5 of 2018’s Best PlayStation 4 exclusives

Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via AFP Relaxnews

With “God of War” one of the best of not just this year but the PS4’s five-year lifespan, consider also impressively atmospheric remake “Shadow of the Colossus”, sight and sound wonder “Tetris Effect”, free-flowing superhero action adventure “Marvel’s Spider-Man”, and PlayStation’s alternative to “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption”, the latest in the Japan-set “Yakuza” franchise.

God of War
New perspectives abound in the violent action epic’s fifth main entry, as Greek god-in-hiding Kratos has to confront his legacy while taking on a pantheon of Norse deities and legendary creatures, traveling deep into Midgard in the company of his bow-wielding son Atreus.

Shadow of the Colossus
A young hero sets out to save his loved one’s life by defeating 16 successive guardians, a noble mission with terrible unintended consequences. This tremendous remake of a PlayStation 2 classic produced the most impressive experience yet.

Tetris Effect
Classic block-matching game “Tetris” gets a visual and aural upgrade, courtesy of the designer behind equally well-acclaimed releases “Rez” and “Lumines”. Check in here for a blend of flow-state imagery, progress-influenced soundscapes, and the prospect of clearing up to 20 Tetris stacks in the same extended move; for a similar experience, see also “Lumines Remastered”, released 2018 on console and computer.

Marvel’s Spider-Man
Taking place several years after the events of 2017 movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, and so featuring a superhero approaching the peak of his athletic powers, this puts players up against a crew of better and lesser known villains in a New York City navigable through super-powered parkour or city-traversing web-swinging leaps.

Yakuza Kiwami 2
The international edition of Japan’s 2017 success, itself a remake of early series entry “Yakuza 2” from 2006. Barely disguised districts of Tokyo and Osaka become the stomping grounds, and distraction-filled playgrounds, for tough, noble antihero Kazuma Kiryu as he attempts to broker a peace between two violent mafia clans. Also released on PS4 in 2018 were the international edition of “Yakuza 6: The Song of Life” and, though not part of the same franchise, still set in the same region, mystery adventure remaster “428: Shibuya Scramble”. JB

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