Sony is determined not to repeat the lackluster PS4 exclusive schedule of 2016. After starting the year off with Gravity Rush 2, the publisher unloads a game that players have been salivating over since E3 in the spellbinding Horizon Zero Dawn. There are several other games coming to the console well worth a look, starting with the swords-and-shields combat throwdown For Honor and the headshot-happy Sniper Elite 4. Lego fans also have something special to look out for in the form of the Minecraft-flavored Lego Worlds.
Here’s a look at the new PS4 games coming out in February:
5. Torment: Tides of Numenera
Publisher: Techland Publishing
Developer: inXile Entertainment
Release date: February 28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-n59Jy4nt8
Dreamed up as a Kickstarter in 2013, this fantasy RPG continues the legacy of the revered 1999 PC game Planetscape: Torment. Set in a distant future that finds a dystopian Earth hurled back to the Middle Ages, you hunt for talismans that help you garner the means to confront your tormenters.
PRE-ORDER: Torment: Tides of Numenera here
4. Lego Worlds
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Release date: February 17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frRfo4sKxtk
In an excellent mash-up, Lego building units come to a Minecraft-style sandbox, which hooks you up with infinite Lego sets and minifigures that let you craft worlds and scenarios you’d previously only imagined. A comprehensive online setup lets you distribute your finest creations, download the best of the rest and mess around with buddies’ brick-built lands.
PRE-ORDER: Lego Worlds here
3. For Honor
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release date: Feruary 14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1HkuGUaNBY
Vikings, samurai and knights clash their swords, axes and maces to vie for control of lands and struggle for control of the kingdom. The timeline-juggling narrative makes for some primo opportunities to dive deep into historical what-if conflicts, and the thoroughly impressive combat system will have you adjusting your stances, weapon customizations and battle strategies for eons.
PRE-ORDER: For Honor here
2. Sniper Elite 4
Publisher: Rebellion Developments
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Release date: February 14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rpeBBLMpc
There are not many gaming experiences that can come close to following an adversary, setting up a clean headshot, calming your nerves and downing your mark unawares. While the Sniper Elite franchise has been up and down over the years, it’s slowly managed to improve. Visuals, gameplay and level creativity improvements vow to make this the peak of the series.
PRE-ORDER: Sniper Elite 4 here
1. Horizon Zero Dawn
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Release date: February 28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS05LB-3W4c
You a female, bow-and-arrow-wielding heroine on her quest to seek redemption in a bizarre realm governed by lumbering robots who rampage over a richly vegetated landscape. The hybrid game looks to combine elements of RPG, action, stealth and world-building as it sinks you into the excitement and wonder that can only be delivered by an exciting new IP.
PRE-ORDER: Horizon Zero Dawn here
Order Phil Villarreal’s novel, Zeta Male, here.
