10 Most Essential PS4 Exclusives - Ranked

10. NieR: Automata

For months, NieR was the second most positively-reviewed game of 2017 next to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, did you know that? It achieves these scores not through an immaculately presented open-world or revolutionary combat mechanics - not even through art direction or on-paper story.

No, it achieves this transcendent feeling of pure, "You need to see this" quality by making you feel something no other entertainment medium can. It does so by playing with the inherent interaction of video games, by making you aware you're playing a game, and committing to that ethos in a way that for many, will make this something they talk about for decades to come.

Getting into specifics will ruin the surprise, as the main point here is that NieR: Automata sparks off an entirely fresh line of thinking for creators; one I've not seen since Hideo Kojima told us to switch controller ports to avoid having our minds read in Metal Gear Solid, or Bioshock used a tutorial voiceover to pull off one of the biggest twists of all time. The only thing I'll say is: Once you see the credits, go see them again, and after that second playthrough, then the real fun begins.

NieR's open world is bland, brown and repetitive, its combat is Platinum Games-standard hack n' slashery (hence why it's so far up this list), but what it does for video games and creative minds is poignant, effective and important. Don't let it pass you by.