[Software] Games of the generation: the games that define PS4, Xbox One and Switch

[Agent47]

 

 

With the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, a new generation of gaming consoles has officially been ushered in. And, while we haven’t quite said a complete goodbye to the PS4 and Xbox One yet (and the Switch isn’t going anywhere for the time being), here at TechRadar we’re feeling a bit sentimental. 

So, in the run-up to the release of the next-gen (now current-gen) consoles, we decided to write individual pieces on some of the games we feel define the PS4, Xbox One and Switch. Below, we’ve rounded up all the games we have written about over the past few months though, as you’ll see, we didn’t get to write individual pieces on every game we wanted to - but we’ve included every that we would have written about anyway.

These games are in no particular order, they’re simply the games we felt defined the generation for us as a team. Let’s be honest, you may not agree with all our picks  - as we all have different tastes and opinions - but it's hard to put together a list that will please everyone. So, without further ado, these are TechRadar’s games of the generation.

Best PS4 games
Best Xbox One games
Best Nintendo Switch games
"Superheroes make it all look so easy. Stopping a train from speeding off an unfinished track? No problem. Defusing a bomb with seconds to spare? Piece of cake. Saving the universe from an intergalactic menace hell bent on wiping out half of all life out there? Well, maybe that was a little tougher...

“It’s difficult enough translating that sense of seismic danger from comic book pages to tightly-scripted Hollywood silver-screen box office extravaganza. But trying to get that feeling of choreographed chaos into a video game when you’re handing over control to the whims of a player in an anything-goes, open-world, setting? That’s tough.

“Which is why Spider-Man for the PS4 is so supremely successful. We’ve been Spider-Man before – we’ve spun his webs over Manhattan in many a 3D adventure, taken on the Kingpin and Electro several times already. But Insomniac’s take on web-head nails the sense of acrobatic peril that Spidey faces better than any other superhero title before or since.”
“The God of War series has spanned three generations of PlayStation consoles, with a total of eight entries in the series since the first game's release back in 2005. So, you would think think that there's not a whole lot that Sony could do to shake up the veteran series' formula - but you would be wrong.

“God of War (2018) stormed onto PS4 consoles just two years ago, well into the PlayStation 4's lifecycle, and firmly cemented its place as one of the best PS4 games of all time - and for good reason. God of War may not officially be a reboot, but it might as well be. 

“Sony's Santa Monica Studio truly harnessed the power of the PS4 to its fullest with God of War, creating a stunning world drenched in Norse mythology that begs to be explored and offering the most satisfying combat of any God of War game to date. But while the action-adventure is certainly a feast for the senses, its the narrative and character risks that make God of War exceptional - and a game that will penetrate the hearts of even the most hardened gamers.”