Top 7 PS4 RPGs Of This Generation

Us gamers have been truly blessed with some absolute quality RPG’s this generation so when I was asked to write a blog on my top 7 favourites, I knew it was going to be hard! So to make it easier for myself, and fair I am going to base my list on games that I have actually played.

Unfortunately, this means that you won’t be seeing any soul like games on my list, because even if they are amazing I simply don’t have the skill, patience or mental strength to play through them and I’m not ashamed to admit it, they take some skill, skill that I don’t have the patience to learn.

These games are games that I have poured my time into over the years, especially again during the recent weeks and months of lockdown and really enjoy playing again! The following list is in no particular order as I think they are all great games and I’m sure you’ll agree with me too.

The Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt

Let’s start off with the most obvious pick as it would be criminal to leave this absolute gem out! The Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt actually took me 3 attempts to become immersed in the Witcher world but once I did, I didn’t want the story to end. It has some of the best-written storylines and characters I’ve ever witnessed in a game with the bloody baron story and character being my personal highlight.

It’s become such a crowning achievement in the industry that when people are looking at other games side quests they ask if its a Witcher 3 quality side quest or below as they were fantastic little stories within themselves that actually felt impactful to the world.

The Outer Worlds

One of my favourite gaming worlds is the Fallout universe and one of my favourite games of ALL TIME is Fallout: New Vegas like many others. So I’m sure that you can understand my excitement about the release of The Outer Worlds. All I want to say is that I was not disappointed. I love the skill points system and how it relates really well with the dialogue system. In one playthrough you can make your character a killing machine who struggles to string a sentence together, then in the next playthrough, you can make your character so smooth that they can talk themselves out of most situations!

The questing in The Outer Worlds is another big highlight of the game for me. It has so many different quests for you to choose and gives you so many impactful decisions to make. There are lots of different types of questing in The Outer Worlds, unlike other games that have the strategy of ‘go there, kill that, come back’ structure that many other games have. One that stood out for me when playing this game was simply going for a drink with one of your companions and offering her relationship advice, they really have given options for you in this one unlike any other.

Divinity: Original Sin II

Divinity: Original Sin II, a tabletop RPG where if you’ve already thought of a wacky solution to resolve a situation or a quest, so have the developers! The sheer number of options you can take, whether they are the right option or not, is absolutely mind-boggling. This trend comes straight from the character creation where you can play characters with pre-defined backstories or create your own which can vary from an undead wizard who can pick locks with their finger or an elven rogue who eats corpses to gain their memories.

The voice acting is also superb, it varies from witty tones to tones of voice that are actually quite moving but then absolutely everything in between! The combat system is deep and again opens itself up to how creative you effectively are. I’ve read so many different stories from fellow gamers of how they beat an extremely difficult enemy by thinking outside the box instead of just brawn.

Horizon Zero Dawn

What happened to the world so that massive mechanical dinosaurs are roaming the earth yet in some ways humans seem to have gone back in time? Horizon Zero Dawn has you asking this question from the moment you press play. Horizon blew everyone away with its setting, the story, graphics and gameplay! It was the complete package on release. Sony in their PS5 unveiling recently announced the sequel too which means now could be the best time to jump back in!

The combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is for me its biggest strength! Each species of mechanical beasts have different weak points. Targeting these points changes the way a fight will play out, instead of just doing more damage. Your main weapon is a bow that you can use a variety of elemental arrows with and you can also use traps such as tripwires to gain the edge in combat.

Persona 5

Potentially the most stylish game on this list is the gorgeous JRPG known as Persona 5. Now I have to admit, I never actually finished this due to how long the game actually takes to complete but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the masterpiece that is Persona 5. This was also my first jump into the series so the setting that every person has a secret persona they keep hidden and you are someone known as a phantom thief who can uncover that persona really intrigued me and makes for a fantastic plot.

The palaces that you explore (which are the game’s dungeons) are my personal highlight as they are beautifully handcrafted and a delight to explore. The game has a turn-based combat system which normally wouldn’t appeal to me but they made it so stylish and the enemies are wonderfully detailed and varied so that it never becomes repetitive.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

When playing Dragon Quest Builders 2, you’ll spend the majority of your time creating little houses, toilet’s, spas, kitchens and everything in between to make everyone in your little kingdom burst with happiness. It’s an absolute delight as the game just oozes charm throughout! You start off the game on a massive island that you need to convert into your kingdom but to do that you need people and resources which starts off your grand adventure to other islands.

Something that did surprise me about Dragon Quest Builders 2 was the people you meet whilst venturing off to these islands. I was expecting them to be quite basic and instantly forgettable but each character I spoke to was very different and spoke to you about their dreams and desires. Since playing the game I can still remember so many of the characters and their personality traits which is why I had to put this in the list!

Darkest Dungeon

Adventuring into dark creepy crypts can be quite stressful, so it’s surprising that in 99% of games where your character is facing creatures that come from deepest bowels of the earth, that they never seem particularly phased! Well, Darkest Dungeons has you covered if you ever wondered about that too! This game is certainly the hardest game on this list for me as every fight is tough and unpredictable, where during battle some of your team can get that stressed that they have an actual heart attack!

Darkest Dungeons is a fantastic game to look at being hand-drawn with an incredibly dark art style, (ironic, I know) where the creatures look genuinely terrifying and deadly. The narration during the game is also done really well and the narrator will often comment during battles. It was a bit of a love/hate relationship for me due to how tough it was but there’s no denying the love and quality that went into creating this game.

And that’s it, that’s my top seven PS4 RPG’s of this generation, I can’t wait for the next! I know that there is still a few more RPG’s set to release before the generation comes to a close and they do look like they’re going to completely blow our socks off like cyberpunk 2077, which I am unbelievably hyped for but as I haven’t had the pleasure to play these games yet, I thought I would reflect back on some of my favourites.

So what’s your favourite RPG of this generation? Let us know on social media: #RPGFavourite