PS5 Cope
A comprehensive list of all games published by Sony Interactive Entertainment or otherwise exclusive on the PlayStation 5, along with my thoughts on them. For about three years now I've been coping with my purchase of the PlayStation 5 home console and its currently dire future, so I'm making this list to give myself some kind of peace of mind.
Here is TL;DR list of games I recommend buying on PS5, in general order of value:
Worth owning the console:
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Returnal
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Spider-Man 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Worth owning the console if you don't own a PS3:
- Demon's Souls
Good to have:
- Astro's Playroom
- Helldivers II
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Remasters of good games (main benefit typically being just a 60fps patch):
- Spider-Man: Remastered
- Death Stranding: Director's Cut
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade
- The Last of Us Part I
Here is TL;DR list of games I recommend buying on PS5, in general order of value:
Worth owning the console:
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Returnal
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Spider-Man 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Worth owning the console if you don't own a PS3:
- Demon's Souls
Good to have:
- Astro's Playroom
- Helldivers II
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Remasters of good games (main benefit typically being just a 60fps patch):
- Spider-Man: Remastered
- Death Stranding: Director's Cut
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade
- The Last of Us Part I
38 Games
Everyone is right about this game and you have it, it comes free with your fucking PS5. Have some damn fun.
This game is extremely divise among the gamer population, and as usual I am on the right side of history. Bluepoint are like the only guys I allow to remake games because they consistently do it right. There are some designs that go completely off character sheet sometimes and I would like an option to play the original music, but otherwise it's pretty much direct upgrade from the original. That aside, the more important thing is that it's a great way to experience a really great game. I understand and agree with the sentiment that the original game should have simply been ported or received even as little as a DSR-type remaster to bring it up to date with modern hardware, but they want to sell consoles and hell if this didn't sell me on one regardless. It is a gorgeous, genre-defining game that everyone should play at some point and if this is how they have to do it, that works just fine.
Played about two hours of this one. For a console launch title for a console priding itself on its remarkable speed, this game sure is a hundred fucking times slower than 3D World. For a spin-off of a franchise that held itself up on bolstering creativity it sure does have some fucking lifeless level design. One of these days I'll beat it because it came free with my fucking PS Plus but god damn if it doesn't slowly kill me inside.
Here emerges the first dangerous trend of the PS5: remasters of games that are already backwards compatible on the damn console. FF7R is a great game but this really does just exist. I guess if you don't own the base game, it comes with the DLC. One at a time, please.
Hardly counts because it was also on PS4. That aside, it's Spider-Man but with more engaging combat. It mostly does away with web moves in favor of the Venom system, which I'm actually kind of in favor of. You'll feel less like Spider-Man I guess, but there are a lot more interesting moment-to-moment decisions to be made. That said, the writing is kinda balls. It's a fun game, but not one you're gonna think about much afterwards.
It came free with your fucking Miles Morales
Spider-Man at 60fps for little to no cost, sure.
Spider-Man at 60fps for little to no cost, sure.
You didn't play this either don't give me that shit
I'm not like an avid baseball guy or anything, nor do I actively play the yearly releases of MLB, but I've never been upset when I cross paths with it. Oh! That's a Baseball!
Peak. The first PS5 game. The first roguelike I've played that doesn't feel like it's trying to waste my time, but rather encouraging me to grow from failure and make the next attempt another big step. One of the few games in recent memory, let alone roguelikes, to effortlessly weave its themes with its gameplay and tell a story that isnt necessarily emotionally compelling as it is viscerally disturbing. I'm being vague here, but that's because it's hard to describe what makes Returnal really special. It is a no-nonsense video game that feels ethereal both in its subject matter and the state in which it exists as a game in an era dominated by playable films. There is nothing like Returnal, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice as a PS5 owner not playing one of its best games. Tragically, that's most people.
The first of seemingly many slam dunks by Insomniac. The writing is dogshit but in a series with, like, generally speaking, three or four games with good writing, I don't really care. It's a Ratchet & Clank game. It's fun as hell, and gorgeous to boot. Pimp it.
I left a huge review on Ghost of Tsushima, and my thoughts remain the same. Not bad, not particularly noteworthy. The Director's Cut adds some DLC that nobody gives a shit about.
Haven't played the Director's Cut, but I have played the base game. More like BASED game. Death Stranding was avant garde in an industry that demands more far cry games, and damn if it isn't a breath of fresh air to this day. Satisfying gameplay paired with a wobbly but ultimately very touching story that just will not stop hitting you with the most badass visual designs in the medium. Yoji Shinkawa, we kneel.
I upgraded to this game for $10 from my copy of Uncharted 4 that I bought for also $10, which is freakin' sweet. Here's the deets.
Uncharted 4 is one of the best third-person shooters ever made. Top shelf writing, incredible gameplay that lets the player really do some nutty shit if they're cool enough to pull it off, and it looks damn good while doin' it. Now at 60fps, you're really a fool if you miss it.
Lost Legacy is much the same. While it kinda loses the emotional character writing in favor of classic Uncharted 2-esque antics, the gameplay really carries the torch here as there is simply just more of it than Uncharted 4 per square inch. Shorter game, but less of the walk-and-talk and more of the run-and-gun. Really great game that I couldn't fuck with on an emotional level but fun as hell anyways. Holy shit chloe frazer is so hot
Uncharted 4 is one of the best third-person shooters ever made. Top shelf writing, incredible gameplay that lets the player really do some nutty shit if they're cool enough to pull it off, and it looks damn good while doin' it. Now at 60fps, you're really a fool if you miss it.
Lost Legacy is much the same. While it kinda loses the emotional character writing in favor of classic Uncharted 2-esque antics, the gameplay really carries the torch here as there is simply just more of it than Uncharted 4 per square inch. Shorter game, but less of the walk-and-talk and more of the run-and-gun. Really great game that I couldn't fuck with on an emotional level but fun as hell anyways. Holy shit chloe frazer is so hot
Also didn't play this one, and I don't want to be unfair. I did not enjoy the first Horizon a damn bit, really, so naturally this one eluded me. As it gets cheaper and the days go by, I think about playing it, but my guess is I'll feel the exact same way about this one.
nyeeooommmm nyurrrrrrm skrrrrrrt vryyrmmm
Oh! That's a Baseball!
The Last of Us is one of the best damn games ever made, dawg, and gamers need to realize that. Not because it has really good writing, although that is definitely important, but the combat is so much fun. The arena design as well as the incredible enemy AI make a game that is insanely fun to master.
That said, if you're $55 short of buying this remake, you can buy the exact same game for $15 on the same console.
That said, if you're $55 short of buying this remake, you can buy the exact same game for $15 on the same console.
I was so excited for this one, man. The reboot of God of War was pretty great, mostly in spite of its combat. The writing was incredible, and while the gameplay was flawed it was at least a new idea, and one that I could see potential in. Ragnarok not only fails to live up to that potential, but also makes the writing shit, too. It wallows in its predecessor(s) and tries too hard to pretend to have a heart. It runs completely counter to everything God of War ever was, and relishes in that. It forces you to walk-and-talk and pick flowers for an hour and a half literally, and gives a smug grin to the camera saying "Isn't this so much more mature than it used to be?" People held this criticism of the first reboot, and I defend it from that. Ragnarok, though, is fair game. I don't hate the game but I despise its attitude.
FREAKING DRAGONS aside, I only played the demo of this game and it was buttcheeks. Combat mostly entailed circle-strafing and firing off big cooldown attacks. Yawn-o-rama! the writing sucks too
Oh! That's a Baseball!
I have a lot of really positive feelings about this game that are hard to quantify. The combat is incredibly simple and pretty cooldown-reliant, but really satisfying nonetheless. There was frequently enough new shit to play with that I never got bored over its 30 hour playtime. The writing, however, is fantastic and frequently very personable. Clive Rosfield was unexpectedly a really compelling character with a lot more going on under the hood than he lets on. The rogues gallery of Dominants in particular were incredibly compelling in their own right in the way they compliment Clive. Hugo Kupka, in particular, is a standout and one of my all-time favorite action game bosses. Speaking of which, the Asura's Wrath bosses really need no introduction but are nonetheless worthy of praise. This game from front to back is a spectacle that never failed to engage me.
(Thoughts after 100% completion)
Everything I said below remains true. While definitely not a perfect game, it is a big improvement on the previous two in all aspects. Despite that, I can't help but recognize I had a hard time feeling a strong emotional connection to it. It was really great, though, and I appreciate just about everything about it. There just isn't a ton that I absolutely love. In spite of that, though, it is a pretty exciting game in the moment and I am definitely looking forward to a Spider-Man 3, and anything that the team at Insomniac create. These guys definitely know what the hell they're doing.
(Unfinished thoughts, about 35% of the way into the game.)
Huge step up. The swinging from the previous two games have been aided in their zen-like appeal with the new web wings, allowing an even better and WAY faster flow. The combat, on the other hand, has gotten an even more significant upgrade. So much has been improved and added it would be hard to list them all here. Being forced to dodge would make you drop a combo in mid-air? Well, now it doesn't anymore. Want to keep a combo going without creating distance? Slam, body bounce. The past two Spider-Man games were pretty great in the way they let the titular spider-character to control the state of his enemies, but this is just ridiculous. For a skilled enough player, every encounter is literally putty in the palms of their hand. Enemies are wherever you want, whenever you want them. You are their god as they toil in your web.
Everything I said below remains true. While definitely not a perfect game, it is a big improvement on the previous two in all aspects. Despite that, I can't help but recognize I had a hard time feeling a strong emotional connection to it. It was really great, though, and I appreciate just about everything about it. There just isn't a ton that I absolutely love. In spite of that, though, it is a pretty exciting game in the moment and I am definitely looking forward to a Spider-Man 3, and anything that the team at Insomniac create. These guys definitely know what the hell they're doing.
(Unfinished thoughts, about 35% of the way into the game.)
Huge step up. The swinging from the previous two games have been aided in their zen-like appeal with the new web wings, allowing an even better and WAY faster flow. The combat, on the other hand, has gotten an even more significant upgrade. So much has been improved and added it would be hard to list them all here. Being forced to dodge would make you drop a combo in mid-air? Well, now it doesn't anymore. Want to keep a combo going without creating distance? Slam, body bounce. The past two Spider-Man games were pretty great in the way they let the titular spider-character to control the state of his enemies, but this is just ridiculous. For a skilled enough player, every encounter is literally putty in the palms of their hand. Enemies are wherever you want, whenever you want them. You are their god as they toil in your web.
lol
the bts stuff is neat and i guess a roguelike mode is cool since the base game has really badass combat but like... come on now
the bts stuff is neat and i guess a roguelike mode is cool since the base game has really badass combat but like... come on now
(Unreleased thoughts, going off of trailers and gameplay footage.)
Looks neat, I guess, but represents the as of current biggest threat to the PS5: a way too strong focus on multiplayer-centric Games-as-a-Service games. This one at least seems like it could be a servicable little distraction, but god if the thought of playing this or games like it doesn't turn my heart to ash in my mouth.
Looks neat, I guess, but represents the as of current biggest threat to the PS5: a way too strong focus on multiplayer-centric Games-as-a-Service games. This one at least seems like it could be a servicable little distraction, but god if the thought of playing this or games like it doesn't turn my heart to ash in my mouth.
(Unreleased thoughts)
I have absolutely no clue what this game is. It kinda markets itself like a roguelike? But, like, with a story and specific levels, so kind of like Returnal? Or maybe its like Outer Wilds. It looks like fun to customize the car and drive through weird obstacles.
I have absolutely no clue what this game is. It kinda markets itself like a roguelike? But, like, with a story and specific levels, so kind of like Returnal? Or maybe its like Outer Wilds. It looks like fun to customize the car and drive through weird obstacles.
(Unreleased thoughts)
Probably gonna be peak, I dunno. I admired the previous installment for pulling off the balancing act of bringing the most iconic FF7 moments into a new combat engine with beautiful modern graphics as well as telling a unique and bizarre story all its own that can only really be done the way it is through the medium of a remake. I'm hoping for this game and the one after to continue taking the concept further, and worst case scenario I'll get to fight the Midgar Zolom by way of square button, which pleases my baser nature.
Probably gonna be peak, I dunno. I admired the previous installment for pulling off the balancing act of bringing the most iconic FF7 moments into a new combat engine with beautiful modern graphics as well as telling a unique and bizarre story all its own that can only really be done the way it is through the medium of a remake. I'm hoping for this game and the one after to continue taking the concept further, and worst case scenario I'll get to fight the Midgar Zolom by way of square button, which pleases my baser nature.
(Reveal trailer thoughts only)
Seems cool, I wasn't big on Nioh but I loved Stranger of Paradise so the studio with "Ninja" in its name that specifically made those is kind of a wild card for me. At the basest level, I respect them for making the games they make how they want to make them. Would love for these guys to be my guys.
(Finished thoughts)
Pretty bad and generic. Team Ninja only had one in em i guess
Seems cool, I wasn't big on Nioh but I loved Stranger of Paradise so the studio with "Ninja" in its name that specifically made those is kind of a wild card for me. At the basest level, I respect them for making the games they make how they want to make them. Would love for these guys to be my guys.
(Finished thoughts)
Pretty bad and generic. Team Ninja only had one in em i guess
(Unreleased thoughts)
The Dark Souls of asian porn, Stellar Blade appears to be a video game. Looks like nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before, but its nice to know that '10s era gooner bait is back on the menu. I just miss when the gameplay actually mimicked the wild character designs. It will come out and get rave reviews for being "a surprisingly good Soulslike" and play exactly like every other game in this godforsaken genre.
The Dark Souls of asian porn, Stellar Blade appears to be a video game. Looks like nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before, but its nice to know that '10s era gooner bait is back on the menu. I just miss when the gameplay actually mimicked the wild character designs. It will come out and get rave reviews for being "a surprisingly good Soulslike" and play exactly like every other game in this godforsaken genre.
(Reveal trailer thoughts only)
Silent Hill 2 is not the kind of game you reimagine lightly. Where in the original every frame felt utterly intentional, this one appears to have a disgustingly lackadaisy attitude towards portraying what is at this point a historical gaming masterpiece. Konami has long since lost the source code so a modern re-release of this game was always going to be a remake in some capacity, but fuck if they didn't choose the absolute worst family of gibbons possible to portray it. This game will come out and get rave reviews, and ultimately replace the original in the annals of time.
Silent Hill 2 is not the kind of game you reimagine lightly. Where in the original every frame felt utterly intentional, this one appears to have a disgustingly lackadaisy attitude towards portraying what is at this point a historical gaming masterpiece. Konami has long since lost the source code so a modern re-release of this game was always going to be a remake in some capacity, but fuck if they didn't choose the absolute worst family of gibbons possible to portray it. This game will come out and get rave reviews, and ultimately replace the original in the annals of time.
(Reveal trailer thoughts only)
In Kojima we trust.
In Kojima we trust.
(Reveal trailer thoughts)
there has to be some kind of coup going on at SIE. who is sabotaging this publisher by greenlighting this
there has to be some kind of coup going on at SIE. who is sabotaging this publisher by greenlighting this
(Reveal trailer thoughts only)
I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the one I'm most excited for. The trailer itself showed damn near nothing, but I'm placing my trust in this studio that has yet to let me down.
Here are some hopes of mine that will make it peak:
- It does NOT have Arkham, God of War, or God of War (2018) style combat. Arkham combat has been done to death and practically perfected in their own Spider-Man 2, we already got a God of War style Wolverine game, and for FUCKS sake do not make it a visual clusterfuck like nu-GoW. I can't imagine specifically what an ideal Wolverine game would look like, but for Christ's sake not these.
- It is NOT open-world. Or wide-linear, or any of that other made up bullshit. I dream a dream of this being a pure action game, because Wolverine is not a character that fucks around. He is a man on a mission, and so am I. Don't ask me to pick all 300 daisies in the field because I just want to kill people and I want killing people to be fun and interesting.
- It is NOT directly connected to Spider-Man or any other Marvel property. I understand in their Spider-Man games there exists such things as the Avengers and Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four and shit, but I do not want to see Wolverine interact with Iron Man. I want to see a game explore Logan, not his little super friends.
Do this, and the PS5 wins.
I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the one I'm most excited for. The trailer itself showed damn near nothing, but I'm placing my trust in this studio that has yet to let me down.
Here are some hopes of mine that will make it peak:
- It does NOT have Arkham, God of War, or God of War (2018) style combat. Arkham combat has been done to death and practically perfected in their own Spider-Man 2, we already got a God of War style Wolverine game, and for FUCKS sake do not make it a visual clusterfuck like nu-GoW. I can't imagine specifically what an ideal Wolverine game would look like, but for Christ's sake not these.
- It is NOT open-world. Or wide-linear, or any of that other made up bullshit. I dream a dream of this being a pure action game, because Wolverine is not a character that fucks around. He is a man on a mission, and so am I. Don't ask me to pick all 300 daisies in the field because I just want to kill people and I want killing people to be fun and interesting.
- It is NOT directly connected to Spider-Man or any other Marvel property. I understand in their Spider-Man games there exists such things as the Avengers and Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four and shit, but I do not want to see Wolverine interact with Iron Man. I want to see a game explore Logan, not his little super friends.
Do this, and the PS5 wins.
(Unreleased thoughts)
Live service shit
Live service shit
(Unreleased thoughts)
Live service shit
Live service shit
(Unreleased thoughts)
Live service shit
Live service shit
(Unreleased thoughts)
Looks like Journey
Looks like Journey
(Unreleased thoughts)
The swordplay LOOKS super dope, though I have no idea how it actually works. If I'm actually in proper control of the little guy doing all those flips and sword moves and running up the walls and shit, this might actually be peak.
The swordplay LOOKS super dope, though I have no idea how it actually works. If I'm actually in proper control of the little guy doing all those flips and sword moves and running up the walls and shit, this might actually be peak.
(Unreleased thoughts)
This shit getting cancelled lmao
This shit getting cancelled lmao