We are in countdown mode as we race ever closer to the next generation of consoles.  Over the next two posts, we will be discussing the launch day offerings of each platform. We will talk about the exclusives that will be there Day 1, and also the games that will fill-in-the-gaps for both next-gen consoles. We will start this one off with Sony’s next generation of hardware: PlayStation 5.

PlayStation 5 EXCLUSIVES:

Astro’s Playroom (FREE)

Every person who buys a PlayStation 5 will get, pre-installed on their system, Astro’s Playroom.  Made to showcase the many features of the new Dual-Sense controller, this game finds the hero of Astro’s Rescue Mission (PSVR) navigating & platforming through various digital realms, looking for his mechanical buddies. It will probably be fun for a night or two, or maybe an easy way to show off your new controller to your friends who are still stuck on PS4.

Demon’s Souls ($69.99)

The showpiece of graphical fidelity at the most recent PlayStation 5 showcase event, this PS3 game originally developed by From Software, and the predecessor to the Dark Souls series of RPG’s, has been remade from the ground up from the geniuses at Bluepoint Studios (fresh off their Shadow of the Colossus remake). This is sure to be as technically perfect to play as it already is to watch and should really be the best example of what game experiences on these next generation machines have in store for us in the coming years.

Destruction ALLSTARS ($69.99)

Lucid Games, who last worked on Need for Speed Payback (co-developed by Ghost Games) and who before that created several mobile titles, is developing this game along with publisher PlayStation Studios. It features arena-based combat both in vehicles and seemingly on foot, with a wide roster of people to play as while Destruction Derby-like chaos happens all around you. It has a very stylistic look and seems to be speaking to the multiplayer focused crowd.  It might bring aspects of competition to the table ala Rocket League, but that’s just speculation on my part. At full-price, I would wait to hear what the general response to this game is, but if this calls out to you on Day 1, Have Fun!

Godfall* ($69.99)

There are many opinions on the internet about Godfall.  Coming from a new studio – Counterplay Games – and published by Gearbox, this game has tried its hardest to appeal to as many gamers as possible.  Described by the team as a “Looter-Slasher”, this action-RPG is set in a high-fantasy world where you take on the role of one of the last Exalted Knights in an attempt to save the world from an apocalyptic event. Originally a Kickstarter game, this title is hoping to see people engaged in its 3-player drop-in drop-out co-op, and its loop of ‘kill baddies, get gear, complete missions, get better gear to kill bigger baddies, etc.’. Time will tell how successful this game was at achieving that goal.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered** ($69.99)

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There is so much and so little to say about this remastered Masterpiece from Insomniac.  While the game is already great and will only be bolstered by its many upgrades over the PS4 original, most of the news surrounding this game is due to its lack of availability outside of the purchase of ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’. While anyone can take their version of the PS4 title and transfer it to the PS5, the only way to get the remaster is to purchase the $70 version of Miles Morales. That stinks, I know. It will be a great remaster, but we may have to wait a bit to purchase it on its own. (Personally, I don’t know anyone who is interested in playing the remaster of this game, but ISN’T going to play Miles Morales…)

Sackboy: A Big Adventure ($59.99)

Little Big Planet was a phenomenon back on the PS3. Media Molecule worked wonders with its ‘Play. Create. Share’ concept for 2 games and then moved on to work on other things. Sumo Digital took over for the 3^rd title, and while it was not as well received, it still had a lot of upside.  So, how do we improve on that history? How about taking the beloved mascot and the well-known aesthetics of the franchise and create a co-operative platformer for up to 4 people to play with on their brand-new hardware! Sure, it doesn’t have the create & share aspects of the mainline title, but I see this vividly crafted game as a Mario 3D-World style adventure for fans both new and old to enjoy.

Exclusive to PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5:

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ($49.99)

I must admit that I, like most Sony fanboys, were happy to rub the exclusivity of a brand-new, polished, next-gen, Spider-Man sequel in the face of Xbox lovers everywhere. It was going to look ‘amazing’, play ‘spectacular’-ly, sound ‘superior’, and ‘ultimate’-ly it was to be available AT LAUNCH only for PlayStation 5 owners!  Okay, so then we found out that it was coming to PS4 as well and we had to go hide in the corner.  One of our BIG next-gen exclusives was going to be a high-resolution PS4 game…  Now that we have had time to recover from the news, who cares?!  It’s the sequel to the great PS4 game and I for one cannot wait to play it.

The Pathless* ($49.99)

The makers of ABZU are back, and this time they’ve brought us a neat, open world sandbox game full of secrets and lots of artistically woven environments to discover.  There’s sort of a rhythm or timing-based method of traversing the world through archery that seems interesting to me, and one of the selling points that developer Giant Squid has shared is that there is no map or HUD.  Just go explore and see what you find.  Boss battles seem to be incorporated into the timing-based archery mechanics as well, so this is definitely a game that I’m interested in checking out.

Multiplatform Games Launching on Next-Gen:

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla ($59.99)

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You play the role of Eivor (which can be either a male of female), a Viking clan-leader and the protagonist of the latest game in the saga that is Assassin’s Creed.  The big selling point this year is the ability to lead “Raids” which allow you to take over portions of land and expand your Viking territory.  There is also some updated combat, like the ability to dual-wield any weapon. Ubisoft showed a cool example of their character wielding a shield in each hand and how that can lead to different play styles.  If you’re a fan of Assassin’s Creed, this seems like one to watch. If you are not a fan, I didn’t see all that much here to change your mind.

Multiplats making the jump to Next-Gen:

I’m not going to go over each of these games individually, but know that these games have either already been available for purchase, or will be available to purchase before the release date of the PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S. Others are multi-platform games that are being re-released as a “Definitive” or “Special” edition, and while there is certainly new content available with these titles, the bulk of the game remains as it was from the last generation of consoles.

If there were any other games that I left out, feel free to correct me in the comments! I tried to do my best to see what was becoming available (as things change daily this close to launch) but certain games may have slipped my grasp.

I mainly used pushsquare.com (plus other stuff) as a resource to collect data on next-gen.  It’s a good website – check it out!

* Also available on the same day for PC via the EPIC Games Store

** This is not available for purchase individually, but only through buying Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – Ultimate Edition

^ Also available on the same day for PC via the EPIC Games Store as well as through iOS devices via Apple Arcade.