Document your experience with PS4 this generation.

[AK-1138]

Oh, in hindsight, I suppose my original reply didn't quite fit the intended theme of your thread, being all about documenting experiences by year and all that. My apologies. Here I go, then.

 

2014: Had fun

2015: Had fun

2016: Had fun

2017: Had fun

2018: Had fun

2019: Had fun

2020: Having fun

[Conor]

I'm only recently converted back to PlayStation because I don't like the direction that Xbox took, and I will probably be staying with PS5 into the next generation because I don't buy into what Microsoft is trying to sell. However, I have been delving more into a massive backlog of PS3 games so my PS4 has been fairly neglected. I've already played most of the major third-party releases this generation on Xbox and/or Switch, so on PS4 I've been focusing mostly on exclusives. But I have to say, God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last of Us Part II and Bloodborne have the rest of this generation pretty much all beat.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Lan Stee

[LoveInHell]

I think my mother bought me the PS4 in 2015 and I’ve had nothing but fun on this console. My first game on the PS4 was Until Dawn, great experience, the graphics were mind blowing back then. I was mainly a Call of Duty player, I didn’t even bother with anything else. I would occasionally go for a platinum but didn’t take it all too serious. When I quit Call of Duty I think in 2017-2018, thats when I started expanding my library and started playing more games of different genres, tried different games out. I must say I’m very glad that I quit Call of Duty because now I’m not missing out on amazing games, this was unfortunately the case on the PS3. I have to mention, I love party chat - I always felt very uncomfortable with people hearing my conversation with friends on the PS3, I didn’t even bother using my mic because of it. I’m very excited for the PS5, this will be an amazing generation of gaming.

[Silver-I-Chariot]

Bought PS4 less than a year ago. I might be in the minority here but I'm not too impressed by it. Probably just nitpicking but I hate the design of the PS4 itself as well as the user interface - definitely the ugliest PlayStation console by far. PS+ is mandatory to play online but the "free" games have been mostly crap. Store is still complete garbage. Not being able to use PS3 or third party controllers is a huge con. Loading times on some games are atrocious, even on a pro. Can't downgrade games to older versions like on PS3. Games are okay but I've been playing mostly ports and remasters. Tbh I still miss PS3. Somehow even earning trophies was more fun on it. I liked the slightly delayed and suspenseful appearance of the trophies. Even the sound of the trophies popping up was way more satisfying, if that makes sense. 

[BKnocheese]

Bought my PS4 in 2016, and I've had a blast with it. Probably my favorite generation of games, and the library of exclusives Sony has put out have been phenomenal. Not to mention the quality indie games that have come out have been amazing as well. Some of my favorites that come to mind are God of War, Nier Automata, Enter the Gungeon, Stardew Valley, Uncharted 4, Hollow Knight, Nioh, and Sonic Mania. Can't wait for what next gen has in store.

 

I will say though, there are a couple of things I've experienced that I hope are addressed for the PS5. The most notable issue for me has been my controllers and joystick drift. I never had this problem with a PS2 or PS3 controller, but I've had to buy multiple PS4 controllers for these issues. I don't know what's causing it, and also the solutions for it are pretty silly (hold the buttons for 30 seconds, turn the joysticks, etc.). The other experience, although not nearly as bothersome, is that I hope they are able to make the console quieter. It hasn't been a problem for me, but it's definitely noticeable when playing certain high graphic titles such as RE2 remake.

Edited July 29, 2020 by BKnocheese
Adding info

[Fearless0610]

Well one of my exes actually bought me the PS4 for my birthday back in 2014 and I have to say it's provided me some of the best gaming experiences ever. The first game I ever played on the console was Infamous: Second Son which I still think it's pretty solid and very underrated. Sony has absolutely killed it with there exclusives during this console generation. Some of them have become personal favorites of mine. The controller is probably top 3 for me even though I have to charge it like 5-10 times a day ? It also got me into platinuming games which is something I never really did with the PS3 (I only have one at the moment) and I would put the PS4 behind PS2 and SNES for best consoles ever. Sony has a lot to live up to with the PS5 and I'm hyped!

[Mayellie]

On 7/30/2020 at 1:51 AM, Fearless0610 said:

Well one of my exes actually bought me the PS4 for my birthday back in 2014 and I have to say it's provided me some of the best gaming experiences ever.

Step 1: Get back with your ex.

Step 2: Have them buy you the PS5. 
Step 3: Break up again. 
Step 4: Enjoy your new free console! 

[xK3NP4CHI]

I started off this generation with the Xbox One actually and then after hating the console and the UI moved back to Playstation. I had a lot of fun with the generation in the beginning but around 2016-2017 in my opinion it started going down hill when more games were introducing loot boxes and pay 2 win features. (this goes for all consoles mind you) and to me also became more of a money milking scheme. I don't blame the devs for this either, only the publishers. I also feel that AAA were just pushing unpolished products out and just falling on day one patches to fix everything. I dunno if this is the way gaming is going to be it seems grim a bit.

tl;dr 

2014 - xbox one (bad!)

2015 - GREAT

2016 - good

2017 - good

2018 - ehhhhhh

2019 - oooooooffff (Looking at you WWE 2k20)

2020 - hmmmmmmm

[Fearless0610]

4 hours ago, Mayellie said:

Step 1: Get back with your ex.

Step 2: Have them buy you the PS5. 
Step 3: Break up again. 
Step 4: Enjoy your new free console! 

If only it was that easy ?

[EIdain]

Late 2013-'14
I was fortunate to be able to get a PS4 a few days before Christmas. I started this generation as a pretty casual gamer. I'd generally only play the annualised titles like FIFA, Call of Duty, and other select AAA titles like GTA. I had got a bit tired of Call of Duty at this point after playing so much of it the last generation, my PS4 came with Ghosts and Killzone Shadow Fall which are both still in their cellophane wrapping (I plan on checking out Killzone soon though). Spent my first few months playing FIFA and Assassin's Creed: Blag Flag. Life was pretty hectic for me during 2014 with university and work so I didn't play much. As the year went on I began to check out some indie games like Fez and CounterSpy. My Destiny addiction began at the end of the year.

2015
Life slowed down a bit more after I left university and my Destiny addiction went into overdrive, I spent thousands of hours playing it this year across the House of Wolves and Taken King expansions. I also started to get more into gaming as a hobby, I began listening to podcasts, watching more YouTube content and generally paying closer attention to the industry. This helped me broaden my horizons a bit further as I checked out some games I wouldn't have thought I'd play a year or two prior. Fell in love with The Witcher 3.

2016
Fell off the Destiny bandwagon for a bit and checked out The Division and got the platinum. For whatever reason, I really can't remember, I got bit by the trophy hunting bug at this point (8 years after making my account ?). Went on to get 9 platinums that year, which is decent for me. Had some memorable experiences wrapping up Drake's journey in Uncharted 4, loving Ratchet & Clank, and discovering more indie gems like The Banner Saga and Gone Home.

2017
Checked out a bunch of different games this year, some fantastic ones like Pyre and Horizon, some disappointments like No Mans Sky. This year I earned the most platinum's of any year to date with 16. I was really looking forward to Destiny 2 coming out in the fall. Unfortunately it's launch was a disappointment, I stuck around for a month and then bounced out, as soon as I got the platinum. Ended the year checking out another 'live service game' - Warframe.

2018
Began the year the same way I ended the last, grinding Warframe. Then moving on to another live service game in Monster Hunter: World. I was definitely searching for a replacement for Destiny here. I picked up God of War in the spring and for some reason didn't platinum it straight away. In fact I didn't earn a single platinum this year as I got hooked on Destiny over the summer and then the excellent Forsaken expansion. Looking back I definitely should've took a break to play something different, even if it was just one or two games.

2019
I was deep back on my Destiny fix for most of the year as I loved playing this years major content drops. However Destiny went free to play in the fall and the Shadowkeep expansion disappointed, I've not been back since. Instead of searching for a replacement for Destiny again I decided to finish Red Dead Redemption 2's story. Then I got back on my trophy hunting grind as I ended the year with a few platinum's notably going back to grab God of War's.

2020
Spent this year so far checking out various games; new and old whilst continuing to pump up my trophy numbers. I've been trying to be better about adding PS+ games to my library this year after missing out on so many great games previously through neglect. In addition to that I made a list of games I feel like I missed out on over the generation that I want to check out this year too, before I move on to PS5. Whilst also trying to stay on top on any new releases I've been looking forward too.

Summary
I feel like when I got stuck into this console generation in 2015 my gaming habits were either; hooked on Destiny or trophy hunting. I've played more games this generation than any of the previous ones despite owning every iteration of the PlayStation. I'm glad it went from a casual hobby, to getting full on stuck into all things gaming. I've broadened my horizons when it comes to my taste in games now, to the point where I'll check out any genre except for fighting & horror games. I'm so much better off for it, I can't believe how much I'd been missing out on previously. I've also made some great friends through playing Destiny on my PS4 - they pretty much make up my entire friends list, so I'm thankful for that too. My profile doesn't have an amazing completion rate or a really high amount of platinums, but it definitely tells the story of the journey I've been on the last 7 years, which I think is pretty neat.

Edited August 2, 2020 by EIdain

[THEULTRAMEMELORD]

this generation for me was amazing because nickelodeon kart racers is on ps4

[thekingsman123]

2014 - Still playing PS3.

 

2015 - I had returned home to Australia from interning overseas. I contracted giardia and was stuck at my my gf's (now wife) place for a few weeks getting better. All I remember is The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne. 

 

2016 - I got a start in my now current career and married my gf. I also started accumulating more platinum trophies. Jumped from 3 to around 10. I played a lot of Telltales games to boost my plat count up but otherwise, all I remember was a shitload of Street Fighter V, FFXV and Overwatch.

 

2017 - I got my first little Shih-tzu puppy. Otherwise I was regularly switching between my PS Vita and my PS4. I still played a shitload of Overwatch and otherwise just whatever was popular at the time (HZD, Nier Automata) and some other random titles like Danganronpa V3

 

2018 - I got serious with my platinum whoring. Got to around 50 at the end of 2018. I also started playing games I normally wouldn't touch like VNs (Amnesia: Memories, etc). 

 

2019 - In January, my wife traveled back home after fracturing her spine and then I got another Shih-tzu puppy within the space of a week. Not a great time...

Anyway, I sorted things out, my wife rehabilitated fairly well and then I got even more serious with platinum whoring. In December 2019, I was sitting on 88 or so platinums. I revisited old games I never platinumed like Persona 5 and finished the job. Also started going for more difficult plats because in the past, I considered myself the sort of person to not replay a game after I was finished with it.

 

2020 - I reached my goal of 100 platinums earlier this year. I'm aiming for 200 but it'll probably take another year at this rate which I don't mind. I've also started to increase my PS4 collection as it's been long enough now that a lot of the titles I saw back in 2015-2017 are getting really difficult to find anywhere. Especially now that Covid has increased prices in the secondhand games market.

Edited September 3, 2020 by thekingsman123