The last few days of the Christmas shopping season are upon us and of course there are still plenty of you that have shopping left to do.
To help you out, we thought we’d put together a gift guide that might help you with shopping for anything PS4 related.
We have also thrown in the PS Vita a little as well, but with the fact that most of that system is digital and niche based game wise, there wasn’t too much to focus on there.
The PS4 didn’t have the biggest year of exclusives, but the ones that did come out were fantastic. On top of that, there are plenty of multiplatform games that may look familiar if you also check out the Xbox One guide, as they are worth getting regardless of the system.
Without further ado, these are some of the best console bundles and games you can get for PlayStation from 2015.
PS4 Battlefront Bundle
Over the last few weeks, Sony has been holding a special holiday sale with their PS4s, but sadly that is over and the price has returned to normal. Regardless, the recent Star Wars Battlefront PS4 bundle is still a fantastic deal. Not only do you get the special Darth Vader themed PS4, but you also get a copy of Star Wars Battlefront included as well.
PS Vita Borderlands 2 Bundle
The PS Vita may be seen as a legacy system in the US at this point, but it’s still got its perks. There are a lot of really great games for RPG lovers that are available, most easily through the PlayStation Store. For that, getting someone PSN cards for like $10 and such are good. The best feature for those that also have a PS4 is the remote play feature, as one can actually play your PS4 games on PS Vita while someone else in the family is watching TV or playing a game on another system.
PS4 Controller
The PS4 itself of course comes with one controller, but what kind of gamer just wants one controller? Online has made local gaming less important, but it’s still great to have an extra to pull out a random competitive game when friends are over, or even to switch between when one is charged and one is out of juice. There are a few different color variations beyond the default black here that you can get, with the 20th Anniversary PlayStation one being especially cool.
Bloodborne
While this game launched way back in March, this is still one of the best games to come this year. Continuing the strong legacy of the Souls series, Bloodborne has a fantastic gothic style atmosphere and difficulty that is really hard, but can be beaten for sure. With the Bloodborne: The Old Hunters DLC just coming out, this is the perfect time to jump in with this game.
Until Dawn
Until Dawn certainly looked interesting before release, but many were concerned it would underwhelm like games such as Heavy Rain. However, Until Dawn was actually one of the most innovative games on 2015 and is basically a must have game for the PS4 now.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
While just a remaster of games for PS3, this collection is the definitive edition of Uncharted with the series looking and playing better than ever. With Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End coming in the Spring, this is a perfect gift to introduce someone to this superb series ahead of time.
MLB 15: The Show
MLB: The Show has been for a few years the only baseball sim style game to release, which always serves as an excellent graphical showcase for its respective PlayStation system. MLB 15: The Show was actually pretty disappointing in overall new features, but if someone is just getting a PS4 and loves baseball, this is a must own just to experience the sport with this level of visuals.
Rocket League
At this time last year, hardly anyone had even heard of a game in development called Rocket League, but this one took the PS4 and PC by storm earlier this year, actually coming free for PS Plus members for a month. Even with this one coming to Xbox One in February, Rocket League’s only current console version is on PS4 and is one of the funnest games to release in 2015.
Fallout 4
Fallout is just one of those franchises that manages to somehow capture the attention of many different sectors of the gaming community. While buggy, as expected with the series, the environment and just overall design of the game is fantastic and one that will provide any gamer a very lengthy experience that is well worth the price of admission.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
The Assassin’s Creed series has found itself very up and down in recent years, with Unity being a series low point last year due to game breaking bugs as a result of a seemingly rushed game. Due to this, many did not have very high hopes for Syndicate, but instead gamers found one of the best entries in the series in years.
Destiny: The Taken King
Destiny has been one of the most talked about games since its launch, for better or worse, and the game saw a major overhaul around the release of The Taken King back in September. This full expansion for the game added a good bit of content and is certainly what you want to get whether the gift recipient already played Destiny or is a newcomer to the game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
The Call of Duty: Black Ops series has easily been one of the strongest of the CoD mini-franchise and Black Ops 3 does not disappoint for sure. Not only does it offer a solid campaign and multiplayer, but it also includes the very fun Zombies mode and the hybrid Nightmares mode, making this more than worth the money. Even better, you can get this one for only $39.99 at GameStop this week ahead of Christmas.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Serving as Hideo Kojima’s swan song with the franchise, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is one of the most ambitious games of the year. The game’s open world is very impressive and the gameplay is as strong as ever, making this a must buy for any fans of the franchise. And just like with Black Ops 3, this one is on sale for $39.99 at GameStop as well right now.
Star Wars Battlefront
Joining the $39.99 at GameStop sale parade is the most recent of the bunch with Star Wars Battlefront. Everyone has Star Wars fever right now as a result of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and this is a worthy companion for any fan of the franchise. It may be a little lacking in content, but at that price and with free DLC already released and more coming, it’s definitely worth a look.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady’s trilogy of Batman games finally concluded this past summer with Arkham Knight, the biggest games in the franchise yet. Including a well crafted story and new gameplay mechanics like the Batmobile, this one is a must have for any Batman fan. Made even better, this one is discounted a good bit at numerous retailers, including $19.99 at GameStop and $29.99 at Best Buy currently.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher franchise may have started a little under the radar, but there is no question that the third entry garnered incredible praise upon release and even now with many GOTY awards. Featuring one of the biggest maps we’ve ever seen in a game, The Witcher 3 is full of meaningful sidequests and an interesting story that will provide countless hours of gameplay.
Mortal Kombat X
Coming out in a fairly weak year for fighters, Mortal Kombat X does not disappoint at all with one of the most diverse rosters in the series’ history. The story mode is a lot of fun once again and the DLC so far has been great with four new characters, and four more to come, including a number of iconic horror movie characters. This one is also on sale at Best Buy for $29.99 this week, so you can’t go wrong there at all.
Rock Band 4/Guitar Hero Live
After the implosion of the music game genre due to oversaturation, we saw the return of the two most popular franchises a couple months ago with Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live. Rock Band 4 plays it more safe, but offers a more casual multiplayer experience, largely helped by the ability to access old DLC from the series within the same console family. Guitar Hero Live on the other hand offers something completely new, which helps to breath some new life into that series. The Rock Band 4 Band in a Box bundle is $50 off for $200 at Best Buy, while GameStop has discounted Guitar Hero Live to $69.99.
Life is Strange
Easily one of the most overlooked games of the year is Life is Strange, which personally is tied for my game of the year. This episodic series from Dontnod Entertainment captures heart and emotion to near perfection, all around a very unique set of characters that you really get invested in. Buying the full season pass of five episodes is some of the best money you can spend in gaming in 2015 easily.
Tales From The Borderlands
Another episodic series that released this year came from a familiar property, this time from Telltale Games. While they also gave us Game of Thrones and Minecraft Story Mode, those ranged from mediocre to disappointing for the most part, while Tales from the Borderlands consistently provided us with one great episode after another.
Madden 16/FIFA 16/NBA 2K16
As with most sports games, there isn’t much that you can do to bring in non-sports fans to the franchise, which may mean that fans of these already have these games. However, each of these were in top form this year, with very well designed games, including new features like Madden’s Draft Champions mode. Just whatever you do, make sure to get NBA 2K16 and not NBA Live 16, as that is the far inferior game.
