8 Most Anticipated PlayStation 4 Exclusives Of 2018
Keeping the streak of exclusives going well into the new year.
2017 must have been an exhausting 12 months for Sony; in the first half of the year alone, they were untouchable on the exclusives front.
Nioh, NieR: Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5: the steam train carrying hit after hit chugged along, only coming to a short standstill for summer break before it was off again, spitting the likes of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon's Frozen Wilds expansion out of its bulging chimney, finally pulling into the station for a lengthy rest at the year's end.
But now Sony are back at it. The festivities are over and already, the platform holder has more on its plate than it knows what to do with. This year, at long last, will mark the arrival of two huge sequels, Ni no Kuni II and the third instalment in Square and Disney's collaborative Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Scheduled to join them are fresh IPs like Days Gone, soft reboots à la God of War and, of course, Insomniac's Spider-Man. Alone they're system-sellers, but together? Well, let's just say Microsoft's in trouble if they doesn't pull their finger out post-haste.
It's time to start burning those extra calories put on over the holidays, as Sony's got a whole new feast for PS4 owners to gorge on.
8. Days Gone
When it's out: TBC 2018
What it is: An ambitious (and welcome) new IP from Sony's in-house SIE Bend Studio, where surviving the elements in post-apocalyptic America is the least of your concerns.
That's right, folks, Days Gone is one more zombie (insert groans here) survival sim being added to the oversaturated market, dampening any potential excitement for its arrival. But there's still hope that Bend can do enough to set the generic-sounding premise apart from the swathes of other genre stalwarts.
Sony would do well to focus on trumpeting Days Gone's freeform, non-linear structure, as well as the platter of activities Deacon St. John can engage in, besides culling the herd of undead. Overexposure to mindless zombie (or Freakers, in this case) slaying is a surefire way to kill what little buzz there is for the franchise hopeful.
We'll see what else Sony has to show before Days Gone's launch rolls around later this year, but right now, cautious optimism, with a side of apathy, is the current mood.