How Sony convinced me to buy a PS4

As an avid Playstation gamer, the fact that I have yet to make the jump to next-gen has left me somewhat baffled. I was one of the first in line when the PS2 launched and once I had enough saved up for the PS3 I never once hesitated to part with the cold hard cash that I spent months putting away, just so I can get my hands on the latest machine Sony had to offer. However, when it was the turn of PS4, I just couldn’t justify handing over €400 for a machine that (in my opinion) I didn’t need… yet. I had the machine pre-ordered months in advance but as the launch got closer I came to the realisation that, well, quite frankly, it could wait. So I sold my pre-order for a profit on Ebay. Shame on me.

Let’s be honest here, it may have been a pretty decent launch in comparison with the PS3, but there was nothing in the launch line-up that made me think “I need this console ASAP.” I waited patiently for the good stuff, working on my backlog of PS Plus games on my PS3. While my PSN friends who had jumped to PS4 were playing Battlefield, COD, Killzone and AC4 on their shiny new console, I was sitting on the sidelines, enjoying the likes of Bioshock Infinite, Metro, GTA5 and Hitman Absolution. Heck, if I felt like it I could also have played Battlefield, COD, Killzone and AC4, albeit with slightly worse graphics. So I was happy. Content in the fact that I made the right choice by holding off for a while.

But then came E3 2014.

Hats off to Sony for not only providing the public with a multitude of excellent announcements (Grim Fandango!!) but by almost never mentioning the PS3 during the nearly 2 hour long conference, which also gave people the illusion that now is the best time to get their ass onto next-gen. So let me just dig deeper into Sony’s announcements and pinpoint exactly why I’m now determined to get a PS4.

Beloved Franchises

Familiar titles are key to getting people interested. New IPs are great and all but when a sequel gets announced you can’t help but feel a bit giddy. It’s a game you’ve probably played to death already but give us new levels, characters, gameplay etc, etc and we’re smitten all over again.

As a 32 year old, being a fan of LittleBigPlanet may seem a bit odd to some. I’ve spent an insane amount of time in three LBP games (I’m including LBP Vita), literally weeks, if not months building levels in Create. Granted, I’m not much into the playing aspect but leave me in Create I can come up with some pretty neat stuff (as evident by my created levels, one of which was Team Picked). So when LBP3 was announced I instantly thought, time to get a PS4 then. Deep down I know it’s going to be more of the same, but that’s irrelevant. It’s the newest and that’s all I care about. Will it come to PS3? Probably. I just don’t want to take that chance.

Then there’s Uncharted 4 – do I really need to explain this one? Even though all we’ve really seen of the game is that, at some point, Drake gets up and strolls into the forest. That’s all I need to know that this game is going to be big… really big. The graphics alone cement my confidence in the power of the PS4. I loved all three Uncharted games and if it turns out to be exclusive to PS4 (highly likely) then that’s another reason to make the purchase.

Not a sequel, granted, but I simply need Grim Fandango. When released 15 years ago I was on holiday in Spain. Saw it cheap somewhere and bought it. When I got it home I was horrified to find out that it simply wouldn’t work on my powerless PC. I was forced to bring the game to my friend’s house every time I wanted to play it and even there it suffered from a lot of problems such as extreme slowdown and freezing. Didn’t stop me from eventually beating it though. I really want to experience it again.. properly and problem free.

Another sequel worth mentioning is Far Cry 4. I enjoyed FC2, loved FC3 and now I’m ready for the next installment. It’ll be hard to surpass the excellence that was FC3, but from what I’ve seen at E3, they’re doing their best to make it (at least) as good as its predecessor. Hard to imagine a better villain than Vaas though. Still, I’m optimistic.

The New Stuff

If past E3s have taught us anything, it’s don’t jump on the hype train too early. Don’t put too much faith in trailers for new IPs. No matter how good a game looks always expect the worst. I’ve learned to be skeptical of new IPs ever since Watch Dogs was shown at E3 2012. Still, sometimes it’s hard not to get a bit pumped up by all the glitz and glamour of E3.

The Order is one of those titles I’m a bit wary about. Sure, it looks decent. The gameplay shown reminded me of Dead Space with a bit of Metro mixed in. Seems to have familiar gameplay too and as a PS4 exclusive it’s bound to have excellent graphics. One to watch for sure.

Not too sure about The Division yet.  The gameplay they showed us is not a million miles away from what we were shown last year. possible red flag there. A co-op shooter with a big emphasis on co-op has never really been at the top of my must-have lists. Not to mention, communication between the players is never as good as what was being said during the demo. In fact, for the first couple minutes I was convinced the dialogue was coming from the characters in-game.

Indies

Sony being Sony, they gave a lot of time to their indie devs  during the conference and rightfully so too. Indies are more often than not, brilliant. The one title that stood out to me personally though was No Man’s Sky by Hello Games. Randomly generated worlds is not a new concept by any means. We’ve seen it many times before with the likes of Spelunky, Terraria, Cloudberry Kingdom and Minecraft but not on this scale and especially not on a console. If claims are to be believed, Hello Games have created an entire infinite universe for players to explore. The solar system is randomly generated, the worlds are unique to each and every player and experiences will never be repeated. At least that’s the claim. If truthful, this, for me at least, is another reason to jump to next gen.

Entwined kind of got lost in the crowd but don’t underestimate it. It looks pretty damn good. I loved REZ on the PS2 and Entwined really reminded me of that cult classic right from the get go. An interesting idea, aesthetically pleasing too.

How Sony convinced me to buy a PS4 – Conclusion

Uncharted 4, LBP3, Grim Fandango, Mirrors Edge 2, The Last Of Us Remastered, GTAV, The Order, One Man’s Sky and Entwined are all excellent reasons to jump to next-gen. Heck even the new Battlefield Hardline looks like a blast. Of course, those are just my own personal reasons. There were many more games announced that, while they don’t appeal to me, may be just what you were hoping for.

All in all, if you were on the fence about buying a PS4, this conference threw rocks at you to get off that fence and join the crowd. I for one will be buying a PS4 in time for LBP3.

For a different take on things, click here to see how Todd Awbrey finally decided to buy an Xbox One.