10 Severely Underrated PS4 Games That Deserve A Second Chance
Despite their flaws, these titles are well worth your time.
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00:00 While there's no denying that many games of the last generation certainly deserve criticism,
00:04 the fact that so many met a negative or even lukewarm reaction just seems like it might've
00:09 been a step too far. This isn't to be confused with some of the PS4's most overlooked titles,
00:14 either. Though that is a topic worth discussing, games that fell afoul of the metacritic average
00:19 is our primary concern today. It was a time of highs and lows for Sony's PlayStation 4,
00:24 but with underrated titles both exclusive and otherwise, the PS4's library of soon-to-be
00:29 forgotten classics grows by the day. I'm Jess from WhatCulture and here are 10 severely
00:34 underrated PS4 games that deserve a second chance.
00:37 10. The Evil Within 2 The sequel to 2014's Evil Within might be
00:44 able to boast a cult following, but it's yet to achieve the mainstream recognition it sorely
00:49 deserves. Though it isn't without its flaws, this Shinji Mikami sequel is a compelling third-person
00:54 horror title and one that manages to retain its drive from start to finish with only a few wobbles
00:59 in between. Yes, those corridor sequences aren't as exciting as the title's earlier moments,
01:04 but The Evil Within 2 is atmospheric above all else, having picked up three or so years after
01:10 the finale of the first game. It's not a sequel just for the hardcore, either, as although the
01:15 lore is certainly deep, it doesn't take long to get to grips with, lending this particular
01:19 horror title an appeal others in the genre can lack at times, particularly so once you
01:24 factor in its intuitive combat mechanics.
01:26 9. Dying Light Although the first entry in the studio's
01:31 open-world zombie title reviewed decently, it fell short of the rating it probably deserved. Yes,
01:37 there were flaws, particularly in regards to the title's protagonist and antagonist,
01:41 but gameplay was intuitive, the environment was interesting enough, and the deluge of
01:46 post-release content managed to retain a strong community from which to build the follow-up.
01:50 If you're enjoying the heck out of Dying Light 2 and missed the first one, it's worth noting that
01:55 the first one's enhanced edition is readily available, so there hasn't been a more appropriate
02:00 time to take a trip back into it, potentially with a friend too if you're a fan of co-op.
02:04 8. Sniper Elite 3 Though pretty much everyone seemed to hail
02:09 Sniper Elite 4 as the moment Rebellion Development's WWII series finally matured,
02:14 gamers who dismissed the previous entry in the franchise are only depriving themselves
02:19 of an enjoyable title. Sniper Elite 3, which is set in the North African campaign during
02:23 the Second World War, succumbs to criticism pertaining its protagonist, storyline, and
02:28 setting, and though there's nothing particularly memorable about SOE operative Carl Fairbairn,
02:34 his inoffensive personality in no way impedes the crux of the title, killing Nazis.
02:39 Following in the footsteps of Lieutenant Aldo Raine, the player is tasked with wreaking
02:44 havoc on the Nazi war machine, and without foxing the original Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel,
02:49 it's great fun with the series' infamous X-ray animations making each shot feel just that
02:54 little bit more important, whether you find yourself sabotaging or causing different kinds
02:58 of chaos behind enemy lines. It's not quite Sniper Elite 4, but it's still a cracking
03:03 WWII action game, and one worth checking out all the same.
03:07 7. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Call of Duty might not be the franchise it
03:12 once was, but while the series' hardcore audience seemingly rails against the increasing integration
03:18 of science fiction into the shooter, some of the best entries in the series have placed
03:22 those elements front and center. Infinite Warfare, the 13th installment in Activision's
03:27 most profitable franchise, is a testament to that, even if initial backlash to the title
03:32 persuaded gamers to look elsewhere for their next FPS. Set in the far future, Infinite
03:37 Warfare came to represent everything the series' hardcore had come to loathe about the franchise.
03:42 Wall-running jetpacks, lasers, and space combat rounded out Infinite Warfare's mind-bogglingly
03:48 successful shooting mechanics, and while a glance was enough to put plenty of people off,
03:53 those that took a chance on the title found a competent, if not slightly overstuffed,
03:57 shooter lying in wait. Critics, for the most part, seemed to agree, with the PS4's edition
04:02 of the title garnering a 77 rating on Metacritic. Contextualizing this average within past ratings
04:08 given to COD does, however, illustrate that Infinite Warfare was underrated by both the
04:12 series' followers and by mainstream outlets more generally. Either that, or franchise fatigue had
04:18 begun to set in. In any case, it seems bizarre that the COD that made innovation a primary concern
04:23 fell afoul of critics and audiences more so than its less adventurous predecessors. Press F to pay
04:29 respects.
04:30 6. Infamous First Light
04:33 A new Infamous game from Sucker Punch hasn't dropped since First Light in 2014,
04:38 and that's a massive shame for all concerned. The series, which took inspiration from the
04:43 superhero genre of comic books, was a staple of the PS3 before debuting on the PS4 with Second
04:49 Son, a title that managed to nail an average rating of 80 on Metacritic. The sequel's spin-off,
04:54 First Light, didn't fare as well, even though it probably should have. Acting as a prequel to
04:59 Second Son, First Light followed Abigail "Fetch" Walker, a supporting character from Second Son,
05:04 in the events leading to her meeting with Delson. Criticism at the time came down to the fact that,
05:09 having given players such a wide array of powers in Second Son, only being able to use one of them
05:15 with Fetch seemingly presented a step back for the series. It worked within the context of the
05:20 story, though, and while First Light isn't discussed much these days, it's a worthy
05:24 addition to the Infamous allure, and one worth any fan's attention, especially with the price
05:28 it's available for these days.
05:30 5. Until Dawn
05:32 Until Dawn is honestly just about the best horror title the PS4 has. It's one of the best horror
05:39 titles gaming has, and yet it's not held in nearly as high a regard as it should be. Though the game
05:44 fared well amongst most critics, it fell short of a Metacritic average of 80, sitting just below on
05:49 79. Though such a minuscule difference shouldn't denote the difference between a good game and a
05:54 great one, it's fair to say that Until Dawn's cult status amongst gamers and horror fans in
05:59 particular has cemented its status as a forgotten classic, and as an IP Sony have failed to ever
06:05 properly capitalize on. Any word on Until Dusk at all? A horror title that's sighed closest to a
06:11 point-and-click adventure game and should never be spoiled for those yet to play it, Until Dawn
06:16 features the likes of Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Brett Dalton as a group of teens set
06:21 up camp in a house on a haunted hill with a dark past. The game only gets zanier and more terrifying
06:27 from there on in, with every decision the player makes having the potential to be a matter of life
06:32 and death. With star power, atmosphere, and horror aplenty, Until Dawn is the must-have exclusive
06:38 PlayStation owners can't afford to miss.
06:40 Number 4. Drive Club
06:43 Make no mistake, upon its release, Drive Club was not a good game. It released with bugs aplenty
06:49 and had a bunch of features missing. But now we're years on from its original release,
06:53 Evolution Studios' racer has managed to make a name for itself as one of the best PS4 exclusives.
06:59 With mind-blowing weather effects, a compelling selection of racetracks, and a decent array of
07:04 vehicles, the Drive Club of today is a markedly different one to the one that released during
07:08 the PS4's second year. Sadly, as of the 31st of March 2020, online servers for Drive Club
07:15 were shut down, but at least we can remember it as one of the best racers to hit the PS4.
07:20 Number 3. Assassin's Creed Syndicate
07:23 Assassin's Creed Syndicate is just about the best Assassin's Creed game that everybody seems to miss,
07:29 and it's all thanks to the fallout surrounding Unity. Unity, which was Ubisoft's first last-gen
07:34 Creed title, was panned for numerous reasons, perhaps the largest of which being that it
07:39 launched as a buggy, unplayable mess. That reputation unfortunately carried over for
07:44 Syndicate, which released just a year after Ubi buggishly broached the French Revolution,
07:50 during a period in which annualization was coming under heavy scrutiny. The fact that it innovated
07:55 in a great many areas didn't seem to matter, and neither did its fantastic recreation of
08:00 Victorian London. Franchise fatigue had set in, and Syndicate, unfortunately, was its first victim.
08:06 Releasing in 2015, Syndicate told the story of Jacob and Evie Frye as they navigated Templar-controlled
08:12 London during the closing decade of the 19th century. It was a fantastic exploration of the
08:17 city, and with players being able to switch between Jacob and Evie at the flick of a switch,
08:22 each boasting distinct play styles, the title provided the rejuvenating kick the
08:26 franchise sorely needed, two years before Origins released.
08:29 Number 2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
08:34 Rainbow Six Siege might not have been the game it is today when it first released,
08:38 but it's fair to say that a lot of critics wrote it off without giving Ubisoft the appropriate time
08:43 to develop it as a platform. Today, Siege is something of a phenomenon. There are few
08:47 shooters on the market as competitive as it, and though the title did divest from the classic
08:52 Rainbow formula, combat is still tactical, impactful, and uniquely gratifying, finding
08:56 the perfect balance between hero multiplayer titles like Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm,
09:01 and the tactical building blocks with which Ubisoft approached each Tom Clancy title before it.
09:06 Gamers would seem to agree, with Siege having gone from strength to strength since its launch,
09:11 cultivating a community that numbers in the millions and can always be found on Steam's
09:16 most played list. A lot of this comes down to the fact that Ubisoft have diligently stuck by
09:20 the game since its release, producing free DLC every three months or so, and providing a reason
09:26 for players to return each and every time they do. Siege has proven that it's only going to get
09:31 bigger and bigger, with a roadmap planned for months to come, Ubisoft's essential shooter is
09:36 showing no signs of stopping, and is bound to exert an influence on military titles currently
09:41 in development. Number 1. Mafia 3
09:44 Hangar 13's first foray into the world of 2K's mobster series was anticipated for a whole host
09:50 of reasons, not the least of which because LucasArts alum and comic book writer Hayden Blackman would
09:56 be heading development. Together with the rest of 13, who assembled colleagues formerly of LucasArts
10:01 and 2K Czech, Blackman set out to tell the story of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam veteran who falls in
10:06 with the Black Mob on the eve of the United States' most tumultuous year, 1968. Gameplay-wise,
10:13 yes, it did leave some things to be desired. The open world looked impressive, but gameplay could
10:18 get repetitive at times. That said, combat felt fast, impactful, and frenetic, and the overarching
10:23 narrative surrounding Clay's revenge was among the most compelling the medium had ever seen.
10:28 Treat Mafia 3 as a story worth exploring, and it's impossible not to appreciate. Throw in all
10:33 the DLC for good measure, and taking another trip to New Bordeaux is pretty much a no-brainer,
10:38 even if it didn't look like an enticing prospect in 2016.
10:42 That's the end of our list, but let me know down in the comments if you can think of any other
10:47 severely underrated PS4 games that deserve to be on this list. As always, I've been Jess from
10:52 WhatCulture, thanks so much for hanging out with me. If you like, you can come say hi to me on my
10:57 Twitter account, where I'm @JessMcDonald, but make sure you stay tuned with here for plenty more
11:01 gaming goodness.