Disclaimer: I’m a lifelong PlayStation aficionado. In my estimation, the original PlayStation and PS2 are quite possibly the two greatest consoles of all time (and I’ll toss in the SNES).
I’ve bought every PlayStation on launch day and in retrospect, that really wasn’t necessary with the PS3. I would’ve missed out on Resistance: Fall of Man, but that’s about it. Now, despite the much better launch lineup of the PS4, I still find myself ignoring the new console, and I don’t think I’m the only one.
The problem isn’t that I don’t like the brand, and it has nothing to do with impatience. It does, however, have everything to do with the fact that purchasing consoles on day one – despite the hype – never seems to make much sense to me.
And yet, I still do it. I think it’s a disease.
If I’d waited a year, what would I really have missed?
I was disappointed with Killzone: Shadow Fall, even though it was a solid shooter and probably didn’t deserve half the flak it received. And I will say I had fun with inFamous: Second Son, the only game I’ve really played to any extent on Sony’s new machine. Now, I know what everyone is going to say: “There are third-party multiplatform titles, too.” Yes, I’m aware. And I’m a big fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, so Black Flag was a possibility (if I really didn’t like all that naval stuff).
However, I’m of the mindset that PlayStation’s bread-and-butter is its exclusive lineup. inFamous is a great example but in nine months, it’s the only one I can mention. I know LittleBigPlanet 3 and Driveclub are on the way but they won’t be out until the fall. Therefore, if I had waited to purchase the PS4 for a year, I only would’ve regretted missing Second Son. And I could’ve played catch-up easily enough, right?
A very long previous generation has created a very large backlog
My college days are well behind me. The days of having a ton of spare time have long since disappeared. The precious hours I have in any given week are valuable and unfortunately, I can’t play every great game that comes down the pike. Therefore, I’ve got a hefty backlog with big blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto V staring me in the face, and those are far more appealing than what’s currently available on the PS4.
Everyone I know has a long list of games they still want to play on the “old” consoles. I haven’t even come across too many digital PS4 exclusives that I absolutely had to play, so 99 percent of my play time remains with the PS3. Think of it: In over seven years, the previous generation produced a lot of games and right now, we’re not really seeing any definitive “next-gen” productions. Sure, we’ve got some remasters and upgraded versions of old games, but when a 2013 title – The Last Of Us – remains the best game of 2014…
That’s what I get for being swept up in the PS4 hype of 2013. Reason and experience told me to wait, told me the PS4 would barely be touched after I bought it. Ah, but reason and experience often crumble under the weight of “new system” excitement. 😉
Published: Aug 7, 2014 08:45 am