Sony PS4
Which Console Won Q1 2018?
Sony’s PS4 has really come into its own over the past two years, with a software lineup that continues to blossom new and exciting content as well as rekindle affection for past classics. 2018 has continued that beat, and even though we’re only just ticking over into the fourth month of year, there’s already been several highlights.
The big headline, of course, is the Shadow of the Colossus Remake from Bluepoint Studio. The seminal adventure game from Fumito Ueda was updated for PS4, and it proved an astonishingly beautiful experience. Watching Agro gallop across the game’s moody landscape was totally mesmerizing on PS4 Pro, and though the gameplay feels dated at times, it’s still a special experience that everyone should play.
Fans of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch have waited four years for a sequel (six if you count the Japanese release), and they’ll now have felt that it was worth every agonizing day after having played Revenant Kingdom. What a brilliant sequel it is, reinventing the series not only with a new story and characters but a brand new combat system, too, and fresh layers of satisfying new gameplay features like its kingdom building and RTS skirmish battles. As we noted in our review, it’s a standout experience of 2018 so far.
Elsewhere, the PS4 enjoyed a slew of hotly anticipated third-party titles, such as Monster Hunter: World, Kingdom Come Deliverance, and Far Cry 5, all of which reviewed well and performed exceptionally in terms of sales.
The other key takeaway from the first quarter of the year on PS4 has been the pedigree of free game offerings via its online service. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Knack, Bloodborne, and Ratchet and Clank have raised the standards immensely, and it’s completely changed the tune of the gaming community as to Sony’s commitment to delivering “worthy” gaming experiences as part of its online subscription service.
Microsoft Xbox One
Which Console Won Q1 2018?
By comparison, Microsoft’s 2017 certainly didn’t have the same ring to it in terms of software releases, and this year’s lineup doesn’t exactly inspire a great deal of confidence from what’s been confirmed so far, either. What the Xbox One surely needed was to start the year putting its best foot forward, but that hasn’t quite been the case.
Of course, owners of both the vanilla and Xbox One X version of the console will have enjoyed the same third-party releases that have been such a boon on PS4. Monster Hunter might have been marketed first and foremost for Sony’s hardware, but it’s still likely to have been a big hit on Xbox One. Far Cry 5 has also been declared a superior graphical experience on the X by Digital Foundry, too, which will have affirmed the console’s status as the definitive machine for multiplatform titles to its owners.
However, the Xbox One’s big exclusive – and one of the only in its confirmed 2018 lineup – hasn’t impressed as much as Microsoft would surely have hoped. From a commercial perspective, at least according to its claims, Sea of Thieves has been a success. But in terms of it being a critical darling to match the offerings on rival platforms, it’s been woefully under par. In our own review, we felt that in its best moments, Sea of Thieves was a wonderful co-operative experience, but there just wasn’t enough substance to the overall package.
What will have pleased Xbox One owners is that the console’s online service has mostly kept pace with Sony’s with respect to free game offers. In combination with features such as backward compatibility and the attractive value of its new Game Pass program, Microsoft’s pro-consumer decisions have somewhat made up for shortcomings in exclusive software.
Nintendo Switch
Which Console Won Q1 2018?
What a stunning year 2017 was for Nintendo. Its new console, the Switch, flew out of the traps in style with the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and a host of great exclusives. The hybrid hardware has resonated with eastern and western audiences alike, and the library of games has continued to impress. In particular, the Switch is building a fine reputation for itself as a haven for indie games, and the so-called Nindies have helped round out the platform in the face of its sub-par third-party offering – not that we haven’t been impressed by titles like DOOM and Dark Souls Remastered making their way to the platform, mind.
Yet, despite the explosive start to the Nintendo Switch’s lifecycle, there are some slight concerns about its continued momentum this year. 2018 was never likely to be able to match the same pace, and indeed, it hasn’t started with too much in the way of notable new releases.
Save for its lackluster difficulty, Kirby Star Allies was a fun enough experience, especially in co-operative guise. But the year has been more defined by the steady fleshing out of the console’s library with respect to third-party releases. Remasters and ports of games such as Bayonetta, Darkest Dungeon, Owlboy, and Outlast are fast making the Switch a console to own beyond just its major first-party releases. It’s a welcome departure from the Wii U.
On a less positive note, we’re still eagerly anticipating Nintendo’s new online service a full year after launch, which is an upset we can’t help but mention.
So Who Won?
Which Console Won Q1 2018?
2018 so far does look as though it may yet match the lofty heights of last year in the video games industry. We’ve had plenty to enjoy, and there’s even more to look forward to. But if we were to pick a favorite this early in the race, we’d absolutely go with Sony’s PS4.
There’s just no substitute for great games, and Sony continues to secure exclusive rights to outstanding gaming experiences like Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Playing on nostalgia is undoubtedly also working well for the company, as well thought-out and superbly executed remakes like Shadow of the Colossus have raised the standard in terms of what gamers can expect from rereleased classics. And now that Sony is starting to deliver on improving its user experience with better quality freebie games via its online service, the company looks even more solidified in its number one spot.
As for Microsoft and Nintendo, it’s clear that the Big N is still very much on a roll right now, even if the software output has temporarily dried up a little in 2018. While it hasn’t had a major release like Sea of Thieves, the momentum is still with the impressive little hybrid, where the Xbox One still hasn’t hit the exclusive home run that it desperately needs.
Published: Apr 6, 2018 12:22 pm