Ones To Watch In 2017 – PlayStation 4 First Party Exclusives

When it comes to PS4 exclusives there’s a lot to look forward to from Sony’s first party studios,  and a number of these are set for release in 2017. Don’t expect to see The Last of Us Part II, God of War or Days Gone on this list, as none of these are confirmed for next year despite very much being games to keep an eye on.

When Horizon Zero Dawn was first announced by Guerrilla Games, it was met by a wave of positivity. Here was a game, a brand new IP, that put together robot creatures and a human society that had reverted back millennia, using rudimentary tools to hunt the robots. The world already makes us ask questions regarding what led to humanity’s clock being rewound and what led to the robot creatures that roam the land.

These questions are shared by the protagonist Aloy as she ventures into the world trying to discover the truth while rejecting the mythical tales that the tribes of the land have come up with. There will be a number of creatures to fight and take down, along with quests to complete and people to answer to. Horizon: Zero Dawn looks fantastic in the new Decima Engine that has been created by Guerrilla, too.

We won’t have to wait long for this one, as Horizon: Zero Dawn releases on March 1st 2017 in the UK and Europe.

It has been over three years since Gravity Rush 2 was first announced for PlayStation Vita and even up until the middle of 2015 we weren’t really any the wiser on what was going on. There were fears of cancellation, but soon enough we got confirmation first of Gravity Rush Remastered for PS4 and that Gravity Rush 2 would be a PS4 exclusive, leaving behind the Vita.

Earlier this year a release date for November 30th had been announced as a release date, but just a couple of months later news of a delay hit which pushed Gravity Rush 2 into January 2017, making space for The Last Guardian’s own delay into December. A couple of weeks ago details of the story DLC for Gravity Rush 2 were confirmed, stating that Kat’s partner Raven would have her own story arc. This DLC will be free as a way to apologise for the delay.

Gran Turismo is one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises having graced nearly all of Sony’s consoles since the original Playstation. The only console on which there wasn’t a new Gran Turismo for was the Vita. Gran Turismo Sport was first announced at Paris Games Week in 2015 but it was only half a year later at a dedicated reveal event that we were a release date of November 15th 2016 in America, and November 18th in the UK. Of course this is Gran Turismo we’re talking about, so when news of a delay broke for GT Sport there wasn’t much shock.

Of course this is Gran Turismo we’re talking about, so when news of a delay broke for GT Sport there wasn’t much shock. What was a bit of a shock was that the GT Sport beta that had been announced was basically scrapped with Kazunori Yamauchi stating that Polyphony wouldn’t have time to create one while working on the game. Digital pre-orders were also cancelled following the delay, and there was also confirmation that not all of the game would be playable in VR. Still, it looks really nice.

New Everybody’s Golf or Hot Shots Golf had been announced for the PS4 at Tokyo Game Show in 2015, though the original announcement trailer made it seem like the golfers would be partaking in just more than a bit of golfing. What was confirmed was that players could create their own golfers instead of unlocking premade characters, while the course will be open to explore and you can do things like fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdex5Y1MD04

There will also be a major social element to the game, as when you play online you’ll be able to interact with other players on the course, though how far this interaction goes is unknown. A 2017 release date has been confirmed for Japan but whether that translates to a worldwide release is still unknown.

San Diego Studio continues to work on its MLB The Show franchise, with the 12th entry due out on March 29th. Much like the other games in the series the main meat of the MLB The Show 17 is creating a player and making them good enough to be picked up by a Major League Baseball team. You need to impress in order to be drafted and then make your way up through the Minor league to have a chance at the big time.

Of course, that’s just one mode. Players will also be able to use Dynasty Mode to create a team and compete online, gaining players through new cards and bidding on them in the marketplace. Not only that but there is the option to create your own uniform and logo. Finally there’s Franchise mode where you manage a team and try to guide it to World Series glory. Fail and you’ll get fired.

At PSX 16 one of the surprise announcements was WipEout Omega Collection for PS4, which brings together WipEout HD, WipEout Fury, and WipEout 2048 as a remastered collection. Unfortunately for those who want to experience the game in VR, that wish won’t be granted here. The speeds involved alone would probably reduce the most experienced VR player to their knees, not to mention what happens when you crash into the walls.

The remastered gameplay does look fantastic from the footage released so far, and we’re expecting WipEout Omega Collection in 2017.

We all knew there was a new single player experience coming related to Uncharted 4 in some way, as part of the game’s season pass, and many would have expected it to have something to do with Nathan’s brother Sam and his new adventures with Sully. However Naughty Dog decided to take a different route, bringing the much loved Chloe Frazer back for what would eventually turn into the standalone expansion that is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

This new story puts Chloe in India during a particularly tumultuous period, though which factions are fighting in the battle is hardly clear. The PSX reveal trailer starts off with Chloe disguised wearing a traditional Indian outfit, the shalwar kameez, and trying to sneak through to a meeting point. Things don’t go quite to plan and soon Chloe is fighting with a partner who turns out to be Nadine from Uncharted 4. What we do know is that the events of Lost Legacy take place after A Thief’s End but there isn’t much more information about what has drawn Chloe out and why she is working with Nadine.

That’s a wrap on our Ones to Watch in 2017 feature, but be sure to check out all the previous entries in this series here.