

I put over 1,000 hours over my almost exactly 5 years with my PS4 since I picked it up in July 2015. One of my biggest things looking forward to PS5 for is revisiting a number of these great games in a better quality and experience than on the original PS4. Bring it on

[Blu Lemmy]

Nice thread and testament!

It has been a great gen that's for Sure.
I played Resogun at a gaming expo a couple months before the PS4 was released and I knew.....knew we were on the eve of great times!

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Blu Lemmy

Nice thread and testament!

It has been a great gen that's for Sure.
I played Resogun at a gaming expo a couple months before the PS4 was released and I knew.....knew we were on the eve of great times!

I've owned every PlayStation console and while I've enjoyed them all to one degree or another, the PS4 has been my favorite hands down! I'm actually anticipating a letdown with PS5 because I've loved this gen so much! It hasn't been perfect. It's had some hiccups. But overall, Sony executed this generation about as well as you can ask for.

[KilloWertz]

This was a great generation indeed. The PS4 (from a games perspective) might be the best console of all time, or at least damn close, but it will likely go down as my favorite at least. I've owned all 4 of their consoles, with the PS3 bringing me back into the fold when I had temporarily switched over to Xbox, with Metal Gear Solid 4 and the Uncharted series being huge deals for me that gen.

With that said, there were so many great games this generation that it's hard to argue against the PS4 being the best. My only regret is that I also owned an Xbox One X, so I ended up bouncing from one system to the other at times. Nothing against the One X, as it is a good machine, but I wish I had just focused on the PS4 and was able to enjoy it even more. It also ended up creating a big backlog, so I will likely be holding off on the PS5 until Horizon: Forbidden West comes out.

Horizon: Zero Dawn might not end up being my overall favorite for this gen, but it's definitely the most influential, with Forbidden West's reveal making sure I stick with the PS5 only next gen. I'd say Spider-Man was probably my overall favorite out of the Sony exclusives.

[Talal86]

Great gen indeed, my favorite exclusive is still Bloodborne

[Zivouhr]

PS1 was fun, with Soul Reaver, Driver and Syphon Filter games. I loved the graphical style of the PS1. Clumsy, blocky but sharp and appealing in that way.
The overheating issue caused me to get a PS2 for more reliable hardware.

PS2, GTAIII was my first purchase for that console, and some great game but the graphical quality seemed like a let down in terms of the blurriness of the graphics, depending on the TV used too though. The disc tray was fine for many games, but it stopped playing blue bottom disc games entirely.

PS3, the console was probably one of the most bothersome consoles I've ever owned despite some awesome games like Fallout 3, which I put over 600 hours into from 2008 through 2011 or so. Plus it became and still is my blu ray 3D player. Bothersome in that countless times, I'd be in a hurry and pressed power to shut the console down, but it would beep several times and refuse to shut down as it was in some sort of standby mode, waiting to shut down when it was good and ready to on its own time. But still more reliable than the XB360's Red Ring consoles.

PS4, reliable console, but unreliable controllers that had trouble charging for myself and thousands of others based on all the complaints online. Even so, it is probably one of my favorite consoles of all time for open world gaming. The graphics and details have reached a level I only dreamed about from years ago. So many classic games for PS4, incredible gaming experience as an explorer of game worlds. Too many to list. REST MODE was my absolute favorite new feature ever. Still is my 2nd blu ray 3D player.

PS5, looking forward to fast load times, 4K gaming, UHD playback, PSVR and PS4 resolution improvements and loading, and lots of amazing PS5 games. Can't wait!

[Steelmaker]

Some of my favorite PlayStation moments over the years...

PS1: Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Tekken, Ridge Racer, Syphon Filter, Warhawk, Final Fantasy 7, Legend of Dragoon, Soul Reaver, Silent Hill, Soul Blade, Castlevania SOTN, Wipeout,Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Jumping Flash,Crash Team Racing,Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Clock Tower .

PS2: Tekken Tag Tournament, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 , Devil May Cry, Onimusha, God of War 1 & 2, Resident Evil 4, Dark Cloud 2, Final Fantasy X, Kingdom Hearts, GTA 3, Jak & Daxter, MLB the Show, Ico,Shadow of the Colossus, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Silent Hill 2 .

PS3: Motorstorm Trilogy, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted Trilogy, The Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank: FToD, Little Big Planet 1 & 2, Mod Nation Racers, Killzone 2 & 3, Resistance Trilogy, Burnout Paradise City, GTA V, Bioshock Trilogy, Mass Effect Trilogy, ES: Oblivion, ES: Skyrim, Infamous 1 &2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo 6, God of War 3, Super Stardust HD, Journey.

PS4: Uncharted 4 & Lost Legacy, The Last of Us 2, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Bloodborne, Ratchet and Clank, Witcher 3, GT Sport, Driveclub, Resident Evil 7, Resogun, KIllzone Shadowfall, Destiny, Until Dawn, Detroit Become Human, Infamous SS & First Light, Spiderman, Rocket League, Titanfall 2, PT, Tearaway Unfolded, Days Gone,

[emailking]

I can't figure out the order, lol

[Blu Lemmy]

Originally Posted by emailking

I can't figure out the order, lol

It was a good game. Didn't get the acclaim it deserved.

[Steedeel]

PS1 great
PS2 Timesplitters 2 local multiplayer! Greatest ever 4 player game.
PS3 fantastic Blu-ray player and some cool games. Happy memories of Midern Warfare 3 multiplayer, also Skyrim and Fallout.
PS4 GTA5 and introduced me to VR!

PS4 wins.

PS5............................greatness waits!

[Talal86]

Judgement should be up there in the first post. underrated exclusive

[Zivouhr]

For graphics and power, the PS4 is great for open world games with the exception of a weaker frame rate for some games like Witcher 3 or Days Gone.

Some amazing, epic detail like I've never seen before in terms of scenery though for games like RDR2, Days Gone, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Uncharted 4, Far Cry 5, Horizon, Witcher 3, Watch Dogs 2, Batman Arkham Knight (has some of the best graphics on PS4 but the game is always raining).

Speaking of Arkham Knight, wow, the character graphics are easily next generation in terms of lighting, realism and detail. You can press pause in that game, zoom into the face in photo mode, and the detail is incredible right down the the iris of the eyes. The textures and lighting of the costumes are great too. Even when walking around the city, that game impresses.
Can't wait to see what Rocksteady does with their new PS5 game that they've been working on for the past few years+ now. Arkham Knight from 2015.

[Foggy]

Decided to rank the PS4 exclusives from favourite to least, I missed most the initial releases this generation, so no Infamous or Killzone, that said I wouldn’t mind catching up on them. I also didn’t have the patience for Bloodborne and Days Gone and Until Dawn didn’t interest me. I have Detroit sitting on my hard drive but still unplayed beyond the first couple scenes, should really rectify that. I’m also missing out an remasters or remakes since they seem unfair to include.

1. God of War

This is actually a huge shocker for me, I was massively uninterested in the gameplay they showed. After being blown away by the third game this looked to be a huge step in the wrong direction. With the Dark Souls inspired model gameplay, and a bratty kid pestering you the entire way, I did skip it on initial release.

However after it dropped in price, and with the review mounting up, it looked like it would be a huge disservice skipping it, and I’m glad I didn’t. I won’t say it’s perfect, but I don’t think I’ve seen a game so intricate in design yet wielding such a huge scope. At first the one step forward, two steps back structure felt a bit wheel spinning, but as the world gradually opened more and more up, digging deeper into the mythology of the game, I genuinely didn’t want it to end. Constantly rewarding, challenging and emotionally investing, it was genuinely the standout of the generation.

2. The Last of Us Part II

I’ve already covered this pretty much at length in it’s own thread, so all I’ll say was this was a really somber and devastating play that really put me through the wringer with it’s level of brutality and immersion. Easily the best looking game on the console and left a real lasting effect on me by the end, I’m eager to revisit the journey again.

3. Spider-Man

In terms of most fun, Insomniac’s Spider-Man is the benchmark, instantly easy to pick up and play, fun to master it’s mechanics and loaded with fan pleasing details. Even the storyline is genuinely satisfying showing up most the movies with how to do a Spider-Man Story. Admittedly it’s a very quick play, coming in at between 10 - 20 hours depending on how much of a completionist you are, and little to do post game. But it’s well-refined and just great to play, I hope number 2 is able to last longer.

4. Death Stranding

The games rated below this are probably more fun to play and more well defined, but I’d be damned if there hasn’t been another game this generation I’ve wanted to debate about more than Death Stranding. Perhaps the only exclusive this system saw to be genuinely doing it’s own unique thing, the storyline is an irresistible blend of intriguing invention and pure nonsense,. But chipping away at the game hour after hour for about a month really cast a strange existential shadow over a lot of my life at the time, and trying to explain it to friends is just worth the full experience alone.

5. Horizon: Zero Dawn

The next two are pretty closely tied, both are well-curated open world games that are genuinely awe-inspiring in scope and impressive graphically, that offer fully satisfying campaigns and gameplay. I think the edge goes to Horizon due to it’s inventive world and storytelling, more dynamic side quests and objectives, as well as the robotic creatures themselves, allowing for creative spins on popular game formats.

6. Ghost of Tsushima

Again, I wrote something pretty expansive in that games own thread recently. But Ghost of Tsushima is a very comfortable game, allowing for an addicting gameplay loop. It suffers from some monotonous tasks and repetitive plot beats at the beginning, but once it finds it’s stride, it progression curve, enemy difficulty and dynamic gameplay mechanics come together harmoniously to truly invest you in it’s story in it’s final stretch.

7. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Uncharted 4 attempted to mature it’s adventure gameplay and story with mixed results. The game itself is far more expansive, with a greater emphasis on story experience and dynamism towards it’s gameplay, for the first half of the game it works. The different settings are unique and constantly changing up your expectations from the series core gameplay, but it soon runs out of steam, falling into a very repetitive final third that the series hasn’t suffered with since the very first game. The expansion of the stealth mechanic are a little muddled and the game just lacks the stand out moments that the first two sequels offered. The core gameplay remains solid, but it’s just a shame the series closed out on a bit of a whimper.

8. The Last Guardian

I think by the time The Last Guardian arrived, I had sort of known it was going to be a bit of a mess. Shadow of the Colossus still remains one of my all time favourites from playing it on PS2, but ICO was always a little frustrating and you can see that all throughout The Last Guardian. That said, if you can push past the frustration of it’s awkward premise, the game itself is quite sweet and rewarding as a story. The puzzles are fun to work out if a little stressful to solve, and the world building and storytelling remain impeccable from the studio. But ultimately this is the one I keep forgetting came out for PS4 out of all these games.

[KilloWertz]

Foggy is a slacker for only playing 8 of the exclusives so far. I've unfortunately jumped from my Xbox One X to my PS4 Pro more than I would have liked to, causing a backlog, but I definitely played more (aside from Death Stranding from your list).

Still, a pretty nice job with the list. I'm in the very very extreme minority that would not put God of War at the top, or shockingly even in my Top 5. The kid annoyed me far too much in the game for it to be up there, causing me to actually just want to get it over with near the middle of the game. Luckily it got back on track for me once he got his classic weapons back and the son "saw the light", I was still ever so slightly disappointed in the game, if only because of the immense hype. Technically though, it's a masterpiece. I just wish the kid wasn't so obnoxious, especially after finding out he was a god too.

[Mandalorian]

I've missed many games this generation, simply because expanding my film knowledge was my main hobby and time was often limited, but here's my top 5 PS4 exclusives in no particular order (no remasters counted):

The Last of Us Part II
The controversy surrounding the leaks was off-putting before the game came out, making me not want to hear or see anything about it, not because of the content of the leaks, but rather the toxic atmosphere surrounding it from overzealous fans. That resulted in me picking it up weeks late after the noise had somewhat died down. As soon as it started I was absorbed by the characters, and story had on the edge of my seat for almost the entire 35+ hours I spent in this oppressive world. I found myself disgusted by the protagonist, sympathetic towards the antagonist, and vice versa, with the line between the two all but shattered by the time the closing credits started to roll. It was truly a one of a kind gaming experience that made me feel for a game like I never have before. Video games are art, period.

God of War
I put this one off for far too long, despite buying it at launch. When I finally settled in to play it, I was immediately blown away. The franchise's trademark fluid crowd-clearing combat got a complete overhaul with a deeper focus on defense and patience, as well as a dynamic RPG system of upgrades, runes, talismans galore. The world-building was insane, going open world and shifting from Greek to Norse mythology. Most importantly, it was just a blast to play. Exploration felt rewarding and never like busy work. Combat rewarded practicing timing and combos. The story and single-shot cinematography were top shelf for any medium. I went back and forth on Atreus, but really grew to love him and worry about where his path is headed. I'll miss the massive hit counts of God of War's past, but the more mature direction it has gone in is a welcome change.

Spider-Man
I'm a huge Spider-Man fanboy, so this was everything I wanted and more. I'll spare you the "makes you feel like Spider-Man" cliches, and simply say it's easily the best Spidey video game and one of the best Spidey stories in any medium. The combat system is a blast to experiment with, with a wide array of moves and gadgets. The world is absolutely stunning to swing through, but could use a little more variety in future installments. My biggest complaint is that it breezes by, but there's a lot to be said about telling the story you want to tell without trying to pad out a bloated gaming experience just for the sake of extending playtime.

Uncharted 4
Naughty Dog nailed the globetrotting, swashbuckling experience right out of the gate with Drake's Fortune. It was a thrilling adventure led by one of the most charming characters ever in gaming. It transcended the video game medium and brought us that much closer to merging it with film. Nine years and three core games later, A Thief's End was simply more of the same... done flawlessly. Next gen graphics made the game so cinematic that the long troubled live action adaptation seems like a complete waste of the time and effort that has been put into it. It's nigh impossible to have a video game where all of the characters feel alive and rich with personality, but that's what Naughty Dog does. It was simply a beautiful conclusion to Nathan's story.

Horizon Zero Dawn
Instant classic. It has an embarrassment of riches for an open world game from a studio that made its name with linear first-person shooters. Creative design work, blending organic with mechanical and futuristic with historic. Alloy's quest to regain acceptance by her people is a great catalyst for her journey. Her curiosity makes travelling this world feel like a genuinely rewarding experience due to the lore that is uncovered from environmental clues and puzzles. The game makes you feel like a complete badass as you level up, gain new weapons and skills, and are able to take down the plethora of robotic beasts you encounter. The only thing that doesn't make it higher on my list is that many of the NPCs are noticeably dead behind the eyes, making the world a little less absorbing, like some of the other ones on my list. Even so, I cannot wait to see where this series goes.


Ghost of Tsushima is on my to-play list

[emailking]

Originally Posted by Blu Lemmy

It was a good game. Didn't get the acclaim it deserved.

That brings up a good point, The Order seems to be missing from this list.

It was one of my favs. One of the few I went back and played again years later.

[Fred Bang]

I created a new top 10 thread without realizing this one kinda is. Anyway, here's my personal top ten of the generation.

Here's mine (I played only PS4 games, and am not counting remasters like GRA 5 or Last Of Us Part I )

1. Horizon Zero Dawn: My favorite storyline of the generation, and incredible technical achievement.

2. Spider-Man: The most fun game I've played this generation.

3. Uncharted 4: For some reason, I keep playing that game over and over. I loved how the pirate story unravels.

4. Ghost of Tsushima: I wasn't expecting it to be that good. My favorite combat system.

5. Bloodborne: I'm surprised I finished that one and it was so rewarding. A creepy experience I will never forget

6. The Last of Us Part II: Far from perfect, but a milestone in gaming as far as I'm concerned. I can't stop thinking about that game and am glad they took risks in telling this grey story.

7. God of War: For most, this will be the best of the generation. It's somewhat a perfect game, but I just liked the other better.

8. Inside: My favorite indie game of all time.

9. Jedi Fallen Order: As a SW fans, this was a dream come true. If it was a bit less buggy, it could have made it to the top 5.

10. Red Dead Redemption 2: The best world to explore, but I did find it a bit repetitive in the end. Despite that, well fleshed out characters and an insane amount to details brings it in my top ten for sure.

Runner Up: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Resident Evil 7