Best PS4 Launch Games

The PlayStation 4 goes on sale in the UK this Friday, 29 November and is shaping up to be the best game console that's ever ever been released ever, even better than the Sega 32X. It has social networking, music streaming, a Blu-Ray player and a small button on the side that dispenses scented bath candles.

Read more: PlayStation 4 Review

But above all that it'll have games, lots and lots of games. 28 titles are promised for launch day and when the PS Store kicks up, and indies start to take advantage of Sony's open-platform policy, you'll be spoilt for choice. So, what do you pick?

Here are 10 of the best that'll be available to buy either on launch day or in the near future:

1. Killzone: Shadow Fall

Above all else, Killzone: Shadow Fall is pretty. You'll be able to get it on launch day (in fact, some PS4 bundles come with it included) and if you need a reminder of what next-gen is capable of, or why you just spent a week's wages on a black plastic box, this'll do it.

We had a few niggles with the gameplay back when we played Shadow Fall in June, but nevertheless, this is a solid launch title, exemplary of pretty much everything the PS4 is capable of.

2. Knack

Another clear choice, Knack has been put together by Mark Cerny, who also acted as lead architect on the PS4's hardware. It's not much of a leap in terms of mechanics (if you've played Crash Bandicoot, Spyro or any PlayStation platformer really, you'll get the jist here) but it's a fun wee game nevertheless.

And of course, if you're buying the PS4 for your kids to use, this is one you're going to want to pick up.

3. Flower

Flower was originally available on the PlayStation 3 but a buffed up, shiner version is coming to PS4 courtesy of the console's digital store. Developed by thatgamecompany, which in 2012 turned out the Bafta-winning Journey, Flower has you play as a petal, floating on a breeze through a field.

The idea is to catch more petals as you float by, creating a cloud of flowers that you use to pollinate and rejuvenate dead fields. Whimsical stuff, but a nice contrast to the rest of the PS4 line-up.

4. Need for Speed: Rivals

Driveclub is the PS4's headline racing game but it's an altogether slower, more grounded affair that Need for Speed: Rivals, which continues the franchise's tradition of fast-paced driving.

Set in a large open-world, Rivals' chief gimmick is that you choose to play as either a cop or a robber, and have to chase down criminals or avoid being caught accordingly. It's been likened to Hot Pursuit, easily the best Need for Speed game, and features graphics so good they'll make your nan think she's watching Fox News. A great launch game.

5. Resogun

Another one to pick up from the PS Store, this side-scrolling shooter is available for free if you're a member of PlayStation Plus.

Developed my Housemarque, makers of the Super Stardust games, Resogun is a loud, bright shoot 'em up in the vein of Defender. Popping with neon visuals and loud music, Resogun is an assault on the senses that also adds a little twist to the usual shoot 'em up mechanics. Rather than just kill everything as you go, you also have to save up to 10 humans per level, meaning you have to watch where you fly and keep your aim straight.

6. Blacklight: Retribution

Blacklight: Retribution is another download only game, but unlike Resogun or Flower, it's free-to-play, with micro-transactions, like new weapons, armour etc. available as you want them.

There's no single-player mode - Blacklight is an online, multiplayer-only, first-person shooter where the objective is, you guessed it, to kill other players. A great looking game featuring innumerable weapon customisations options, the only problem you might have with Blacklight is that, as per Sony's new policy regarding online multiplayer, you'll need a PS Plus membership to play. Those run at £39.99 per 12 months.

7. Daylight

Moving on now to launch window games, ie games that will be released after 29 November, but before the end of March, we have Daylight, a first-person survival horror game slated to come out in January.

If you've played Amnesia on the PC you'll have some idea of what to expect here. In Daylight, you don't have any weapons and your only recourse when confronted with enemies is to run off and hide, and probably have a cry. Terrifying and, as it happens, from the same developer as Blacklight, Daylight is shaping up as a must get.

8. Outlast

As is Outlast, another first-person, no weapons horror game that trumps Daylight by being free for PS Plus subscribers. It's out on PC already and has been referred to by a lot of players and writers as the scariest game ever. We're not sure about that - surely this version of Elmo's Letter Adventure is more terrifying - but Outlast is a belter regardless.

You play a journalist investigating an abandoned hospital/slash lunatic asylum. You're only "weapon" is a small handheld camera that you're using to document the trip. Filled with jump scares and hearkening to films like REC and V/H/S, Outlast is another horror game to look out for in early 2014.

9. The Witness

As you may have noticed by now, Sony is really pushing digital downloads and streaming with the PS4, hence The Witness, yet another PS Store game from Braid developer Jonathan Blow.

It's a puzzle game wherein you explore a seemingly deserted island unlocking doors, lowering bridges and so on. Puzzles all follow a similar theme. You're presented with a top down view of a maze and must draw a path either to the exit or to various points of importance that unlock more of the maze for you. Sounds simple but if Braid is anything to go on it's bound to get much, much more complicated. You can expect this around January.

10. Infamous: Second Son

Probably the most anticipated of all the PS4 launch games, Infamous: Second Son sadly won't be out until March. But don't get disheartened. We've seen it in action, and it's good.

Again, like Killzone, this is one for graphics fiends - of all the games we've seen or played on the PS4, Second Son is probably the most advanced. However, also like Killzone, and Knack as well, in terms of mechanics and gameplay, it seems pretty much unchanged from games we're used to playing on PS3. An improvement in graphics, yes, but as for all these "new experiences" people keep drumming on about, we're yet to be convinced. Hopefully we're wrong. We'll know for sure in March.