(ThyBlackMan.com) It’s known that the PlayStation 5 is going to drop next year. We’re at the end of the busiest time of this console generation. It’s almost time for the young blood consoles to strut their stuff. For some gamers that means knowing the specs—to me, that’s pretty boring. Others want to know the actual features—that’s of middling interest. Not really exciting but good to know.
Then you have the majority that wants to know about games! Yes! What titles are coming to PlayStation 5? Well, most of the games announced so far are for the PS4. Anything that will be on PS5 will be announced by the summer. From there, the console will mainly be carried by ports and whatever third-party games tend to come out annually.
Here’s my dream list of five PlayStation 5 titles that would rock at launch.
Strider II
I loved 2014’s Strider which was handled by Double Helix. The art style was slick, the gameplay was super familiar but crisp. Soundtrack-wise, Strider was fine. It matched the atmosphere Double Helix was going for as well as the vibe the original game off. Finally, boss fights were challenging. Strider was one those games that was a perfect launch title.
While it wasn’t something that “truly pushed the PlayStation 4 to its limits” it was a game that oozed PlayStation’s style and coolness without being 3D and realistic. If anything, Sony and Capcom should link up and make the Strider series exclusive to their consoles.
With Double Helix being a part of Amazon’s gaming studios collective, it would be interesting to see what we get when new developers get their hands on the series.
Legaia 3
Most might not remember this JRPG but Legaia was a duology of games that appeared on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. They were easily overshadowed by many other better JRPGs from the period such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Suikoden, Wild ARMs—the list goes on and on. However, Legaia was one of those first JRPGs to include an element of crafting, something native to western RPGs, in it and the gameplay was always tight.
It’s amazing there hasn’t been another Legaia game because the second one was pretty good. It probably just wasn’t good to the point that sales moved things for the developer because even they disappeared. If the rights to the series are floating or whatever, this series would be dope to see as a sleeper launch title only die-hards would remember. It would also serve well as a title to work with teams on to see if they can carry a major first-party RPG.
Twisted Metal 2
This franchise has been around since the first PlayStation was a thing. It’s seen two reboots so far and personally I feel the second reboot should’ve just been Twisted Metal: Black 2 but whatever, it’s Twisted Metal and this series has always been one of those exclusives I’ve loved out of Sony.
There’s been at least one Twisted Metal game in every generation and each have been pretty much well-received although not without flaws. I will say most of the recent ones on home console have been better than the first two but that’s looking at them through the lens of “Wow, these games are…dated as hell.”
Since open-world is big now, a Twisted Metal that came out in 2020 or 2021 would have to be more in line with what the studio had to story for the canceled Twisted Metal: Harbor City. Or Driver at the minimum. No, scratch that. I guess Midnight Club would be closer to what I’d want only with more chaos that continues even if you aren’t involved and are doing a story or mission.
Something where other maniacal drivers can mess up what you’re trying to do with their own feuds, battles, or even their beef with you. It would be a bit involved for the Twisted Metal franchise but after what will be a 25-year run, you’ve got to bring something new. The older modes of Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal: Black could be online specific or whatever.
SOCOM 5 U.S. Navy SEALs
This and probably the last entry would be the two surprise titles that would get a big pop at E3. While Sony has a strong shooter franchise in Killzone and actually, Killzone would have to make its presence known but the last time folks saw SOCOM was in a decent enough game on the PlayStation 3 in 2011.
One of the things it would show is that Sony hasn’t abandoned the franchise or just killed it off. The other is that Sony has noticed what’s hot in first-person shooters now, what isn’t, what it can do with online and that lessons were learn and fans were listened to. All great things actually.
Another thing is that SOCOM could be that franchise Sony uses to see what teams could do a really good job on a game of this genre without touching Killzone. As a matter of fact, it could be the deciding factor of who tackles Killzone.
EverQuest: Online Adventures 2
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve talked a ton about EverQuest: Online Adventures. It’s one of my top ten PlayStation 2 games and one of the top 10 games I feel should return. I loved this game and I would totally fanboy out if Sony announced that they would be launching EQOA 2 on PlayStation 5. It would be an instant pre-order for the console and the game if they’re selling it.
The thing here is that, there are a few MMORPGs on PlayStation 4 now and some will likely transition over to the PS5. That would mean competition for EQOA 2—which isn’t bad at all unless it’s too identical to several of the games. It would be a trap that’s hard to avoid since fantasy is MMORPGs’ bread and butter and four titles are doing it perfectly right now.
It seems like it’s outside the realm of possibility for a return of EverQuest but I’ll hold out for it.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.