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Is Sony vs. Microsoft Now Just Third Person Perspective vs. First Person Games?

SageShinigami

SageShinigami

Member
Oct 27, 2017
30,488
As someone who thinks any business will get lazy if they have no competition, I'm invested in seeing Microsoft do better. I've been a Sony fan since 1998 but I think everyone needs someone on their heels. I was excited at the prospect of Microsoft buying studios and getting more games, but eventually I noticed a trend.

Bethesda: Largely responsible for first-person games.
343 Industries: ...Come on.
The Initiative: Perfect Dark has been described as a First-Person Game.
inXile: Known for isometric titles, but their upcoming AAA RPG is described as first-person.
Obsidian Entertainment: All First-Person Perspective lately.
Rare: Sea of Thieves is their main title and is first-person.

Now. Just to be clear:

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MICROSOFT FOCUSING ON FIRST PERSON TITLES. Sony has focused on third-person narrative titles for an entire generation and it's worked out very well for them.

It does make me less interested in Microsoft as a company though. I don't do First-person games. Just no interest. It makes going with Sony an easy choice this generation for me, but I think Microsoft has a ton of games coming that will result in them getting back to where they belong.

But if it remains the way it is now and this generation winds up being Sony's third-person games versus Microsoft's first-person games, how do you feel about it?
 
purseowner

purseowner

From the mirror universe
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,444
UK
Is Gears of War first-person? Is Forza first-person?

You have a point that one company focuses on first person more and the other on third person more, but it isn't so absolute.
 
Poimandres

Poimandres

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,889
I prefer first person to third person generally (with many exceptions!) but I sincerely hope both companies can cater to both audiences.

I'd like to see Sony try their hand at FPS again. I guess they have some (timed?) exclusives coming to fill the gap like Death Loop.
 
T0kenAussie

T0kenAussie

Member
Jan 15, 2020
5,110
Double fine make 3rd person platformers

senua s saga will most likely be third person

gears will always be third person

they have flight sim and 2 forza franchises with optional camera angles

Microsoft is trying to diversify its slate but if you only focus on shooters and wrpgs which are generally done in the first person I guess yeah you could make something of an argument
 

Raigor

Member
May 14, 2020
15,158
Is fable first person?
Is Forza first person?
Is gears first person?
Is Hellblade first person?
Are Double fine games first person?
 
Meg Cherry

Meg Cherry

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,286
Seattle, WA
Considering their biggest franchises this past gen (Gears & Forza) are not primarily first-person titles - I am inclined to disagree.
 
Viceratops

Viceratops

Banned
Jun 29, 2018
2,570
That is really reductionist. No 2 exclusives from Sony play the same. And I bet the same is true from MS. The only people trying to convince you that camera perspective means the same game are the people that desperately try to downplay Sony's efforts from last gen.
 
Caiusto

Caiusto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,771
The last first person from Microsoft that I can remember is Halo 5 and that was 5 years ago.

Edit: forgot about Grounded
 
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trashbandit

trashbandit

Member
Dec 19, 2019
3,910
Why do people talk about third and first person games as two different sides? They're not at fucking war with each other. They're not mutually exclusive; making one type of game does not take away from or preclude the existence of the other. No, Sony vs. Microsoft is not just third person vs. first person because third person vs. first person is not an actual thing. It's literally a non-existent matchup.
 
Bede-x

Bede-x

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,481
They definitely specialize in different things, but while Microsoft certainly has a lot of teams using the first person perspective, their first party is so big at this point, they still have as many teams as Sony doing non-first person games.

I see it more like genre specialization. Sony is great at cinematic games and the open world Ubisoft template, while Microsoft is great at western RPGs, strategy games, shooting games and perhaps immersive sims, the latter being mostly Arkane.

And teams like Inxile and Obsidian don't exclusively do first person games. It varies and even Bethesda usually offer a third person mode as well.
 
Mukrab

Mukrab

Member
Apr 19, 2020
7,547
Caiusto said:
The last FPS from Microsoft that I can remember is Halo 5 and that was 5 years ago.
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There wqs this guy in the other thread saying that MS focussing on FPS and RPGs is just focusing on what they are already strong. Was he asleep for the whole last gen? I can only remember one FPS from MS the whole gen and uhh zero rpgs? I didnt look it up but thats what i can remember.
 
headspawn

headspawn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,625
It's not really an accurate take, MS has lots of 3rd person games.

Sony just lacks FPS games altogether outside of Killzone.

It's not really an issue though, whatever works.
 
FEVER333

FEVER333

Member
Sep 7, 2020
842
Not hating on anyone here, but I genuinely don't understand people who care THAT much about perspective, or people who say "I don't play third person games" or "I don't do first person." That's so bizarre to me. How can you write off an entire perspective? Some first person games are fantastic, others are garbage. The same is true for third person, and any other perspective.
 
YukiroCTX

YukiroCTX

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,002
I can't even remember the last First person game MS made in the last two years but camera perspective shouldn't really be a detraction for each company because gameplay can still widely vary between each game. I don't even think I remember an FP game from Nintendo either but gameplay changes, similarly with Sony at the moment, get's huge focus with their big titles like TLOU, Ghost but there's genre diversity with Sackboy and Dreams and hard to say that Camera is a limiting factor in diverse experiences.
 
KamenSenshi

KamenSenshi

Member
Nov 27, 2017
1,870
I see what you mean op but Microsoft being big on FPS isn't really new it's what they have been known for since the Xbox. They are buying companies but at least will probably change this perception in doing so. Sony on the other hand, yeah their big games that they want people to associate them with seem to be focused on the 3rd person and they seem to be moving to solidify that perception.
 
ThereAreFourNaan

ThereAreFourNaan

Member
Nov 8, 2017
13,130
In the sense that Sony basically doesn't do first person games outside of VR, I suppose. But Microsoft does do third person.
 
Sotha_Sil

Sotha_Sil

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,079
I think it's more fair to say that Microsoft will have a lot of both, while Sony will likely continue to stick with mostly third-person games.
 

brain_stew

Member
Oct 30, 2017
4,736
So let's see in 2020 Xbox Games Studios released:

Bleeding Edge - Not first person
Ori - Not first person
Gears Tactics - Not first person
Minecraft Dungeons - Not first person
Flight Simulator - Not first person
Battletoads - Not first person
Tell Me Why - Not first person
Wasteland 3 - Not first person
Grounded - First Person
Age of Empires 3 Remastered - Not first person
Gears 5: Hivebusters - Not first person

That's 11 games and only 1 is first person, and that was an Early Access release so if we're limiting it to full releases only then there was none.

So, no, in summary, I think the concept of the thread isn't accurate at all.
 
Adrifi

Adrifi

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jan 5, 2019
3,466
the Spanish Basque Country
I don't think you can generalize like that on Microsoft's side:

State of Decay (third person)
Gears (third person)
Hellblade 2 (third person)
Starfield (probably both first and third person cameras)
TES 6 (probably both first and third person cameras)
Tell Me Why (third person)
Ori (third person)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (both first and third)
Grounded (both first and third)
Fable (third person)
Forza Horizon (both)
Forza Motorsport (both)
Compulsion's next game (we know it's third person)
Avowed (probably both)
Age of Empires (third person)
Halo Wars (third person)

So there are a lot of games they make that can be played in third person.

Oh and by the way, Inxile's job listings look for experience in both first person and third person cameras, so their next game will probably be Bethesda-style.
 
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Awesome Wells

Awesome Wells

Member
Dec 3, 2017
218
Along with all the more salient points that have been raised already Fallout, Skyrim, Outer Worlds etc. can all be played in third person.

So, in summary, no OP.
 
CliveLH

CliveLH

Member
Jun 22, 2019
2,226
I'm surprised this thread is not derailing towards "is Skyrim a first or third person game ?" yet.
 
Malcolm9

Malcolm9

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,041
UK
As long as they both release quality titles i couldn't care less if they are first / third person.
 
Hilarious_Bearious

Hilarious_Bearious

Member
Nov 4, 2017
7,383
FEVER333 said:
Not hating on anyone here, but I genuinely don't understand people who care THAT much about perspective, or people who say "I don't play third person games" or "I don't do first person." That's so bizarre to me. How can you write off an entire perspective? Some first person games are fantastic, others are garbage. The same is true for third person, and any other perspective.
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A lot of first person stuff makes me motion sick. It's manageable on PC if I can crank the frame rate and/or widen field of view, but first person games on console are often an exercise in headaches and nausea for me. I have nothing against first person though, it just doesn't agree with me sometimes.
 
OP
OP
SageShinigami

SageShinigami

Member
Oct 27, 2017
30,488
Adrifi said:
I don't think you can generalize like that on Microsoft's side:

Gears (third person)
Hellblade 2 (third person)
Starfield (probably both first and third person cameras)
TES 6 (probably both first and third person cameras)
Tell Me Why (third person)
Ori (third person)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (both first and third)
Grounded (both first and third)
Fable (third person)
Forza Horizon (both)
Forza Motorsport (both)
Compulsion's next game (we know it's third person)
Avowed (probably both)
Age of Empires (third person)
Halo Wars (third person)

So there are a lot of games they make that can be played in third person.

Oh and by the way, Inxile's job listings look for experience in both first person and third person cameras, so their next game will probably be Bethesda-style.
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Avowed is confirmed first person. Obsidian is leaning heavily into first-person experiences. Bethesda Game Softworks games have a third-person option but are designed as first-person perspective experiences, which I wouldn't bring up except the rest of Bethesda Game Studio titles are first-person.

Gears, Hellblade, Ori, Forza, and Microsoft Flight Simulator are indeed third-person, that's correct.
 
Speevy

Speevy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,376
Developers can make a game, an RPG, a shooter, an adventure game third or first person, or even both. They could also make it 2D is do an isometric game. They could do it in the style of Hades or Sackboy's Big Adventure.

There are infinite many options. Some work better for online shooters while others are better for story driven games when you need to see the main character's face a lot. Some are better for different gameplay mechanics. The sky is the limit!

I'm sorry but what is...I just...
 
PianoBlack

PianoBlack

Member
May 24, 2018
6,656
United States
mazi said:
i know a lot of people who won't play first person games. it's super weird, imagine depriving yourself of so many amazing games.
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I mean, if it phsyically makes someone ill then sure I get it.

But if it's just an aesthetic choice? You refuse to play foundational, genre defining games across pretty much every genre because of camera perspective? Like just think of missing all of the games below, I won't even bother with sequels or the numerous masterpieces preceding or inspired by them:
- Half Life
- Bioshock
- Myst
- Elder Scrolls
- Doom
- Metroid Prime
- Deus Ex
- Portal
- Halo
- Firewatch

Nah, I refuse to believe such people exist lol.
 
Adrifi

Adrifi

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jan 5, 2019
3,466
the Spanish Basque Country
SageShinigami said:
Avowed is confirmed first person. Obsidian is leaning heavily into first-person experiences. Bethesda Game Softworks games have a third-person option but are designed as first-person perspective experiences, which I wouldn't bring up except the rest of Bethesda Game Studio titles are first-person.

Gears, Hellblade, Ori, Forza, and Microsoft Flight Simulator are indeed third-person, that's correct.
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I don't know, I think that Bethesda Game Studios' games are perfectly playable in third person, especially Skyrim and Fallout 4. I mean, you have two people in this very thread saying they play them in third person.
 
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