The best PS4 games. The best games for two or more players

2016 is set to see two important events for the Japanese console of the current generation: the launch of the PlayStation VR headset and the release of many of the exclusive games fans have been expecting for a long time. It's time to put everything on the shelves.

10. Dreams

The dark horse of the PlayStation VR Starter Kit from Media Molecule. The developers from this studio know perfectly well how to make kind, fabulous games that would remain in the hearts of fans for a long time. But the problem is that Dreams sports such strange mechanics that virtual reality will be absolutely necessary for the gameplay to be truly interesting, and the game becomes something more than an interesting idea. We hope that Media Molecule will not let you down.

Release date: 2016

9.Persona 5

Not entirely exclusive to PlayStation 4 - this Japanese RPG will also be released on the "troika", but still ... Games in this series have always offered to plunge into an interesting world in which social connections between young students are no less important than pumping henchmen or turn-based battles. But then again, the specifics of the Japanese style and the simulation of the life of an ordinary Japanese student (in fact, not so ordinary) can scare many away. For everyone else Persona 5 will be a real long-awaited adventure.

Release date: Q3 2016

8. NieR: Automata

It seems that there are octopuses working at Platinum Games - these Japanese sculpt an exclusive for each console of the current generation at the same time, and one of them is NieR: Automata. The first part was developed by a completely different studio and turned out to be an interesting hodgepodge of different genres - from quests to slashers. Now for NieR the authors of the crazy Metal Gear Rising and Super Speed Vanquish, the main character became an android with proximity swords, and in the soundtrack you can hear almost Olga Yakovleva, who delighted us in the film adaptation Ghost in the shell... The end result is definitely something unusual and bright.

Release date: 2016

7. Ratchet & Clank

It's the heyday of PS2 platformers. O Sly Cooper, Jack & Dexter and Ratchet & Clank does not know unless someone who is completely far from the PlayStation theme. The last game on this list will be significantly rethought and brought into proper form in order to please the fans with familiar heroes again. And also do not forget that the film will be on the screens at the same time. Ratchet & Clank, which will further whet the interest of the audience.

Release date: April 12, 2016

6. RIGS Mechanized Combat League

One of the best games in the PlayStation VR collection and just an interesting competitive shooter. Just imagine, you put on a helmet, pick up a joystick, start the game, and she politely greets you: “welcome to the virtual league”. The idea is great, and PlayStation VR is perfect for simulating the control of a combat robot. Yes, let in RIGS does not have some kind of second bottom, as in Dreams but the great speed and thrill of virtual reality should entice players.

Release date: 2016 (PSVR)

5. Street Fighter 5

And again, not entirely exclusive - the fifth part of the famous fighting game will be released on personal computers. But still the fact is the fact - Street Fighter 5 will not be released on Xbox One, but PlayStation 4 owners will have in their possession not only a deep and complex fighting game in their own style, but also the opportunity to earn money on additional characters by honest victories online. Street fighter 5 they also promise to support it for a full five years, so there is no reason to doubt the success of the new game from Yoshinori Ono and Capcom.

Release date: February 16, 2016

4. Gran Turismo Sport

A legendary game and the most realistic car racing simulator available for mere mortals. For Gran Turismo Sport has announced real championships, with winners set to land on real podiums and deep connectivity to drive the online dimension of the series. Everyone unconditionally believes in the success of this project - Kazunori Yamauchi has never let down, never made his fans regret buying another part Gran turismo... He will not do this even now.

Release date: 2016

3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Drake returns and he urgently needs to kill another regiment of bad guys. Naughty Dog knows a lot about their business, they know how to create a beautiful, effective creation in their own style, which many studios have been trying to repeat for a long time. Uncharted 4 promises to be a top game changer and a flagship game that will push PlayStation 4 sales to new heights. But why only the third place? Let's be honest. Uncharted- still Uncharted and he is unlikely to offer fans something truly new, other than the incredible attention to detail and the coolest scenes in the history of video games. But is that not enough?

Release date: March 18, 2016

2. The Last Guardian

A long-suffering project, whose path to the audience stretches as far back as E3 2009, and development even longer - since 2007. It was postponed, promised to release it, and then simply put it on the back burner. But at the recent E3 Sony made it clear that The Last Guardian is there, it is almost ready, and the legendary Fumito Ueda (by Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) is in place and is still working tirelessly. Doubt that The last guardian will be a revelation, there is, but they are associated rather with a truly gigantic development time, and not with distrust of the developers. But if the stars do show a happy sign, PlayStation 4 owners will get the most original and closest project in spirit to the games of the past.

Release date: 2016

1. Horizon: Zero Dawn

The crowning achievement of Guerrilla Games in its quest to become an exemplary studio. Yes, they released Killzone: Shadowfall, which turned out to be nothing more than the first demonstration of the capabilities of the PlayStation 4. Yes, we are shown the same demo again Horizon for months. But what happens on the screen during this demo looks amazing. All these mechanical dinosaurs, the memory of the main character and the great mystery that surrounds the plot of the game, make you believe, make you wait. Forcing them to give Guerrilla another chance to make the best PlayStation exclusive in history.

Release date: 2016

As you may have noticed, many games that have a chance to come out in 2016 were not included in the top. This and Ni-Oh, and Deep Down, and Let it Die. Also left behind Detroit, Ace Combat 7 (this is at least 2017) and many exclusives that will be released only in Japan. Well, so much the better. The more hope there will be during the year and the more surprises can happen during these 12 months. Isn't this an excellent indicator of success? After all, why else should you buy yourself a console on New Year's holidays, or not wait for cool games and rub your palms in anticipation of pleasant surprises?

As Sony itself says, Greatness awaits.

This year, with the PS4 platform, Sony has consolidated its dominance and smartly expanded its portfolio. A hardware highlight, of course, has become, which has significantly expanded the range of performance of the platform and can make owners of 4K TVs even a little happier.

A somewhat narrower target audience, on the other hand, has a PlayStation VR virtual reality headset, which should really "weaken the anchor" only in 2017. Already announced for him title from Capcom, Resident Evil 7, should be in some sense a necessary doping. Currently, however, PSVR continues to struggle with a shortage of top content. At the same time, many small toys are sold at clearly inflated prices.

In terms of games as such, the past year offered a lot of interesting moments: "" and "The Last Guardian" raised the bar for exclusive titles to a new level. In addition, the cross-platform Final Fantasy 15 and the Game of the Year edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt should also be mentioned.

Exclusive to PlayStation 4: Naughty Dog's hottest game, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, marks the finale of Nathan Drake's successful treasure hunter adventure series. As usual, the iconic Santa Monica-based development company combines in a game at the highest level everything that should be in an action adventure. The plot is fun and constantly motivates to keep playing. The gameplay is focused on the previous parts, but rationally supplemented with new aspects.

In terms of technology, Naughty Dog has also significantly improved, using a modern and very cool graphics engine for the game that matches the capabilities of its platform. The optional multiplayer mode completes the list of the game's advantages.

PS4 Pro owners will be able to enjoy higher resolution images in both solo and multiplayer modes. In addition, objects located in the distance will now be drawn much more clearly. More information about "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" you can get from.

This category contains not only projects that work in full Ultra HD, but also have a "smart" extension to this resolution (upscale). Ratchet & Clank, The One of Us, CoD: Infinite Warfare and FIFA 17 got here. But the remaster of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, despite 4K support, was scolded - the project is already outdated, although it has graphic improvements, and in high resolution it is even more noticeable.

HDR technology

Another important point in the video was support for HDR technology (the standard PS4 also supports), where Sony itself was praised mainly: Ratchet & Clank, The Last of Us, Uncharted 4, inFamous: First Light.

For those with a 1080p display

Almost all PS4 Pro games have FullHD resolution enhancements. These projects were not forgotten either: Rise of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield 1, Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor, Paragon, Titanfall 2. The Assassin's Creed re-editions were scolded - even though the game has native 4K support, on the 1080p display the game runs in normal 1080p without downscaling (reverse scaling of the resolution: from 4K to 1080p with a cleaner image).

November has almost come to an end, 2017 is entering its final stage, goods in elegant New Year's packages are already slowly appearing on store shelves, and in the mailbox, along with ordinary advertising, there are offers from cunning Santa Clauses to wish your hypothetical child a Happy New Year. The end of the calendar period is the time to sum up its results, and our site will not be an exception. We present to your attention a selection of the most notable (high-quality, exciting, interesting, unusual, resonant) games released in 2017 for the Sony PlayStation4.

It is worth noting that the division by genre is rather arbitrary, since, for example, Mass Effect: Andromeda is both a shooter and an action game, and only the laziest developer does not add RPG elements to their games. In addition, the list is not ranked in any way - there is no first or last place, all the games on the list are worthy of mentioning, if only because of the attention that they riveted to themselves in 2017 (yes, Star Wars Battlefront II?). So, let's dive into the world of the most high-profile projects for the Japanese gaming console, released almost last 2017.

The best action / adventure games

Assassin's Creed Origins

The French studio Ubisoft slightly let go of the reins of its frantically racing to the cliff steed named "the series of games Assassin's Creed" and gave its employees to spend on the development of a new part of the adventures of the Order of Assassins two years instead of one. The result is obvious: if earlier it was customary to scold the series for its uniformity and incompleteness, now the number of innovations makes it impossible to doubt that the maximum effort and talent was applied to the development of "Origins". The classic "eagle vision" has sunk into oblivion, now we observe the world from the perspective of a tame eagle, the combat system has undergone numerous changes, which has become more free and flexible, the gameplay has changed, and the views of Hellenistic Egypt have given a new taste to the confrontation between Assassins and Templars.

The plot, as before, develops in the present and the past. In the present, an employee of the Abstergo research department is studying the memories of the last midge of Egypt named Bayek, who became involved in the political intrigues of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Pharaoh Ptolemy.

The world of the Assassin's Creed series has noticeably freshened up, taking all the best from the past parts, throwing away old, boring problems like the same type of side quests or mindless monotonous gathering. Nowadays, side quests can boast of good drama, and Egypt beckons the player to see all the sights of the ancient empire for himself. A controversial decision may seem only that the segment of hunting for wild animals and the subsequent crafting of useful uniforms, but all the necessary components can be bought from merchants, so you can completely refuse fights with crocodiles. Sales of the game were twice as high in the first 10 days than its predecessor with the subtitle Syndicate, and aggregator sites and critics awarded the multiplatform project with a heap of low-key positive reviews.

"Assassin's Creed Origins" is a new step for the series, which all fans of the franchise must appreciate, and ordinary gamers will find this game, at least, worthy of attention.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

The second part of the adventures of the Gondorian ranger Talion and the spirit of the legendary elf blacksmith Kelembrimbor caused a lot of controversy, becoming the object of controversial controversy on the Web. On the one hand, the game developed the mechanics of the previous part, associated with the creation of its own network of orc-captains, and proposed a new mode of siege of forts. On the other hand, she rekindled the fire of hatred with renewed vigor in the hearts of gamers around the world, who were invited to buy in-game characters and equipment for very real money. Yes, the passage "honestly" is not too difficult, but the very fact that the game has the ability to pay in order to easily and naturally pass the storyline campaign is already a rather controversial decision.

The plot develops the story of the previous part: Talion and Celebrimbor (while you write - you will break your fingers) gather an army of loyal orcs to go to war on Barad-Dur, the stronghold of Sauron. The true ending of the story turned out to be hidden behind an additional game segment dedicated only to the siege of fortresses, which also caused multiple outbursts of uncontrollable anger among gamers.

Speaking of positive features, it is worth mentioning the addictive gameplay, the Nemesis system that has reached a new level, thanks to which it is possible to watch the progress of the orc captains along the career ladder, as well as the dynamic combat system. Many critics and players reacted negatively to the mechanics of loot boxes and microtransactions, as well as to the general rehearsal of the gameplay. The game is a must for all connoisseurs of the world of Middle-earth and just good action projects.

For honor

The multiplayer multiplatform slasher became an object of observation for the entire gaming community immediately after the announcement. The gameplay promised to be fun, the brutal world of For Honor looked fresh in terms of design, and the overall harshness and brutality of the storyline in the single-player campaign gave the whole action a flavor of good entertainment for the most testosterone-rich organisms. Have the promises been fulfilled? In general, yes.

The setting of the game imagines a world after a terrible disaster, in which the only surviving factions (Samurai, Knights and Vikings) are forced to fight each other for resources and territory. In the story campaign, it turns out that a mysterious bloodthirsty commander named Apollyon is keeping the flame of war in their hearts, who believes that truly strong people are born only in the crucible of war. But singleplayer in For Honor is not the main thing, the main thing is multiplayer battles that take place in several modes on different maps. This is where the game is fully revealed. Players are measured by tactical skill, reaction, ability to correctly choose the direction and moment to strike. The standard button mash will not work here - only cold calculation and reaction. The situation was spoiled by a modification that hit the network some time after the release, offering players automatic blocking of strikes, but we will not even consider such dishonorable methods of struggle in this article.

For Honor has had excellent sales, becoming the top-selling game of the month of release in the US and UK. As disadvantages, many players mention the microtransaction system, inconvenient and cumbersome menus and dialog boxes, as well as a high threshold for entering the game. However, if you overcome all the initial difficulties, "For Honor" will open the gamer to a rich world of excellent combat gameplay.

Hellblade: Senua "s Sacrifice

British game makers from Ninja Theory in 2014 at the Gamescom conference surprised the whole world by announcing their future project as an indie AAA game. This means that the developers set out to create Senua's Sacrifice with their own money, but at the same time predicted a place in the first echelon of the global industry for their game. the player, in whose hands the control of the main character, the warrior of the people of the Pictish Senua, fell. She went to battle with the mistress of the kingdom of the dead, hoping in this way to resurrect her lover, whose head she carries with her for this.

The design of the game was based on the madness of the main character. Senua goes crazy, and we look at the world through her eyes. A specially invited consultant psychoanalyst helped the developers create the feeling of being completely immersed in Senua's unhealthy mind for the player. The main character is, in fact, the only character in the game endowed with personality, and the plot is presented in the form of flashbacks and visions. The gameplay is addictive, offering the player to create long chains of strikes from simple actions, thus forming a very flexible and varied combat mechanics.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a must-try for anyone tired of standard moves in storytelling or gameplay organization, and is a breath of fresh air in the global industry that is strongly discouraged.

NieR: Automata

Finally, Japanese development has appeared in our selection of games for the Japanese console! We meet with thunderous applause for the most Japanese action game of 2017!

The plot tells about a bleak post-apocalyptic future, in which robots took over the Earth, and mankind has to huddle on the Moon, occasionally sending androids to their home planet to overthrow the power of inorganic conquerors. The history of this work is non-linear and can come, depending on the actions of the player, to different endings. The gameplay is a fairly typical, but incredibly driving slasher, in which the user will have to combine fast and weak attacks with slow and powerful ones, as well as various types of weapons.

The gaming press and the community were generally satisfied with the game, celebrating the mesmerizing world of the game, created not only with the help of the script, but also thanks to the memorable melancholic music and stylish visuals. Among the shortcomings were technical problems and the disproportionate level of difficulty (easy is too simple, and heavy is too difficult).

NieR: Automata is an original and incredibly stylish game that can interest even the most sophisticated gamer, give him a lot of new experiences and dozens of hours of addicting gameplay.

Best Shooter Games

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Created under the strict guidance of Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames' monstrously brutal adrenaline-fueled shooter takes the player back to the battlefields of an alternate future in which the Nazis conquered the world. In the person of the brave soldier BJ Blaskowitz, we have to stand at the head of the revolutionary movement and settle scores with old enemies: Mrs. Frau Engel and Adolf Hitler himself. All this will have to be done with the help of a small set of weapons, which, which is gratifying, can be combined and improved in a variety of ways, creating your own deadly arsenal.

The plot, as in the first part, is served on the scale of a Hollywood action movie, and the gameplay is still a crystal clear first-person shooter in which you do not need to look for an incredibly deep plot or philosophical subtext, this is an insanely bright drive madness, to be in which is very nice for a few hours.

The audience warmly accepted the game, appreciating the addictive gameplay, the general “coolness” of everything that happens and the solid plot frame. Among the negative features of the project are usually boring level design and a small arsenal of weapons of the protagonist. However, all the positive qualities easily overshadow all the bad features of the project.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is in the best possible sense a cool Hollywood blockbuster with cannons, mechanical dogs, Nazi military bases on the moon and hordes of enemies spilling out of all cracks. The most brutal fun of the year - this is the most accurate definition of this game.

Destiny 2

Sci-fi multiplayer shooter once again sends the player to roam the galaxy, exploring the unknown world of endless space. The plot continues the story of the original "Destiny": the Red Legion is victorious, the Guardians are forced to flee, leaving all the treasures of their order. From now on, the main motive for the actions of the protagonist and his comrades will be the return of the lost house.

The gameplay is still a fusion of the first-person shooter, RPG and MMO genres. Joint passage - one of the main "highlights" of the series, without which the game seems no longer so interesting and original. From the MMO roots of the project, the project inherited the differences between PvP and PvE gameplay, as well as a class system that offers users a wider scope for team interactions.

The Destiny 2 release was well received. Many players noted that the shortcomings of the first part are being corrected, the gameplay is becoming more interesting and addictive. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that the game showed excellent sales, having sold more than fifty thousand in the first week in Japan, as well as in one of the weeks having come out on top in popularity in the UK.

Destiny 2 is a huge open world that delights explorers and discoverers. The distant cosmos is calling its pilgrims, and there is no greater foolishness than resisting this call.

Prey

What would have happened if Kennedy had not been shot, increased the power of financial investments in the space program, made friends for a while with the Soviet Union, created together a military base in the orbit of the Moon to repel alien attacks, and then used for experiments on these very aliens? It would make a great game, that's what!

"Prey" is a reboot of the game developed in 2006 by the American company 3D Realms. The sequel, "Prey 2", was planned for 2008, but due to numerous problems during development, including the transfer of intellectual rights to the infamous Bethesda Softworks, it never came out on time. Finally, after 11 years, the series finally got hold of a new game, albeit a rethinking of the previous creation.

The player controls the main character named Morgan Yu, who is offered to become a part of the research project of the TranStar company at the Talos 1 station. The company is studying the aliens who attacked the earthlings many years ago, the typhons. TranStar developments are very popular on Earth, as they allow humans to acquire the abilities of aliens. The station is again attacked and the main character will have to fight the aliens, use their abilities, interact with other survivors, bringing one of the endings of the game closer by his actions.

"Prey" was very well received by the players and the professional press. The authors of most of the reviews praised the game for its fresh look at the genre and non-linearity of the passage. The project is worthy of the attention of connoisseurs of shooters and science fiction, who will be surprised by its unusual gameplay and unexpected ending.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands

From the depths of distant space we return to the mortal Earth, on which everything is not too rosy: Bolivian drug cartels have actually declared themselves the masters of the country and rob and kill the local population without any hesitation. To rectify the situation, a detachment of American soldiers, codenamed "Ghosts", is sent to bring freedom to this harsh land. This is exactly the plot of the new brainchild of French developers from Ubisoft "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands".

For the first time, a tactical shooter is chosen to the free world, inviting the player, alone or together with partners, to explore the jungle and mountains of the mysterious Latin American country, sowing happiness and democracy on its way. The game does not require the exact implementation of some "ideal" plan for completing the task, but, on the contrary, encourages to show all the creativity. Each mission can be completed both in stealth mode, and simply by smashing the enemy base to hell. The only pity is that the tasks themselves do not shine with originality, and the management of vehicles leaves much to be desired. Separately, it is worth noting the gorgeous recreated picturesque landscapes of Bolivia and the opportunity to communicate and friendship with the NPC.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is one of the best tactical shooters in 2017 that every fan of the genre should try, especially if there is an opportunity to play the game with friends.

Star Wars: Battlefront II

And again into space. More precisely, to a distant, distant galaxy, where a new dark force called the "First Order" is slowly growing on the fragments of the defeated Empire. The story of the single-player campaign serves as a bridge between the classic Star Wars trilogy and the seventh episode of the Force Awakens saga. Together with the main character of the game, we will observe how the new antiheroes of the popular franchise were gaining power.

But, if we ignore the thoughts that something epochal and incredibly important for the history of the fictional world is unfolding before our eyes, it becomes noticeable that in a singleplayer the game is not the most fun show, there are few interesting finds in it, but those that are - worth looking for in multiplayer.

But even there EA DICE managed to screw it up: the microtransaction system mentioned above made it to the universe of Luke Scauker and Darth Vader. Moreover, if in the already mentioned "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" purchases for real money could just somewhat facilitate the passage, then in the brainchild of Electronic Arts to unlock most of the characters without pouring real money, it will take more than 40 hours of gameplay. Long, dull monotonous grind, if you know what I mean. As you know, the developer's attempts to make money on an already sold game greatly hinder buyers from sensibly evaluating the presented product. As in this case: after the scandal over microtransactions, in which even Disney was forced to intervene, no one noticed a good colorful team shooter that immerses us in the atmosphere of such a dear Star Wars world. However, EA itself is to blame in this case.

It is not known how the conflict between the gaming community and the developers of Star Wars: Battlefront II will end, so far the creators have only lowered the cost of unlocking some characters, but as soon as it becomes clear that common sense has prevailed, all fans of the saga are advised to pay attention to the game described above and plunge into the boiling cauldron of galactic battles.

The best RPG games

Horizon zero dawn

In the future, which the Dutch from Guerrilla Games invited the players to contemplate, the Earth was captured by intelligent animal-like robots, and mankind fell back to the settings of the primitive era, now hunting, however, electric giants. A rogue huntress named Aloy, under the control of the player, explores this living free world, hunts mechanical animals, tames them, learns the subtleties of the clan structure of society and comprehends the secrets of past civilizations.

The developers, formerly famous for the creation of the Killzone series of games, did their best and created for the players a whole world that is interesting to explore, filled with well-written heroes and dangerous steel monsters. It is not for nothing that after the release, the Polish magicians from CD Projekt RED congratulated the Dutch on Twitter on their success, and the specialized media scattered in admiring tirades. The game showed excellent sales, becoming the best-selling game in the UK, and ranked second in terms of downloads worldwide after the action movie For Honor.

"Horizon Zero Dawn" can be safely called one of the most important console projects in recent years. The game has earned such a title for its reverent attitude to details, a well-developed world, an unusual setting, an exciting plot and addictive gameplay.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Tremble, champions of tolerance and highly moral plots, fight in fits of frenzied anger, Puritans and God-fearing citizens, throw yourself at the screen with everything that comes to hand, haters of humor about flatulence and other signs of human life. The most politically incorrect, funny, inventive and hilariously resourceful game based on the famous animated series "South Park: The Fractured But Whole" by Trey Parker and Matt Stone has been released. And she's good.

What is good about it? First of all, with humor. To begin with, the difficulty level is directly related to the skin color of the character you create: the darker the boy (or girly), the more difficult it will be for you in the game world. If this is not a great joke, then Jimmy Volmer would not have taken you to the jury of his comic prize. The new setting is also pleasant: now fourth-graders are not playing knights and elves, but superheroes, along the way I make fun of the entire culture of American superheroics. The combat system has changed, becoming more dynamic and diverse, a crafting system has appeared, a system of social interaction through the local analogue of Instagram.

The plot of the game starts in the same place where the events of the "Stick of Truth" ended. While the children are enthusiastically playing the taking of the bastion, Cartman rushes into the center of the battle in a Raccoon suit and talks about the need to take the path of defending justice. Fourth graders immediately drop wooden swords and don their superhero costumes to decide whose franchise will make the most money.

The Fractured But Whole was well received by critics and audiences. The main advantage of the game was unanimously called the trademark humor of the original series, the revised combat system and the farcical, but very exciting plot. Among the negative features of the Ubisoft San Francisco project, intermittent technical problems were mentioned.

The new game from the South Park series is replete with jokes about homosexuals, intestinal gases, current trends in American society and world problems. But behind the screen of another very long series of "South Park" is a fairly strong tactical RPG, behind the battles in which it is not a shame to sit for several tens of hours.

Elex

There has been a joke on the Internet for a long time about the fact that German developers from Piranha Bytes do not know how to release anything but Gothic. All their subsequent projects are the same "Gothic" but in new decorations. A new brainchild of the German company, Elex, will try to challenge this statement.

The first distinguishing feature of the new project "piranhas" from the previous ones is the setting. From the classic early Middle Ages, we are thrown into the distant future on the planet Magalan, a smaller twin brother of the Earth, which suffered a terrible catastrophe when a meteorite fell to the surface of the planet, bringing with it the mysterious substance Eleks. This substance can start cars, serve as fuel or a catalyst for magical abilities, depending on which clan living on Magalan uses Elex. Our hero is finally not nameless. Now he has a name, and even a backstory. He is an exile from the Alb clan, now he has to avenge the defiled name and join the ranks of the new community.

The plot, by tradition, is linear and immense. Each of the clans will be happy to give you a long chain of quests, sooner or later leading your hero to the top of the hierarchical system. The gameplay is based on the simultaneous existence of knives, firearms and magic in the world. What exactly your hero will use depends, again, on the chosen clan.

"Elex" will suit all connoisseurs of the genre, whose representatives traditionally do not favor consoles too much. An interesting and lively world, unusual gameplay and complete freedom of choice - these are the main reasons for buying this game.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

The Canadians from BioWare, responsible for the great trilogy about interspecies romance and the salvation of the galaxy "Mass Effect", at the start of the development of "Andromeda" in 2012 asked fans of the series: what they would like to see in the new part. Most of the fans expressed the opinion that it would be interesting for them to look at a completely new galaxy, new heroes and new worlds available for exploring. The development of the fourth part of the epoch-making franchise took this course.

In an attempt to find a new home for intelligent races, the galactic council decides to send a research team to the Andromeda galaxy, which will have to find the planets suitable for life for each of the races. After a while, we learn that this was done for fear of not coping with the invasion of the Reapers from the original trilogy. In the new galaxy, the Ryder family, which the player takes control of, is engaged in the fulfillment of the assigned task, along the way getting to know partners and new races.

A good start for the new part was given, the expectations were very optimistic, but the news that came from the camp of the game developers did not leave any chances for a positive outcome. The development of the game was taken up by the BioWare Montreal studio, which could not boast of a rich experience of working on large projects. The first promo materials immediately became memes, as the facial animation of most of the characters was beyond good and evil. Subsequent amendments made the situation less acute, but the feeling of the Mass Effect fans remained.

Andromeda's gameplay is a mixture of old mechanics and new finds. We, as in the previous parts, control the spaceship, giving commands from the captain's bridge, explore the surfaces of the planets on our own two feet or on a special transport. The battles have undergone a serious rework, now they have become more complex than the standard "cover and roll" system, forcing the player to look for a more flexible and active strategy.

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" had all the chances to be a huge failure, but did not become one, as well as a worthy successor to the ideas of the original trilogy. Successful innovations coexist with frankly strange ideas, and a new galaxy available for research does not always overshadow the character's entire dialogue with a silly smile. Fans of the series will love the spirit of exploration, ordinary gamers are dynamic battles, but that feeling of space adventure that was in the previous parts, here, alas, cannot be found.

Absolver

Imagine a wild mix of MMOs, RPGs, adventure games and martial arts of all styles and characters. Combine all this with a simple yet pleasing visual style and an original universe. The result of these tricky calculations will be "Absolver", one of the most unusual games of almost the past year.

The main character, under the control of the player, undergoes a special ceremony, putting on a mask and becoming Prospectus, a member of the fighting squads fighting to maintain order in the Adal Empire. Avenues roam the endless world, gaining experience, improving their own skills and equipment, preparing for serious battles with monsters in dungeons (PvE) or with each other in special arenas (PvP). The plot of the game fits into a few lines, but he is not the main one here, the main one here is action. The combat system "Absolver" is slightly reminiscent of that of For Honor - the direction of strikes and blocks, the choice of the fighting style, the exact calculation of the time of parries and counterattacks. The main difference is that the battles here are less tied to weapons, and, therefore, more dynamic. The combat system in the game is unique in its diversity: in a special combat set, you can create your own combinations of attacks, fighting styles or using weapons. Thanks to such a system, each duel in the game is a field for countless experiments with combat techniques.

It is worth trying "Absolver" if only for the sake of realizing a childhood dream - to prove to everyone that your kung fu is the coolest.

Best Horror Games

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

The Japanese developer Capcom has quite strongly changed the course of the development of the new game of the famous series - from more action and shooting in the fifth and sixth parts, to a more intimate and creepy survival horror gameplay, with its meditative and unhurried storyline progression. How successful such a change of course turned out to be is for us to figure out.

The protagonist of the seventh part of "Resident Evil" Ethan, in search of his missing wife, accidentally wanders into an abandoned mansion, in which, to the trouble of the protagonist, lived a family of cannibals. Now Ethan has to hide, explore the house and try to unravel the many secrets that keep the creepy estate.

Critics received the game quite warmly, finding it very similar to the very first part, when running and shooting had not become too much, and solving riddles and battles with incredibly strong bosses compared to the main character were the main aspects of the game. Many players, nevertheless, noted that the final of the game is noticeably losing to its very beginning, probably, it was completed in a hurry. Despite this, "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" gave fans of the genre a new take on the franchise, which horror fans absolutely loved.

The Evil Within 2

The sequel to the successful horror project from the Japanese studio Tango Gameworks continues the traditions of its predecessor. Before us is again an excellent example of the genre of survival horror, where we again have to sneak past enemies, trying to preserve our life and mental health for as long as possible.

The game's plot continues the story of the original. Three years after the events of "The Evil Within," the protagonist of the franchise, detective Sebastian Castellanos, still cannot forgive himself for the death of his daughter Lily. During the next visit to the bar, the representative of the Mobius organization Julia reveals a terrible secret to the protagonist. He says that Sebastian's daughter is alive, but is hostage to a terrible nightmare world called Union. Of course, the detective rushes to the aid of his daughter, agreeing to solve several Moebius problems along the way.

Like the previous part, the sequel will make the player shy away from every rustle, hide and sneak so as not to catch the eye of local monsters, and develop their own skills to increase the chances of survival in the unfriendly world of Union. In addition, as a tribute to fashion, the game has a crafting system that allows you to create and upgrade the main character's equipment.

Like the original, The Evil Within 2 is a great game for anyone who thinks their nerves need extra testing and their brains a dose of mysterious new mysteries.

Outlast 2

Yes, survival horror has definitely become the main horror genre in the gaming industry today. Tired of the abundance of shooting and battles with all kinds of monsters, the player wanted to feel powerless in the face of evil and got what he wanted. The protagonist of the Outlast series of games is completely incapable of repelling his pursuers, from which he can either flee or hide. The only ally of the protagonist is his camera, which allows you to see in the dark and eavesdrop on distant conversations using a microphone. But the battery charge does not last forever, and finding new ones is still a task. As always, the camera will sit down at the most inconvenient moment, leaving the player alone with horror.

Outlast 2 follows the journalist Blake Langermann, who is forced to seek his wife in a settlement ruled by religious fanatics under the leadership of the preacher Sullivan Noth. The "Holy Father" declares the heroes to be the servants of Satan, which forces the entire district to hunt for the protagonist. In addition to the faithful video camera, new techniques come to Blake's aid: sliding and crawling, which should help him flee from pursuers.

The game received moderately positive feedback from players and the press. Most experts noted the eerie atmosphere, frightening design and painstaking work with sound, while the weak design of the levels, the specific system of placing enemies on the map and the general monotony of the gameplay were called the disadvantages of the project. Either way, a skillfully crafted atmosphere of despair and hopelessness can impress those looking to tickle their nerves.

Friday the 13th: The Game

From single-player horror games created by large studios, we are moving on to the multiplayer indie project of the American studio IllFonic. The scene for the creepy action was the territory of the fictional camp "Crystal Lake", where the events of the film franchise of the same name took place.

The gameplay is asymmetric multiplayer, in which one of the players, chosen at random, takes on the role of the maniac Jason, and the rest - the role of counselors who will either escape or become new victims of the famous killer.

The atmosphere of the game, the meticulous approach of the creators to the recreation of the legendary camp, as well as the concept of the project itself, were highly appreciated by players around the world. The development of the game is hampered by an abundance of technical problems, constant problems with servers and a general feeling of incompleteness. Probably, the further situation will be corrected by the upcoming patches, so it is premature to write off the simulator of a maniac called "Friday the 13th: The Game".

Little nightmares

From the most realistic, but somewhat of the same type of horror, we move on to a slightly fabulous, like a puppet platformer from the Swedish Tarsier Studios. Some of the creepy stories are based on the population, others on lust, and still on madness, and the piece in this text sees Hunger as its main theme.

The player controls a little girl in a yellow raincoat named Sixth, of which she only has a lighter of useful devices. The girl has to find a way from the lowest levels of the creepy ship called "The Womb" to freedom. The ship runs between worlds, and as guests, various monsters gather on it, the main interest on the "Womb" for which is meat. The main character is also no stranger to the desire to eat something, but her bouts of hunger are a terrible primal instinct that cannot be resisted, and by the end of the game you are already more afraid of him than the most disgusting visitors to the "Womb".

Little Nightmares provokes the player to learn from their mistakes and not look for clues, they are not there anyway. Many of those who had a chance to try the debut project of the Swedish studio noted that the game makes them feel genuine joy when a difficult puzzle is solved, and the path is open further. In addition, the brainchild of Tarsier Studios offers an absolutely unforgettable visual style, eerie but interesting characters and an unusual frightening storyline. All these components together create a sense of sleep in the player, in which horror intertwines with harmless leads, creating a crazy, but eerily fascinating story.

The best games for two or more players

FIFA 18

There must be something stable in the world. Like the sun that rises every morning in the east. Like a sandwich that always falls buttered down. Like a bus that pulls up to a stop the moment you decide to walk. Like another game in the EA Sports FIFA series of football simulations, coming out in the fall. The latter fact is especially gratifying for those who love, handing the second joystick to a friend, to prove that his favorite team is so-so.

Canadian developers have updated the artificial intelligence system, now each team will choose the most suitable tactics for themselves, and the players will act close to how their real prototypes are used to playing. The approach to demonstrating fans in the stands has changed: now these are full-fledged models that express emotions and can even take part in the celebration of a goal together with the players. Also added specific sickness styles for each club. For example, at the matches of Latin American teams, you can see tapes of toilet paper stretched across the entire sector to the very field (such a tradition).

For the first time in the FIFA series, the Russian national team was officially licensed. A fact that deserves special mention.

FIFA 18 offers the player a standard set of improvements that are loudly announced each year prior to release: ball physics improvements, artificial intelligence improvements, new licensed players and stadiums. Nothing special, of course, is changing, but the football simulator from Canadian developers has practically no serious competitors, except, perhaps, one ...

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018

Like heaven and hell, like Cain and Abel, like Chuk and Huck, the main football simulators of our time are inseparable in any such rating: FIFA and PES, as it is commonly called for short.

The soccer simulator from the Japanese studio Konami Digital Entertainment has its fans, for whom "Pro Evolution Soccer" is by far the best soccer simulator in the world. In favor of the Japanese is the fact that their game is more like real football, where tactics, competent transmissions and collective selection rule the ball, and not throws and feints, as in the work of a Canadian competitor. Of the unfortunate moments, the most important seems to be a cosmetic, but still very important element of the game: real football clubs and players. Savvy Canadians quickly license most of the world's leagues, while the creators of PES are forced to settle for licenses for individual clubs. It would seem a trifle, but it is much more pleasant when you have the opportunity to play for an absolutely specific Manchester City, and not an abstract Manchester Blue.

Nevertheless, the creators promise to show the world a redesigned ball touch system, multiplayer modes and an updated design. Thus, fans of "real" football on consoles have something to play with a friend.

NBA 2K18

The main basketball simulator of the most popular league in the world, developed by Visual Concepts with the support of the publisher 2K Sports, as well as its football counterpart, rolls out a new part to players every fall, spicing up the release with several point improvements, new game modes and the main feature of recent seasons - a cinematic career mode player MyCareer.

The last mentioned mode is not too important in the conditions of this collection, which presents projects that are best suited for the simultaneous play of two or more players on one console, but it cannot be ignored. In MyCareer mode, the user controls a young player created specifically for this mode, whom he controls both on the court during matches and in out-of-game activities, attending training sessions or chatting with teammates.

Remembering the above-described confrontation between FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer, I would like to find a competitor for NBA 2K18, but this simply does not exist in nature. We can only be glad that in such an unbeatable environment, Visual Concepts and 2K Sports still improve their game every year, making each next version a little better than the previous one. This level of responsibility simply cannot be left unmentioned.

Injustice 2

To dilute our company of sports simulators in this collection is intended to be one of the most notable fighting games of recent years, namely Injustice 2. The brainchild of the main connoisseurs of good fighting in video games, NetherRealm Studios, was announced on June 8, 2016, and the release took place on May 16, 2017.

One of the heads of the studio and, concurrently, the creator of the most famous fighting game franchise studio Mortal Kombat said in an interview that he plans to integrate elements of RPG and action games into the new part of the superhero series. One of the results of this interaction is the Gear System, which allows the characters in the game to find various pieces of equipment that increase certain characteristics. This innovation should appeal to both longtime connoisseurs of the genre, who should like the variety of tactics, and new players, who will appreciate the abundance of visual customization. Contrary to expectations, hardcore gamers did not appreciate the move with the equipment, accusing NetherRealm Studios of trying to get hold of the boring microtransactions.

In addition to the classic mode in games of this genre, "beat the one who stands in front of you", Injustice 2 also has a storyline campaign that tells the story of the struggle between Superman, who went mad from the loss of Lois, with Batman. The first decides to establish a dictatorship so that such a tragedy will never happen again, and the second is fighting for the freedom of the common people. In parallel with this, the villain Brainiac is approaching the planet Earth, who hopes to destroy and consume our world.

"Injustice 2" is an ideal game for a party or friendly get-togethers, because there is nothing more fun than choosing a tough hero in tights and punching each other in the muzzles.

Gran Turismo Sport

The thirteenth game in the renowned Polyphony Digital racing series was the first to make it to the PlayStation 4. The classic simulator is ready to please both time-tested racing veterans, for whom the "Sports Mode" is prepared, where the car behaves as close as possible to how it happens in real life, and beginners who will like Arcade Mode, where the controls are simpler and the gameplay is less stressful.

The game was announced by the developers in 2015 at Paris Games Week, and was released on October 17, receiving positive reviews from critics and the specialized press. In their reviews, they called the game "the cohesive, most focused and enjoyable studio work since Gran Turismo 3," and "visually luxurious" and "well-crafted." The reviews also noted the changed course of the series towards online competitions, and as not the most successful innovation, they recalled the need to have an active Internet connection all the time in the game, otherwise most of the content will not be available and the saves are disabled.

Separately, I would like to note the not a large number of available tracks for the race, however, variations in climatic conditions are designed to diversify the not too wide set of tracks, which can change both in live format and set by the player. It is worth mentioning that the creators have abandoned the implementation of the principle of "free world", which is extremely popular today, in favor of a greater focus on recreating the sensations of driving real cars. And, it seems, they did it for a reason: the game does not get distracted by useless little things, concentrating on breakneck speeds and sharp turns - everything for which the Gran Turismo series is loved by players around the world.

Video review of the best games of 2017