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What are the best simulation games for PS4?

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5 Games Considered

5 Options ConsideredPriceGenrePlatforms
Stardew Valley
Farming Simulation, Role-PlayingWindows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita
Cities: Skylines
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Kerbal Space Program
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Elite: Dangerous
Space Sim / Open World / MMO–
EA Sports UFC 3
Fighting, Sports, SimulationPlayStation 4, Xbox One
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Stardew Valley

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Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Very fulfilling to play

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Stardew Valley is a very simple game where you're free to do anything and everything at your own pace. This includes building your farm, planting and harvesting crops, and exploring the world among many other things. It will feel enjoyable no matter how fast or slow you do it. This coupled with...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Great soundtrack

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When you work on your farm, go fishing, explore or just walk around the town you'll be accompanied by a really nice soundtrack. It's sometimes upbeat, sometimes soothing, and sometimes even melancholic, with every track matching each location and season perfectly. There's also a wide v...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

A great mix of genres

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While Stardew Valley is primarily a farming simulator, it also has social interaction elements and combat elements. The social interaction elements allow you to interact with people around the town. You can befriend them, get quests from them, hang out with them, and even find a significant other...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Great freedom in designing your farm

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When creating your own farm you aren't just limited to plowing fields for planting crops. You can also dig wells, put down fences, and even build various structures such as barns or stables. This allows you to build a farm that firmly matches your goals and sense of aesthetics.
Monika
Izem Lavrenti
Top Con

Can get really repetitive

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Living on a farm is a lot of work, so you'll have to repeat the same tasks quite often. This includes tilling land, planting seeds, chopping trees, and many other farm related activities. While it's normally pretty fun and relaxing, it can get incredibly tedious during long play sessions, e...
Specs
Genre:Farming Simulation, Role-Playing
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons

Cities: Skylines

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Kristaps
Top Pro

Large scale

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At a total of 36 square kilometers of area to use, there is quite a bit of room to build and play.
Kristaps
Top Con

Steep learning curve

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There's quite a lot to learn in Cities: Skylines, so starting out you won't know what you're doing wrong, resulting in a lot of head scratching.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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Kerbal Space Program

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Ryan
Top Pro

Tons of stuff to do

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Build rockets, space planes, space stations, rovers, landers, probes. Explore planets, moons, capture asteroids, set up a communications network, colonize a planet, mine for resources and much more. It can even simulate our solar system.
Ryan
Top Pro

Excellent construction sandbox for building and launching rockets

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KSP at its core is a rocket building and launching sandbox. When creating a rocket you can place engines, fuel cells, structural elements, and even parachutes, allowing you to build a rocket in any shape and size. The end result can even look like a giant doughnut, which might be difficult to get...
Ryan
Top Pro

Teaches orbital dynamics & rocket design fundamentals in an accessible manner

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The physics engine does a reasonably accurate job of replicating the fundamentals behind both orbital dynamics and rocket design, so by going through the tutorials and experimenting, you're actually learning some real rocket science.
Ryan
Top Pro

In constant development

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KSP is a shinning example of early release done right. The currently available game is fun to play, and the developers are constantly adding new content.
Ryan
Top Pro

Motivates you to learn

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Kerbal Space Program puts into perspective how amazing the advancement of the human race is. It inspires you to learn our history, how we got here, and what we can do proceed.
Ryan
Top Con

Steep learning curve

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Kerbal Space Program is not really a pick up and play title. It can take hours just go grasp the basics and the game will keep throwing new concepts at you as you progress into space, even stuff like orbital dynamics. Because of this, it can easily take dozens of hours to truly master this game.
Ryan
Top Con

Some visuals are poorly done

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While the rockets, buildings, and even the Kerbals look pretty good, the environments and particle effects are a bit lacking.
Specs
Steam Rating:Mostly Positive
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Elite: Dangerous

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EA Sports UFC 3

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Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Career mode goes way deeper than just fighting

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Career mode offers a new way to play that resembles a simulation game. In this mode, your goal is to become the best fighter possible, starting from the World Fighting Alliance and working your way up to be recruited and fighting in the ranks of the UFC. During this mode, you will have to manage...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Stamina meter promotes intelligent play over wild swinging

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Whenever you take an action during a fight, your stamina meter will slowly deplete. Jumping into the ring and wildly throwing punches and kicks will get you nowhere and exhaust your fighter. The game requires you to play smart to win. You will have to manage your stamina so that you can punch, kic...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

You can step into the ring as your favorite fighter

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All major UFC fighters are playable in game, with the in-game models doing a great job of representing their real life counterparts. It's a great chance to step into the shoes of your favorite fighter as you punch, kick, and grapple your way to victory. In the event you want to create your own...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Fights look and feel polished

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When your fists or feet connect with an opponent, you can see the pain in their face as they stagger backwards. Hits and kicks feel heavy and powerful, with a real impact, and the animations are incredibly smooth. Fighters are molded after their real life counterparts in extreme detail down to tatt...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Reworked striking system leads to more strategic fighting

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The striking system for UFC 3 has been reworked from the system appearing in 1 and 2. Using the control stick on the right, you can now bob and sway to dodge and avoid incoming punches and kicks. This new striking system allows you to set up counterattacks by dodging and striking back-to-back allow...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Fight commentary gets repetitive

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While there's nothing wrong with it at first, the same bland pre-recorded lines are used over and over, resulting in commentary that feels very repetitive over time.
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Ultimate Team mode has microtransactions

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The only way to add fighters or moves to your team in Ultimate Mode is through an item shop.
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Poor submission and grappling system

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Unlike the strategic fighting, the submission and grappling system is handled through a timed minigame in which you press buttons in a certain order or move the control stick in a certain direction. This can feel disjointed from the rest of the fight.
Specs
Genre:Fighting, Sports, Simulation
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10 Community Recommendations

Shane Bauer
Ryan
Izem Lavrenti
Endi Sukaj
Callixtus
Yoshiyuki
Kristaps
TheAmazinRaven
ConsiderateArnapkapfaaluk
ReceptiveCheimon
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