Which of the big three has the best first party and why?

For me its gonna have to go to Sony, more varied 1st Party titles and spanning different genres.

Microsoft has the franchises there but don't really know how to use them and haven't (Everything Rare and Fable), really hoping with the One X out of the way it will push them into newer IP territory.

Nintendo rely too much on old Franchises and the 2 newest ones don't appeal to me (ARMS and Splatoon).

As a PS4 and Nintendo Switch Owner, I believe that Nintendo has the advantage on their triple AAA offerings over the competition for 3 reasons.

• Focus on gameplay: as you guys already know, Nintendo focus on gameplay and not story, or graphics even this one serves to gameplay (more on this one later).
• Franchises: god knows that Nintendo knows how to establish brands on their consoles, ARMS, Smash, Splatoon, Donkey Kong, and the list goes on.
• Graphics Artworks: good lord, if there is something that I love about nintendo is their artwork just looks timeless and they serve a purpose. For example the ink in splatoon, the glowing platform in Mario 3D World, etc.
• Bonus: if we see three images of AAA Nintendo games, you can recognize games by their style.

Mario Odyssey:



Zelda BOTW:



ARMS:



Now, I know some people love their 1080P 60/30 FPS, or realistics graphics, or story driven games. Nintendo is not perfect they have their crappy side too, but overall they are quite balanced and i think they are the strongest in first party with their respective in house developers vs competition.

Is it even really a question? Despite their treatment of beloved franchises Nintendo undoubtedly delivers consistent quality with all of its games. They also do a great job of forging new franchises such as Splatoon. Sony isn't too far behind but they tend to be hit and miss, even though some come from third parties.

wapplew said:

Nintendo and Sony equal, both great and very different, hard to compare them.
Nintendo my go to jolly fun games and couch coop, Sony for narrative driven games.

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I never thought we would ever agree about anything, but yeah, this for me as well.

Nintendo easily stomps the other two.

If you go by review scores only probably Nintendo

xICHIGOx said:

For me it's Sony because i like the variety and the quality of their first party titles (and even for the second party one).

I like the story driven and mature games, i absolutely love titles like TLoU and Uncharted, but i also like titles like Gravity Rush, Gran Turismo, Horizon, inFAMOUS and different type of game like Until Dawn. There is a lot of variety and it's difficult to be stuck with the same old brand.

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There is no such thing as second-party.

Games are either first-party or third-party.

Studios are either first-party or third-party.

At the end of the day, it should not matter that Ratchet and Clank is made by a studio not owned by Sony. How does that affect the quality of Sony's games? No one categorizes a first-party game between it being made by a third-party studio (Insomniac, Quantic Dream, Media Molecule before) or first-party studio (Naughty Dog, Suckerpunch, etc.).

Even ND and Sucker Punch were third-party studios before.

As I said, titles are either first-party or third-party.

As for who hs the best first-party, it's a split between Sony and Nintendo.

Why? There are games that you can only experience with a PlayStation, and games you can only experience with a Nintendo.

I won't find Pokemon on PlayStation the same way I won't find a Shadow Of The Colossus on Nintendo.

If there comes a day (and let my tongue be a prophet) that Sony and Ninty collaborate on a platform and all their games in one place? Man, I would not need anything else.

It's hard to choose for me.

If going by sales or critical Acclaim, sure Nintendo.

But my experiences pretty much line up with Sony.

Crash, Spyro, GOW, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Journey, etc etc and they just keep pumping them out. They aren't afraid to try something different regardless if it works or doesn't work. They are willing to take on risks, financial ones as well, to try something new and I appreciate that.

Yes Nintendo has gameplay but it's not always perfect and they stick to their franchises to experiment which is cool but always seemed safe to me. However they make hits out of some of them so they are doing something right. However just like Sony, they have also given me memories and experiences that got me into gaming. Mario, Donkey Kong, Smash, Kart, etc.

Its Nintendo.

Nothing really comes close when Nintendo is at their peak. They may be the best dev/publisher of the entire industry

Raijinto said:

Those are 5 damn good games lol.

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More like 5 "godly" games ;p

I picked Sony (I'm a PlayStation fan btw), but I wholehearted Nintendo because the Switch has more platform and the titles have augmented more than previous Nintendo platforms.

So, Nintendo it is.

I'm voting Nintendo even though most of the time, Sony's first party stuff appeals to me more. Sony may have the stuff I personally want but Nintendo's entire platform rests on a strong foundation of first party games. They're more vital to Nintendo's success. I can't deny that.
So putting my own taste aside, I think Nintendo is the king of first party.

I think nintendo is the best developer ever, but I much prefer their 2D titles over their 3D ones.

My favourite genre is 3rd person action games and Sony kills it in this genre. So my vote goes to them.

Papacheeks said:

i would argue though that most of Sony's first party games are much larger in general in creation and take more time than Nintendo's first party. Nintendo doesn't have lot's of story driven games, they are gameplay driven primarily. Anything from cutscenes, voice acting mo-cap and all that especially world creation in Horizon's case take a long time. The tech that made up of all the mo-cap animations in Uncharted 4 took years alone to develop. None of that really applied to Nintendo made games.

Even when looking at this years Zelda, and Mario. Though they were probably fairly lengthy in dev time, they were a drop in the bucket compared to how long it took to make Horizon.

They both just do different things. If Sony made games that had no narrative and were just gameplay driven you would see games at a faster clip I guarantee you.

For the scope and size of the games Sony puts out and at the quality, I think it's pretty impressive actually.

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No yeah their games are impressive. But I like playing video games and having a steady stream is all. A steady stream of games is important when it comes to a publishers output, and I don't think Sony has that. Hell these Publishers out here that consistently shut down studios have a steadier stream than Sony.

This year I'll give it to Nintendo but outside of that I'd have gone with Sony the last couple of years.

Nintendo's great if you like kids games. I prefer games with mature themes and content, so Sony gets my vote.

Personally Sony wins for me because I love games focused on mature stories more than pure game play like Nintendo. I'd probably choose Microsoft over Nintendo too. I know Nintendo makes good games but they just aren't for me. Haven't owned a Nintendo console in a long time.

Microsoft!

I have played some really nice games on the Xbox One over the past few years that have been extremely well made, fresh, and just a blast to play. A nice variety of different genres. Some nice solid additions to established franchises. Halo Wars 2, Sunset Overdrive, Sea of Thieves, Quantum Break, Recore, Gears 4, Forza Horizon 2/3, Killer Instinct, Halo 5, Ori, And the list goes on.

I have had such a blast playing them all over the years, and everything on the docket coming up has me so excited! Not to mention some of the dead IPs that I love that they could revive at any moment.


Nintendo probably has the highest quality output in their first party line up, but they are usually so few and far between.

And I love Sonys output, but they are losing their way. Their line up basically boils down to "Hey, Uncharted and Last of Us did so well, lets make a game that looks and plays just like those!" Which is fine and dandy because I love those games and it has actually turned me into a believer of God of War(I am a God of War franchise hater, but super pumped for the new game) but I am needing something new and different.

I tend to gravitate more to Sony libraries; but, Nintendo rules the roost when it comes to best 1st party support, and I honestly feel that's simply an undisputed fact.

1. Nintendo is the only company that has a laundry list of 1st party icons that have stood the test of time and that they have actually taken the time to build up. Sony and MS each have one, and they're both stuck in mature rated games.

2. Nintendo could potentially live on first party alone. Sony and MS could not.

Well Microsoft has Gears of War.

What else would people want?

Nintendo easily has the most fun first party games. They are usually weak on story though... Sony has that part down.

4 out of every 5 years it's Sony. That one other year it's Nintendo.

Nintendo is the only one capable of supporting a platform almost entirely on their own. Their first party is the best by far, and their fans (including me) the most loyal. Next would be Sony, who has made great strides over the years, and WAY back in the pack is MS. MS is much more of a third-party Internet machine.

Tofer said:

This is really my problem with Nintendo and why I would put Sony them. There are exceptions, like BoTW or Metroid Prime, but most of their games are just too simple. I scratch my head playing games like Mario Kart the seeing the metacritic. I can play that game one handed on 150cc and still win. Just didn't engage me at all.

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Easy/simple games are not worthy of praise?

Also, what about 200cc?

Ge0force said:

I never thought we would ever agree about anything, but yeah, this for me as well.

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I really agree with both of you. Sony and Nintendo are top for me, for different reasons. Love playing Nintendo games with my son, but I also love to get wrapped up in a great narrative game like Uncharted. They are both fantastic. Obviously MS is struggling in that regard currently.

Sony's first party efforts have always been more appealing to me personally. Nintendo I'm sure is the most appealing overall to people.

Xita said:

When people post stuff like this it just shows how much they don't pay attention. Nintendo literally just came out with a new IP 5 months ago and it's due to get another update soon-ish.

Splatoon came out two years ago.

If we go on 3DS Intsys came out with Codename Steam (but it bombed) a year ago iirc. Back in June we had Ever Oasis.

Aside from Steam none of them are attached to past Nintendo IP or even have references to them (and Nintendo had an easy out with Splatoon with a Mario Sunshine reference).

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Well the OP is about which one has the best, Sony hands down win by a long shot. Nintendo may create new IP too, But none of them appeal to me personally. And none of the scale and production Sony output at.

Nintendo makes hardware to give their first party software a home, Sony and Microsoft create first party software to drive hardware sales and make more money off of licensing to third parties.

Throw in the fact that Nintendo has some of the most recognizable and valuable IP in the world (you don't see Master Chief or Nathan Drake representing an entire nation when annoucning the next host of the Olympic Games outside of the context of video games even)

I obviously have my bias, but Super Smash Bros should be a definitive answer to this question. Look at Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. Then ask yourself why Cloud and Solid Snake, very associated with Sony, wanted to play on Nintendo's field instead.

Sony for me. The Last of Us last gen and Horizon Zero Dawn this gen would be enough for me to say this I think. I've dabbled in Nintendo and Microsoft first party but they never hook me personally in with them. I'm a single player story driven gamer I would say. I would be correct about saying that too. Sony offers me more of that I think. It's all personally subjective of course.

In terms of quality it has to be Nintendo, but in terms of good first party games in quantity it has to be Sony. Microsoft has Gears, Forza, Halo and Sunset Overdrive, but for me not much else.

Sony for me. Most diverse lineup of titles and they appeal to me more.

Sony's are more for me than Nintendo's. I also think Sony is also pushing the medium forward more than Nintendo has been. While Nintendo has pretty much perfected pure fun, I think games could be doing more and should be doing more than being just fun.

Sony has a good first-party line-up, but I don't know how anyone can argue against Nintendo being number one. On the Switch alone, Nintendo's output has been phenomenal. If you take in to account all the Nintendo platforms, I don't see how it's even close. Nintendo's older games are still playable and enjoyable. Mario 64 is still super fun to play, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is still a marvelous game, even the second-tier games like Kirby or Metroid hold up extremely well. I get that Sony's games have a different appeal, but Nintendo's games have a timeless quality.

Thankfully this isn't a zero-sum game, and there's a lot to enjoy on any of the major platforms.

Nintendo and Sony are both pretty close, but I think in the end I will go with Sony. I just far more enjoy things like Uncharted, GoW, Horizon etc. more than I do Mario and Zelda these days. Microsoft is weird to me. I like Gears, Forza Horizon and Halo at times, but I could live with never playing them again if I had to.

Phantom Thief said:

Is this necessary?

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Wasn't meant as an insult, but a statement of fact. When was the last time Nintendo put out a mature-rated game, if ever?

2017 First Party Output (not including publishing deals or "console exclusives" or games made by studios that are not owned by the publisher)

Sony Interactive Entertainment:
Playstation 4

• Gran Turismo Sport (Polyphony Digital)
• Gravity Rush 2 (Japan Studios)
• Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)
• Knack II (Japan Studios)
• MLB The Show 17 (San Diego Studios)
• Everybody's Golf (Japan Studios/Clap Hanz)
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog)
• WipeOut OMega Collection (XDev, Clever Beans, EPOS Game Studios)
• Drawn to Death (San Diego Studios, David Jaffe's Studio)
• Locoroco Remastered (Japan Studios)
• Parappa the Rapper Remastered (Japan Studios)
• Patapon Remastered (Japan Studios)

Honorable Mentions (exlusive non-1st Party games published by Sony)

• Matterfall (Housemarque)
• Hidden Agenda (Supermassive Games)

Nintendo:
Switch

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (EPD)
• 1-2-Switch (EPD)
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (EPD)
• Arms (EPD)
• Splatoon 2 (EPD)
• Super Mario Odyssey (EPD)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Monolith Software)

3DS

• Miitopia (EPD)
• Mario Party: The Top 100 (Nd Cube)
• Metroid Samus Returns (EPD, MercurySteam)

Honorable Mentions (exlusive non-1st Party games published by Nintendo)

• Pokémon Ultra Sun & Moon (GameFreak)
• Fire Emblem Warriors (Omega Force, Team Ninja)
  
• Pokken Tournament DX (Bandai Namco Studios)
• Snipperclips (SFB Games)
• Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser´s Minions (AlphaDreams)
• Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (Intelligent Systems)
• Hey! Pikmin (Arzest)
• Kirby Battle Royale (HAL)
• Ever Oasis (Grezzo)

Microsoft:
Xbox One

• Forza Motorsport 7 (Turn 10 Studios)
• Halo Wars 2 (343 Industries)
• Phantom Dust [Remaster] (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Voodoo Vince [Remaster] (Beep Industries)

Honorable Mentions (Microsoft Platform exclusive and non-1st Party games published by Microsoft)

• ReCore: Definitive Edition (Comcpet, Armature Studios)
• Kinect: Disneyland Adventures (Asobo Studio)
  
• Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure (Asobo Studio)

The games Sony backs and publishes are fantastic and are the most aligned to my personal tastes, but there's no denying Nintendo manages to continuously polish their main IP's to a mirror shine. Both companies are willing to radically reinvent their IP's and try new things. Microsoft's output has been stale for a good while now.

My vote goes for Sony. They have the most games I want to play. But Microsoft and Nintendo are pretty good too.

SweetBellic said:

Nintendo's great if you like kids games. I prefer games with mature themes and content, so Sony gets my vote.

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Is this the same Sony that thinks of the children?

Nintendo and it's not even close. No other pub can carry a platform almost entirely on their own and they've done it for their last 3 systems.

To contrast the difference, Vita the one Sony device that got no significant third-party support bombed so hard Sony now pretends it never existed.

Nintendo has an amazing first party. I can say that without a problem.

Sony has the first party that I want to play though. Almost every first party game they make I really enjoy.

I honestly can say 80% of what Nintendo puts out though is not for me. I can see the quality though.

Tofer said:

This is really my problem with Nintendo and why I would put Sony them. There are exceptions, like BoTW or Metroid Prime, but most of their games are just too simple. I scratch my head playing games like Mario Kart the seeing the metacritic. I can play that game one handed on 150cc and still win. Just didn't engage me at all.

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That's called being accessible. That doesn't mean simple. I bet you couldn't beat me on MK8D if you think 150cc offline is where it is at.

evilmonkey said:

Nintendo and it's not even close. No other pub can carry a platform almost entirely on their own and they've done it for their last 3 systems.

To contrast the difference, Vita the one Sony device that got no significant third-party support bombed so hard Sony now pretends it never existed.

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Sony themselves put next to nothing on the Vita, they honestly didn't even try outside of one Uncharted.

Nintendo for me since they focus more on gameplay than anything else. And because they aren't afraid to innovate.

Sony also makes great first party games, but they focus more on narrative than gameplay, and that isn't what I'm looking for. So Nintendo takes the first place for me.

I think fortunately for all of us, they all do.
Who you prefer as an individual is all going to come down to preference.
My preference if I just HAD to choose would be Sony. Their games appeal to me the most.
But fortunately I am in a position I do not have to choose. I own all 3 and I am very grateful I can do that.

I also want them all to have the best games as that means as a gamer I get the best they each have to offer. If one of them was clearly dominant, which they are not, that would make for an awful competitive landscape.

Instead, they all offer some really great 1st party games, and we are the lucky recipients of this fact.

Currygan said:

ah, the good old age card

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How is it not relevant? Iv'e played all consoles from master system, Original NES etc up until now. And my gaming time and choices have changed too the point where Nintendo games do nothing for me. They may to you and others, But to me they do nothing like they did when i was younger. Doesn't mean adults can't enjoy those games today, Just that i don't care for them like i do Sony's output of games and offerings( like VR )

Nintendo, by far. Nintendo systems are basically built on that first party support.

SweetBellic said:

Wasn't meant as an insult, but a statement of fact. When was the last time Nintendo put out a mature-rated game, if ever?

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Nintendo published Bayonetta 2, Eternal Darkness, and Conker's Bad Fur Day off the top of my head.