Exclusives Are Making The PlayStation 4 This Year’s Winner In The Console War
2017 is shaping up to be a great year in gaming with amazing experiences and new consoles being released; in this console war the PS4 seems to have the edge.
What does Microsoft have to offer in 2017?
We’re in the middle of April and except for releasing the specs for its upcoming Project Scorpio and giving a date for the Voodoo Vince remaster, Microsoft has been quiet about this year’s lineup of exclusives while Sony’s console has been gifted with many amazing titles already.
Project Scorpio
The Scorpio specs are impressive which is great but what are petaflops worth without a killer application? Is Crackdown 3 a console seller? Can a multi-platform title like Red Dead Redemption 2 be it? What is a console without games?
Halo, Gears of War, and Forza
It seems like the Xbox strategy has been reduced to pumping new iterations of only 3 franchises; with 2017 being Halo 3’s 10th anniversary is Microsoft going to release a new edition? The title is already available for Xbox One in the Master Chief Collection.
Cancellations
Quite a few anticipated games have been cancelled or aren’t mentioned by Microsoft anymore: Scalebound was in a pretty advanced stage when it was cancelled; Fable Legends shares the same fate; no one has heard about Phantom Dust in ages.
Game Of The Year contenders
Between February 23rd and March 25th 4 outstanding games came out: NieR: Automata, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Persona 5. Most of these games could easily win the Game Of The Year title in an average gaming year but 2017 is shaping up to be one of the best years ever when it comes to video games as a medium… we’re talking 1998 or 2007 great!
Persona 5
The long awaited RPG doesn’t disappoint! In an era where many games look similar visually, Persona 5 has a very singular aesthetic and it’s localization is really well done.
NieR: Automata
This Platinum Games masterpiece is, at the time of writing, my favorite game this year; it is truly something special that oozes the love and care from the people who worked on it.
Already Out
We’re not even at the halfway mark for this year and the PlayStation has many great games some mentioned here and some that I don’t have room to mention like Nioh which is helmed very highly among Dark Souls fans.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Finally a new IP on this list and what a game it is; the premise is interesting, the open-world and the game mechanics are great; it’s so refreshing to see something new.
Gravity Rush 2
I loved the original on the Vita, and I’m so glad Sony didn’t abandon Kat and that this sequel was made; the original was great; this one is an excellent game.
Yakuza 0
The open world prequel to the series referred to as the Japanese GTA in the West doesn’t disappoint. It is great that Sega is bringing its original series on our shores.
Beloved franchises exclusive to Sony’s platform
Sony has a long history of franchises and studios who still only release their games only on the PlayStation platform.
Nin No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
The first collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Level 5 was a fantastic experience and many have been looking forward to a sequel ever since.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
The beloved JRPG series from Nihon Falcom dates from the late 80s and have been consistently releasing good games year after year which is why this installment is awaited by many.
Spider-Man
Sony owns the movie rights to Spider-Man, and the same year Homecoming is set to be released on-screen, the collaboration between Marvel and Insomniac is set to come out exclusively on the PS4.
Core franchises done right
There’s no doubt that the wealth of PlayStation history, provides a really varied catalog of franchises to utilize.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
This is a first for Naughty Dog: it’s not a full game but it’s longer than single player story DLC; in essence this Uncharted seems to bring a AAA experience at a budget price.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
The return of one of PlayStation oldest and most loved mascots shows how much Sony and Activision have been listening to the fans.
WipEout: Omega Collection
I grew up with Psygnosis games which later became Studio Liverpool, WipEout games have always been one of the first games I would buy on a new console; I’m stoked it’s coming to PlayStation 4.
Let’s not forget the plethora of exclusives that haven’t been mentioned yet!
I’ve only touched the surface on this and could have named so many more games: Nioh, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, Dragon Quest Heroes II, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Yakuza Kiwami, Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash, Nights of Azure 2, Earth Defense Force 5, and many more… the list of exlusive PlayStation titles is plentiful. And this only includes games confirmed for a 2017 release; what if Days Gone, God of War, and The Last Of Us Part II were to come out this year too?
