Sony's Best Franchises Not Enough To Beat Nintendo

Chris Buffa (Modojo): In the head to head match-up against Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, some feel Sony has outmaneuvered Microsoft with a variety of critically acclaimed first party franchises, including Uncharted, Resistance, Infamous, God of War and Wipeout.

[Optical_Matrix]

I can't lie, I think Sony now outpaces Nintendo in terms of quality first party variety. I still think that Zelda is better than any of Sony's franchises, but Nintendo is rinsing and repeating the same franchises, with next to no new core IP's this generation. Course I'm looking forward to Skyward Sword and the next Pikmin and Smash Bros on Wii U, but Sony has embarrassed the competition this gen with their first party efforts. Sure they don't sell as much as Nintendo games but the variety is there. Only first party IP's I look forward to these days from Nintendo are:

Zelda
Mario
Mario Kart
Donkey Kong
Golden Sun
Pikmin
Smash Bros

Sony has

God of War
Resistance
Killzone
Little Big Planet
Heavy Rain
Uncharted
White Knight Chronicles
Demons Souls

etc etc.

Next generation needs to see an emergence of first party IP's. Real talk.

[remanutd55]

Resistance
Motorstorm
Uncharted
inFAMOUS
Little Big Planet
White Knight Chronicles
Heavy Rain
Heavenly Sword
Folklore
MAG
some of the new IPs sony has created this generation and i love them all , i love Zelda , i really do ( TP was the only reason i got a wii ) but zelda alone wont do the trick next gen hopefully nintendo bring more exciting new IPs next gen because im pretty sure sony will create new ones as exciting as the current ones or even better , i was a nintendo fan before i started playing on playstation, but im not 6 years old anymore

[remanutd55]

well they had the motion controller first so that would be something innovative but still not good enough in my opinion , its ok if they wanna keep bringing the marios , zeldas , yoshis and all that but mix them with new IPs , hopefully they adopt a good online service and full HD next gen with a little more mature games too

[MasterCornholio]

I agree as well. After playing so many Mario's and Zelda games I start to get tired of playing the same old characters over and over again. The reason why Nintendo holds onto these old franchises is because they manage to sell them to their loyal fans. I hope in the future Nintendo will come up with a ton of new IPS for the WiiU.

XperiaRay

[Game3s]

I think new IPS will be introduced for the Wii U, since nintendo is entering the HD arena.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

See these are the kind of articles that just cause fanboy wars and everything thats wrong with this gen.

[smashcrashbash]

Not a surprising attitude seeing who this statement is coming from.@ GirlyGamer Right here, me and my sisters never touched a Pokemon game in my life. No regrets

[GirlyGamer]

Well obviously. Everybody and their grandmother knows who Mario is and i've yet to meet someone with a DS who hasn't played a Pokemon game. I, personally, would much rather have a Vita than a 3ds (because it's so sexy), or both if life was sweet, but a lot of people can only buy the one that has the games they really want.

To be honest i haven't played a Mario game in years so it holds no nostalgic appeal to me, i liked nintendogs though.

[2EHO]

Hate fanboys. If you like something good for you. I don't expect someone who likes sony to buy a 3ds just because I have one and LOVE it. Do what makes you happy!

[BitbyDeath]

You guys need to lay off Nintendo, i hope they keep going on forever. I haven't bought a Nintendo product but i respect their way of business.

Sony and Nintendo are both great in how they conduct themselves, we need more companies like them not less.

[schlanz]

Amen. Let Sony do their thing and Nintendo do theirs. People tend to forget that Nintendo carries more first party franchises than any other developer. Most developers have just a few, and release sequel after sequel after spinoff. Its okay when they do it, but Nintendo is vilified when they do.

Everyone also seems to forget that no one in the business is better at reinventing their games than ninty.

[Sithlord-Gamble]

Nintendo is vilified bc its been the same remade/reinvented franchises since 1985! Come on bro, be a little more realistic! Im 31, I don't wanna play the same games I did when I was 5 or 6. I've grown up, others have grown up and nintendo needs to do the same. I apologize if my expectations are a little more refined/mature now. Id love to buy a nintendo system but I can't bc im just not interested in kids games anymore.

[mamotte]

@Sithlord-Gamble

We're really glad that you grew up.

Now, can we assume you're not the only gamer in the world and that young people need something to play which isnt, ejem "hardcore"?

[schlanz]

If you can't enjoy modern day Mario Metroid and Zelda games then I truly feel sorry for you. But if you don't want to play them, you have literally 100s of other games to choose from. Let the millions of the rest of us enjoy them without you whispering over our shoulder that what we're having fun with isn't up to snuff.
I enjoy dark thematic and mature games as much as the next person. The last two games I beat were Dark Souls and Arkham City.. both excellent. Those games have their place and Mario and Co. have theirs. Also though it may not be "mature", Mario is the epitome of refined. You can't point out a platformer with more refined control, more imaginative level design, and brilliantly composed music.

And age I assure you, has nothing to do with it. Maturity certainly does. Of which I assume you have very little.

[Sithlord-Gamble]

What does maturity have to do with stating FACTS??? Nintendo has thrived off of "reinventing" the same games over n over again. Refined? I would hope so considering they've relied on the same franchises for decades. Also, look at the 3DS: Its kinda like their games, Same design as the DS, DSi, DSxl ... they didnt even adapt to the times to add the 2nd analog. shall i continue? When was the last NEW ip from nintendo? Exactly. I love nintendo and I continue to support them and buy their products ... for my kids! Im simply pointing out why some people highly dislike nintendo (which I don't ... they r my 2nd fave company after Sony). Im just being realistic and I see nothing wrong with playing devils advocate.

Oh and btw u want me to name a platformer? Have we forgotten the geniusly created Little Big Planet franchise? Im sorry but it totally reinvented the platformer genre ... Yes w/o Mario there would be no LBP, no Sony, Microsoft or countless other platformers but LBP has done what other platformers haven't ... INNOVATE.

Its not a hardcore title and I enjoyed specifically bc it did something different that hasn't been done before.

So don't talk about maturity to me when u were the one who turned a simple opinion into a personal attack when I said nothing personally insulting to u. So who again is the one who lacks maturity?

[schlanz]

The FACTS are that every successful franchise is continued by its developer. To do otherwise is just bad business. Yet many "hardcore" gamers are so quick to jump on Nintendo for releasing 1 or 2 main games in a franchise every generation. They really dont need new IPs even though they do have them each and every generation. They just aren't on the same level of scope as their tried and true franchises, and why should they be? Why make a huge financial and time commitment to something that won't have the same results as something that is guaranteed millions upon millions of sales?

And LBP, though a great series (I own and have completed both), is more impressive thanks to its create and share aspect. SMG 1&2 were far more impressive games with regard to pretty much every other aspect. Design, control, music, variety, camera, pacing, ect. LBP did not reinvent platforming. It took basic elements of sidescrolling platforming and combined it with a very well implemented user creation aspect. SMG on the other hand, reinvented the gold standard of platforming, which to that point was most likely the last Super Mario game or at the very least SM64.

Also, I apologize for the dig, and I didn't take any personal offense. But when people blanket label Nintendo games "kiddie" or "kids games" its either trolling for lulz, ignorance from not have playing them, or a lack of maturity. Or perhaps some combination of the three. What's your excuse?

[LeBronista]

The title of the article should be "Sony's best franchises not enough to beat the Pokemon fanboys". :D

[supremacy]

But Sony's first party games have never singlely handed beat anyone before so whats the point of this article.

I mean Sony's thing is not to rely on first party stuff alone, but to have a variety of games available on their platforms. Its what made them so successful throughout the years.

The idea for Sony and fanboys to inbed it in their brains is...

You make a platform most devs can easily relate to and not alienate. Then what happens next is...

You mix a little grandturismo with some call of duty, a little god of war with some Ninja gaiden.

A little uncharted with some rpgs and such.

Its the rich combination of 1st, 2nd &3rd party software that makes PlayStation platforms; platforms to own. Not a mario or pokemon or halo.

A lot of todays big franchises are what they are because of PlayStation, these days you will be surprised if you could say that about a Nintendo platform.

My point is? The vita will be fine as long as the flow of games continue on smoothly. A hundred games to be set for year one? And yet.all I hear about is how Sony cant match a few Nintendo ips? C'mon now the vita like the 3Ds will be fine.

And all I know is every other year Sony seems to be either signing or aquiring companies and broadening their portfolio of games. Every generation brings forth a few new franchises; that makes me wonder how long will it be until people realize Sony out of the big 3 has the most and biggest internal studios working hard to provide the most variety.

Its only a matter of time before this becomes a reality,that is if it already isnt http://spong.com/article/11... But size isnt my point, that I already made clear.

[Game3s]

I totally agree with the article, the PS3 franchises are great but they just don't appeal to the masses look at killzone 3 and resistance 3 not one of them has passed 1m copies sold, i would assume no one is playing games thats y they don't sell, but then BF3 PS3 version came out and sold 1.4m that is almost equal to or is equal to the the amount of copies resistance 3 and killzone 3 sold combined.

As for the rest of Sony's IPs for this year only little big planet i think passed 1m, while it is standard for a nintendo franchise to pass 5m.

So by these facts Nintendo franchises are doing alot better than Sony's not that i am saying Sony's franchises are bad i am just saying they do not appeal to the masses except 2 games which is Uncharted and GT5, as for Uncharted just will have to wait and see if people actually bought the game they were praising so hard in time we will know.

[supremacy]

You are not looking at the big picture here, as misterhbk pointed out the same could be said about some of Nintendo's franchises. Not all of Nintendo's games sell well, but thats not the point anyways.

And if we were to start pointing out sales why was grandturismo 5 was able to move over 2 million units in its first couple of days with kinect and call of duty on its heels?

Why was god of war 3 the only game to sell extremely well in the month of march back when it launched?

The list goes on believe me, but I am not going to sit here and talk sales. Point is Sony's first party games dont necessarly need to break barries for its platforms to do well.

Nintendo to its credit, has history on its side and with that a proven track record. To have platforms survive on the back of first party software is an accomplishment in itself, however I cant knock Sony for going with a mixture.

[Game3s]

You seem to have missed my point please go read again, as for nintendo franchises not doing well only a few.....compared to Sony's that are doing bad.

[Sithlord-Gamble]

Dude get your facts straight before you post things ... idk about R3 but Killzone 3 has DEFINITELY sold more than a million copies. Look it up before u open up your mouth.

[Hicken]

Originally, I was just gonna post without reading the article, basing my response on the idiotic premise of the title, and the reactions of those here.

After reading it, I wish I'd just gone ahead with my first impulse.

The author, if you can call him that, pretty much says that because a handful of Nintendo games have put up really impressive numbers, Sony's big hitters won't be able to compare. The ironic thing is that Nintendo seems to be in a more limbo-like state than Sony by far. The 3DS has definitely not met expectations (and while you can cite its current increase in sales, that's after dropping in price by a third) in sales, and is only just now getting into the meat of its lineup... which, by the way, currently consists largely of remakes.

The Wii U, in my opinion, is in an uncertain place, as well. It's supposed to be aimed more at core gamers than the Wii, but a lot of those core gamers aren't sold yet. At the same time, being more focused on the core stands a chance to alienate that casual audience the Wii has gained.

Whatever. People will look for any reason to say Sony is doing poorly, or isn't doing well enough.

[supremacy]

@Game3s
how many games has Nintendo release in contrast to Sony just this year alone with little to marketing?lol are you kidding me?

Nintendo has the most notable franchises on the market and yet fail to release half of what Sony releases annually.

So if you want to compare apples and oranges, yeah, sure, fine by all means be my guest.

The thing is like ive pointed out earlier, is not all about first party stuff with Sony. Heck you got plenty of games which sell a lot better on the ps3 which has a smaller userbase when compared to the wii or the DS line.

Yes you can say that as long as any type of game or concept has the mario name associated with it, it will sell and to Nintendo's credit thats a given. But when was the last time they sold anything non-nintendo in big numbers?

Again, it goes both ways. Just like Nintendo, Sony has its share of successful ips and its share of failures if you will. People are always ready to point out the obvious and ignore the little facts in between.

Heavy rain (for example)a brand new ip with no refferencess of any established brand before it, sold well. Monster hunter samething, Nintendo has not been able to push new ips like Sony and MS to some extent has. Everything they make a success has already some type of association with their trademarks written all over it. Yeah they can move add-ons and quirky hardware, but software outside their own? So far its been a mediocre effort in their part.

And this goes back to my original argument, Playstation isnt a playform just built for first party offerings, but rather a platform build for a rich variety of content ranging from 1st,2nd &3rd party software. That by the way all sell fairly well.

Nintendo is a household name, everyone knows the name and what they are all about. The history, the games, their designs and views we know and get it. But Sony has been crafting more games a year and pumping more releases than Nintendo has been. So if a few Nintendo exclusives manage to outsell Sony's offerring I wont feel bad at all.

Why should I? Or anyone with common sense for that matter?

As far as I see it everything is fine.

[ozstar]

Truth hurts, and the choir is stone deaf....

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

only because nintendo software starves their user base.it's not like their going geez,i have assassin's creed, u3, geow3, forza, ico/shadow, bf3, batman ac, skyrim,deus ex,RAGE etc etc etc to choose from.so any resemblance of a triple A title is a welcome for the core nintendo champ.

don't get me wrong their 1st party stuff is great but it's not like it has competition for your dollars either.this is why i'm not a fan of nintendo anymore because nintendo only wants to make nintendo money.

they don't want diversity for their user base on they're console they only want nintendo products to sell on their system, even if that means alienating their user base and subjecting them to 2-4yr waits for their next franchise to ship a feaking game, meanwhile it's shovelware purgatory.

and before you disagree just imaging if all the games i named plus more was on nintendos console with hd graphics, where will your mario's and zelds etc measure up then?