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ONE YEAR OF PS5: THE 10 BEST GAMES Was that next-gen?

ONE YEAR OF PS5: THE 10 BEST GAMES Was that next-gen?


 Hard to believe, but true: the PlayStation 5 is already a year old! Twelve months full of desperate hunts for a specimen, haptic feedback and of course video games. In keeping with the occasion, we look back on the ten best games of the first PS5 year. We concentrate on exclusive titles and those that have been noticeably optimized for the next generation.


10th place: Spider-Man: Miles Morales

With Spider-Man: Miles Morales you will experience a spin-off that exactly follows in the footsteps of its predecessor Spider-Man from 2018 in terms of gameplay and structure. An open New York awaits you again, many missions, fast-paced fights and carefree net swinging. Nevertheless, the game is not a mere copy, but sets its own accents. For one, Miles' unique electrical powers enable new attacks and actions. On the other hand, its character and the themes of family and friendship give the story a pleasant independence. Technically, the title is in top form on the PlayStation 5: constant 60 frames per second, ray tracing and a razor-sharp 4K resolution make swinging and beating in the Big Apple a pure pleasure.


9th place: Astro's Playroom

With the PS5 came the DualSense controller, and with it haptic feedback and adaptive triggers were used for the first time on a Playstation console. In no other game is the technology presented as fun as in Astro's Playroom. After all, the game was designed exactly for that - and included with every PS5 as a free showcase. Apart from its technical gadgets, Astro's Playroom is also worth a trip, because the game takes us through the most exciting epochs of PlayStation history. The game reminds its fans why they chose one of Sony's consoles back then and at the same time gives some good reasons to fall in love with a PlayStation again.


8th place: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade makes the already highly successful PS4 reissue a bit better. You can choose to play the action RPG in a detailed 4K resolution or with a stable 60 frames per second. The latter makes the dynamic battles much more attractive and, above all, more fluid playable than on the PlayStation 4. The upgrade is rounded off by nicer lighting, revised textures and short loading times. The icing on the cake is INTERmission, the first DLC that tells a new episode about the ninja warrior Yuffie. And if you've already started the adventure on the PS4, you can easily transfer your game status to the new console.


7th place: Deathloop 

The time-exclusive action masterpiece Deathloop cemented the reputation of Arkane Studios as a developer of intelligent action games, which the French studio has already impressively demonstrated in both parts of the Dishonored series. Above all, the clever time loop premise knows how to fascinate and also turns the creative action fireworks into a furiously nested crime puzzle. Although not all of the numerous gameplay mechanics may always fit perfectly into each other, Deathloop with its original game idea stands out like a shining lighthouse from the usual shooter monotony.


6th place: Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Most games that are boastfully advertised as being “optimized for PS5” are often limited to just a few haptic DualSense gadgets. But let's be honest: This constant shaking is just annoying in most cases, isn't it? Not so with Chicory: A Colorful Tale. What sounds like vegetables at first is actually an ingenious little game that makes good use of the haptic feedback function. In the likeable indie title, we gradually fill the cute black and white 2D world with color. The vibrations of the controller convincingly convey the feeling of actually holding pen and brush between your fingers. But Chicory also knows how to fascinate beyond its visual style, as it treats astonishingly adult topics such as self-doubt.


5th place: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

The fact that Ember Lab, the developers of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, previously worked on animated films is hard to miss. Visually, Kena shines with sugar-sweet animations and a game world that would also look good on a movie. Behind the cute look, however, there is also a playfully challenging action adventure with a profound story that does not stop at serious issues such as loss and loneliness. A catchy combat system paired with crisp fights also ensures the right balance between aroused ambition and the right reward. Anyone who is a fan of classic 3D Zelda titles should definitely enjoy this PS5 title.


4th place: Returnal

In the Rogue-lite Returnal you fight as astronaut Selene on the planet Atropos against bizarre aliens who attack you with sophisticated spherical patterns like in a shoot-'em-up. Every restart throws Selene back to the beginning and robs you of almost all weapons and upgrades. In addition, a random principle ensures that the game world is constantly changing. What initially causes frustration and appears unfair soon develops a special charm. Because with an understanding of the different weapons, the patterns of the opponents and the design of the game world, a solution opens up for every situation that seems hopeless. And the next follows immediately, which again can only be achieved with a willingness to learn and patience. Together with its fascinating,


3rd place: Control 

Remedys Control was already a real action board on the PS4, but it slacked off when it came to the technical implementation for the old generation of consoles. With the Ultimate Edition for the PS5, the title finally found its deserved completion. Anyone who struggles through the Federal Bureau of Control with Jung Director Jesse Faden can now do it in posh 4K resolution and chic ray tracing. An additional mode that keeps the game at a stable 60 frames per second ensures buttery smooth animations and brilliant reflections. Also on board of the Ultimate Edition are the two DLCs AWE and Foundation, which also shine in new splendor, but in terms of quality do not quite keep up with the main game.


2nd place: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

As good and beautiful as the games in this Top 10 may undoubtedly be, they only convey the feeling of having arrived graphically and technically in a new generation to a limited extent. With one exception: If you want to show off the performance of your new PS5 to your buddies, then you need Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart! The new adventure of the two heroes is bubbling over with great locations, colors and effects. 4K resolution, ray tracing and HDR are perfect for this. But there is also a lot of play: the shootings are great fun thanks to freaky guns and different enemies. Technically impressive are the leaps into other dimensions, which take place without any loading times thanks to SSD power.


1st place: Demon's Souls

Bluepoint Games had high expectations with the PS5 remake of Demon's Souls. On the one hand, it was not only about the long-awaited reissue of a game that was groundbreaking at the time, but also about the first real preview of what Sony's new generation of consoles was capable of. Fortunately, Bluepoint has delivered and Demon's Souls is not only stunningly beautiful on the new PlayStation, but also remained extraordinarily true to the original Souls. The choice between a mode with stable 60 frames per second and dynamic 4K or alternatively native 4K textures and 30 frames per second offers the ideal balance between performance and look. To this day, Demon's Souls also delivers the most original Souls experience, plenty of memorable moments and a challenge for everyone

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