After a successful console launch, PlayStation enters the new year with a lot to look forward to. A couple of iconic PlayStation exclusives return as highly anticipated sequels, and rumored, long-awaited PS5 features may finally become a reality. Conversely, we are talking about PlayStation here, so we can safely assume it won’t meet our expectations on some of these fronts: some plans will outperform while others will be an embarrassment. Here are my predictions.
Success: Sifu
My favorite game at the 2021 State of Play was Sifu, and it continues to impress, quickly becoming one of my most anticipated games of the year. Based on the martial art, Pak Mei Kung Fu, Sifu is a beat-em-up with roguelike elements where the protagonist fights through linear levels with brutal, bone-breaking martial arts that utilize his fists, legs, and any nearby weapon-worthy objects. The twist is that every time the character dies, he reincarnates older than before, their features and movements subjected to age, but, at the same time, their skills are more refined. Nevertheless, the player must restart their journey after the character reaches a certain age, and, therefore, can’t be reborn.
The best thing about Absolver, the developer’s last game, was the hand-to-hand combat, so it makes sense for Sifu to focus on that particular aspect. The developers have the pedigree, and they, apparently, also have the muster. Early impressions are overwhelmingly positive, with praise for both the combat and revival system. Sifu is shaping into one of the best games for the PS5, and it isn’t even a landmark exclusive with Triple-A support. Coming off a dormant passion for roguelikes (thanks to Returnal and Hades) and martial arts action (Cobra Kai), I’m more than pumped for Sifu. Its success is one of the more surefire predictions on this list.
Failure: God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok won’t fail because it is a bad game. It will fail due to unmet hype, unsatisfying story beats, or an unceremonious delay. Before jumping to conclusions, know that I look forward to enjoying God of War 2 and predict it’ll earn a 90 or more on Metacritic. In the sense of critical reception, it will be a success, but, at the same time, many fans will be disappointed in some form or fashion. It’s bound to happen with such an anticipated sequel to an already near-perfect predecessor. I’m basing my estimate on The Last of Us Part 2, an incredible game that was met with disappointment (for some reason, players believe characters do not change).
The hotly anticipated sequel concludes the Norse portion of the God of War story where Atreus and Kratos will probably upset some gods. With Ragnarok being a conclusive game, players are sure to be upset whether Santa Monica does something crazy like have Atreus kill Kratos, or nothing major happens in the story. Additionally, Ragnarok may receive complaints about it being more of the same, as was already the case with the first gameplay trailer. Lastly, it may not even come out in 2022, putting a huge hole in PlayStation’s 2022 release calendar.
Success: Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is in a much better position going into its release than God of War Ragnarok since it does not have the same amount of fan anticipation generated by the first game. Horizon Zero Dawn was a great game, largely due to its enemy design, but it was a little rough around the edges. In other words, it created a perfect foundation for a sequel to build from, correcting the original’s flaws and upgrading what was already great. From what we’ve seen so far, several of the original’s misgivings are indeed getting a tweak, including the traversal mechanics and melee execution.
Horizon Forbidden West has enhanced climbing accessibility by highlighting handholds, allowing players to choose a wider range of options. It also adds classic open-world mechanics to the Horizon lore, such as a grappling hook and a paraglider. Traversal will be a much faster experience compared to the first game where it was limited to a few marked ledges. Secondly, the melee has also been revamped for much more fluid movement and brisk transitions into ranged combat. With these small editions and impressive enemy designs, such as a gigantic robotic serpent, Horizon Forbidden West will surely be an early 2022 success for PlayStation.
Failure: PlayStation Spartacus
Bloomberg released an article teasing a future PlayStation project titled Spartacus, which will combine PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into one platform akin to Xbox Game Pass. As soon as Xbox launched its Netflix of games, eyes turned to Sony for an answer, but they were met with silence. Now, with the success of Game Pass, Sony may finally be developing a competitor, a library of PlayStation games accessed through a monthly subscription. The rumored venture sounds good at first glance, but we have to take Sony’s history into account.
The company has notoriously opposed backward compatibility and is known for some strange business decisions, including the unnecessary hassle of upgrading PS4 games to the PS5. The history does not directly correlate to Project Spartacus, but it does inform us that Sony will probably get something wrong when it launches the platform. I have hope that Spartacus will grow into a handy addition to the PlayStation family, yet it will probably launch with greedy pricing, technical issues, or any other array of problems. Sony will make a big step here, and any new implementation will be fraught with issues. For Spartacus, I specifically foresee complaints that first-party games don’t launch on the platform, issuing in stark contrast to its competitor.
Success: PlayStation VR 2
Sony started its 2022 with the announcement of the PlayStation VR 2, and every detail seems like a big step from the original, well, to be fair, almost anything would be better than the original. PlayStation’s first foray into the virtual reality world was undermined by the headset’s complicated setup, uncomfortable fit, and a lack of system-selling games. The PSVR2 announcement, on the other hand, shows promise by fixing these mistakes and adding new, impressive features.
It has a single cable setup, a vast improvement from the predecessor, even if it isn’t wireless, which would be ideal. It also utilizes eye-tracking and the DualSense controller technology to make gameplay feel easier to control and more immersive. Most importantly, Horizon Call of the Mountain was announced alongside the headset, giving the VR2 ammunition in the form of one of Sony’s best properties. Any new hardware needs exclusive content to merit its asking price, not half-baked, half games. Sony has an extensive list of first-party games, and that library needs to be tapped into for VR, that’s the ultimate selling point. Basically, the PSVR was a trial run, while the PSVR2 is its perfection.
Stay tuned at Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more gaming news.
