IF YOU’RE LOOKING for an action-heavy MMO, this content-rich fantasy offering is right up there with the likes of DC Universe Online. It can be a little daunting to newcomers due to how much there is going on (and how advanced a lot of players seem to be) but a smart guild system lets you join factions as an apprentice, giving you people to learn from as you contribute to their progress in turn.
2. WARFRAME
THIS ONE HAS come a hell of a long way since launch, and that journey has been a long one Warframe was available at the launch of the PS4 back in 2013. Constant updates have seen it not only grow in terms of content but quality and variety, too. If you’re looking for something to tide you over to Destiny 2, this is certainly worth a look.
3. TOUKIDEN 2: FREE ALLIANCES
IT WAS A shame to see this great sequel fail to pick up a great deal of traction when it launched earlier in the year, but Koei Tecmo’s response to that was admirable. Within a few months, this free-to-play version was available, a stamina system time-gating content but allowing players to join the demon hunt alongside owners of the full game. With Monster Hunter World still a way off, this is the
next best thing for the time being.
4. NEVERWINTER
MOST MODERN RPGS riff on the systems of Dungeons & Dragons, so why not cut out the middleman and enjoy some classic D&D action? PS4 owners are spoiled for choice when it comes to F2P MMOs – you can even play the first chunk of frontrunner Final Fantasy XIV for free these days but there’s not strictly speaking a bad choice among them.
5. LET IT DIE
IT’S NOT EASY to put this surreal dungeon-crawler into words, but we’ll try because that’s sort of our job. Simply put, it’s a slightly clunky Souls-esque combat action game with a love of all things bizarre, including skateboarding skeletons, edible frogs and all manner of other silliness. Die as you try to ascend the tower and your character will be sent into someone else’s game as an AI ‘Hater’, bringing you back rewards for any scalps they might claim. There’s nothing quite like it so give it
a try – what have you got to lose?
6. ZEN PINBALL 2
YOU’LL OFTEN HEAR us champion this great series, and with good reason – chasing high scores on cool tables that wouldn’t be practical or even possible in real life is just really good fun. The core game comes with just a single table, but you can add more from the vast catalogue for a few quid a pop as you like. Quality is high across the board and all tables have trial versions, so you can give something you like the look of a go before splashing out.
7. PLANETSIDE 2
ONE OF THE greatest ‘if only…’ stories on PS4, Planetside 2 could have built a massive amount of momentum had it not slipped repeatedly to miss its original launch window by almost two years. Great as this huge-scale shooter may be, it already had multiple Call Of Duty titles and a handful of other great shooters to contend with by the time it was ready, so it never really got to fulfil the full potential of its epic battles. Just like Sony’s own MAG, it’s all well and good boasting hundreds
of players per skirmish, but you need at least that many people actually playing to take full advantage of that feature…
8. DEAD OR ALIVE 5: LAST ROUND
WE’RE EXPECTING TO see this model applied to more fighting games in the future – it’s done well for games like this and Killer Instinct, and it makes sense. What you get is a barebones fighting package with just a handful of characters and modes, but with the ability to add what other fighters and features you actually want piecemeal. Those who want everything will naturally be better off just grabbing the full game to save (a lot) of money, but casual players who just fancy a quick ruck every now and again can have their fill for free, or at least for very little.
9. SMITE
THE MOBA SCENE is very much still a PC-centric one, but that’s not to say that there aren’t a few decent options available for the likes of us. Epic’s Paragon continues to improve by the month and Overwatch wannabe Paladins seems decent, but in Smite we have an actual MOBA that sees regular competitive play. Pick your god and play out epic fantasy battles, but be aware that the skill ceiling is rather high so you might need to put in a fair amount of time.
10. WORLD OF TANKS
and not feature one of the most successful free games of recent years, so here it is. With relatively simple controls and navigation, newcomers can hop into the war machine of their choice and have at it. You need but check out some footage of competitive play, though, to see just how much deeper the game goes for those that want more from it, which explains why some have thousands of hours clocked up.
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