More than just a few occasions now, we’ve all had discussions about how 2024 is trying like an uncharacteristically dry yr for PlayStation. The juggernaut that sometimes packs its years stuffed with main, tentpole first-party releases has headed in the direction of a comparatively uneventful yr, whereas within the early months of 2024, the corporate even outright confirmed that it wouldn’t be releasing any new instalments in flagship first-party franchises till at the very least April 2025. Within the first half of this yr, then, it’s been onerous to not be dissatisfied in how issues are turning out for PlayStation.
Abruptly, nevertheless, issues are beginning to lookup. Certain, we’re not getting a giant blockbuster PlayStation Studios launch this yr alongside the traces of one thing like a God of Battle, Spider-Man, Horizon, or what have you ever, however from smaller first-party video games to externally developed titles being printed beneath the PlayStation Studios umbrella to main third-party exclusives, all issues thought of, the PlayStation 5 has racked up a powerful steady of releases that you just’re not going to get on another console in 2024. This yr, which was alleged to be an off one for PlayStation, is sneakily turning right into a surprisingly packed one for the platform.
However earlier than we glance forward on the coming months and what they’re going to have in retailer for PlayStation 5 house owners, let’s first look again at how the primary half of the yr has panned out for the console so far- and it’s honest to say that it’s really been fairly stable. Thus far this yr, the PS5 has seen the discharge of quite a lot of main exclusives already, nearly all of which have seen spectacular success to various levels.
There’s Helldivers 2, after all, Sony’s quickest promoting sport of all time, and a sport that has immediately cemented itself as among the finest stay service experiences of all time and among the finest co-op shooters you’re ever going to play. Then there’s Stellar Blade, a sport that turned out to be a significantly better made and extra pleasant motion expertise than many individuals would have admitted. There’s additionally Ultimate Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which clearly isn’t a first-party sport, however remains to be a PS5 unique that, regardless of its disappointing business efficiency, has acquired common acclaim and will also have a actually good shot at being topped as 2024’s greatest sport on the finish of the yr by many. Even Rise of the Ronin, which noticed combined responses from critics at greatest, has been acquired properly by a sizeable portion of its participant base.
All of which is to say that 2024 has already been fairly a stable yr for PS5 to this point, if the metric we’re judging issues by is what number of exclusives it has seen, and the way good these exclusives have been. And what? Wanting forward, it appears proper now just like the PS5’s second half of the yr goes to be similar to its first, in that regardless that the console doesn’t have any main, flagship first-party releases lined up, it does have a number of notable unique video games within the pipeline. Are all of them trying equally interesting? Not fairly, however an excellent variety of them are.
The one which most individuals appear to have their eye on proper now can also be the one which was most just lately introduced. At its current State of Play presentation, Sony and developer Staff Asobi introduced Astro Bot, the beloved but underutilized platforming mascot’s first ever full-fledged console release- and unsurprisingly, it’s trying completely pleasant. Ever since Astro Bot Rescue Missions wowed those that performed it when it first launched for the unique PlayStation VR, followers have been begging for a full console launch for the IP, and now that one is definitely on the horizon, pleasure is appropriately excessive, and climbing greater nonetheless.
One other main unique set to hit the PS5 later this yr is one which, like Ultimate Fantasy 7 Rebirth from earlier within the yr, isn’t really coming from the PlayStation Studios banner. Konami and Bloober Staff’s remake of the legendary Silent Hill 2 has been one of the vital extremely anticipated upcoming video games for a lot of for a few years now, and just lately, Konami confirmed in the end that will probably be releasing in October. To associate with that, the corporate additionally showcased an intensive gameplay demonstration of the survival horror remake, and although there’s nonetheless loads of skepticism round for a way the sport goes to end up (thanks largely to the distrust many appear to have in each Bloober Staff and Konami’s potential to correctly pull this off), it could be unfair to not give credit score the place credit score is due- as a result of in its most up-to-date displaying, the remake appeared notably higher than it did when Konami bafflingly showcased its combat-focused trailer final yr. Is it nonetheless trying precisely pretty much as good as its many followers would have hoped for? Maybe not. However, if nothing else, there’s at the very least motive to be cautiously optimistic now.
And that’s not all. Past Astro Bot and Silent Hill 2, the PS5 has a pair different exclusives coming within the remaining months of the yr as well- like an expanded remaster of Till Daybreak. Developed by Ballistic Moon, the upcoming remaster is promising some intriguing adjustments and enhancements, from new environments and re-cut narrative sections to new collectibles to trace down, upgraded visuals to get pleasure from, a brand new third-person digital camera to take a look at, and extra. Whether or not or not Till Daybreak is a sport that wanted remastering is, after all, a query value asking (that appears to be the case for numerous the remasters and remakes Sony releases lately, funnily sufficient), however for followers of the unique or those that by no means performed it, the upcoming remaster is trying like an intriguing prospect.
In the meantime, there’s additionally Harmony, which, admittedly, is trying a lot much less thrilling than most different PlayStation unique video games set to come back out within the coming months. Sony just lately did a full blowout on the sport, and although there’s some components of the sport that look fascinating – together with its Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired setting, for starters – by and enormous, it’s straightforward to see why many appear underwhelmed on the prospect of yet one more 5v5 stay service hero shooter. If you’ve acquired Overwatch fumbling issues as poorly as it’s, Valorant persevering with to go robust, and a promising new competitor developing in Marvel Rivals (to call only a few), how a lot hope does Harmony have of creating a correct foothold and discovering an precise, sizeable viewers? Possibly it isn’t assured to be useless on arrival – you by no means know what might or might not take off, as Helldivers 2 proved earlier this yr itself – however to this point, there isn’t a lot pleasure surrounding the sport’s launch.
And but, there’s nonetheless no scarcity of exclusives to look ahead to for these searching for video games that may’t be discovered on another platform however the PlayStation 5. It wasn’t that way back that many people have been voicing issues about how mild 2024 was searching for the yr when it comes to unique titles (together with yours actually), however slowly and absolutely, the console has constructed up a surprisingly stable lineup of notable upcoming exclusives. They is probably not the blockbuster megatons that we often anticipate from PlayStation, however there’s nonetheless loads to look ahead to and be enthusiastic about.
Be aware: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially signify the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a company.
