Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Dark Souls formula got a healthy dose of speed and horror when Bloodborne released back in 2015, and From Software has managed to make things even more extreme in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Set in Sengoku-era Japan rather than a wholly original world, the game is nonetheless filled with magic and monsters ready to kill you at a moment’s notice. No enemy is too weak to deserve your attention, and many are formidable in one-on-one fights.

The real meat of Sekiro, however, are the boss fights. They play out like choreographed dances, requiring you to learn a boss’s every move before you’re ready to go in for the kill. With the Posture system becoming more important in most fights than a standard health bar, you need to stay aggressive, but getting greedy will result in a swift death.

Death Stranding

If you looked up “odd” in the dictionary you might find a gurning picture of Hideo Kojima underneath. But then, you’re just as likely to see him under “genius”. The Japanese maestro of videogames inventiveness finally finished his first masterpiece since splitting with Konami and Metal Gear, and it is everything we expected. Often baffling, but always stunningly beautiful and unique, Death Stranding is a game that you will either love (like us) or loathe. Either way, you’ll be talking about it.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Who isn’t a fan of the Predator franchise? This movie series has had a following for decades and in 2020 we’re going to get a new video game installment based on the IP. IllFonic is bringing out Predator: Hunting Ground, an online multiplayer asymmetric shooter experience. What we know so far about the game is that there will be a group of special ops that must complete a series of objectives all while one player takes on the role of the predator. It’s the predator’s job to track down the players within the dense and lush map.

We don’t know how easy it will be for the group to lay down traps and prevent their entire team from being wiped out from the Predator, but we imagine there will be a few elements to make use of especially looking back at their previous survival horror release, Friday the 13th: The Game. Currently, there doesn’t appear to be any word on when this game will launch in 2020 but it’s currently a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 is the result of decades of development experience, delivering one of the strongest stories we’ve seen from the studio despite often being limited to characters we already know from the original game. Over its long, slow-burn tale, we are shown the heartache and pain that came with the end of the Wild West era, and protagonist Arthur Morgan’s gruff-but-nurturing personality makes him the perfect star during this transition.

If you don’t care about dialogue, however, Red Dead Redemption 2 is just an absolute joy to play. Exploring the open world almost always results in finding something you haven’t seen before, whether it be a new species of animal to hunt or a bizarre murder scene to investigate. Getting lost in the Wild West is easy, so we don’t ever want to leave.

God Of War

After a five-year hiatus, the God of War series is back, and it’s very different. Kratos, formerly a living ball of rage, is now a family man, trying to balance his deicidal past with his devotion to his adolescent son, Atreus. Leaving Greece behind, Kratos now occupies Scandinavia — and that means, among other things, that there’s a whole new host of mythical beasts to slay. From trolls and ogres, to undead horrors and even Norse gods, Kratos’s new enemies put his skills to the test constantly.

While the story questions whether Kratos’ violent past was fully justified, the gameplay is as satisfying and visceral as ever, pitting the demigod against all manner of trolls, sea monsters and dragons. It’s a bold new direction for a beloved series, and easily one of the best PS4 games you can buy.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

It is hard to describe just how enjoyable swinging around the streets in Spider-Man actually is, you will find yourself doing that for hours without even needing to complete a mission. But thankfully there is a great story and game in the open world superhero title too. Comic book fans will also thoroughly appreciate the amount of collectables and costumes that can be unlocked. And there are some great character cameos along the way.

Nioh 2

Koei Tecmo’s Nioh 2 is one of the most difficult games in the Souls-like genre, which is already famous for its unrelenting challenge. Nioh 2 does not feel unfair, however, it does give a ridiculous number of options to the player. These include an insane amount of weapon types – swords, double swords, axes, dual hatchets, and switchglaives among them – as well as expanding skill trees filled with abilities to help defeat the demonic yokai of feudal Japan. It follows the same trial-and-error formula of the Souls series, with players returning to a shrine upon death and spending currency to level up, but throws in other players’ spirits to keep things interesting. Depending on the spirit, they can either help with difficult areas of face off in a duel to the death with valuable gear on the line.

Nioh 2 is a sillier game than its predecessor and most hardcore action-RPG titles, which keeps things light in between the brutally challenging moments. One major supporting character uses a monkey spirit as his ally and occasionally mimics his dancing, and a Billy goat spirit speaks English but with a goat-like vocal fry. Given how stressful the game can be, these characters are appreciated and cherished.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light is receiving a sequel in 2020. Known simply as Dying Light 2, players will take on the role of a new protagonist named Aiden Caldwell, another individual who is skilled in parkour. Set in possibly the last humanity sanctuary from the mindless zombies that inhabit the world, Aiden will not only have a large urban open world to explore, but a few factions within it to deal with. A big push this time around from the development team is to provide gamers with plenty of choices and consequences, specifically dealing with the factions and their motives within the city.

Because there is such a big emphasis on choices and consequences this time around, there will be some motive to go back and replay the game. For instance, certain choices could leave areas of the city to be closed off leaving that storyline or potential new quests that deal with the area to be no longer available for your campaign.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn has it all: an interesting open world, a creative story, a relatable protagonist, a variety of challenges and, of course, a whole host of gigantic robot dinosaurs. You’ll be able to topple these massive beasts, as well as a variety of human enemies, with a bow and arrow and plenty of other melee and ranged weapons.

Set in a postapocalyptic world that has had time to become lush once again, Horizon Zero Dawn tells the story of Aloy: a pariah from her tribe, who nevertheless becomes a master of the bow and spear. As she explores the dangerous world around her, she learns that she may play a pivotal role in changing it for the better. It’s one of the best PS4 games that’s exclusive to the system, although the title will also get a PC release a little further down the road.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The follow-up to one of the best isometric, old-school role-players around is bigger and more expansive than its predecessor and could take you over 100 hours to fully complete. The console version comes with all the original DLC too, so that’s even more missions to take on for the same price. Now that’s what we call value.

Doom Eternal

After Doom received a remake for current-generation platforms, there was plenty of excitement for the franchise once again. It was enough to allow id Software to continue with another installment coming in 2020 called Doom Eternal. Players will once again take the role of Doom Slayer who is on the battle against demons from Hell. Now after the events of 2016’s Doom, it seems that the demons have flooded Earth forcing players to battle against the swarm of enemies to save the human race.

This will still be a first-person FPS with action-packed gameplay. A new element was added into the game where players can visually see an enemy deteriorate when they are attacked. Furthermore, there is a competitive multiplayer element known as Invasion. With this game mode activated, a random player can join into your campaign as a demon. However, this is a game mode that can be turned off and you can still expect the standard competitive multiplayer modes in the game as well.

Control

PlayStation players couldn’t play Remedy Entertainment’s last major game, Quantum Break, but they have been given something much better in Control. The third-person shooter builds on Quantum Break’s mix of traditional gunfights and superhuman powers, but it trims most of the fat and is set in a much more interesting environment — the titular Federal Bureau of Control.

As new director Jesse Faden, it’s your job to uncover the mystery surrounding your brother’s disappearance and defeat the strange Hiss enemies you come across. This is easier said than done, but with the right abilities and knowledge of the shape-shifting Service Weapon, you’ll be able to save the world from certain doom.

Cyberpunk 2077

Ever since its announcement, there have been gamers around the world who are excited to see Cyberpunk 2077 launch into the market. This video game comes from the development team, CD Projekt Red, who got their worldwide fame after the success they had with The Witcher trilogy. Now that the developers had wrapped up the trilogy their new focus is on the next IP video game adaptation. Cyberpunk 2077 is still an open world RPG but unlike The Witcher, this game takes place years into the future where crime and greed rule the world.

We know that this game will put players into the role of a mercenary named V who takes on odd jobs in order to build up his or her street cred. The higher your street cred the more lucrative your jobs will become. This game features a rather lived in a world so far from the gameplay footage shown off, but with that said, we’re still waiting to see more of the fine details on what exactly you can expect exploring the in-game world. One element that you may find of interest is the choices the developers will present players throughout the campaign and situations. It seems that missions are set up in a way that allows players to decide on how to actually accomplish them. Furthermore, depending on your choices and actions, gamers will receive multiple different endings giving an incentive to go back and replay the game.

Devil May Cry 5

Eleven years after Devil May Cry 4 hit shelves, Capcom has finally released a sequel worth waiting for. Devil May Cry 5 is a confident, stylish action game that’s satisfying for long-term fans and welcoming to newcomers. Playing as supernatural warriors Dante, Nero and V, you’ll fight enormous, grotesque foes with a gorgeous combination of gunplay, swordplay and platforming. It can be a difficult game, but once you find your rhythm, combat is its own reward.

The gameplay is particularly satisfying, since as you rack up higher combos, the soundtrack will change and become more elaborate to reflect your success. Devil May Cry 5 is a gorgeous, rewarding experience, and well worth a look if you’ve ever had any affinity for the series. And if you’re a newcomer, you can catch up with earlier titles in the Devil May Cry: HD Collection, also on PS4.

Call Of Duty: Warzone

Released as either part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) or available as a completely free download, Warzone is one of the best battle royale games around. It looks superb but is even better in play, with up to 150 person multiplayer matches available. We also love the Plunder mode, where you have to grab as much cash as possible without being taken out. Great fun.