420°

When Sony Almost Conquered the Shooter Scene

Eric from GamR Mag writes: "...the truth of the matter is that Sony nearly stole the show from Microsoft when it comes to shooters. Some of these games ended up doing pretty well, a few struggled, and one fell flat on its face."

slinky1234563915d ago

Sony has many exclusive titles in just about every genre, while ms just has a couple in some and none in most.

ABeastNamedTariq3915d ago

I'd have to agree with that. Shooter and racer mostly, IIRC. They're still fun, but.. You know.

shivvy243915d ago

I really hope someone picks up the Resistance franchise, I was a huge halo fanboy until I got resistance on my 14th bday back in 2007 ! Man I was hooked on both 1 and 2 ! I liked 3 but it didnt feel like a resistance game ! I reckon insomniac didnt have enough to fund R3 so the game was smaller , small mp , no co-op compared to the huge scale in R2

UltimateMaster3915d ago

I really loved MAG, Sony should've kept Zipper Interactive.
They should make a sequel.

Campy da Camper3915d ago

What I like about Sony is they take chances with devs. Some of what I consider this gens greatest games (TLOU, Heavy Rain, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Demons Souls) have been on the PlayStation.

Games with a awesome SP are what I prefer. Sure, mp can be fun but I spend 60.00 on a game that I want to sit in a dark room, wired in to my LED 55" with my Sennheisers 7.1 surround sound headphones and become lost in for hours at a time.

I don't care so much for loadouts and Hollywood voice acting I want a game with great atmosphere and unyielding gameplay. I want to turn off my console and sit there for a few minutes having to process what I just played. I want to be at work physically but mentally day dreaming about how I'm going to tackle that level and research online other peoples comments about being stuck or over burdened by an enemy. This is the sum total that makes a game great.

The order, second sun, knack, the next ND and MM game...this is what excites me to buy a ps4

AbortMission3915d ago

Meh. Resistance shouldn't be milked anymore. R3 was a good ending.

I want new memorable IPs instead for the PS4 and Vita!

itBourne3915d ago

R:FoM was possibly the best shooter of this generation. R2 was trash and not even remotely like the first resistance. R3 was a CoD syndrome game, the story was trash (sp gameplay was fine). Resistance was the best thing Sony had going and whether it was Sony or Insomniac they ruined it. I know at lest 15 people that abandoned Resistance when it came to R2. 4 people that bought a ps3 because of RFoM as well, and didnt like any of the sequels

I_am_Batman3915d ago

@AbortMission: I really have to disagree. If there was anything that I disliked about Resistance 3 it definately was the ending. I really was hoping to get to the world of the ancient chimeras or at least for them to get in the real world. The actual ending was way too predictable. I'm not a huge fan of happy endings just for the sake of it. I especially liked the ending of Resistance 2 because it took me by surprise.

ohiostatesman3915d ago

It doesn't really matter because Sony does not have Halo. The king of FPS games.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3915d ago
TomShoe3915d ago

If I wanted a console that was entirely about FPS games, I'd get an Xbox.

UltimateMaster3915d ago

And I'd agree with you more if bungie was still making Halo.

But so far, Microsoft doesn't have an Exclusive First Party Shooter coming out this year, which is kinda odd. Halo's only coming out next year.

CrimsonStar3915d ago

Xbox 1 : no exclusives for shooters
PS4: KZ-SF , Planet side , and war thunder (think that's what it is called)
Your comment just imploded with an incredible amount of contradiction .

JBSleek3915d ago

That is disingenuous really at the start of this generation because MS is launching without their major shooter games while Sony actually is.

Fireseed3915d ago

Except they don't even have a fighting game for launch... let alone an exclusive.

JP13693915d ago

Key words: At launch. Over the course of the console cycle it's very likely that Sony will produce more exclusives with more variety. But, you keep pointing to that narrow window of time in which most of their studios and third party partners won't have had the opportunity to release or show their newest products and act as if that's somehow a barometer for the next 5-7 years. How'd that turn out the last three generations?

WeAreLegion3915d ago

Killer Instinct looks good, but it easily could have been a 360 title.

pr0t0typeknuckles3915d ago

I completly agree with you,heck tge reason I like Sony and nintendo mire cause they have a bigger variety than Microsoft.

humbleopinion3915d ago

Actually last gen started quite the opposite: Sony came strong from the PS2 era in JRPGs and action-adventure games (especially platforms), plus they had the ultimate racing franchise, while Microsoft was much stronger in FPS games and Western RPGs.

So both focused on their weaknesses: MS started with some action-adventure and platforming efforts with games like Kameo and Banjo, and at the same time focused heavily on JRPG - in fact the Xbox 360 was the best place for JRPGs until about two years ago when MS abandoned them and sony picked up the spoils of war - so now the tables have turned again. Microsoft also delivered PGR and Forza games back to back, and thanks to Sony missing the mark with GT it turned out that the 360 became the best place for racing franchises. Microsoft also put some focus on H&S games (Where Sony completely dominated last gen thanks to GOW and DMC), but after a few failed attempts (Ninja Blade, NNN and losing the Ninja Gaiden exclusivity) they bailed out.

Sony on the other hand focused on shooters: From Killzone to Infamous to Haze to MAG and SOCOM. But nothing in that least could even come close to dethrone Halo... hell - none of the games even comes close to the feature set offered by Halo 3 back in 2007. Not to mention the 360 had some assitance from games such as Metro 2033, PDZ, and (and that's exlcuding 3rd person shooters such as Gears). But it was eventually multiplatform games like COD and Battlefield that made FPS games a non-issue whichever console you owned

But sony also failed to hit one other major genre: the Western RPG. The PS3 practically had none (the closest thing was the ARPG Demons Souls). Meanwhile the X360 had the Fable series (which is only Semi-RPG), built up on the Mass Effect series (which was initially exclusive) and had some other console exclusives such as The Witcher and Divinity 2.

Sony also stayed on top the Platformer genre (with Ratchet and Sly games for example), while Microsoft expanded to the strategy genres (Halo Wars, Toy Soldiers for exmplae) with no real answer from Sony. Both had their 3rd party exclusive stealth-action game (MGS4 VS SC:C) but both have their sequels turned multiplatform so no real dominance here.

At the end of the generation it turns out that both have a varied selection of titles, with the PS3 strengths being mostly H&S and Platformers, while the 360 strengths are Strategy and RPGs. In almost all other genres each console has a fair share of exclusive counteroffers.

But lastly, microsoft also better capitalized on the indie market and small games segments, with Xbox Live Arcade outshining at least in quantity whatever the PSN had to offer. This is probably why Sony identified this as a key weakness of the PS3 and is now moving on full force towards the indie scene with the PS4. This gen is going to be very interesting.

savaroth3915d ago

"with the PS3 strengths being mostly H&S and Platformers, while the 360 strengths are Strategy and RPGs. "

Most of your arguement is actually good, but you forget to mention that MS has left RPG gamers out in the cold now the next gens are about to appear. Sony came with Ni No kuni and Tales of Xillia. MS came with what?

Do agree with your statement that MS did have a good start. Fable, Star Ocean ( THe PS version was better with dual JP/EN audio , but came out a year later )

humbleopinion3915d ago (Edited 3915d ago )

@savaroth

I actually agree with you - but please note that I was making a distinction between RPGs and JRPGs (who for most part aren't really RPGs in the same sense western games are).

Regarding JRPGs, I clearly stated that "about two years ago when MS abandoned them and sony picked up the spoils of war" - which is exactly whay you are saying. MS dropped the ball here.

But if someone is picking up the Xbox 360, he still has about 4-5 exclusive JRPGs not available on the PS3 to play (although most of them are from 2006-2009). Hell, Lost Odyssey is still one of my most recommended JRPGs to date this gen.

But when Regarding western RPGs - I still stand by my statement that Sony doesn't really have anything exclusive on the PS3 to counter what the 360 offers.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3915d ago
Amazingmrbrock3915d ago

Aww I didn't know they were shutting down the MAG servers. That makes me kind of sad. I haven't played it in a long time but I put a lot of hours into it. I'll probably never throw away the disk just because of all the memories.

MRMagoo1233915d ago

I would rather all devs put FPS games aside for a while and concentrate on different genres this gen.

shivvy243915d ago

I would like to see more platformers/adventure games

-Alpha3915d ago

I remember I used to be so hyped for Haze. My Halo friends would laugh at me... I had so much faith in Free Radical.

It's unfortunate how these shooters struggled. Resistance and SOCOM should have been so much more. Sony always had SOCOM, it's definitely the biggest disappointment and a title that should have succeeded if not for horrible management and cluelessness from the developers.

Bigpappy3915d ago

The only shooter I really wanted to play from Sony was Socom. I was playing Ghost Recon on Xbox and some of the feature in Socom sounded like they would have added to the fun in Ghost. Doing co-op online missions in Ghost was priceless though. Love those Xbox Ghost. GRAW was not quite as good.

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150°

Sony CEO says although AI "has been used for creation," it's "not a substitute for human creativity"

"AI is not a substitute for human creativity. We position it as a technology that supports creativity. Creativity resides in people. We will continue to contribute to people's creativity through technology," the CEO said.

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gamesradar.com
1nsomniac5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

...not yet but 100% within the next 10 years!

..Then Sony will use it like the drop of a hat. They're no different to the others.

isarai5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

They used to be 😞 sure it was always a business, and money's always the priority, but they used to have a very strong stance on supporting artists and creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" was a phrase they touted a few times back in the ps1-ps3 era, a philosophy carried over from their music branch PlayStation was created from. It's not COMPLETELY gone, but it's barely there compared to what it was back then, i just want them to return to that.

Eonjay4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I am highly encouraged by their statement about human creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" is exactly what they are saying. But at the same time, I don't think people understand that Sony is a corporation. If they don't realize growth, they don't get to exist. When you say 'Sony', you are talking about a bunch of investors. To speak about them any other way is a illogical and incorrect. They haven't changed. They have been a group of investors since they became a public business.

isarai5d ago

Ugh, i really wish people would stop gambling people's livelihoods by turning a project/game into their political soapbox. Im all for statements and having your own opinion, but there's more people working on this than just druckman, ham fisting your political beliefs onto just seems inconsiderate for everyone elses job security when it can result in a failure due to people avoiding it for that reason.

I play games for escape, im so tired of nearly every AAA game blatantly dragging real world issues to shove in my face when I'm trying to take a break from it all. They don't even bother to be subtle about it, quite the opposite, it's blasted and force fed to you and it's just getting exhausting

Einhander19724d ago

People are taking a whole interview and cutting it down to clips that make him look bad and take what he actually was saying out of context. For example he also said things like this AI has "ethical issues we need to address"

-Foxtrot4d ago

@Einhander

Why defend him at this point?

It’s not taking things out of context, he said what he said.

Old ND would never talk about soulless AI taking over so many creative things they are well known for. The whole “ethical issues” is just a good PR spin people who push this crap fall back on to make their statements not seem as bad. So many AI lovers do this.

AI has no place is so many creative based things.

Einhander19724d ago

Well yeah, because everyone else is using it so they need to stay competitive. It's the same as paid online, they didn't want to go that route but their competition was making so much money they needed to add paid online just to keep up.

RaiderNation4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

AI will never replace humans in game development in terms of conceptualizing new games. Humans still need to come up with the ideas and what they want to implement. However much of the day to day menial coding could be AI driven to reduce production time and team size. I could also see AI being used for bug testing/optimization that could lead to better quality games at launch. I'm actually very optimistic about how AI can positively impact game development.

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XiNatsuDragnel5d ago

Good statement but hopefully this holds up

NotoriousWhiz4d ago

People that aren't software developers just don't understand the benefits of AI. People who's only exposure to A.I is the Terminator movie and other related sci fi films won't understand the benefits it provides.

It's not about replacing human labor. It's about making human labor easier.

Many years ago, I had laser eye surgery done. It was performed by a robot. The doctor took my measurements and calibrated the machine to make sure it would do what needed be done. And then the robot corrected my vision in 10 seconds.

15 years later and I still have 20/20 vision.

Eonjay4d ago

AI in and of itself is not a 'bad'. Money is bad. Money is evil, and corporations will do whatever they can to get more of it. They will find ways to implement AI to replace as may jobs as possible. This isn't even up for debate. It is the charge of the corporation to maximize returns for the investors. They have no choice. I'm a developer and I know that my job will absolutely be replaced. Therefore, I have decided to become an AI dev. AI has a lot of potential to help us solve problem on a scale most can't even imagine. The issue, as ever is that our monetary system only ever allows us to focus on greed and fiscal growth.

But I am a pragmatist. Perhaps an AI model can be built to help protect us from our most dangerous instincts and habits. And perhaps Congress can pass laws to protect us from people who would use AI to manipulate and control us (spoiler: they wont).

RaiderNation4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Progress is inevitable. Nobody driving cars today is complaining that the horse and buggy is no longer around. Yes, some jobs will be lost but guess what? With innovation comes new job opportunities. It's how the cycle of the job market works.

150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers33d ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos33d ago (Edited 33d ago )

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken33d ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g33d ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing33d ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H933d ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola33d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66933d ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle33d ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg34d ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos34d ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola34d ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

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