FAN EXPO: Hands-On With the PS4 and KNACK

Sony’s PlayStation 4 was on display for the crowd at this weekend’s Fan Expo and I had the opportunity to go hands-on with it. Three games were being demoed at the time: KNACK, DRIVE CLUB and ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG. The lined-up gamers all wanted to take some next-gen assassinating for a spin, so I jumped at the chance to play KNACK, the new PS4-exclusive title from Mark Cerny, design consultant behind some hits such as KILLZONE 3, GOD OF WAR III and UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE.

The game itself was a rather fun love-letter to the action/platforming games of the past. I played as a giant beast who roamed the streets of an unnamed city, destroying tanks, aircrafts and massive mechs while doing so. The game had an old-school beat-em-up feel to it, yet also reminded me greatly of Insomniac Games’ original SPYRO trilogy. It almost played like a next-gen RAMPAGE game. During gameplay, the camera would cut away and give you a view from a pedestrian’s perspective. In this sense, I was surprised because it gave the game — a rather cartoony title — a real cinematic style. The controls were easy to handle and, for the most part, were pretty tight, so that made for an enjoyable experience. I wasn’t expecting much from it, but I was quite surprised in the end. It could very well be a game that I purchase in the future.

I couldn’t really play around with any of the PS4’s features such as the touch pad or share feature, but the game ran smoothly and looked gorgeous. The new DualShock controller felt amazing in my hands; easily the most comfortable PlayStation controller to date. Shooter fans will absolutely love the new trigger buttons and analog sticks.

I would’ve liked to had got more hands-on with the actual console, but all-in-all, the PS4 is shaping up to be one addition to the PlayStation legacy. The PlayStation 4 ships on November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.

~K

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About the author

NINJA | Ken loves comics, video games, and film -- especially creature features and giant monster flicks. When he's not stalking the shadows as part of the Ninja Clan, he spends his time obsessively collecting ThunderCats, King Kong, and Pacific Rim memorabilia.