"This is how you share your games on PS4" Hang on is that my copy. He’s sharing it! No don’t give it to adam boyes,
that’s mine! You said you wouldn't! YOSHIDA In the wake of a tough console generation that saw them lose out on the sales chart
top spot to Nintendo’s Wii and just claw back a sales victory over the Xbox 360, Sony
needed to re-establish their dominance with the PlayStation 4. And oh boy, did they manage that. Helped in part due to some serious out of
the gate ball fumbling on the part of rivalling Wii U and Xbox One systems, the PS4 would
become the second best selling home console of all time behind Sony’s other smash hit,
the PlayStation 2. And it’s still a console that’s receiving
active support to this day, 2 or so years into the PS5’s lifecycle. God of War, the last of us part 2, marvel’s
spider-man, persona 5, bloodborne, monster hunter world, uncharted 4, knack? The games were alright I suppose. That might’ve helped too. But which games kickstarted this generation
of domination? Well today we’ll be taking a look at the
European launch line up of games and I’ll sort of be reviewing them
as I go. Oh, and we will not be covering the PS4’s
various digital launch offerings, physical only, okay? That means no resogun, which makes me sad
because resogun is phenomenal. Are you ready? Then let’s do this. Remember angry birds? That game you played on your phone for a few
months in 2009? Do you remember when we all packed into cinemas
for the academy award-winning Angry Birds movie in 2016? I certainly do. Good times. Well in 2013 they made the brave decision
to port a star wars themed version of angry birds to PS4, selling it for $49.99 as opposed
to the iOS price of just 99 cents. Critics understandably lamented this choice,
and so the Metacritic average plummeted from 88% on mobile to just 47% on PS4. The game itself is angry birds but star wars. Shocking, I know. You launch various stylised birds at rickety
structures containing imperials piggies and have to take them all out in as few goes as
possible. The different star birds wars birds have varying,
relevant powers though. Luke bird can swing his lightsaber and Kenobi
bird can use a force push. It’s cute, but is it 50 dollars worth of
cute? No. As already discussed, it is precisely 99 cents
worth of cute. Hardcore gamer suggested we “feel sorry
for all the poor kids on Christmas morning whose parents were fooled into thinking this
was the must-have PS4 launch title” and we can’t help but agree. Assassin’s creed is back and this time it
has scurvy and rickets and probably several STI’s. That’s right, it’s assassin’s creed
IV Black Flag! Boring boy connor’s jaunt around revolutionary
America in Assassin’s Creed III was not one I particularly enjoyed, and Ubisoft needed
to bounce back. Oh boy did they. Black Flag puts you in the boots of Edward
Kenway, a welsh pirate who, near the start of the game, relieves an assassin of his getup. With violence. You’ll sail across the Caribbean, entangling
yourself with legendary pirates and avoiding the wrath of the British and Spanish empires. Although the character models have aged a
little and the free running can have a mind of its own, the game is still absolutely gorgeous,
and at the time of release the usual climb tall thing to synchronise the local environment
gameplay loop hadn’t yet become overly tired. It also helps that Kenway feels like a proper
pirate. He’s foulmouthed and crude, and Matt Ryan
does a great job of bringing him to life. The modern day stuff is obviously still crap
and of little interest, but there’s a very good reason why this is a lot of people’s
favourite AC game. An 83% average according to Metacritic. DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUNNN, DUN DUN DUN DUN
DUN DUNNN. Love that theme song, so good. Battlefield was looking to make a statement,
bringing to PS4 a single player campaign mode and 64-player multiplayer – a huge improvement
on the 24 possible players allowed in the PS3 versions of Battlefield 4 and 3. The campaign kicks off with a bang, as your
squad is stuck in a vehicle, slowly sinking to the bottom of a body of water. You then flash back, one of your teammates
punches a dog, and you kill lots and lots of people while your AI companions stupidly
shoot at cover. It’s a real looker, and although I had a
couple of buggy moments, you can’t deny that the visuals hold up. Multiplayer was the big focus however, with
a plethora of vehicles and modes to choose from. Naturally the servers are rather decimated
these days, but I still managed to join a game where everyone was leaping around corners
and playing like MLG call of duty players. I ended up leaving that game, went to join
another, and rejoined that same game, but on the winning team! I’ll take the victories where I can get
them. 85% on Metacritic. Call of Duty Ghosts was, at the time, the
8th annual call of duty game in a row, and the series was in need of an overhaul. That’s not to say it was terrible, as it
still earned a 78% average on Metacritic, but most diehard CoD fans would label it as
a lowpoint. The singleplayer is predictably, absolutely
bonkers. The Federation of the Americas hijacks ODIN
– an orbital superweapon – and targets multiple US cities. After yeeting off into
space, Sandra bullock-style, the game jumps forwards to you joining the legendary ghosts and murdering lots and lots
of people. The multiplayer servers are understandably
a bit threadbare now, but they are still active, and I was able to find a game. And die a lot. Oh look I did a kill! Call of Duty Ghosts’ answer to the ever-popular
zombies mode is extinction. Here you run around solo or with others, carrying
a big drill that you use to take out alien nests. You complete objectives, and earn money to
purchase upgrades, weapons, and abilities. It was actually quite fun, and I totally agree
with Push Square’s handsome reviewer, who is me, who wrote: “The new Extinction mode
is particularly good, but it's the highlight in a title that's following a tired recipe.” Great job, me. OH YEAH, HERE WE GO, SPORTS TIME! I’ve played a football game before, and
I’ve also watched football. Even so, I’m going to give this everything
I’ve got! IT JUST GOT REAL, claims the back of FIFA
14’s box, remaining precisely as real as every previous version of FIFA. FIFA 14 is a football game, and as the first
football game for the new consoles, we were all expecting revolutionary things. I mean… it looks better? I’d assume? The faces are a little rubbery by today’s
standards, but you’re often so far away from the action that it doesn’t present
much of an issue. What’s especially resplendent however, is
the – shall we say - enthusiastic physics engine. Here we can see Benzema knee Valdes in the
face, forcing him to wear Mascherano like a child’s backpack - certainly a red cardable
offence. Classic FIFA issues still exist like RNG keepers
and defenders stopping wonder strikes, but the gameplay experience is largely as expected. There are minigames on the loading screens,
career mode sees you become a manager, and of course there’s ultimate team. The servers are now off for that - a trend
that’ll continue into this video – but it was there, and people probably spent lots
of money in it. 87% according to Metacritic. It’s very rare that anyone would find themselves
playing a fighting game for the story alone, but, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, I
did this for both injustice gods among us and its sequel. Originally released earlier in the year for
previous gen consoles, the game adopted the Ultimate Edition suffix when it made the leap
to PS4, and included all previously released downloadable content. But let’s talk about that story. Basically, the joker tricks superman into
killing lois lane and detonating a nuclear bomb, destroying metropolis. Weirdly, even though he yells “it’s just
banter”, superman can’t take the joke. He kills the joker, and then rules earth as a super-dictator, forcing
bats and some multiversal friends step in to save the day, and yeah,
that’s it. Of course, as it came from netherrealm, the
studio behind mortal kombat, there’s a lot of shared DNA here. Each hero or villain (and there are quite
a lot) has their own fighting style with super moves – which are suitably insane - contributing
to a striking debut for Injustice Gods Among Us: Ultimate Edition. USA Today called it “an impressive video
game package, combining superheroes and villains comic book fans can appreciate with a fighting
style that should appeal to players at any level”. 80% on metacritic. There I am, up there. That’s me. Now, I’m trusting you, internet. I am trusting you with footage of me being
vulnerable. HOW, do people dance? How do they do it? I just feel so stupid and uncoordinated, so
much so that the idea of just dance 2014 is a literal nightmare for me. And yet I did it. I did the dancing for the content. That’s a lie, really. I attempted one dance move, felt really silly
and then just fist pumped my way through the entire song, like this. There I am. Pumping them fists. If I took just dance seriously, I might raise
valid criticisms like, how am I meant to fit everything in frame, what size of living room
do ubisoft think I have? Or perhaps, how on earth are you meant to
decipher these little abstract dance people in time to pull off the moves yourself? At one point I walked off
the screen in exasperation and got a perfect, so you know it all works well. Just Dance 2014 is a dancing video game for
people who enjoy life and enjoy enjoying life with other people who enjoy life. It’s a totally alien concept to me, but
it got 75% on Metacritic, so good for you I suppose. Right, let’s boot the game, and… we’re
there. That’s it. No developer or publisher slates, no engine
acknowledgements, just right into the game. This was actually a much touted feature of
killzone shadow fall at launch. It was, after all, sony’s flagship launch
title apart from knack and so they wanted to show off what the PS4 was capable of. The quick launch feature was completely thrown
out the window immediately afterwards… shame. It’s a looker though! The faces obviously aren’t great now, UGH,
but it’s a pretty game to this day. Basic premise this time around is the helghast
– lovely people, truly – are given half of the planet vekta to call their own by the
ISA – their conquerors. Sharing a planet is naturally not something
that goes particularly well, and so after playing the classic
dad-shot-in-front-of-you-as-a-child mission, you grow up to become a shadow marshal. The story’s a little forgettable, but the
shooting’s fun, the levels are open, and you even have a cool little owl robot friend
who can spawn ziplines right out of his owl hole. Multiplayer was naturally a big draw, and
while the servers aren’t overly populated today, I still managed to get a 3v3 game going
– even if they tried to kick me immediately. LIKE YOU COULD AFFORD TO BE PICKY. Killzone Shadow Fall ultimately fell short
of critical expectations, earning a 73% average on Metacritic. “I want to show you one of the greatest
things I’ve ever worked on, come”HERE IT IS, the one you’ve all been waiting for. The single greatest video game ever made. A game that comes from one of the people behind
Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, and Sonic 2, the daddy of the PS4 himself, that being
Mark Cerny. His loins have borne fruit, and the fruit
in this instance, is Knack (here he is that’s him there). It’s a platforming beat-em-up set in a world
ravaged by marauding goblins and upsetting rubber-faced people. You smash your way through levels, accumulating
more relics to grow in size – the bigger you are, the harder you hit – with special
crystals filling your special meter to allow for special moves, and the
real-time shrinking/growing as relics are added and taken away is quite visually impressive. There’s an undercurrent of human melodrama
that doesn’t quite fit, but Knack’s sexy voice often brings calm to volatile situations. It is, however, surprisingly brutal, with
enemies dealing a large amount of damage and checkpoints often proving frustratingly sparse. But it’s still the best game ever made,
obviously. Would IGN have called it “dull” if it
weren’t? 54% on Metacritic. Lego Marvel Super Heroes is your standard
branded Lego adventure, but it’s an absolutely delightful one. Set firmly outside the MCU – but taking
big cues from it – the likes of Captain America, Mr Fantastic, Spider-Man, and Hulk
smash everything in sight to earn studs, gather gold bricks, find minikits, unlock new characters,
and fill that sweet sweet bar at the top of your screen. The presentation is really nice with a fully
voice acted cast – all doing their best to sound like their big screen counterparts
– shiny reflections on any and all Lego surfaces, and levels
disintegrating into satisfying chunks as you obliterate the world around you and SAVE THE CITY. It also manages to maintain the trademark
Lego humour. Your mileage with it will of course vary depending
on quite how many Lego games you’ve played before, as the formula rarely strays from
the path. That being said you are free to roam the city
between story missions, and the initial jump from the SHIELD helicarrier is highly memorable. Is it only possible with the power of the
new consoles? Unlikely, but you’re still getting a highly
competent superhero-theme brick smasher packed full of content. Lego Marvel Super Heroes earned an 83% according
to Metacritic. Oh yeah here we go sports time! I’ve played an American football game before. But I’ve never watched American football,
so I’m going to give this everything I’ve got. Madden NFL 25 celebrated the 25th Madden NFL
game. Madden NFL 25 should have been called Madden
NFL 14. The Madden NFL series is in for a very confusing
time in a couple of years when Madden NFL 25 is released and there was already a Madden
NFL 25 released a decade prior. Regardless, the vast majority of the game’s
features are no longer available due to servers being switched off. Ultimate team is gone, but would’ve likely
involved spending real money on virtual cards. Fantasy Football is also offline. Then there’s a mode where you construct
your dream team! But it’s offline too. So instead we go to the Connected Franchise
career mode, where you play as an owner, coach, or player. After selecting Stone Cold Steve Austin’s
face as my own Ben Lightning was drafted to the San Francisco 69ers – a HUGE day I’m
sure you’ll all agree. Unfortunately, my innate inability to play
American football games was hampered even further by just playing as the one character,
so I switched to a regular game. I was penalised, ran at the opposing team
a couple of times, and then encountered a squib kick, whatever that is. I am bad at sports. 74% on Metacritic. Oh yeah, here we go, sports time! I’ve played a basketball game before, but
I’ve never watched basketball, so I’m going to give this everything I’ve got! This is the story of how one can overcome
overwhelming promise, of how an up-and-coming athlete can absolutely eat sh*t at the last
possible moment before making it big. 7’1” Ben Lightning is an incredible basketball
player. He dunks the buckets with ease, squeaks along
the squeaky wooden floor better than just about everyone, and is on the verge of being
signed by a major NBA team. After being handed a golden ticket to attend
the Rookie Showcase by his small friend and relaxing in style with the most amount of
legroom ever seen on a plane, he receives a pep talk from a coach and is ready to go. This is it, the big game, one that could make
or break The Great One’s career. And then, it all went wrong. Everything drilled into Ben about the great
sport of basketball evaporated in an instant. He fouled constantly, called for the ball
incessantly, missed every shot, and generally ran about like a gigantic, lumbering idiot. The coaches and commentators were baffled,
how did this guy get invited? It was a dream opportunity turned nightmare. NBA 2K14 is a very pretty game with an ambitious
cinematic career mode but it didn’t teach me the controls and proceeded to embarrass
me on national television, 85% on Metacritic. Oh yeah, here we go, sports time! I’ve played a basketball game before, but
I’ve never watched basketball, so I’m going to give this everything I’ve got! NOT ANOTHER ONE? Another EA sports title means that, you guessed
it, the servers are now off. The Real NBA Every Day? Offline. Live Season? Offline. Ultimate Team? Also offline. Another Ben Lightning from the multiverse
makes his debut here and successfully signs with the Philadelphia 69ers, but performs
JUST as well. So many shots attempted, so many shots missed. Buckets! Kobe!
Michael Jordan! Disastrous, I wouldn’t sign him. In fact, it’s almost reassuring that no
matter the game, that no matter the universe, mega-talented sports superstar Ben Lightning
is going to be a letdown. NBA Live 14 looks noticeably worse than NBA
2K14 but it is, at the very least, a little easier to play. It even told me the controls which was very
kind. Critics weren’t as kind however, with IGN
saying “NBA Live’s flaccid return is made all the more disappointing because we waited
three years for it. After all that time, NBA Live 14 in no way
advances the basketball sim genre and, worse, leaves little to be optimistic about for next
year”. 43% according to Metacritic. TIME FOR CAR CRIME. It’s been a hot minute since we felt the
need for speed in a launch games video, but here we are back at it again in Need For Speed
Rivals. As per usual, it takes itself very seriously. The USP this time around is that you have
the choice to play as a naughty racer OR a policeman officer, and are then dropped into
a persistent online playground shared with other players and AI. Think Burnout Paradise (my last frame of reference
for a game of this type) and you’re on the right track. The world is packed with races and distractions
which all serve to bankroll your new car efforts. You can even invest in gadgets like EMPs to help fend off pursuing cops
or take down crime-doers depending on which side of the law you land
on, with skills reaching the dizzying heights of being able to call in
roadblocks and helicopters to aid in chases. I did encounter some odd physics-based glitchiness
and the po-faced presentation does end up making it all look a bit washed out colour-wise,
but there’s no denying that Need For Speed rivals is a gorgeous game that’s fun to
play. Plus, the online community is still active
to this today. 80% on Metacritic. “Bounce, squidge, and stretch your way to
victory” boldly shouts Putty Squad, making everyone a bit uncomfortable in the process. The original Putty Squad was released for
SNES in 1994, with an Amiga version eventually releasing 19 years later in 2013! Madness. Even so, a remake was developed and released
shortly after for the PS4, and despite everything about its budget presentation screaming digital
release only it was also printed to physical disks, so I’m talking about it here. It’s a platformer where you control a blob,
or putty, I suppose, with the goal of reaching the end of the stage. You can stretch between different playable
areas, inflate to reach higher areas, and you can collect powerups and upgrades like
a soldier that shoots enemies or a pod that flies around and drops bombs. It… isn’t good? By all accounts the original reviewed well
enough at the time, but Putty Squad fails to move far beyond purely being a curiosity. Official PlayStation Magazine Australia was
particularly damning in its criticism, saying “There is no way this antiquated nobody
is worth this much of your money and attention”, with the Metacritic average landing on just
38%. YES, I’M BREAKING MY OWN RULE. Despite not receiving a physical release,
Resogun was a launch PS+ game that absolutely went the distance. Now-first party studio Housemarque – fresh
off arcade shooting classics super stardust and dead nation – brought us this challenging
and visually spectacular conical scrolling shooter, and I, like many others, spent a
good portion of the PS4 launch window blasting my way through hordes of enemies and marvelling
at the explosion of particles that would occur upon completing stages. You have a choice of various ships, but can
also create your own and share them online. Here’s Jeremy. You then fly to the left or right, shooting
enemies, saving little jelly baby humans, deploying bombs and zooming to safety when
the situation is dire, as well as saving for a powerful overdrive laser, all in the hopes
of keeping your high score multiplier going. Each level ends in a boss fight, and it has
multiple levels, AND you can play in co-op! I got the platinum trophy in this one quite
soon after launch and was accused of lying by friend of the channel and PlayStation Access
big wig, Rob Pearson. Still not forgiven you for that, Rob. Resogun earned an 84% average score on Metacritic. And that 84% brings the total average score
of the PS4’s launch line up to 71.8%. And so there we are, all of the PS4’s EU
launch line up sort of reviewed in 2022, were there any among them that were your favourite? Let me know in the comments below. Be sure to follow me on twitter for updates
on future launch game videos, and why not like this video and subscribe to the channel. Thanks so much for watching, and I’ll see
you next time, bye!
