The Playstation 4, while an excellent console, has yet to receive a single great exclusive. Gamers swimming in the PS4 ocean are currently drowning in mediocre ports, underwhelming indie titles, and the promise that greatness awaits in the distant future. While the PS4 itself is selling impressively, the game library is abysmal. How can the Playstation 4 solve this crisis? By giving a few hidden Playstation 3 gems a second chance.
Defiance
Sony’s last ditch gaming effort elicited at first gagging- then laughter from many seasoned gamers. No more free online play? No backwards compatibility? Hardly any exclusives? The console’s nightmarish launch titles dissolved and speedily got shifted to bargain bins. Without warning, gamers found themselves owning a console without the games to make it worthwhile and no back catalogue to rely upon. Because Sony has pledged to keep free to play titles separate from premium service requirements, it seems like the perfect time for Defiance to make a comeback.
Given another chance, this shooter MMO could give PS4 owners a much needed guilty pleasure. The world of Ark hunters was a bit smaller than players wanted for the PS3- a problem the PS4 could easily fix. Its stylized world was similar to the first Borderlands- both a blessing and a curse. By keeping online play free, splashing some color on the visuals, and expanding the open world- I could see innumerable gamers taking up the Ark hunter mantle. As a bonus, perhaps Sony could allow streaming of Defiance’s first season to PSN+ users.
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Few games disappoint to the same extent as this poor clone of Super Smash Brothers. The roster was both undersized and terrible- its playable cast composed almost completely of advertisements for upcoming awful games. Weightless characters floated off their way through combos that couldn’t directly KO opponents. Fighters dashed toward each other with attacks that merely built up a special move bar as a means to separate itself from Smash.
Fists and blades were at the ready- but were largely useless. Sony tossed dust into the eyes of gamers with ugly visuals possible on the original Xbox. Was it the PS3 that blocked Playstation Battle Royale’s chances at success? Would it have been better received as a PS4 launch title? Gamers tend to be more forgiving with early games and would have been starved for anything even remotely promising. By the time they realized it was just a scam to sell DLC, they’d already be hooked from not having anything else better to play.
Tales of Vesperia
You again, Vesperia? Didn’t you already fail at your second chance? Your loop-sided story and party just can’t catch a break. While characters like Raven and Yuri are universally loved by the Tales fan-base, you keep pushing the despised Karol on unsuspecting gamers. The success of the PS3 port relied on the antihero swordsman and shady archer- yet you choose to focus most efforts on the two children in the party. In the end, it sold extremely poorly and lives on only through a small but vocal fan-base.
Costumes, accessories, skits, new dialogue- Namco Bandai confidently tried to improve opinions on the most hated characters in the game. Not even their trademark four player co-op could make Vesperia a success- PS3 or Xbox 360. With gamers preoccupied with getting any decent PS4 game they can, Vesperia could leisurely release in the USA with its Japanese exclusive additional content. For all the game’s faults and poor decisions, it is still a fantastic RPG that the Playstation 4 could make great use of.
