The 10 Best PlayStation 4 Games Of 2016

It’s been a very interesting year for PlayStation 4 owners. Not only have we seen revised and revamped hardware in the form of the PlayStation 4 Pro, but Sony has dived headfirst into the world of virtual reality with the release of the PlayStation VR, a relatively low-cost VR headset that's banking on its software lineup and ease of use. As a result, the PlayStation 4’s 2016 catalog has been… interesting, to say the least. While there are plenty of excellent third party titles to experience, there’s very little in the way of system exclusives, across both first and third party offerings. For our end of the year list, we’ve chosen 10 PlayStation 4 games that we feel are the best that Sony’s flagship console has to offer. The catch? Well, while all these games are PlayStation 4 console exclusives (meaning you won’t find them on the Wii U or Xbox One), some of them might have been released on PC, or on the PlayStation 3 or Vita. Also, while we try to avoid including them when we can, some of the best releases this year turned out to be enhanced remakes or re-imaginings, so we’ve included those as we saw fit. Without further ado, here's our list..... 10) World Of Final Fantasy If there’s a clear indication as to where the Final Fantasy series is going as a whole, it’s that Square Enix is aiming to please a wider, more diverse audience of gamers, as opposed to pleasing genre enthusiasts only. While Final Fantasy XV might be a stark departure from what series fans have come to love, World of Final Fantasy is a must buy for said fans, even if it does sport a very kid-friendly, chibi look. Bringing together characters, places and monsters from the series’ 14 main entry, numbered titles (including a few surprise additions), World of Final Fantasy is the perfect nostalgia trip for those who are just not ready to join the brave new journey that the series is dead-set on taking, or for those who just need one more “traditional” game. If you need any more convincing, let me just say three simple words: “Active Time Battle.” 9) Dragon Quest Builders It might have taken some time, but the popularity of sandbox games such as Minecraft and Terraria have influenced a major Japanese franchise, and Dragon Quest Builders is the end result. Set in the world of the original Dragon Quest game, Dragon Quest Builders trades in the traditional JRPG loop of fighting enemies in order to level up, and instead tasks players with rebuilding the destroyed world of Alefgard. There’s still a focus on defeating enemy monsters, but instead of levelling up traditionally, you’ll gain access to better materials and more powerful recipes, bolstering you crafting ability as a whole. Genre traditionalists may not be too enthused with the focus on crafting and building, but those who are a little more flexible will find an incredibly fun world to explore and craft in. 8) Salt And Sanctuary The ongoing Souls series of games have had a huge impact on the industry, though not in the ways you might expect. Sure, plenty of games are now embracing much higher levels of difficulty, by demanding that players focus on patience and strategy as opposed to running into combat without a plan of action. But what’s more interesting, at least to us, are the number of games that have released over the past few years which draw heavily from the Souls series, while injecting their own ideas and flair. While its simplistic, 2D visuals might not invoke fear, be warned; Salt and Sanctuary is as intricate and complex as its 3D counterparts. A familiar combat system features a multitude of single and double handed weapons, ranged and magic abilities, and the ability to defend and parry incoming attacks. Salt and Sanctuary wears its influence on its sleeves, but it also takes a few nods from the Metroidvania genre, and it’s all the better for it. 7) Steins;Gate 0 Visual novels are usually more popular on handhelds and PCs, so we were happy to see Steins;Gate 0 on the PlayStation 4. A follow-up to the cult favorite Steins;Gate, this new chapter is steeped in traditional sci-fi elements that made the first game so popular, specifically, the use of time travel, and the many implications it has on the world. Much like the original, Steins;Gate 0 features very little in the way of actual gameplay. For the most part, you’ll spend your time reading dialogue and advancing the narrative forward (which I won’t dive into in this article, as the series is very story heavy and filled with twists and turns). At certain points in the story, you’re presented with the option to interact with other characters via an in-game real-time messaging system. The responses you choose to send won’t necessarily alter the plot, but choosing to answer certain calls or turning off your phone at key moments will have an impact on which ending you receive (there’s a total of six). 6) Odin Sphere Leifthrasir As we mentioned on the first page of this list, 2016 saw a lot of remakes and re-releases, and the PlayStation 4 is no exception in this regard. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is the first of these on our list, and we have to give credit to developer Vanillaware for an excellent job of transitioning the original Odin Sphere to the HD era. Purists will be glad to know that they can play through the original game (with no changes), but we highly recommend you give the updated Leifthrasir mode a go. Not only does it sport some stellar, hi-res artwork, but a lot of the problems specific to the original release have been fixed, making for a more enjoyable experience all-around. Combat handles more fluidly this time around, and has been largely redesigned from the ground up with new moves, and completely redone special attacks. Along with the HD visuals, the game also runs at a much smoother 60 frames per second, and no longer suffers from the framerate issues which plagued the original PlayStation 2 release. 5) Rez Infinite While we usually don’t like to feature many remasters and re-releases on our end of the year lists, Rez Infinite feels like a completely new game, despite being an enhanced port/remake of the original Rez, which first released for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 back in 2001. A music/rhythm action/on-rail shooter hybrid, Rez Infinite’s trippy visuals and excellent electronic soundtrack help pull you into the experience, but to be honest, we recommend playing through Rez Infinite on a PlayStation VR headset if you can manage it. While it’s perfectly playable without Sony’s iteration of VR, the game benefits from the immersion and isolated nature that VR excels at. 4) Gravity Rush Remastered Speaking of remakes, we were pleasantly surprised when we heard that Gravity Rush would be making its way to the PlayStation 4. Originally released on the PlayStation Vita, Gravity Rush is built around the idea of manipulating gravity, which makes for some unique moment-to-moment gameplay, which is comprised of traversal and combat. With the Dualshock 4 featuring both a touchpad and gyroscopic capabilities, the use of the Vita’s touchscreen and motion controls transfer quite well to the PlayStation 4. Better yet, Sony entrusted the task of porting Gravity Rush to developer Bluepoint Games, who are also responsible for porting over the first three Uncharted games to the PlayStation 4. As a result, Gravity Rush Remastered runs at a native 1080p, a 4x increase in pixel count compared to the Vita. Better yet, the game makes use of reworked art assets and runs at a rock solid 60 frames per second, compared to the Vita’s shaky 30. 3) Ratchet & Clank We promise, this is the last “remake” (of sorts) on our list. Ratchet & Clank (2016) is a bit difficult to classify; rather than being an enhanced port or remake, it’s more of a re-imagining, and was released in tandem with the animated movie of the same name. While said feature film is something we’d quickly like to forget, developer Insomniac Games has done an outstanding job of bringing the titular duo to the PlayStation 4. Rather than simply remaking the game with a fresh coat of paint, Insomniac chose to combine the best elements of the entire series into one game. Dedicated fans will notice that elements such as strafing make an appearance, and entirely new weapons such as the Pixelizer (which, as you might have guessed, turns enemies into 8-bit equivalents) do an excellent job of mixing up the formula, especially if you played the original back on the PlayStation 2. Graphically, Ratchet & Clank also looks outstanding, featuring some of the cleanest visuals on the PlayStation 4 to date, which have a Pixar-esque quality to them. 2) The Last Guardian I could easily go on about how long it took for The Last Guardian to make it from the development phase to an actual release, but that would only serve to distract you from just what an amazing experience it truly is. The concept of a young boy embarking on an adventure with an oversized beast is not one that is wholly original, but famed developer Fumito Ueda puts his unique brand on the entire experience, and it shows as you work your way through the game. Anyone who’s played Ico or Shadow of the Colossus will know what I’m referring to; this is one of those circumstances where it’s easier for you to just experience the game for yourself, rather than having me explain it to you, a sentiment that I also use when discussing games like Journey or The Witness. While some of the minute-to-minute gameplay might be a little rough around the edges, I’m glad to say that the wait for The Last Guardian was well worth it. 1) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End The fact that Uncharted 4 tops our list of ‘Best PlayStation Games of 2016’ should come as no surprise to most people. While it’s almost certain that another developer will take up the challenge of continuing the franchise, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End marks the last entry in the series for developer Naughty Dog, who kicked off this beloved franchise close to a decade ago. The last adventure for Nathan Drake is simply put, one of the best games we here at We Got This Covered have had the chance to play this year. Naughty Dog not only succeeds at penning a thrilling finale for the famed adventurer, but they push the PlayStation 4 hardware to its absolute limits, with set pieces that often had us staring at the screen with bewilderment. Fans who have also played through The Last Of Us will know full well how that particular game influenced the development of Uncharted 4, which takes advantage of new stealth elements, allowing players to clear out enemy encampments without having to blast their way through with raw firepower. If you currently own a PlayStation 4, and you haven’t experienced it yet, you owe it to yourself to run out and buy a copy of Uncharted 4. We assure you, you won’t be disappointed.