Top 10 Best PS4 Exclusives
With the next generation of gaming upon us, it’s appropriate to look back on the defining games of this generation. Today, I’m going to be ranking the best PlayStation 4 console exclusives. Some of these games are available on PC due to later releases but they’re all PS4 console exclusive at the end of the day. I’m going to be starting from my #1 and going down to my #10 since I think a lot of my audience knows what my favorite PS4 game of all time is. So, without further ado, let’s talk about my favorite PS4 exclusives.
#01 — Marvel’s Spider-Man
I’ve been a huge fan of Spider-Man since I was a kid and Insomniac’s works on this title should be recognized. They spent a great amount of time making the best open world Spider-Man game to date. The huge world of New York City to explore once again with a really fun combat system to accompany it. The story is the best we’ve seen in the Spidey game thus far, tackling the struggle between the life of Peter Parker and the life of Spider-Man. The presentation is great on all fronts; graphically standing out for the PlayStation 4 and the performances by the actors were good as well. The DLC prologue chapters gave us a bit of extra content to those wanting more. I love Marvel’s Spider-Man and I cannot wait to see what the Miles Morales game has to offer.
FULL VIDEO — 2 YEARS LATER: Marvel’s Spider-Man
#02 — Ghost of Tsushima
Going into Ghost of Tsushima, I was strictly playing this game because I’m a Sucker Punch Productions fanboy but the game genuinely looked good leading up to its release. It’s been years since I’ve played a large open world game with tons of content to boot. The world of Tsushima is massive which makes fast traveling your best friend. There are a lot of side activities this game has to offer which can overwhelm players. The story of Jin Sakai isn’t mind blowing or anything but will keep you engaged the whole way through. The duality between the ghost and samurai made the gameplay that much more fun. Both gameplay styles have a learning curve, especially the samurai gameplay. The technical performance of this game isn’t 100% there but is still remarkable for the PS4. Sucker Punch has since patched the game several times to fix technical issues along with free multiplayer modes. Ghost of Tsushima is one of my favorite games from 2020 due to its large world and fun as hell gameplay.
FULL VIDEO — Ghost of Tsushima Review
#03 — Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Even after all of these years, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is still one of the best games on the PlayStation 4. Being the conclusion to Nathan Drake’s story, this game really encapsulates everything the Uncharted series has done so far and then some. The story did a much better job finishing Nathan’s story than its predecessor, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Giving us an actual conclusion to Nathan’s story with this fourth installment. The gameplay refines the shooting and climbing mechanics. The addition of the grappling hook made gameplay just a little bit more fun. The set pieces this game had were, once again, grand and over the top. Transitioning between gameplay and cutscene was seamless and never took me out of the game’s experience. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is still the best Uncharted game to date and one of the best PS4 games as well.
FULL VIDEO — Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Review
#04 — The Last of Us Part II
Since we’re talking about exclusives on the PS4, The Last of Us Part II has to be somewhere on here. If we were talking about PS4 games in general, The Last of Us Part II wouldn’t even be in my Top 5 PS4 games but probably still in the Top 10. Despite how conflicted I am with this game, I can’t deny how much enjoyment I still got from it. The gameplay, while still being relatively the same, was still an upgrade in its base mechanics and more challenging difficulty. The story was super ambitious in concept, sadly fell short in execution. The presentation for Part II pushed the PS4 to its limit, really nice graphics and seamless transitions between gameplay and cutscene. Part II isn’t a perfect game by any means nor is it the sequel I expected for The Last of Us. I can’t think of another game where I thought about it this much after I finished it. The Last of Us Part II is truly a unique sequel.
FULL VIDEO — In Defense of The Last of Us Part II
#05 — Ratchet & Clank (2016)
I believe the consensus among Ratchet & Clank fans for the 2016 remake is the gameplay is fairly solid but the story is a poor retelling of the original. It’s based on the movie, so they obviously took some liberties trying to make it more kid friendly. Some could say the story is like this because it’s Captain Qwark retelling how the iconic duo met but you’re kind of assuming that. Regardless, the story on its own is fine. Gameplay is still the fun Ratchet & Clank action fans have come to know and love. It’s probably the most refined gameplay the series has seen thus far. Platforming is still the name of the game with crazy and wacky weapons to use. Just for the gameplay alone, Ratchet & Clank (2016) is one of best platformers the system has to offer.
FULL VIDEO — Ratchet and Clank Review
#06 — Detroit: Become Human
I’ve played a lot of graphic adventure games where your choices matter to the game’s overall narrative. I’ve never played a Quantic Dream game before and Detroit: Become Human would be my first experience with them. This game was advertising that literally every choice you made contributed to the game’s many possible outcomes. Well, the game wasn’t lying because after each given scenario, you see a flow chart of the other possible outcomes if you made a different choice. The story follows Connor, Markus, and Kara as they go on their own paths in being an android. Each character has their own goals in mind and it’s up to the player to decide how they get there. I found all of their stories to be interesting with the final act of the game bringing everything together. Also, the game looks stellar for the PS4 once again. Detroit: Become Human simply delivered on a graphic adventure narrative where almost every single choice you make matters to the game’s many possible endings.
FULL VIDEO — Detroit: Become Human Review
#07 — Hidden Agenda
This is a game that probably doesn’t get talked about often. Hidden Agenda is like Until Dawn but with multiplayer. It’s a murder mystery where you and your friends have to work together to perform quick time events and make decisions. All of the actions are done through the smartphone app which acts as each player’s controller. The game is only $10 with a 2 hour run time. Because of its short length and affordable price, you can easily start and finish this game to get the full experience. In addition, since it’s method of multiple controllers is through the smartphone app, this game instantly becomes accessible for multiple players without buying controllers. The graphics for this game are also way too good for a $10 game. Hidden Agenda should not be overlooked in the graphic adventure genre as it’s a fun interactive movie to play with your friends.
#08 — God of War (2018)
Okay, I’m probably going to get roasted for this one. God of War (2018) is considered by many, one of the best games the PlayStation 4 has to offer. Despite it still being within my Top 10, why isn’t it higher on my list? Personally, I’m not all that attached to the God of War franchise. I only got into the series in the early 2010s through the PS3 collections. I thought they were good hack-and-slash games with a solid story to boot. I acknowledge that I had a good time with the games, especially God of War III, but I never fell in love with any of the games outside of III. Going into this new title on the PS4, it was going in an interesting direction. Now taking place in Norse mythology and a new gameplay style, did I like this new set up for God of War (2018)? Honestly, yeah. I find the story this time around to be much more interesting due to the relationship between Kratos and his son, Atreus. By the game’s conclusion, I was satisfied with the overall narrative and excited to see what was to come next for the franchise. The gameplay style moved away from the brainless hack-and-slash gameplay to a more souls-like approach. You have to think about ways to attack your opponent while dodging and blocking incoming attacks as well. Souls-like style of gameplay is becoming more and more popular in AAA games and honestly, I’m all for it. I really liked how God of War (2018) handled it and I’m eager to see how they improve upon it in the sequel. Despite all of this praise I’m giving the game, God of War (2018) never crosses my mind when it comes to amazing PS4 games. After I finished God of War (2018), it didn’t leave a huge impact on me. Outside of the fun experience I had with it, I don’t really feel that much different from before and after I played it. I feel like God of War (2018) did a great job setting up this version of the franchise but the second game is where we’ll see some amazing stuff. Maybe if I took my time when I initially played it, without having to rush my playthrough just to get my review out. I should definitely replay this game before the sequel to get a more realized opinion on this game but as of right now, it’s sitting at my #08 spot. God of War (2018) is still one of the great PS4 exclusives because of its superb new take on the series.
FULL VIDEO — God of War Review
#09 — inFAMOUS Second Son
As the resident Sucker Punch Productions fan boy, I was really excited for inFAMOUS Second Son as a PS4 launch window title. I purchased the game before I even had a PS4 because I knew I was going to play this game when I eventually got one. This inFAMOUS title focuses on a new character named Delsin in Seattle, Washington. After being labeled a bioterrorist, Delsin is on a mission to stop the D.U.P leader, Augustine, from doing evil things. Whether you choose to do the good or bad karma, Delsin’s goal is to stop Augstine at the end of the day. Delsin has the ability to absorb a conduit’s power to make it his own. Because of this, you obtain a lot of different powers that all function differently in some way. The many different powers feel like Sucker Punch Productions wanted to try every idea they had for the inFAMOUS series before moving onto Ghost of Tsushima. I only say this because the second power you obtain, Neon, doesn’t feel all that great compared to your starting power, smoke. The other powers you obtain later in the game feel much better to use compared to smoke and neon but it’s kind of weird how the second power is kind of a downgrade in my opinion. Nevertheless, I still had fun with inFAMOUS Second Son. Delsin’s relationship with his brother, Reggie, is constantly tested throughout the game’s story. The gameplay is still the same fun inFAMOUS action with more powers to switch from instantly. Visually, the city of Seattle and the particle effects look great for an early PS4 title. inFAMOUS Second Son might not be the best game in the franchise, it’s still an enjoyable entry for the series.
FULL VIDEO — inFAMOUS Second Son Review
#10 — Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is an open world game I kind of bought in the spur of the moment. I saw that it was on sale for like $10 and bought it because who doesn’t want to play an open world game where there’s giant robot animals and other futuristic elements? I’m not too sure what happens in the story because I didn’t pay attention to it whatsoever. All I know is that Aloy is gifted at killing these robot animals and the twist that happens closer to the game’s conclusion. Other than that, I played Horizon Zero Dawn purely for the gameplay. It’s a large open world game where you’re killing these robot mechs. The bow and arrow mechanics felt natural and fluent. The different arrow types made attacking enemy groups always different with no two encounters feeling the same. Riding on your mech animal, the Strider, made exploring the world of Horizon much easier. Collecting parts and crafting arrows and items makes it so, you have to constantly pick stuff up in order to keep your supply plentiful. I just had an awesome time playing Horizon Zero Dawn, despite not knowing what was happening in the story due to my negligence. The gameplay alone is super fun because of its combat system and large world to explore.
Travis “tvsonic” Vuong
Business e-mail: travisvuong56@gmail.com
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