Am I the only one that preferred Sony's internal development in past generations more?

[Zweisy1]

And games dont need to be extremely unique or innovative to be great either, if all you play are risk taking games you arent going to play many games.

What current gen games play like Gow? You haved dmc kind of? The gameplay in Gow is second to none. Same with tlou2 it plays as good as anything. I'll take quality over innovation of the innovative game isn't fun (see no man's sky).

People strangely use production values against Sony s as if it diminishes their games or something, it only enhances the experience. Or they group games that don't play anything like each other simply because they are high production. It's super reductive and a lazy argument imo

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There's absolutely nothing wrong with having good production valus as such of course, who doesnt enjoy impressive visuals, animation, sound design and so on? But the problem with rising development costs is mainstream releases going more and more risk averse to recoup costs... Just a couple of generatons ago the games that qualified as high budget games used to be hell of a lot more varied, encompassing more genres etc.. now a lot of those types of niches are being catered to by the indies that are generally relatively small teams budget.

 

[ClickyCal']

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having good production valus as such of course, who doesnt enjoy impressive visuals, animation, sound design and so on? But the problem with rising development costs is mainstream releases going more and more risk averse to recoup costs... Just a couple of generatons ago the games that qualified as high budget games used to be hell of a lot more varied, encompassing more genres etc.. now a lot of those types of niches are being catered to by the indies that are generally relatively small teams budget.

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I mean none of these games were specifically made to avoid risks. They were all made because the different teams wanted to. Sony didn't go in and tell them to make sure they make "safe" games.

 

[HebrewHammer]

I love where they are.

Seems like a group of studios that know how to predominantly make incredible single player experiences. So many third parties are excelling at multiplayer and multiplatform experiences - so SIE is finding a newfound whitespace in the singleplayer category, and they're excelling at it.

PlayStation Studios are literally the reason my PS5 is going to get more play time than my Series X for the next ~3 years at least.

 

[Porkepik]

Kinda agree, need more variety. Open world has a limit on how many I wanna play. I d like bit more diversity. Where is my ape escape, legend of dragoon, tearaway sequel, gravity rush , wipeout,... In the future lineup?

 

[ChristianM]

I understand missing the smaller and more unique titles from Sony. But I don't think we really need them any more? There are so many indie devs filling that void (and more) today anyway.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

Certainly not. They definitely dabbled in different genres years ago especially in the PS3 years. FPS, Arcade racers, Horror games, etc.

Can't blame for figuring out what they're good at and doubling down though. That said I think their variety in the past year or so has been impressive with games like Astro, Sackbot, Dreams, Predator and Demon's Souls.

Nice bit of variety on the horizon as well: Ratchet, Destruction All-Stars, Gran Turismo, God of War sequel, etc.

 

[lightning16]

Definitely not the only one. I think Sony's first party titles have gotten worse with every new generation.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Absolutely

for my tastes, old Sony ps1/ps2>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ps4>>>>>>>>>>ps3

The Sony that I initially fell in love with is gone

But playstations always manage to have some kind of Japanese exclusive so I'll always own one

 

[EvilBoris]

Yeah I miss some of the quirky stuff they did.
Now it's all big blockbuster Popcorn games.

 

[Ovvv]

Kinda agree, need more variety. Open world has a limit on how many I wanna play. I d like bit more diversity. Where is my ape escape, legend of dragoon, tearaway sequel, gravity rush , wipeout,... In the future lineup?

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Gravity Rush 2, Sackboy, Astro's, Ratchet, DREAMS, The Last Guardian. Still plenty of diversity if ya know where to look for it tbh. Then you have stuff they fund like Death Stranding, Housemarque stuff, Until Dawn, etc.

Answering OP: This isn't even really that uncommon of an opinion on this board.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having good production valus as such of course, who doesnt enjoy impressive visuals, animation, sound design and so on? But the problem with rising development costs is mainstream releases going more and more risk averse to recoup costs... Just a couple of generatons ago the games that qualified as high budget games used to be hell of a lot more varied, encompassing more genres etc.. now a lot of those types of niches are being catered to by the indies that are generally relatively small teams budget.

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There's a lot of higher budget risk taking going on in the industry still imo. Within the context of Sony itself, The Last Guardian and Death Stranding are standouts -- the latter especially so. DREAMS is another one that comes to mind. Really anything that Media Molecule does lol

 

[Tophat Jones]

They definitely appeal more to me now, but maybe I've just been brainwashed. I never owned a PS1 or PS2. I got a PS3 at the end because PS4 looked way better than the new Xbox. I played all the first party games I could before the PS4 came out. And I've been hooked on the ecosystem ever since. Most of my favorite games since that time have been Sony projects in one way or another.

And anecdotally, I have very little nostalgia for any of the gaming systems that I used to play when I was younger. Gaming feels way better and more advanced than ever. My memory of old games is that they are old and play like crap. People talking about constantly replaying these decades old games is always interesting to me.

 

[RobbRivers]

I did not like SOny franchises until PS4 (GT though is one of my favoritwe racing franchises). So I prefer actual output.

 

[Waffle]

I agree with you for the most part. I enjoy their current exclusives, especially the stories, but I couldn't play them back to back. I get the usual open world fatigue and even their more linear games like TLOU2 and Uncharted feel a bit stretched out. I wouldn't want their current stuff to go away but I do also miss their old output of games.

 

[iksenpets]

I really like Sony's current output, but I get why someone would prefer the older model. They went from publishing a pretty large number of kind of quirky B-games, largely from Japan, to publishing a handful of ultra-polished prestige titles.

 

[Deleted member 5457]

Agree 100%. And I don't think it's ever coming back, unfortunately :(.

This is not Playstation I fell in love with 25 years ago.

 

[dragonflys545]

Their games this gen has been superb. As I'm getting older I much prefer to have the Story driven titles they release.

 

[Zweisy1]

I mean none of these games were specifically made to avoid risks. They were all made because the different teams wanted to. Sony didn't go in and tell them to make sure they make "safe" games.

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Yes Im sure they are games the teams wanted to make, and there are some daring things TLOU 2 does with its narrative for sure but who knows what Naughty Dog would make If the expectation wasnt to produce the next big budget AAA blockbuster every time?

Gravity Rush 2, Sackboy, Astro's, Ratchet, DREAMS, The Last Guardian. Still plenty of diversity if ya know where to look for it tbh. Then you have stuff they fund like Death Stranding, Housemarque stuff, Until Dawn, etc.

Answering OP: This isn't even really that uncommon of an opinion on this board.



There's a lot of higher budget risk taking going on in the industry still imo. Within the context of Sony itself, The Last Guardian and Death Stranding are standouts -- the latter especially so. DREAMS is another one that comes to mind. Really anything that Media Molecule does lol

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There are for sure but its an ever diminishing number.. and like any creative media shows ever rising budgets is poison to creativity and freedom to explore things that are not already proven to an extent.

 

[ClickyCal']

Yes Im sure they are games the teams wanted to make, and there are some daring things TLOU 2 does with its narrative for sure but who knows what Naughty Dog would make If the expectation wasnt to produce the next big budget AAA blockbuster every time?



There are for sure but its an ever diminishing number.. and like any creative media shows ever rising budgets is poison to creativity and freedom to explore things that are not already proven to an extent.

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I mean Neil has the power to basically do whatever he wants at this point. He just happens to love making realistic character and story driven games.

 

[Ovvv]

Yes Im sure they are games the teams wanted to make, and there are some daring things TLOU 2 does with its narrative for sure but who knows what Naughty Dog would make If the expectation wasnt to produce the next big budget AAA blockbuster every time?



There are for sure but its an ever diminishing number.. and like any creative media shows ever rising budgets is poison to creativity and freedom to explore things that are not already proven to an extent.

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That still remains to be seen imo. For me, Death Stranding was one of the most creative, risky titles I've ever played. Especially considering what series Kojima was previously known for. He really, REALLY went left.

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Most of the games in the OP don't sell very well. Or at least further attempts at those titles certainly didn't. That is your answer. Why bother wasting further resources for a vocal minority when the big hitters are selling gang busters.

 

[Zweisy1]

Most of the games in the OP don't sell very well. Or at least further attempts at those titles certainly didn't. That is your answer. Why bother wasting further resources for a vocal minority when the big hitters are selling gang busters.

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Maybe not by current standards, however Gran Turismo was the best selling series on the original Playstation even leaving the likes of Final Fantasy, Tekken and Metal Gear Solid behind it.
I dont understand why SONY hasnt done basically a modern, beautiful version of GT3. Wipeout was a huge mainstream hit as well.


Personally was always More of an arcade racer kind of Guy tho so i would take Ridge Racer over GT anyday tho..

 

[NinjaTrouiLLe]

Well you're not alone OP.

I feel now sony's studios are mkre and more leaning on 3rd person action open world.

Problem is these are money.
Dreams, japan studio productions or other Wipeout ufos won't bring that kind of money, let's be honest. It's not like production costs have been going down.

 

[sn00zer]

I think very specifically their rated E and E+10 rated content could really use some work. Astro Bot and Ratchet seem to be the only really great games in that category atm (not sure what the heck happened with Everybody's Golf).

 

[smocaine]

This is the first console gen I haven't bought a Sony console. I'm just not interested in their output anymore. Honestly, I still feel slightly burnt on my PS4 purchase, only a lean handful of standout titles.

People often cite PS5 Ratchet in response, but like, this is the 8th(?) Ratchet game...

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Maybe not by current standards, however Gran Turismo was the best selling series on the original Playstation even leaving the likes of Final Fantasy, Tekken and Metal Gear Solid behind it.
I dont understand why SONY hasnt done basically a modern, beautiful version of GT3. Wipeout was a huge mainstream hit as well.


Personally was always More of an arcade racer kind of Guy tho so i would take Ridge Racer over GT anyday tho..

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Yeah GT was a beast back in the day but HD development/higher costs/racing games becoming less popular are probable reasons GT has moved directions. But who knows where 7 will take us. Wipeout might have originally done well but as the series has gone on, it's become a lot less popular. See Ridge Racer also, a series that is all but dead. Again it's all about sales and changes in market conditions. It's good that Sony have green lit so many smaller, niche titles over the years but time and time again, they've shown to be weak sellers sadly.

 

[GuEiMiRrIRoW]

I agree with you OP.

 

[TripleBee]

Personally, I'm just not a fan of the gameplay in naughty dog games - so as naughty dog has become more and more the template from which all their other 1st party studios try to draw - the games have been less enjoyable to me.

 

[FinalStageBoss]

Sony's output has never been better tbh, I bought so many Sony games in the PS4 gen.

 

[hydruxo]

Their output this past gen was incredible. So many amazing games.

 

[Kunka Kid]

I kind of agree. I feel their games generally prioritize narrative over gameplay and I'm just not about that life.

 

[ClickyCal']

This is the first console gen I haven't bought a Sony console. I'm just not interested in their output anymore. Honestly, I still feel slightly burnt on my PS4 purchase, only a lean handful of standout titles.

People often cite PS5 Ratchet in response, but like, this is the 8th(?) Ratchet game...

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There's also Sackboy and Astro. Returnal looks pretty different. There won't be as much, but still some.

 

[Bman94]

Being as the PS4 was my first Sony console, I've been way more interested in their output than ever before. Rachet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot, Killzone, Resistance, Infamous, and all of the other PS1, PS2 era exclusives never struck my fancy. I had Nintendo for platformers and E rated stuff and Xbox for my shooters.

The PS4 had some really unique experiences that Microsoft and Nintendo didn't and couldn't offer. Until Dawn was fantastic, Horizon: Zero Dawn was such a fresh breath for open world (albeit a bit bloated at times), while I haven't beaten them, I've enjoyed the world building and set pieces of Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part 2, and I'm interested in games like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War since I could just sit down and just get engulfed in the story.

 

[Raonak]

Quality >> Quantity. Their games have reached that nintendo quality where their games are absolute must plays.



I think this launch had the right balance tho. An open world superhero game, a souls game, 2 platformers, soon gonna have a racing combat game in destruction all stars and whatever genre ratchet fits into then a racing game in GT7.

 

[Deleted member 54073]

Not for me, the games they make now appeal to me far more than they did back then.

 

[MarvelousIntent]

Personally, I'm just not a fan of the gameplay in naughty dog games - so as naughty dog has become more and more the template from which all their other 1st party studios try to draw - the games have been less enjoyable to me.

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Which PS exclusives draw from Naughty Dog's gameplay template?

 

[Deleted member 76797]

I like them well enough but I am not over the moon on their output either. I feel the same way about their stuff as I do modern ubisoft. Good enough games that look very nice but I will burn out on them before the credits roll. PS4's only really great exclusive for me was Bloodborne. I just picked up GoT but I might wait til I get a ps5 to play it.

 

[Zeal543]

yes, I still like sony's games but the focus shifting away from japanese games has diminished the brand in my eyes.

 

[Lionheart]

Yeah I miss some of the quirky stuff they did.
Now it's all big blockbuster Popcorn games.

Click to shrink...

Sackboy
Concrete genie
GT7
Ratchet rift apart
Dreams
Demons souls
Astrobot

 

[ClickyCal']

Which PS exclusives draw from Naughty Dog's gameplay template?

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I guess Days Gone sort of, but even ends up playing way different enough.

 

[admiraltaftbar]

While I think people definitely have a point about lack of variety (this is the way the entire industry went as the AA space dried up tbh) I think it's crazy there are people in this thread suggesting that God of War, a game that very obviously draws heavily in its design decisions from classic 3D zelda games, is somehow really close in people's eyes to Ubisoft's open world template.

 

[EvilBoris]

Sackboy
Concrete geni
GT7
Ratchet rift apart
Dreams
Demons souls
Astrobot

Click to shrink...

Thanks for proving my point 😂

 

[Acquiescence]

I loved Sony's output during the PS1 era. There was some wild stuff they put out on that system. Ape Escape, Vib Ribbon, Alundra, Kurushi, Boku no Natsuyasumi, Jumping Flash!, Parappa the Rapper, Um Jammer Lammy, Twisted Metal 2, Syphon Filter, so on and so forth.

It always makes me smirk when people say that PlayStation finally came into its own last gen with the first/second-party exclusives. I'm like... nah mate, they were pumping out good shit from the beginning. It's just that so much of it was madcap or of an experimental nature that it didn't sell gangbusters.

 

[RoboPlato]

I adore their output right now but it could use some more variety. Loved both Astro and Sackboy, hope we see more like that in between the big titles.

 

[Lionheart]

Thanks for proving my point 😂

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My bad didn't know you were a troll.

 

[brenobnfm]

There were too Nintendo wannabe with games that tried to appeal to younger audiences, now they''re like the HBO of games and i much prefer this way.

 

[EvilBoris]

My bad didn't know you were a troll.

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I commented on so many being blockbuster games, you gave me a list of almost exclusively AAA game sequels.

 

[Niosai]

I'm not really a huge fan of every game they make having to be some kind of blockbuster blowout, but I understand why people seem to like that kind of thing. Honestly, my favorite output of theirs was PS2/PS3. PS4->Today has been overwhelmingly boring/generic to me outside of one or two titles.

 

[Lionheart]

I commented on so many being blockbuster games, you gave me a list of almost exclusively AAA game sequels.

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I gave you a list of quirky games or games that aren't typical, do you actually filter your game preferences by how much money is spent on the games? Boy id really like to play astrobot, if only they spent 4 million less to develop it! Not that concrete genie, astrobot or sackboy had anywhere near big budgets.

 

[bdbdbd]

At the start of a 5th gen with Sony, after such a wide breadth of projects they've funded/published over the years, it's to be expected that we'd probably have lost more properties than we currently seem to have to look forward to.

For me, one of the biggest losses over the years was the demise of Incognito and their particular suite of quirky, arcadey titles. Warhawk, Twisted Metal, Jet Moto, Downhill Domination, WAR OF THE MONSTERS. I would love to see them rise from the ashes.

 

[Jiggy]

This wouldn't have been a problem if you people bought Folklore last gen