It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole decade since the PlayStation 4 (PS4) swaggered onto the gaming scene in India, armed with a sleek design and enough processing power to make heads spin.
By the end of its lifecycle, the PlayStation 4 would emerge victorious against its most direct competitor, the Xbox One. However, you don’t have to look that far to see why. The seeds of success were sown in the first year itself. The game played host to several awesome titles in 2014 and in this piece, we will look at some of the best games released for the platform in its first year in India.
Table of Contents
Infamous: Second Son
Launch date: March 21, 2014
They don’t quite make games like Infamous: Second Son anymore. It was pretty much a superhero game but with no established characters from either DC or Marvel. This meant that players were free to choose the lifepath of the main character and make him as heroic or villainous as they wanted. Unfortunately, Sony has not released another mainline game in the series, since. C’mon guys…
| Pros | Cons |
| Fun gameplay | Dated morality system |
| Good visuals |
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Launch date: March 18, 2014
Ground Zeroes was more of a prologue to The Phantom Pain. Regardless, it was a very good game. It introduced players to the basic gameplay and concepts that players expected when Phantom Pain launched. Needless to say, Ground Zeroes did a fantastic job of whetting the appetite of every Metal Gear fan. Unfortunately, the Metal Gear series pretty much died after Phantom Pain.
| Pros | Cons |
| Well-built world | Short length |
| Encourages replay | Pretty much a paid demo for Phantom Pain |
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Launch date: May 20, 2014
When rebooting a legendary franchise like Wolfenstein, you need to make sure you get things right. Thankfully, MachineGames got it spot on. The New Order told a story of an alternate Earth with the Nazis winning World War 2. It’s up to the game’s original protagonist, Captain William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, to cripple the new regime and liberate the people.
| Pros | Cons |
| Shooting Nazis | The game world/lore could have been explored more |
| Excellent gunplay |
The Last of Us Remastered
Launch Date: July 29, 2014
The remastered version of The Last of Us wasn’t just a great game, it also showcased the full capabilities of the PS4. Sure, The Order: 1886 was also a graphical powerhouse, The Last of Us offered better gameplay and story. As a bonus, the remastered version also came with a bunch of gameplay changes that make use of the new DualShock 4 controller.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent story | Overshadowed by The Last of Us Part 1 |
| Beautiful graphics | |
| Improved gameplay |
P.T
Launch date: August 12, 2014
P.T. is better than what it is supposed to be. Envisioned as a ‘Playable Teaser’ for the upcoming Silent Hills game, it was basically a demo. However, it was directed and designed by Hideo Kojima in collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and the end result was spectacular. The small, L-shaped corridor that served as the setting delivered more scare and excitement than most AAA titles. Sadly, we never say the end result as Konami and Kojima parted ways and Silent Hills was cancelled. Not only that but the game was also removed from the store.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great atmosphere | Good luck playing it on a PlayStation |
| Genuinely scary |
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Launch date: September 30, 2014
Shadow of Mordor is considered by many to be one of the best games based on the Lord of the Rings series and for good reason. The combat was excellent and traversal was not bad either. The story took some creative liberties, but it didn’t really affect the main story too much. However, the icing on the cake had to be the nemesis system that tracked individual enemies. It was so good that it was patented. So no one else could use it.
| Pros | Cons |
| The Nemesis System is great | No new game in over 5 years |
| Combat is Good |
Alien: Isolation
Launch date: October 6, 2014
The Alien franchise is probably now more of an action-oriented franchise, but it started as a sci-fi horror movie. Alien: Isolation takes the first movie to heart. It’s just you and the Xenomorph pretty much all alone in a space station. Players will have to use their wits to avoid and evade the creature and survive.
| Pros | Cons |
| Genuinely terrifying at times | Gameplay can be frustrating at times |
| Awesome 70s retro-futuristic aesthetic |
LittleBigPlanet 3
Launch date: November 18, 2014
LitteBigPlanet 3 is a cutesy puzzle platformer that was a good option for those looking for a family-friendly game to play on their new PS4 console. The series was quite popular amongst players and at one point, the game’s Sackboy character could be considered a mascot for the console. In LittleBigPlanet 3, Sackboy is joined by three other characters for greater flexibility. Of course, players also get the option of creating their own levels or downloading one created by the community.
| Pros | Cons |
| Extremely cute aesthetics | Occasional bugs |
| Easy to create simple levels |
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Launch date: November 18, 2014
When it comes to developers that make Western RPGs with deep lore, Bioware is a name that will be on top for most people. Baldur’s Gate I & II, Mass Effect and more were made by the developer. Dragon Age: Inquisition was the third game in the series and boy was it popular. The game did excellent work when it comes to world-building and the different characters. However, the combat mechanics can be a hit or a miss.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent wold-building | Combat mechanics can be divisive |
| Great cast of characters |
Destiny
Launch date: September 9, 2014
When Bungie decided to leave the arms of Microsoft and go their own way, all eyes were on them to see what they could come up with. The answer was Destiny, a game series that would change the way people look at looter shooters. It offered great visuals, excellent gunplay as well as a fantastic soundtrack. However, its repetitive mission structure can make the game feel like a bit of a grind.
| Pro | Cons |
| Great Visuals | Repetitive mission structure |
| Goos gunplay | Has since been overshadowed by Destivity 2 |
| Awesome soundtrack |
