Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Sony have announced the PS4, unveiling the system’s new features alongside a few select titles last month. A new Killzone was one of the highlights, and it seems set to be a defining launch title for the new system. That said, Sony seem adamant to launch their new console with a bang, so it’s unlikely to be a clean sweep for Guerilla’s fourth console Killzone game. We reckon Shadow Fall could still be the system’s killer launch title though, and here are ten reasons why.

A Technical Show-Case

Killzone’s gameplay has had a somewhat divisive history. Originally mis-marketed as a “Halo killer,” the original’s gameplay was considered far too derivative for some, and the attempts to move away from this in sequels have garnered equally mixed reactions from fans and critics. Regardless of how people feel about the series’ mechanics, you can’t argue with the production values. Every single game in the series has shown off Sony’s hardware immensely, providing some of the best looking games of the past decade. We expect Shadow Fall will be no less impressive and, if the trailer is anything to go by, it may well be one of the best shooters we’ve ever seen when it launches alongside the PS4.

Little Else Like it at Launch

When considering what the killer launch app will be for a system, you need to look at what the competition is doing. Whilst there are plenty of interesting titles planned for the PS4’s arrival, few of them offer the high octane shooting action that the Killzone series is known for. Whilst Watch Dogs kind of fits into the shooter genre, its simultaneous release on PS3 and Xbox 360 will take the excitement out of its arrival ever so slightly.

A New Setting

Of what little confirmed story information we have, it seems Shadow Fall will take the series to new locales. Following the downfall of Helghan, Shadow Fall moves the action twenty years on, with the ISA letting Helghast refugees settle on the planet Vekta. The setting throws a Berlin-esque security wall into the mix that separates the natives from the refugees, and the tension this causes between the two will be an interesting narrative catalyst for the series.