It has been just under a month that I have been an official owner of a PS4. I waited for a long time to pick up this current-gen platform for a few reasons. The first was money. Because of course it was, I'm a shoddy millennial with no prospects.
The second was sheer lack of games. The pickings for PS4 at it's release were slim to none, and they didn't have many promising exclusives in the near future then.
It is vastly different now. Sony has an impressive array of exclusives, and some of the games that are cross-platform still just look better on the PS4.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
I feel like that's all I should have to say about Horizon: Zero Dawn, the newest PS4 exclusive from developer Guerrilla Games, the people responsible for the Killzone series. Taking a bit of a breather from their traditional shooters, H:ZD looks amazing as an action-rpg set in a far future where robotic dinosaurs dominate the world.
What's super cool to me here is that this game is post-post-apocalyptic. This isn't the battered wasteland of Fallout, this is a world that was destroyed and then reclaimed by nature, and the human characters here know only the world they inhabit. Our days are ancient history for them, and that is so exciting to me.
Uncharted 4
Chances are that if you've played any PS3 or PS4, you've at least touched on Uncharted. The runaway best-selling franchise is a staple of Sony's console, and Uncharted 4 is Naughty Dog's foray into the current gen.
Now with an older, more grizzled version of the wry hero Nathan Drake, the story looks like it will highlight the dynamics between Nathan and his long-lost brother Sam, who makes a dramatic reappearance in his brother's life.
With the new bells and whistles the PS4 provides, I'm excited to see what misadventure Drake will wind up in this time.
Final Fantasy 15
In a bunch of ways, Final Fantasy 15 was the game that never was. Announced first nearly a decade ago, FFXV was originally Final Fantasy VS XIII for the PS3. Plus, with everything that FFXIV wasn't, the whole series very nearly came to an abrupt and disappointing halt.
However! FFXV lives and is scheduled for a 2016 release. Probably the most ambitious Final Fantasy game ever, the game eschews the old style of FF games and makes a totally open world for the player to meander about. It also changes up the combat for a more action-heavy, real-time system similar to Kingdom Hearts.
Consider me excited for Final Fantasy again.
Honorable mention: The FF7 remake that everyone is dying for. I'd have put it on this list except it doesn't have a scheduled release date.
Abzu
The older I get, the more diverse my taste in gaming becomes. I still love run-and-gun action shooters and sword-slashing RPGs, but I also have a lot of room in my heart for games like Journey and Flower. Quiet games that show the artistry possible for video games.
Abzu is one of those games for me that screams artistry. It's all about underwater exploration, a concept that I think everyone can get behind. Who doesn't want to see what majesty hides beneath the waves? With this exclusive, you can find out.
Firewatch
I wrote about Firewatch this past summer as one of the games I was looking forward to the most in 2016. The art style, the walkie-talkie relationship dynamic, and the setting all coincide to make what I believe will be an experience any gamer should jump into.
That hasn't changed. The more information that come out, the deeper my intrigue for this game grows. It's slated for a February 9th release, making it one of the titles on this list you don't have to wait much longer to pick up.
Gravity Rush 2
Gravity Rush was a platformer originally release on the PS Vita that followed Kat, a young girl who wakes up with no memories and who makes the startling discovery that she can manipulate gravity. Armed with powerful kicks and a somewhat trippy power, Kat fights her way through a beautifully animated world.
If you're like me and didn't have a Vita to play the game on, don't fret! the original Gravity Rush is getting a remastered HD edition release on the PS4 as well!
No Man's Sky
Probably the most hyped game I've ever seen, No Man's Sky has been making headlines since it was announced at E3 2014. The game boasts a massive procedurally-generated map filled with over 18 quintillion different planets to explore.
It's entirely possible for players to only ever encounter unique planets that no other player has ever discovered. The vastness of the game is staggering, making it one of the most highly anticipated games of... ever.
Persona 5
The massively popular Persona series from Japanese developer Atlus (who are responsible for all the Shin Megami Tensei games as well as Catherine) is getting its newest addition to the series in the summer of '16.
The series is already notoriously bonkers: in one game, players have to shoot themselves in the head to summon their personas. The anime styling of the game and strong emphasis on narrative and goal completion make this a popular title for completionists and anime fans alike.
Shadow of the Beast
Shadow of the Beast is a little-known game from way back in the day that featured all the best of what 1989 had to offer in terms of video games. It was a side-scrolling violent adventure that was brain-destroyingly difficult.
And now it's getting a remake! Though there isn't a hard date to look to, reports do say the game is slated for a 2016 release. Huzzah!
The Last Guardian
Team ICO basically has my ever-faithful support in any endeavor they decide to embark on. Ever. With that being said, my faith in the developer of my beloved Shadow of the Colossus has waned with the years, especially with the disappointing saga of The Last Guardian.
Originally announced as a PS3 release in 2007, The Last Guardian has been tossed around development hell for nearly a decade. Now, it is (allegedly) finally coming out for PS4 in 2016.
I hope that stays true.
