I was one of the fortunate people to procure a Playstation 4 for launch due to a preorder I got from Amazon almost immediately upon the announcement of the system. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest decision to commit myself to spending that kind of money (as well as the preorder of an Xbox One...coming this Friday) without doing much research.
But why not? Let's be honest...was I not getting these systems at some point anyway? Did I really think I would go 5-7 years with just a PC, a Wii U, and one or neither of the 2013 launch consoles?
So this whole thing was inevitable. Fortunately, I am pleased with my purchase so far despite the fact that it wasn't a necessary purchase.
Obviously, this is a much more powerful machine than the PS3. I played The Last of Us over the summer, and while it looked very good artistically and technically within the hardware limitations of the PS3, comparing the graphics between a game like that and Bioshock Infinite which I run on my PC or Killzone Shadow Fall on PS4 is a pretty striking difference. The jump in resolution, draw distance, framerate, etc. is noticeable for anybody who has been actively playing video games. They also did some nice operating system changes. Things feel a bit quicker and more elegant. Games and Applications launch quickly with reasonable loading. The online functions seems faster. And with the Playstation Camera I now have it setup so that the system recognizes that I am playing it when it turns on based purely on my face.
Remote Play on the Vita worked flawlessly and setup very quickly. In less than 5 minutes after bringing my Vita downstairs to set it up I was playing Resogun and mirroring screens between my Vita and TV.
Unlike some of the reports, I have experienced no hardware issues whatsoever. That could change, and it probably will based on the amount of time I will put into playing the system. I lost a PS3 and two Xbox 360s probably in part to design flaws but also because of the amount of operating time they had. I suppose I consider that a part of the cost of owning these products.
The launch titles are limited. Killzone is the big first party exclusive, and while the first half of the single player campaign was fun, I found myself frustrated towards the second half as the game went away from the big open first person shooting areas and into weak puzzles and stealth areas. It just didn't feel fun to me. I'm told that the multiplayer is better, but Halo 4 had a strong campaign and multiplayer. So the bar has been set, and in my opinion Killzone does not reach it. It does look and control well though. I'm eBaying my copy, but I could see people playing this game online for a while. But if you are like me and look for the single player experience first, and the multiplayer second, I can't recommend spending $60 on it. Fortunately, I got it on Amazon in a buy 2 get 1 free deal, so hopefully once I sell it I will get my money back (and maybe a little more).
I also have Assassin's Creed 4, which is not exclusive to PS4. I'm pretty optimistic about how that will turn out. Everything suggests it's better than Assassin's Creed 3, which is one of the weaker games of the series, but I still found plenty to enjoy.
Need For Speed: Rivals is on its way. For some reason Amazon didn't have it available immediately. I'll get it soon enough. It's another game I have faith in based on the series and what I read in the gaming media.
My favorite game in the system's launch window is Resogun. It's a very simple concept that should be familiar to anybody who has played the classic arcade game, Defender.
If you subscribe to Playstation Plus, this game is free. You should probably buy it anyway though even if you don't (why don't you? $50 a year for the free stuff is worth it). The game is an arcade style twin stick shooter that anybody can pick up and understand, but only the truly skilled will learn to master. I suppose I'm biased though...I think simple and tight but fun experiences are great. It's one of the things I appreciated most about the last generation of consoles. Games like Geometry Wars, Super Stardust HD (same creators of Resogun), Super Meat Boy, and Everyday Shooter really became more mainstream as digital delivery of "indie" games became normal. These types of games add serious depth to the overall pool of games available.
Another free title I got through Playstation Plus was Contrast.
This is a puzzle game where you have to switch between a normal 3D platforming experience and going into the shadows to solve puzzles. In the picture above you can see that the character is climbing onto the shadow of the umbrella so that presumably she can jump onto the balcony. It's a neat concept, but unfortunately the whole game feels thin. I've only spent a little time with it, but the puzzles were very simple and the graphics aren't that impressive. They could have done a lot more. But again, it's free. So I suppose I can't complain. It's worth booting up.
Soon I will try to stream Assassin's Creed 4 via Twitch.tv if I can figure it out, and from what I can tell the process should be simple. If you would like to follow me on Twitch.tv, my username is IMTheWalrus610. I imagine that won't have to change for the PS4, but crazier things have happened. So far I haven't done that much streaming on the PC, but maybe I'll get back into it. Like most things with electronics, I like to tinker with features even if I don't end up using them extensively.
The big question is whether you should go out and buy a Playstation 4 today. That really depends on the type of person you are. I can't honestly say that there is an extremely compelling reason to go out and buy this system based purely on the launch titles. But that being said, if you want to play next gen versions of things like Madden, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty, etc. and you don't have a high end gaming PC, the Playstation 4 is worth getting. Also, if you are really into playing video games in general it's not like this machine will gather dust. Yes, Killzone and Assassin's Creed are not going to be the two best games of the year, but like with the previous Playstation iterations there will be plenty of quality titles to go around over the course of time. Buying a Playstation 4 on launch seems like a better investment than buying a Wii U at launch, although I bought that shortly after launch which was a mistake.
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