People like to point out the Sony "formula" for games...

Sony offers all kind of experiences. Whoever buys a PS4 right now has the biggest variety and quantity of exclusives to choose from. Noone likes every single exclusive a platform offers, thats a fact. Except die hard fanboys with are very few.

Want platformers ? Racing games ? MMORPG ? Story driven ? Action/aDventure ? Open world ? Puzzle like ? Horror ? Sports ? Cinematics ? First Person Shooters ? Fighting games ? All kind of indies ?

What formula ? There are games for everyone up there, cinematic or not 3rd person or not.

My question is are there any games that feel original? I think it's pretty easy to see that developing a big budget release is very expensive and so they design games with recent trends in mind... Every game has a gun or a sword, every game is either first person or third person, every game has some sort of tiered leveling component, every game has MP... Etc etc etc.... Soon every game will have battle Royal.

Sonys bean counters know what works on the AAA minded gamer... What we should praise is their diversity with the indie scene and that they do create games that buck the system every now and again...

In the end its a money game... Not really art. They are developing games right now that circle well around the concept that they are in it to make money, so get used to noticing familiar "formulas" in games. Sony isn't painting the Mona Lisa.

Agreed, I prefer my cinematic story driven games to mindless grinding low budget M$ games

Again: TLHBO

@AzatiS:

Don't shoot me for pointing out a new take on company generalizations for games.

I didn't create the narrative on Sony that many have prescribed to here nor did I create the one for Xbox. But since this one generalization for Sony's "formula" is widely used by posters here in arguments and discussions, I thought it's only fair to point out the MS "formula" which can also be argued when discussing what to expect from those games.

I didn't make either generalization nor do I think a game company needs to be generalized but then again if people think it's good for Sony...then it's also fair play for MS as well no?

I like games to be complete out of the box unless it's an mmorpg. The sad thing is that people think they will get an mmo experience with a retail game but subscription money is a huge factor in generating content. The result is almost always disappointing

@TheEroica: how many games are set in a future distopic world where you kill animal machines with bows? Horizon is pretty original.

If the lack of originality is a problem, then the Witcher 3 sucks because if anything, is a Dragon Age clone but more polished.

Huh?

lol this post seems to be coming off the wall. Tell us how you really feel.

@recloud: lol... The setting? I'm talking about the player experience... Its a third person action game with a ranged weapon, leveling tiers in an open world... There is very little original about horizon.

@tgob89: did you have a question? Your comment made no sense.

Lol. Kind of accurate. What Playstation exclusives do, they do well, but yeah, maybe they could do with more variety to appeal to different audiences. XBox has, I guess, the opposite problem of late - you can tell they're aiming at variety in their catalogue but the attention to polish just isn't there. Me, I get the appeal of both consoles to their audiences, but the default system for most people has probably been PC (or mobile) for quite a while now, and I don't know that either approach is going to tempt most gamers to think too seriously about buying a second system.

@TheEroica: so no games aside Indies are original in your POV. Then again, who cares? Templates and cliches exist and are used because they're good. The problem is not the template or cliches but how you use them.

I don't care about originality, never did, never will.

Now the lems and hermits are going to move standards again since all their narratives failed, the new one is "originality".

it's really difficult to understand the point he was trying to make. He was really all over the place throwing out his opinions on what a game is or isn't but not really saying how it relates to the topic.

like he's trying to say something but he doesn't want to say what he feels. "Sony isn't painting the Mona Lisa." lol like where in the world did that emotion spawn from out of my OP?

@recloud: I'm saying, in the spirit of Sony getting a bad rep by Xbox fans for having a "formula", all games in the AAA space are using a formula because taking a risk to completely overturn the player experience into something different and meaningful is a huge gamble.

Another damage control assessment by basement dwelling Doritos eating Mountain Dew drinking Rabid Xbox Fanatics, instead of demanding better from Microsoft.

Sony's thing works tho, I like it, so does a lot of people otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. Every so often tho a game comes along that is original that does spin off a series of games or others take the idea till its a dead horse. like battle royal ( I don't care for it at all) or Minecraft. Plus 2 Ms flops don't count for much, I know the lack of exclusives isn't a bonus either, they probs just having a dry spell. They have in the past release quality AAAE games and hopefully this E3 will change that.

@alan_cartridge: oh, but they always do.

I'm going to point it out to you:

- Exclusives don't matter

- movie game sucks

- media is biased

- SP games don't matter

- 3rd person action games don't matter

- battle Royale is better than SP

And Lems are still being owned by Sony and nintendo, the two companies that, you know, have exclusive single player games

@tgob89: I've been on this board for well over a decade and I've never seen someone more easily triggered than you. Congrats.

I've had maybe three exchanges with you in the past couple days and all of them revolve around your sensitivity towards someone sharing an opinion you dont like...

Acting triggered nets you nothing.

"like he's trying to say something but he doesn't want to say what he feels. "Sony isn't painting the Mona Lisa." lol like where in the world did that emotion spawn from out of my OP?"

Lol!!

Well...you're free to indulge yourself in the "template" MS is too found of...

I.E. low budget, Early access or just unfinished, content lacking, bug ridden, glitchy, pay-til-we-patch-it , bottom of the barrel GAAS games.

...both they and their fans seem to be happy with.

Not everyone has standards for the games they play and MS is here to serve those people, Enjoy!

@tgob89 said:

@alan_cartridge said:

Whether is a good or bad thing Sony does seem to of found a template both they and there fans are happy with.

They're a bit like the Coldplay of gaming at the moment.

Well...you're free to indulge yourself in the "template" MS is too found of...

I.E. low budget, Early access or just unfinished, content lacking, bug ridden, glitchy, pay-til-we-patch-it , bottom of the barrel GAAS games.

...both they and their fans seem to be happy with.

Not everyone has standards for the games they play and MS is here to serve those people, Enjoy!

I don't think that was a direct comparison between Sony and Microsoft rather Sony published games within the context of the industry as a whole. Not that I agree with him, necessarily... Except well maybe Uncharted which is as beige as Mumford & Sons. ;)

@TheEroica: if anything, you're the one triggered here over "muh no originality in games", despite the games you claim being unoriginal achieving commercial success.

@recloud: shallow thinking doesn't work my friend. You're grasping at very little of the point being made. Just because a game isn't original doesn't mean it's not a good game... But good games are not automatically original either.

You do realize I have been defending Sony's right to design a game by any formula they choose... Right? Have you read the thread?

I don't get triggered over video games dude... Sorry. Been watching fanboys get triggered for years though. Such sensitive gamers.

@alan_cartridge said:

@tgob89 said:

Well...you're free to indulge yourself in the "template" MS is too found of...

I.E. low budget, Early access or just unfinished, content lacking, bug ridden, glitchy, pay-til-we-patch-it , bottom of the barrel GAAS games.

...both they and their fans seem to be happy with.

Not everyone has standards for the games they play and MS is here to serve those people, Enjoy!

Can you not discuss Sony's output with out having to hide behind what MS are putting out?

Hide behind what? Read my OP Jabroni

Sorry buddy, but this THREAD is dedicated to putting MS into context for people like yourself who seem to think Sony is the only company subject to generalization for game output.

So no, you can't omit or rather argue "this kind of generalization no longer fair?" for Xbox THAT is the purpose of this thread.

Your objection really highlights how weak your argument against Sony's game line-up really is....

Because if it was such an issue for Sony, we should be able to deal with equal generalizations across the board for all console providers and show how they are doing doing it better...but that doesn't really work for you huh?

It's a nice formula

Make or publish top of the line AAA games

• The Last of Us
• Bloodborne
• Uncharted 4
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• God of War

Make or publish quality variety

• The Last Guardian
• Ratchet & Clank
• MLB The Show
• Until Dawn
• Gran Turismo Sport
• Gravity Rush
• Resogun
• LittleBigPlanet
• etc.

@tgob89: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are subject to generalizations. That's not news. :P

@TheEroica:

"Sony isn't painting the Mona Lisa."

You're entitled to your opinion, but your black and white only about dollar signs for game development perspective is the shit that has MS in the pitiful situation they are in now.

If you don't think both Sony and Nintendo executives and developers don't both respect and understand the importance game development and game creation as an art form, then it doesn't matter how long you claim to have been a gamer, you're absolutely clueless.

There are reasons why Demons Souls and The Last Guardian were green lit by Sony, when if they had originally been internal projects at MS they would never have seen the light of day.

No respect for gaming as an art form is the reason why 95% of the projects from MS this gen are lifeless, uninspired, failures.

Lol what is original about any game last gen ?

I mean to ppl with common sense there was a lot.

But according to the logic in this thread no AAA game has been soley original since the early 90s

Hailrlious the extent some ppl come through. Putting out 20 unoriginal things means nothing to the potential of originality.

Yet it all i hear is the same 3 to 4 point outs. Theres more to it

Name a game you think is the most original ever , so that i can show you how easy i could make it seem unoriginal.

System wars needs some better ammo this gen. Badly

A lot of people here don't seem to be aware, so this is a revaluation to some :)

@tgob89: I think they are aware. Who do you feel isn't aware of the current state of Microsoft's published games?

@Livecommander: exactly... Weak sauce grasp for straws.

Except when they totally are. Instead of admitting defeat and trying what the other side offers, those who can't swallow their pride would rather choose to even the playing field using every tactic in the book. Mainly, wholesale lying. When it comes down to it, that takes much more effort than just enjoying some games on the market.

It seems like you’re really trying to force this comparison to me. What about Halo 5, Forza Motorsport 7, Gears of War 4, and Forza Horizon 3. Those are all very well made games and don’t fit into this “buggy”, “unfinished”, “low budget” template of Microsoft’s that you’re trying to imply here.

@alan_cartridge: Keep up, Alan!

@tgob89: obviously Sony and Nintendo AND MICROSOFT are in it to bring what they believe are quality experiences to the masses... In terms of FORMULA which is what your thread is about...(well really its a thread about you proving Sony superiority, which is pretty funny) but in terms of formula, Sony is a business and their developers are absolutely researching and creating games that follow trends... And their doing it because it will generate money. They are a business.... One that loves games, and makes them because they love them and one that follows trends because without making money they don't get to make games anymore...

Why is this so hard to grasp?

@alan_cartridge: Hahaha! Aw man. I love you dude. Nothing beats British satire.

@alan_cartridge: You're well in there, old chap. <3 ;)

*Thank you for this post, as it highlights something quite ironic*

1. No, I'm not trying to force anything and I am not doing anything that wasn't already done on this board with Sony games.

2. So...it matters now that a company actually provides other game experiences than the ones said to be their "formula"?

Ok...

So...where do we go from here?

Dose the Sony "template" no longer work since Sony also offers other types of games than the one's people like to associate with their "formula"?

Or do we try moving the goal post to some new narrative that paint Sony's game offerings in a negative light but somehow clears xbox of any association?

FYI: Don't take this as a stab at you, I'm just using your post to point out something that didn't seem to matter before when the Sony "formula" argument was used.

Sony makes games they know people who are after AAA wants. It's pretty simple. That results in their offerings being similar to each other, which is great for some people. For me, personally, I'm always looking for something more out of the ordinary (not as mainstream), but that's my preference. I'd personally get ultra bored if all I played was Sony's AAA games, like the ones mentioned in the OP. I'd take a random good indie game over an Uncharted any day. It took me about 10 hours of gametime to be bored of this whole Battle Royale crap, so I'll stay away from those games now as well. Mainstream stuff is often not for me. That goes for all kinds of entertainment such as movies and music as well.

Take me now you romantic fool!

@alan_cartridge: Sony themselves have also published many other games like Gravity Rush and The Last Guardian which I feel distinguish themselves from their usual action/adventure games. And there are other games like this too; Ratchet and Clank, Tearaway, Bloodborne and Everybody's Gold for example.

1. No, it's not!

Stop trying to use your ESP to try to suggest you know what others intentions are...you trying to play the role of a psychologist in a game thread is also pretty funny.

That's OBVIOUSLY not true and hasn't been the case so far and even MS recently acknowledged that fact...

next.

You're desperately trying to string different things together that DON'T support your original argument.

Saying obvious things like "they are a business" and "they try to make money" don't support your self proclaimed notion that Sony (or Nintendo) doesn't think of gaming as an art medium and are JUST trying to make a dollar.

Still waiting for you to support that argument with something that isn't just self made.

FYI:

Providing games that are ALSO focused on generating money don't negate or explain the other projects that are financially unsound and not guaranteed to generate a lot of return for investment but are created anyway because it's something fans of a certain genre may genuinely love.

Why is this so hard to grasp?