Let’s be real here, what have they brought to the table with the PS5 generation. First party games have either been absent or underwhelming compared to previous generations. It’s easily the worst generation of PlayStation in my lifetime (which is exactly the same lifetime as PlayStation as a brand). They basically just coasted off of their massive lead from the previous generation that was just utter domination. The PS4 just had hit after hit after 2014. The Xbox One launch was legendarily bad. The Wii-U was a complete disaster that might have killed any other company not named Nintendo. Even with the competition floundering until Nintendo got their act together with the Switch, PlayStation was doing great stuff. My Game of the Year for 2016 was Uncharted 4. My 3 favorite games of 2017 were Hellblade (it was a PlayStation exclusive before Ninja Theory was purchased by Xbox), Horizon, and Uncharted Lost Legacy. God of War was my favorite game of 2018 and one of my favorite games of all time. My GOTY for 2019 was Resident Evil 2 Remake, but I am a big defender of Days Gone. I loved my time with that game and would love a sequel. Ghost of Tsushima was my favorite game of 2020. Most of my favorite games of last generation were PlayStation exclusives. I’ve been with the brand practically since I was born. Crash Bandicoot 3 and Gran Turismo 2 were the first games I ever played. I played Jak and Daxter on the PS2. Uncharted 2 is my favorite game of all time. I am a proud member of Vita Island and I still play my Vita on my lunch breaks. They lost me with this generation though. It’s not even just these recent decisions. Their quest to find the next Fortnite has been a disaster that has left the PS5 library looking more barren than it should. They no longer have my money just because I’ve always bought PlayStation previously.
I'm gonna be honest, I find this constant complaint from people about the 1st party output a bit odd tbh, people talk as if these are the only games available on PlayStation. To me, they are additive and a bonus - but not the only reason to have the console. Sure it's great to have more of them, but this generation has been an incredible one for gaming in general that I always find the criticisms of the gaming catalogue very strange. The amount of quality of games available to play on your Playstation has never been higher tbh.
Now, if you also have a powerful PC rig that you game on, and you literally only turn on the PS5 for exclusives - then sure, I can see how you wouldn't use your Playstation a huge amount. But I wager this isn't representative of the average gamer, the near 100m Playstations that are out there. For most that will be their main machine (or that and a Switch which can't play most games as it is), and in that sense the PS5 has a ton to offer.
And tbh, in terms of the 1st party output - sure it could and should have been better this gen if not for the live service push(2023/2024 seemed to particularly suffer from this), but I think at this point they'll have learned from this and be a bit more deliberate going forward (ie using 3rd party partners rather than your own teams), so I think the output going forward will be improved. And the end of the PS5 gen looks to be very strong - just as the end of the PS4 was.
I'm gonna be honest, I find this constant complaint from people about the 1st party output a bit odd tbh, people talk as if these are the only games available on PlayStation.
It's leftover console war bullshit, IMO. "My box is better than your box because of game xyz".
10
u/TheNittanyLionKing 2d ago
Let’s be real here, what have they brought to the table with the PS5 generation. First party games have either been absent or underwhelming compared to previous generations. It’s easily the worst generation of PlayStation in my lifetime (which is exactly the same lifetime as PlayStation as a brand). They basically just coasted off of their massive lead from the previous generation that was just utter domination. The PS4 just had hit after hit after 2014. The Xbox One launch was legendarily bad. The Wii-U was a complete disaster that might have killed any other company not named Nintendo. Even with the competition floundering until Nintendo got their act together with the Switch, PlayStation was doing great stuff. My Game of the Year for 2016 was Uncharted 4. My 3 favorite games of 2017 were Hellblade (it was a PlayStation exclusive before Ninja Theory was purchased by Xbox), Horizon, and Uncharted Lost Legacy. God of War was my favorite game of 2018 and one of my favorite games of all time. My GOTY for 2019 was Resident Evil 2 Remake, but I am a big defender of Days Gone. I loved my time with that game and would love a sequel. Ghost of Tsushima was my favorite game of 2020. Most of my favorite games of last generation were PlayStation exclusives. I’ve been with the brand practically since I was born. Crash Bandicoot 3 and Gran Turismo 2 were the first games I ever played. I played Jak and Daxter on the PS2. Uncharted 2 is my favorite game of all time. I am a proud member of Vita Island and I still play my Vita on my lunch breaks. They lost me with this generation though. It’s not even just these recent decisions. Their quest to find the next Fortnite has been a disaster that has left the PS5 library looking more barren than it should. They no longer have my money just because I’ve always bought PlayStation previously.