4. Gran Turismo Sport
Gran Turismo has been a staple of both the PlayStation library and of racing games in general since its initial launch 20 years ago. The pinnacle of racing simulation for Sony, Gran Turismo Sport not only touts an amazing precision in its attention to detail for how each individual car handles, Sport is being touted as “the world’s first racing experience to be built from the ground up to bring global, online competitions sanctioned by the highest governing body of international motorsports, the FIA”. That is a pretty big horn to blow but if any series is going to take driving that seriously, it’s going to be Gran Turismo. For any car enthusiast out there, the sense of realism Gran Turismo Sport will offer will be staggering and this is an absolute must have.
Release Date: 2017
3. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD
Fans of the Kingdom Hearts series have been lamenting for the third major iteration in the series since the moment Kingdom Hearts 2 finished. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD is not in itself a standalone title, but rather a special collection to appease the fans until the eventual release of the much awaited 3. The collection features Dream Drop Distance HD, a console-updated rework of the game originally on 3DS, Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage – a sequel to Birth by Sleep that will tie into Kingdom Hearts 3, and X Back Cover – an hour of HD cinematics giving new information about the series history. While it isn’t the same as finally getting our hands on Kingdom Hearts 3, 2.8 HD is sure to scratch that itch until Sora, Goofy and the gang finally return for their next adventure.
Release Date: January 12, 2017
2. Days Gone
Another entry on our list where we cheat a little bit, but how could we not? Days Gone is set to bring you probably the most terrifying zombie-esque experience you will ever have short of the actual zombocalypse. Also brought to our attention at the Sony E3 Experience, Days Gone led us to believe it would be a simple experience, that yes the world had ended but there was still some last bastion of humanity kicking around and you were one of the proud survivors. And then we saw them, the mass of mutated flesh that used to be human lumbering about below us. Surely this was a simple moment during the demo to see how many could be on screen, right? We were dead wrong as a the living mass swarmed like nothing we had ever seen in a video game before. The horde could only be slowed but never stopped until the trailer came to a close, the hero surrounded with more animate bodies than I can recall ever seeing on screen at one time. Days Gone does not officially have a release date marked for 2017 but as a list for upcoming PS4 exclusives, this title simply HAD to make the list.
Release Date: 2017
1. Horizon Zero Dawn
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the names on this list then you had to know that Horizon Zero Dawn would absolutely be at the top of it. This is a title we have not been able to stop talking about and for good reason. We were first presented with a game that seemed like the aftermath of some long forgotten war, humans having regressed to a tribal state. There was a beauty in the overgrown remnants of society and we expected to find ourselves in a lost world. And then we saw the protagonist, Aloy, hunting giant animal-like robots. There are clearly some theories as to what happened but even without being sure, this whole game is capturing our imaginations. Aloy fights with both primal skill and technologically advanced weapons. The gameplay footage we saw looked jaw dropping, fast paced, intuitive, and fun. Horizon Zero Dawn is poised to potentially be the beginning of the latest exclusive franchise to Sony and I feel confident in saying we are all hopeful to see Aloy return in the future and we haven’t even finished her first adventure yet. If there is only one game on this list that makes it to your shelf, This should be it.
Release Date: February 28, 2017
So that is our top 20 PS4 Exclusives of 2017, are there any titles we missed? Are there a few games you think deserve to be in a different spot? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below.