Game recommendations PS4

[Erloas]

So I'm normally a PC gamer but got a PS4 because of my ex-wife. Since the ex part happened recently I'm not totally settled yet so playing the PS4 is a lot more practical than the PC.
So I'm looking for some good PS4 games, with a couple caveats. First, since I haven't been following releases too closely I'm sure there are a lot of good older games out there, so I would rather get something in the $20 range, and I'm just ruling out $60 right now, up to $40 is doable but very good.
Games that are available on both platforms are ok, so long as the genre is better suited to the console (fighting games, action games) and probably not going to be looking at much that is better on the PC (shooters, RTS). There are of course exceptions based on game design, and quite a few genres that don't break down as easily.
Games I've been wanting to try but going to wait for PC is the Borderlands pre-sequal and ME:Andromeda. About the only game I have on PS4 (at least worth mentioning) is Diablo 3, which probably would have been best on PC but doesn't matter now.

The mass of adds for FF:XV Empires got me looking at the original but I'm not sold on it yet.
Party games are pretty much out, unless they can and do work well online with randoms.
Other than that, I'm open to any suggestions. I have my preferred genres but part of the reason I'm even asking is to find options I wouldn't even have thought to look at before.

[Hunter Noventa]

I've only got a handful of games that I've played, but I've enjoyed Disgaea 5 and Persona 5 very much so far, but I think they might still be a little bit pricy. Normally I'd jump to suggest Super Robot Wars, but those can run closer to $80 due to having to be imported from Asia.

I'd also suggest the remaster of Valkyria Chronicles. I have the original for PS3, and it's kind of a unique fusion of turn-based RPG and third-person shooter.

[Zevox]

I would recommend Persona 5, but it's new enough that I'm not confident whether you'd find it in the price range you want. So, hm, thinking of older ones...

One of the earliest PS4 titles that made me glad I got the system was Infamous: Second Son. It's a PS4 exclusive action-adventure game, and while it's the third in a series, you very much so don't need to know the previous games to enjoy it. The characters and story are entirely new, so you'll just miss out on the precise meaning of a few allusions to past events, but none of them are really important. The gameplay is very solid - I would call it the best superhero game outside of the Batman: Arkham series, and the best superhero game to date where the hero has actual superpowers period. The powers are just very fun to use, and make getting around the city it takes place in so easy and even fun that I actually don't much mind the open-world style of the game, despite normally disliking that. The story isn't amazing or anything, but it's good enough for what it is.

Speaking of the Batman games, Arkham Knight's available on PS4 - it's on PC as well I see, but it's an action-adventure title, so fits your criteria. Like every game in that series, it's quite solid all around, just a high-quality example of its genre. I'm not even a Batman fan normally, but I still love that series.

If you wanted to try any fighting games, oh boy, do you have options, because recent years have been a renaissance for the genre. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, originally a 360/PS3 game, has a download-only re-release available, and is a personal favorite. The BlazBlue series also has a couple of entries on the system and is another personal favorite of mine, and its sister series Guilty Gear is another good one, though depending on what you think of anime-style games you may not be interested in those. Street Fighter 5 can probably be grabbed used for the price range you want, though be warned that it has relatively little single-player content - not even an arcade mode, though it does have a decent story mode now, but you have to grab that as a (free) download, since it didn't come with the game originally. Its online is solid, though. Then there's the Injustice and Mortal Kombat series, which I'm not such a fan of personally, but are popular, and while Injustice 2 is probably too new to pick up on the cheap, the re-release of the first Injustice and Mortal Kombat X may be available. I've heard nothing but high praise for Tekken 7 too (though I haven't played it), if you wanted to try a 3D fighter, though that's probably too new to find cheap.

There's also Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 - even though I've only played part of the former and haven't played the latter, I think I can recommend the series in general, and Bloodborne in particular is a PS4 exclusive.

[Erloas]

I've only got a handful of games that I've played, but I've enjoyed Disgaea 5 and Persona 5 very much so far, but I think they might still be a little bit pricy. Normally I'd jump to suggest Super Robot Wars, but those can run closer to $80 due to having to be imported from Asia.

I'd also suggest the remaster of Valkyria Chronicles. I have the original for PS3, and it's kind of a unique fusion of turn-based RPG and third-person shooter.
What is it about those games that make them stand out to you?


I would recommend Persona 5, but it's new enough that I'm not confident whether you'd find it in the price range you want. So, hm, thinking of older ones...Amazon has them for about $35, so I just need to be sold on why they're great.



One of the earliest PS4 titles that made me glad I got the system was Infamous: Second Son. It's a PS4 exclusive action-adventure game, and while it's the third in a series, you very much so don't need to know the previous games to enjoy it. The characters and story are entirely new, so you'll just miss out on the precise meaning of a few allusions to past events, but none of them are really important. The gameplay is very solid - I would call it the best superhero game outside of the Batman: Arkham series, and the best superhero game to date where the hero has actual superpowers period. The powers are just very fun to use, and make getting around the city it takes place in so easy and even fun that I actually don't much mind the open-world style of the game, despite normally disliking that. The story isn't amazing or anything, but it's good enough for what it is.
I'll add it to my list to check out.


Speaking of the Batman games, Arkham Knight's available on PS4 - it's on PC as well I see, but it's an action-adventure title, so fits your criteria. Like every game in that series, it's quite solid all around, just a high-quality example of its genre. I'm not even a Batman fan normally, but I still love that series. I'm not a Batman fan, though if the game is good that doesn't really matter. Heard people like them, but I also know just having Batman in the name will skew judgement on the game, so I wasn't sure if it was actually good or if it was just Batman.


If you wanted to try any fighting games, oh boy, do you have options, because recent years have been a renaissance for the genre. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, originally a 360/PS3 game, has a download-only re-release available, and is a personal favorite. The BlazBlue series also has a couple of entries on the system and is another personal favorite of mine, and its sister series Guilty Gear is another good one, though depending on what you think of anime-style games you may not be interested in those. Street Fighter 5 can probably be grabbed used for the price range you want, though be warned that it has relatively little single-player content - not even an arcade mode, though it does have a decent story mode now, but you have to grab that as a (free) download, since it didn't come with the game originally. Its online is solid, though. Then there's the Injustice and Mortal Kombat series, which I'm not such a fan of personally, but are popular, and while Injustice 2 is probably too new to pick up on the cheap, the re-release of the first Injustice and Mortal Kombat X may be available. I've heard nothing but high praise for Tekken 7 too (though I haven't played it), if you wanted to try a 3D fighter, though that's probably too new to find cheap.

There's also Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 - even though I've only played part of the former and haven't played the latter, I think I can recommend the series in general, and Bloodborne in particular is a PS4 exclusive.
How are the fighting games for solo play though? Usually they seem best when you have other people to play with otherwise they tend to get stale fast. I think most fighters have online modes now, but it seems like most fighting games have two types of players, the ones that play for fun and probably don't go online much, and those that don't do anything else and you'll most likely be dead without being able to do anything unless you also want to live on the game. The last fighting games I've played was Soul Calibur 4 and Tekken... 5 I think.


The genre guide wasn't hard and fast rules. I just don't want to pick up a game that I'll be spending half my time playing wishing I had a mouse. Precision aiming with a thumb stick is not my thing.

Are there any spiritual successors or similar to the Twisted Metal series? I loved those but if I remember the story correctly they stopped making them after the core of the design team died in a small plane accident.

[Velaryon]

Not a specific game recommendation, but if you have a public library in your area, see if they have a video game collection. Many do, especially in more urban and suburban areas, and that can let you try a variety of things without spending a lot of money.

I quite like Shadow of Mordor if you haven't played that one yet. It's set in the LotR universe and uses the same basic engine and setup as Rocksteady's Arkham series of Batman games. It's quite a bit of fun.

If you're a fan of old-school (i.e. 8-bit era) platforming, pick up a copy of Shovel Knight. It's a love letter to the era of Mega Man, Duck Tales, etc. and it absolutely takes the best of all those type of games and combines them into one super awesome game.

There's a downloadable game called Bro Force that you should be able to pick up cheap if it appeals to you. Imagine Contra, except with a cast that includes (parodies of) just about every action movie hero from the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Everything from Rambo, the Terminator, and Ellen Ripley to the Boondock Saints, Neo, and William Wallace are in there. It's bloody, difficult, and lots of fun.

Most of the rest of what I have right now are FPS games, which it sounds like you prefer to play on PC.

[Hunter Noventa]

What is it about those games that make them stand out to you?

Persona is...a JRPG meets pokemon meets dating sim. Most of the time you're a student leading a double life saving the world from otherworldly entities but you have to balance the time you spend studying, hanging out with your friends against actually saving the world. And those other things are important, how close you are to your friends affects how effective you are in combat, studying can get you part-time jobs to earn money to buy weapons and medicine, things like that.

Super Robot Wars...well its literally 'take a bunch of mecha anime, mush the plots together and make it a strategy RPG.' They aren't hard games by any means, But stuff like...watching Mazinger Z halt Evangelion unit-01's berserk rampage is great. Obvoiusly you won't get as much out of it if you're not a fan of mecha anime.

Valkyria Chronicles, is as I said, a great jrpg/tactical third person shooter with an absolutely gorgeous art style and a pretty diverse cast with very solid gameplay.

[RoyVG]

I'm seconding inFAMOUS Second son, its a great game. There is also a stand-alone prequel called inFAMOUS First Light, that delves into the history of one of the characters that's available at a lower price.

I can also recommend Ratchet and Clank. It's a good combination of action adventure and shooter with great visuals and humor. Shouldn't be too expensive as it came out at a reduced price to begin with.

On Persona 5, it's not a game for everyone and you need to be a fan of Japanese RPGs to appreciate it. You'll get a fair bit of Japanese terminology and cultural differences thrown at you. If you are a fan, or are willing to 'put up' with a large differences in culture, it's most definitely the best RPG of this year, in my opinion at least.

Valkyria Chronicles is a relatively cheap but fun tactical RPG/Shooter hybrid. The artstyle is unique among anime-inspired games. It's also on Steam and goes on sale relatively often

Tomb Raider Definitive Edition maybe if you don't already have it on PC? I have it but never booted it up because I was preoccupied with other games.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a great action adventure game, but may be a tad too expensive now. It's a good game to keep in mind if you plan on continuing to play games in the future.

Uncharted Nathan Drake collection is a good deal, the first 3 Uncharted games for a relatively cheap price (granted they are a couple of years old). They are by some considered the definition of adventure games on Playstation.

Rayman Legends is a fun platformer that has a couch co-op mode that doubles the fun. It's fast and sometimes fairly difficult, but never too difficult

The Darksiders remasters are pretty fun Adventure/hack 'n slash games. Especially the first one reeks of being inspired by the Zelda games but with a much darker story, and the second one puts a little bit of Borderlands-like 'L00t-heaven' in the mix.

These are some from the top of my head, hope it helps.

[Mikemical]

Well, Bloodborne is a PS4 exclusive, kind of an action-adventure RPG with plenty of Cthulhu mythos thrown into a Victorian setting. It's pretty newby friendly. :nale: While you're at it, maybe get Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin or Dark Souls 3, people hype them to be really hard games, but it's just blocking, dodging and attacking, a classic gaming concept. :belkar:

As for the Batman Arkham games, avoid the remasters like the plague, for some reason the remakes made everyone look like they're made of plastic. Arkham Knight is fun, the combat is dynamic and intuitive, and even if you don't like Batman, its still a free-roam world where you can dive kick people in the streets and ram your car against them. Think like GTA, but without cops.

Speaking of which, GTAV is also a good pick.

[kraftcheese]

The Last of Us Remastered is a Playstation exclusive and it's a wonderful game; it doesn't have a great deal of replay value, but it's well written, looks beautiful and the gameplay is pretty good too.