PS4 Launch!

As I write this, the  Playstation 4 launch is fewer than 24 hours away. This is about as exciting for me as the release of Star Wars Episode I and the Fellowship of the Rings put together. I've got a million ideas running around, so I figured I'd write them down if nothing else to enhance my calm. Check for me on PSN, username stromulus28. Happy gaming!

Burning Questions:

Will my wired PC headset work as a microphone?

I find earbuds incredibly uncomfortable, so I want to avoid the included mono headset if at all possible. It's been made clear that normal headphones will work fine with the Dualshock 4 for game audio (10/10 would ask for, great feature), but will a standard three-tiered headset allow for in-game chat? I hope so!

How awesome will Remote Play be? 

From my previous posts, you can tell I'm a big fan of my PS Vita. Is this whole remote play thing going to work over my local wifi network? I don't have an ethernet hard line in the room where my PS4 will be, so I'm going to have to rely on the un-recommended wifi-to-wifi route. I've got a strong router, so hopefully I will be able to game on my Vita in the living room!

When will the next wave come?

It looks like these launch games will keep me busy for at least a few months (see below), but there are a whole bunch of games on the horizon that get me really excited. Solid franchises like Infamous, Metal Gear, Dragon Age, The Witcher, and Mass Effect have all at least teased next gen sequels, and there are two very interesting new franchises on the way (The Order and Watch Dogs). Plus the Sony-tied Naughty Dog studio hasn't announced their next game; whatever it is (my money is on Uncharted 4), Playstation owners are probably in for a treat. When will these games actually hit the market? Hopefully they will trickle in over the next year or so, which would make 2014 a ridiculously great year for gaming.

Is this the best console launch library ever?

Despite some tepid or worse reviews for some important games (I'm looking at you Knack), the number of consensus 4/5 star games available at launch is surprisingly long: Flower, Resogun, NBA2k14, FIFA 2014, Assassin's Creed IV, Battlefield 4, Soundshapes, Trine 2, LEGO: Marvel, and possibly more. Of course, these are all ports of current gen games (save Resogun), but I've not played any of them yet and they should be at least graphical upgrades over their older cousins. There is also a triple-A exclusive (Killzone Shadow Fall) and a smattering of PS+ free or free-to-play games. In the next section, I'm going to go over my personal most-excited games list for the launch game-by-game. It's hard to remember exactly how bad console launch games typically are, but I don't think either Sony or Microsoft is going to let that happen this time.

Games, games, games:

NBA2k14
Excitement level: 9/10

This is my most played game every year, going back to 2k6 or so. NBA basketball and video games are my two favorite sources of entertainment, so I'm very glad that 2k games has consistently nailed this series. The current gen version is (disappointingly) almost exactly the same game as 2k13, with only a few minor control changes. Luckily, the next gen versions appears to be a big step up a couple ways. First off, the game is running a totally new graphics engine and it looks ridiculously great. Except LeBron's nose, which looks too big and to light in color for some reason... Don't blame 2k, blame the uncanny valley.

Next up, the MyGM mode is a total re-design of the utterly exasperating Association mode. Association mode in 2k13 and 2k14 are 99.9% identical, right down to the inexcusable bugs and imbalances (for example, while planning for the draft, the in-game "mock draft" has had the wrong teams next to the draft picks for a few years in a row now. It only displays the draft order once, so I would get out my phone and take a picture of the screen so I could plan trades etc. Noooot great.). MyGM won't be perfect, but it's new and I'll have a blast learning its ins and outs. It's a particularly good fit for Remote Play, because it's essentially a turn-based mode for much of it.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Excitement level: 8/10

This is a previous generation game (available on PC/360/PS3), but I haven't played it yet. Although AC3 was one of the most disappointing video games of all time for me, ACIV appears to have mostly righted the ship so to speak. This series has picked up some serious bad habits, especially in the storytelling. Hopefully those won't mar the gorgeous-looking pirate adventures.

Killzone Shadow Fall
Excitement level: 8/10

The reviews have been mixed so far, but have mostly centered on the so-so campaign. I am almost done with the KZ Vita game (Mercenaries), which has a mediocre story and terrible dialogue, but the campaign was still really fun due to all the weaponry and gadgets. I'd be shocked if the Shadow Fall campaign is less enjoyable.

But I'm much more interested in the online multiplayer. I'm not totally sold on the highly customizable "warzone" approach (vast majority of modes will be one-off gimmicks I'd bet), but the fact that each map has a well-defended home base for respawns is a cool idea and the class system looks like it should spice things up.

Resogun
Excitement level: 6/10

The arcade shooter genre isn't my favorite, but I had some fun with geometry wars back in the day. This game, free for us PS+ subscribers, has a surprising amount of hype behind it. I expect to get a few hours of fun out of this game, and the price is right!

Need for Speed Rivals:
Excitement level: 6/10

This open-world arcade racer looks like a blast for casual online gaming. Unfortunately, the disc I ordered from amazon might not arrive for another month or so :-/

Warframe
Excitement level: 5/10

Free-to-play co-op space-ninja third-person action-shooter? That's so many hyphens!! The PC version (technically a Beta, but out for a while now) has been well-received, and because all PS4 players can give it a go there should be plenty of folks to team up with. I much prefer co-op play to competitive (because I don't have enough time to actually become good at any of these games), and this game is really the only serious co-op offering right now (pending Shadow Fall's expected expansion pack horde mode).

FIFA 2014
Excitement level: 5/10

FIFA is fun, and I haven't played it in over a year. Soccer is probably my second favorite sport to watch/game (Go Gunners!), but it's a pretty distant second.