First Impressions | Playstation 4, EA Sports UFC & The Evil Within

I’ve finally done it – I’ve made the leap to the next generation of video-games! This past Friday, my Playstation 4 arrived and… it’s different. In both good ways and bad if I’m being totally honest, but we’ll come to that. It’s taken some time to adjust from the layout of the Playstation 3 (I still own mine and it sits on the other side of the television, connected and everything), but all in all, I reckon I’ve made a wise investment. I managed to snag The Evil Within and EA Sports UFC games too, so I’ll be going into some detail on my impressions of these games, and future titles I’m looking forward to. Let’s do this!

The Console

Right off the bat, I have to mention that there is far more integration with social media with the PS4, which is a pretty cool aspect for yours truly. Being so active on Facebook and Twitter, being able to share gameplay videos is awesome - the PS4 records the last 15 minutes of your playthroughs automatically and stores them on the hard drive. From there, you can then edit the length and upload it direct to Facebook to share with your friends and public alike. I already had a blast with this feature when I accidentally glitched one of the boss battles from The Evil Within, essentially breaking the game. My reaction and everything was caught through the microphone of my headphones (which you can conveniently plug into the bottom of your PS4 controller). There is also the facility to use both Twitch and UStream, allowing players to share their playthroughs with others in real time. I've also used this feature a handful of times which has always been highly entertaining. Thumbs up from me in this department.

The main interface of the PS4 is much more streamlined which isn't too much of a surprise, but took some getting used to. Instead of 6/7 options to select from like the PS3 (Settings, Photos, Game, Video, Network etc.) the main menu displays your latest games played, and an update of what your friends have been up to. Your latest activity is also shown here, and it all ties in with the above social media integration. Finding a movie I downloaded over the weekend (it was Oblivion starring Tom Cruise for those who were wondering, which I may review at some point) proved more difficult, until I found the "My Library" section. However, instead of segregating movies and games like the PS3, everything is lumped in here which I have mixed feelings on. On the one hand, it's tidy in the fact that it keeps everything in one place, but part of me wishes I could separate my movies and games.

Speaking of movies, one of my major gripes with the PS4 is that there isn't, to date, any way to copy videos from a USB to the hard drive. Any movies to be watched must be from the PSN/Video Unlimited Service, or the apps included such as Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer etc. (though annoyingly, no YouTube as of yet which stuns me). This frustrates me as I have a ton of videos that I was hoping to copy over from the PS3, so it just furthers my decision to keep the console. I hear this is an issue they are planning to fix with an update, but it shocks me that it's a feature that wasn't included in the first place. Also, as a guy who visits the YouTube app daily on my PS3, I'm stunned the app wasn't available from launch day on the PS4.

This brings me onto another gripe with the console - the internet browser. Now, I know there are people out there who will argue that if you want to use the internet, use a laptop/PC. Fair arguement, but how is it that my Sony Xperia phone has a perfect web browser (it's Google Chrome, but even still!), while the built in PS4 browser is slow, sluggish and just awful. It's actually worse than the browser included with the PS3 which is just unacceptable. I doubt the browser will ever see an update in the future, which is a damn shame, as it was something I hoped Sony would improve on with the next generation.

Other than those issues however, the console itself is excellent. It feels far lighter than it looks, it's streamlined in design even more so than the PS3, and it hardly makes any sound whilst running. It feels high-tech, new and exciting, at least to me anyway. The Playstation Network has been running excellent, and the PS Store is so much easier to navigate (it was an absolute nightmare on the PS3!). The controller feels new yet reminds me of the normal Playstation controller I've come to know and love - though I'm still getting to grips with a lack of Start and Select buttons!

Overall, I'm very happy with the Playstation 4. There's room for improvement which hopefully Sony will address with updates to the software sooner rather than later, but for now, I'm satisfied. Good job!

EA Sports UFC

I knew from the very first trailer for this game that this would be one of the first I would pick up when I eventually bought a PS4. Knowing it was a next-gen exclusive meant that the graphics were going to be excellent and... yeah, they are pretty spectacular. The presentation is fantastic, it feels as close to a real UFC simulation as you could possibly wish for with the technology available today.

EA Sports have gone the whole hog, with a huge list of fighters to choose from, including one of my heroes Bruce Lee! There are a number of awesome tracks to choose from for your created fighter (seeing AWOLNATION and Imagine Dragons for selectable entrance music was a highlight for sure!), and the game is crisp as anything. From the entrances of the fighters, to Bruce Buffer's introductions, no detail has been left out. EA did their homework, and it shows.

The My Career mode has been really fun and engaging so far, with you taking a custom created fighter from The Ultimate Fighter competition to earn a UFC contract, all the way to championship glory and beyond. I will admit the training sections can get a little repetitive, but it's broken up by your updating your characters attributes, moves, fight plans, not to mention negotiating sponsorships and updating your ring gear accordingly. Another neat touch is UFC fighters and even UFC head-honcho Dana White contacting your direct about upcoming fights, or to offer words of wisdom and support. The game allows you to immerse yourself into the crazy and action-filled world of UFC, and it's a damn fun experience.

The gameplay has been really enjoyable to, with each fight feeling different than the last. Your strategy for each fight changes depending on their strengths and weaknesses (as well as your own!) so preperation is key. Each fight is important in your career - after suffering my first loss after coming off of winning The Ultimate Fighter, I was genuinely upset about the blemish on my record. Since then, I've gone on to plough through the Middleweight division, and am now on 13 match winning streak, with 9 of those wins coming by knockout. I'm now the UFC Middleweight Champion, and look forward to defending the gold. Luckily, the fights I've had haven't been too taxing on my fighters career, so retirement and the Hall of Fame won't be coming along any time soon.

If you're a fan of UFC, you need to own this game. It's really that simple. For anyone with an interest in UFC, this game may springboard to people checking the sport out of themselves. That is the sign of a game that has been crafted with care and attention, with the end result being one hell of a good time. Definitely recommended.

The Evil Within 

Where to begin with The Evil Within...

I first saw the trailer for this horror gem in April 2013, and it immediately sparked my interest. As a fan of franchises such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, this game seemed right up my street. I just hoped that the developers and producers in charge of the game would wind up putting out a satisfying game. Low and behold, I soon found out that Shinji Mikami, the brains behind the original Resident Evil games (1, 2, 3, Code Veronica, 4, and the Gamecube remake of the original were all directed by Mikami), was spearheading this project. I tried to keep myself grounded, but I can’t lie, I was excited to play this.

Eurogamer last month rolled around and after queing for close to an hour and a half, I managed to my hands on a playable demo of the game. The level selected was way off in the distance (I’ve not reached it in my playthrough of the game so far) but it just re-affirmed my belief that survival horror still had a place in the gaming industry if done correctly.

The game starts off with a level that’s been shown off in literally a hundred different demos so I knew what to expect going in. That didn’t make the experience any less terrifying however… I said it at Eurogamer and I’ll say it again, this is how I would imagine a modern-day Resident Evil should be if I had my way. I was nervous, I was scared, and the imagery is disturbing as hell.

I’m currently on Chapter 6, and the game has been one hell of a mind-f**k. It feels a lot less “Western” than the Resident Evil franchise, especially the enemies you’re fighting against. I don’t want to spoil anything, so my thoughts on this will be brief as I would strongly recommend that if you’re a fan of horror games, you need to pick this up for yourself and experience it first hand. I’ve streamed my playthroughs a handful of times much to the amusement of friends and strangers alike, as the game is relentless with its pacing, its scares and its story progression. I’m on edge most of the time whilst playing, but it’s that good kind of pressure, something that I think has been lacking in the most recent Resi games.

So far, so good… very, very good in fact. If you’re a fan of horror games, especially the RE/Silent Hill franchises, pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

As soon as I’ve completed the story mode, I’ll write up a full-length review down the line.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Will