I Replayed These Divisive PS4 Games, And I Finally Get It

I recently realized I was really missing my PS4. Now that I primarily play games on the PS5, my older console was just sitting unused in the basement. While I’ve enjoyed gaming on the PS5 for the past few years, I felt a desire to revisit a more straightforward gaming experience, before the focus on things like fast loading times and graphical settings.

I decided to revisit some older games I wasn’t sure I’d fully understood when I first played them. These games were all quite controversial, and I had strong opinions after my initial playthroughs. Going back to them now, I can better appreciate different viewpoints. While I didn’t completely change my mind on everything (though I did on a few!), I now understand why people still have such differing opinions about these games.

Game Title	Initial Opinion	What Changed?
The Order: 1886	I disliked it	The back half of this game is incredible.
The Last Guardian	I liked it	Trico can be a little annoying sometimes.
Days Gone	I disliked it	The story has a ton of heart.

Days Gone

I Disliked It, But It Has Way More Heart Than I Realized

When Days Gone first came out, I wasn’t a fan. I really didn’t like the main character, Deacon St. John, or any of the others – not even characters like Sarah, who didn’t appear much. I stopped playing, but over time, I kept hearing positive things, especially about the story. Eventually, I decided to give the game another chance because of all the good feedback.

Turns out, the fans were spot on. The game starts off feeling overly tough and masculine, but it quickly develops a surprisingly emotional core, driven by its characters. By the end, I was completely invested in Deacon’s journey, genuinely worried when Boozer faced danger, and believed in the depth of Deacon’s feelings for Sarah. Beyond the personal stories, the game’s world is incredibly well-built, and its unique take on the zombie genre makes the lack of a sequel a real disappointment.

Death Stranding

I Liked It, But The First Half Of The Game Is A Serious Drag

I finally checked out Death Stranding about a year after it came out, and honestly, I fell in love with it. I get why some people didn’t click with it – it’s seriously one of the strangest games I’ve ever played. But for me, it was a really special, almost meditative experience, totally different from anything else I’d played before. I enjoyed the first game so much that even after playing the sequel last summer, I still think it’s the better of the two.

After finishing Death Stranding 2 a few months ago, I found myself wanting to play the original Death Stranding again. I still think it’s a fantastic and incredibly creative game, but I realized while replaying it that the first half is quite slow. While it’s still a relaxing experience, Death Stranding 2 made me notice how much slower the original game’s progress feels. It wasn’t until around the 20-hour mark, when I met Heartman and started building zip lines in the mountains, that I finally got that unique, peaceful feeling Death Stranding is known for.

The Talos Principle

I Liked It, But The Endless Philosophical Text Is Exhausting

I had a similar experience with The Talos Principle. I really enjoyed The Talos Principle 2 late last year and wanted to play more of its clever puzzles, so I decided to revisit the original game. Specifically, I tried The Talos Principle: Reawakened, which is a remake. The puzzles are still excellent, and the updated graphics are a huge improvement over the somewhat basic look of the first game.

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After experiencing the detailed, fully voiced, and surprisingly cinematic story of the sequel, I found myself losing patience with how the first game revealed its plot. It relied on sifting through hundreds of chat logs and emails from philosophical robots. While the story wasn’t the strongest part of the original game, you still had to pay attention to it to move forward, and even those small story segments really disrupted the game’s flow.

The Order: 1886

I Disliked It, But By The End, I Just Wanted More

I didn’t really give The Order: 1886 a fair shot when it first came out. I stopped playing around halfway through the second level. I’m not easily impressed by graphics alone, and at the time, that’s all the game seemed to offer. The shooting wasn’t great, the enemies weren’t very interesting, and it relied too much on quicktime events instead of actual gameplay. Considering all the other games released in 2014, and with highly anticipated titles like The Witcher 3 coming in May 2015, The Order just didn’t grab my attention enough to keep me playing.

I revisited The Order: 1886 recently, and I was kicking myself for not appreciating it more when it first came out. It felt like giving up right before a big discovery – like the miner who stops digging just before finding diamonds. I absolutely loved the second half of the game. Maybe I’m more patient now, or my preferences have changed, but I really enjoyed my time with it. My biggest issue is that it’s too short, and sadly, we never got a sequel. I’d jump at the chance to play The Order: 1891 if it ever came out!

Final Fantasy 15

I Liked It, But Combat Is Way Too Simple

Final Fantasy 15 was the first Final Fantasy game I bought when it first came out. I was really caught up in all the excitement beforehand and couldn’t wait to play it – and I’m glad I did! It’s a fantastic game, both visually and story-wise, and it just feels really good to play. I especially loved the four main characters and enjoyed spending time with them. Plus, Noctis’ car, the Regalia, is one of the best ways to get around in any open-world game, in my opinion.

I was really surprised on my second time playing that I couldn’t even finish it. Everything I said before still holds true, but the fighting feels really repetitive. While seeing summoned creatures is cool at first, the long cutscenes get tiresome after a while, especially since you’re limited to using certain summons based on where you are. Basic combat wasn’t much better either. I often found myself winning battles just by mashing a single button and pointing. I thought Dragon Age: Inquisition was easy, but Final Fantasy 15 is even more so.

DmC: Devil May Cry

I Disliked It, But Taken On Its Own Terms, It’s A Blast

I’m a huge fan of the original Devil May Cry games, and like a lot of other players, I was really upset with how Ninja Theory redesigned Dante in DmC: Devil May Cry. He just didn’t look or act like the cool, powerful demon hunter I remembered – he seemed more like a pop singer! Beyond the visual changes, DmC essentially retells the story of the first game, so it didn’t offer anything new or exciting.

I honestly don’t know why I decided to replay it, but I’m so glad I did. After playing Devil May Cry 5, I’m no longer worried that DmC represented where the series was headed. It’s a fantastic game on its own – a fun, creative departure. The combat is excellent, and the later weapons are particularly impressive, even for this series. The boss battles are also really well-crafted. One standout is Bob Barabas, a unique demon who appears as a huge, pixelated face made of TV screens. Ninja Theory clearly knows how to make a great action game, and DmC proves it.

The Last Guardian

I Liked It, But Trico Is A Huge Pain

I was a huge fan of Team Ico’s previous games, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, so I eagerly anticipated The Last Guardian for years. It felt like a dream project that might never actually come out – similar to how some people feel about Silksong. When it finally arrived in December 2016, I was thrilled. Playing it was an incredibly emotional experience, leaving me in tears – which, for me, is the hallmark of a truly great Team Ico game.

I always felt the creators of The Last Guardian intended Trico, the large creature you travel with, to act like a realistic animal – almost like a pet. As a pet owner myself, I didn’t mind having to gently guide Trico to do things – jump, move to a specific location, or interact with objects. However, replaying the game, I can see how that could frustrate other players. Pets aren’t always perfectly obedient, and that unpredictability can be endearing in real life, but it’s different when it stops you from progressing in a game. I still enjoy The Last Guardian, but I now understand why it doesn’t appeal to everyone.

Knack 2

I Disliked It, But Knack Is Just Flat-Out Awesome

Honestly, I remember Sony really pushing Knack as their next big thing – like, a mascot to represent PlayStation, similar to Mario or Sonic. That definitely didn’t happen! But, Knack became a bit of a joke online, and that’s actually what made me curious enough to try Knack 2. I had a good laugh playing it, messed around for a while, but it wasn’t something I ever went back to.

Knack 2 is surprisingly fantastic! The first game felt a little uncertain, but Knack 2 fully embraces its fun and quirky nature. It’s packed with new features like a skill tree, ice powers, and even stealth sections. Visually, the way Knack’s body transforms is really striking. Imagine an Astro Bot game going wild with ideas – that’s Knack 2! It throws so much at you, so quickly, that it’s impossible to get bored, especially since it’s a relatively short game. Plus, it has local co-op, which I highly recommend as the best way to play.

2026-03-25 05:07