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Jason Pook's Games Design Blog

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Social Event- PS4 Lockdown- 25/10/13

PlayStation 4

PlayStation 4

I and a fellow games design student attended a lockdown at GAME in St. Stephens for one of the most anticipated consoles coming this year, a next generation of gaming console the PlayStation 4. As I had already had the console pre ordered for some time I was very excited to finally get my hands on the console to really see if it lived up to all my expectations from reading multiple psn magazines and latest console rumours. I must say even for the short amount of time I had (roughly 30minutes) due to GAME wanting rotation on the console due to 50people between 12 places on the PS4’s the console was magnificent. The smoothness and clarity of the console and controller was so much of an improvement on any previous console. The controller (which has undergone some radical new changes to become the dual shock 4 from the dual shock 3) was very comfortable in hand and after 5minutes I had got used to it, the new very grippy analogue sticks stopped the previous problem of your thumbs slipping off (usually at a vital moment e.g. hanging off a building on Assassins Creed), the touch pad on the controller something that is completely new to the controller was so smooth to use we tested it on a program which comes with the console called the Playroom.

Here is a brilliant quote on the Dual Shock 4:

“Its a big step forward from what we have [on ps3]. It feels incredibly accurate and with really high quality materials it feels solid in your hands. There are tweaks to the indentation on the sticks, where you have your thumbs on them- we’ve slightly raised them so there’s more precision. These slight changes make a huge difference. It feels like your in control” – Hermen Hulst- Co founder Guerilla.

The playroom used the new camera to help you maximise the controllers capabilities, a futuristic version of air hockey was very entertaining using motion sensors on the control when you tipped it to bend the platform of the air hockey as well as sliding your finger up and down the touch to move your puck and pushing the screen down to add power to your return. I dominated this winning 7-1 but we really enjoyed using the new features on the control, this was only to start with so I could tell this was going to be a leap in games consoles purely on that. I was also pleased to be told that the playroom will be installed onto every ps4 for free.

Another thing we tried out was the latest edition to the FIFA series: FIFA 14 on ps4. although it was a demo much debate has come up on whether will it be any different to FIFA 14 PS3. Well just from the demo I could see a difference certainly in graphical terms, the clarity of the stadium and its crowd was a much improved on the ps3 version. Whilst much features I didn’t see any difference in (maybe due to it being a demo) I definitely felt once again the controller improved the gameplay for reasons similar to when we played in the Playroom. The new Ignite Engine for EA on next gen will definitely play a huge part in the differences between the ps3 and ps4, most companies had to build new engines to support the ps4’s immense capabilities.

The final demo we played was KNACK a new IP for PS4, this was a very impressive game which ran throughout with effortless flow of battle and growth or transform of your character. KNACK has a feel of Ratchet and Clank to it which we both said straight away, especially with smashing the boxes to reveal bolts which magnetized to you. Although with KNACK the blots added to you symbolising health in stature of your character.  Another feel of ratchet and clank was when KNACK turned into a small laser proof robot so you can get into small areas and through security this character resembled clank a lot. Despite that the combat was very good and used combinations just like most fighters do with added superpowers when enough crystals had been collected. Overall KNACK was the most enjoyable game that I had tried at the PS4 social event and will definitely be a game I will purchase in the future.

“What we’re seeing here is a game that fully utilizes the processing power of the PlayStation 4 system, bringing massive amounts of graphic pieces together to tell a story that’s not just impressive graphically, but in its ability to blur the lines between storyline and gameplay as well.” -Slashgear, Chris Burns.

The PlayStation 4 is set for release in the UK on 29th November, I have my pre order sorted have you? if not you definitely should. With just those 3 experiences on PS4 I wanted one even more, and that’s without the like of Killzone: Shadow Fall, Destiny, Battlefield 4, Elder Scrolls Online and many more exciting games and indie games to come.

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