Sony’s PlayStation 4 Holiday Lineup – 2014

For us, the holiday season begins when EA releases the new Madden NFL. It’s the first game of the summer that people usually buy en masse, and shortly afterwards, we witness a steady trickle of high profile games that eventually turns into a flood as September gives way to October and November. It’s without question the best time to be a gamer. 

That said, it’s already been a huge 2014 for Sony. The publisher reached 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles sold, and looks to carry this incredible momentum deep into the fall against competitors Microsoft (Xbox One) and Nintendo (Wii U).  With that in mind, here’s a look at what you’ll be able to buy on PS4 before the end of the year. 

Sony’s First Party Lineup 

Madden NFL 15 will dominate headlines the week of August 26, but that won’t stop inFAMOUS First Light from receiving plenty of attention. The impressive-looking piece of DLC for inFAMOUS Second Son casts players as Abigail “Fetch” Walker as she seeks to escape Curdun Cay prison. The option to explore a snowy mountain environment and Seattle as this character makes First Light enticing. 

Losing The Order: 1886 to 2015 was a bit of a downer, but worth the wait if it means the developers have additional time to polish what should be a cinematic tour de force.  

Sony will therefore put the spotlight on DriveClub, its beautiful head-to-head racer launching October 7. A direct competitor to Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 2, Evolution Studios’ sexy beast celebrates car culture, with the ability to join clubs and share experiences as players compete in locations throughout a world overflowing with detail, realistic weather effects and shiny speed machines. This one’s been in development for a while and saw at least two delays, so it’ll be great to finally sit behind the virtual wheel. 

Then we have LittleBigPlanet 3, the latest in the company’s play, create and share series. Similar to previous entries, you’re free to build whatever you want and upload these levels for the world see, except now you have access to even more items than before, additional layers of depth and three new characters joining Sackboy, all of which feature unique moves and the option for you to customize their appearances and abilities; putting the bird Swoop in a dragon outfit, for example, lets it breathe fire. All told, we expect great things from LittleBigPlanet 3, including big sales. 

The White Elephant in the Room 

You have three choices when a company releases a new console. You can join the early adopters and pick up the system, wait (im)patiently for a price drop or the inevitable bundle. If you fall into the latter category, consider becoming a proud PS4 owner with Sony’s Destiny PS4 package. A copy of Activision and Bungie’s highly anticipated first person shooter doesn’t hurt, but it’s all about the white PlayStation 4 and matching DualShock 4. Sony will sell the controller separately on September 9th (the same day Destiny drops), but you won’t find this PS4 anyplace else. It’s the satisfaction of knowing you have something semi exclusive from the rest of the PS4 community, and it looks awesome. All you need is $449.99. 

The Always Important Third Party Smorgasbord 

Of course, there’s more to the PS4 lineup than Destiny. Minecraft will appear sometime this month. From there, EA will do its part with Madden NFL 15 (August 26), NHL 15 (September 9), FIFA 15 (September 23) and Dragon Age Inquisition (November 18). Sega launches the extremely promising Alien: Isolation October 7 (the same day as NBA 2K15) and it’ll be tough to resist WWE 2K15 (October 28), Assassin’s Creed Unity (also October 28), Far Cry 4 (November 18) and a little first person shooter that goes by the title of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (November 4).  

Rockstar’s gorgeous Grand Theft Auto 5 port does not have a firm release date, but you can expect it before 2015. We’re also intrigued by Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (September 30), The Evil Within (October 14) and The Crew (November 11).

Keep in mind the list does not include a variety of indie games and unnannounced titles that’ll make their way to PlayStation Network.

Which PS4 games are you most looking forward to? Let us know, especially if we missed one.