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."

slinky1234564296d ago

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

ABeastNamedTariq4296d ago

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

shivvy244296d 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

UltimateMaster4296d ago

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

Campy da Camper4296d 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

AbortMission4295d ago

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

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

itBourne4295d 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_Batman4295d 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.

ohiostatesman4295d ago

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

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4295d ago
TomShoe4296d ago

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

UltimateMaster4296d 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.

CrimsonStar4295d 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 .

JBSleek4296d ago

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

Fireseed4296d ago

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

JP13694296d 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?

WeAreLegion4295d ago

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

pr0t0typeknuckles4296d ago

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

humbleopinion4295d 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.

savaroth4295d 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 )

humbleopinion4295d ago (Edited 4295d 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 4295d ago
Amazingmrbrock4296d 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.

MRMagoo1234296d ago

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

shivvy244296d ago

I would like to see more platformers/adventure games

-Alpha4296d 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.

Bigpappy4296d 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.

Show all comments (64)
170°

Sony Aims To Sell 15 Million PS5 Units This Year, but Is Shifting Focus to Monthly Active Users

Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki and CFO Lin Tao talked about the state of the PlayStation business and the strategy and targets going forward, including how they're responding to the tariffs.

Read Full Story >>
simulationdaily.com
1Victor30d ago

I wonder how the USA tariffs war will affect that projection. 🤔

S2Killinit30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

I think they take that into consideration when they announce their projections. Currently, after the xbox price increase, the PRO is cheaper than the series x! That is ridiculous, and it can’t last.

darthv7230d ago

you keep saying that but the price of a PS5 Pro is S699.99 (US) and the price of a Series X is $599.99 (US)

S2Killinit30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

The series x with 2 TB storage space is more expensive than PS5 PRO which also has 2 TB storage space.

darthv7230d ago (Edited 30d ago )

Oh so you are pitting a regular Pro with a special edition X... got it. If you are going so far as trying to compare apples to apples... please add in the optical drive and stand to the Pro. Seeing as the X has both of those by default.

I will help you if you are unable to do so.
PS5 Pro 2tb: $699.99, Optical Drive: $79.99, Stand: $29.99 = $809.97
Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition 2TB: $729.99

30d ago
S2Killinit29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

The PS5 PRO has 2TB storage. The series X with 2TB storage and much weaker, is… more expensive! So yeah, Im pointing out that fact.

Also, the PRO does not require a stand.

Ps: regular series 2TB is $749 (where did u get 729?)

darthv7229d ago

Its right here on the official XB site: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/...

Okay, so no stand for the Pro, but you might still want the optical drive. So $779.98 vs $729.99. A properly outfitted Pro is still more $$ than a 2tb X.

S2Killinit28d ago (Edited 28d ago )

Do I need to mention that the series x is not nearly as powerful as the PS5 PRO?

And no, the PS5 PRO runs just fine without a drive, and people don’t have to buy the drive right away, assuming they want it.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 28d ago
drivxr30d ago

I wonder why they are shifting focus to MAU.

RaiderNation30d ago

Because that's where the real money is made, in microtransactions.

Profchaos30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

People are spending less time playing is a typical trigger for this.

The less time spent playing the less likely you are to spend more money on games and services including subs or even the next console.

Increased engagement equals more money.

30d ago
DarXyde29d ago

Same reason Microsoft does it: it looks better to investors and it's a solution when unit sales slow down.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this metric; and by using it, you're kind of signaling that you're moving into the "This is a PlayStation" era.

Z50129d ago

Because the PS4 also has users and not necessarily sales

Obscure_Observer27d ago

"I wonder why they are shifting focus to MAU."

Because they´d finally realized that MS wasn´t wrong after all.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 27d ago
30d ago
30d ago
310°

Sony Announces Large Profits Growth for PlayStation; Expects Further Wins in Current Fiscal Year

Sony announced its financial results for the fiscal year 2024, and things are certainly looking up, despite a decline in PS5 sales.

Read Full Story >>
simulationdaily.com
CrimsonWing6930d ago

Expect sh*t to slow down if prices aren’t kept in check.

Redgrave30d ago

Who downvotes the truth?

Even PSN itself is too damn high.jpg

S2Killinit30d ago

Gamepass is already at 20$ per month if im not mistaken.

toxic-inferno30d ago

@neutralgamer1992

Not all of us. I'm a big PlayStation fan, and have been since the PSOne. But I can't begin to defend what's happening currently.

At least Nintendo release a large number of games from their major franchises. Sony is just not banking on their established franchises, and yet are raising prices. Not great.

S2Killinit30d ago

Im pretty sure we are going to see a price increase for PRO. I mean think about it, its currently cheaper than xbox series x! That cannot last.

Eonjay30d ago

I'm absolutely sure we will not see a price increase. I don't think we should 'expect' to see price increase because it just adds validity to what Nintendo and Microsoft have done.

darthv7229d ago (Edited 29d ago )

Sorry to pop that bubble but the Pro is not cheaper than a series x... generally speaking (like you are). It is cheaper than one specific version, and doing so by not including the optical drive and stand like the X has by default.

So keep on trying to convince people you are right when everyone knows it's quite the opposite. A stock Pro is $699.99 and a stock X is $599.99. A special edition galactic black 2tb X is $729.99. And if you really want to compare apples to apples... adding the aforementioned optical drive and stand brings that Pro to $809.97 and then they would be on equal footing.

Twisting truths to fit a narrative... I expect better from you S2.

S2Killinit29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

The PS5 PRO has 2TB storage. And the series X with 2TB is more expensive. Which in my opinion is insane conseidering how much more powerful the PRO is. The PS5PRO does not need a stand, it can be used without a stand.

TheKingKratos30d ago

So the Pro is not offering any push in sales at all ?

CrashMania30d ago

It's still an expensive, niche product ultimately. And they exceeded their sales projections for units sold by half a million.

lawox30d ago

"18.5 million units have been shipped during the full fiscal year. This is actually ahead of the 18 million units target set by the company."

They beat their yearly estimate. It's not broken down by device, but it's clearly performing well enough. Since it's been released it's consistently been the second best selling SKU on Amazon only after the the Slim with disc.

30d ago
Bathyj30d ago

18 million a year is in the toilet?
I remember when 10 was considered good
Hell Microsoft would take that right now.
Probably pay $100b for it.

30d ago
BeHunted30d ago

If their profits fall next quarter, we'll probably see more price hikes. I can't imagine having to pay £20 a month for PlayStation Plus.

S2Killinit30d ago

I think gamepass is already paying that much.

30d ago
drivxr30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

Decline in hardware sales.
Behind on lifetime sales and decline in first party sales.
Third party content and PSN came through to save the day.
Things will improve starting with the next Ghost game.

Hopefully a steady flow of first party content by end of '25

rlow130d ago (Edited 30d ago )

I guess you get downvoted for stating facts from Sony’s own lips. What I’m curious about is what their top games of the year were and how much Xbox games contributed to the increase?

CrashMania30d ago

Well, generally 3rd party publisher games contribute the most anyway, so no different to capcom, EA and so on contributing to this figure.

lawox30d ago

That's because the report is actually really good.

They beat the console sales estimate that they set last year March, they have increased users both due to the record numbers of PS4 users and strong PS5 sales which is leading to great profits in sales and user spend.

This report is about the financial health of the PlayStation brand and as a platform PlayStation is stronger than ever. Heck they even have Microsoft putting their biggest franchises on the platform.

30d ago
S2Killinit29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

Well, the facts in the article are positive. Nothing wrong with his comment, but in my opinion it doesn't correctly indicate all the facts and nuances that give context to the reality of things. I downvoted for that only.

Make sense?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 29d ago
Lightning7730d ago

This is exactly what happened to Xbox year's ago. They had no first party and started seeing decline in 1st party sales, which effected their third party games which eventually effected their console sales. A slow decline across the board.

Calm down PS fans I'm not saying PS is becoming like old Xbox. I'm showing examples of the importance of first party output. Look how Xbox finally has compelling first party and things are on a up swing(despite years going on a downswing). I know thanks to PS releases which helps a ton, (which is why Xbox hardware only dropped 6% instead of 30+% like it usually does) The point still stands despite what Genz Trends may go, first party and compelling games sell hardware and software still. Sony's financial quarter is an example of this, of what lower First party output looks like.

No matter they'll be right back on track in due time any time especially with DS2 (not my type of game but I know many like it) and Yotei. They're not Xbox and let things get bad for so many years on end.

crazyCoconuts30d ago

"I'm showing examples of the importance of first party output. "
First party is mostly relevant for the sole purpose of creating EXCLUSIVES that are needed to stay competitive. With Xbox consoles collapsing and no more Xbox exclusives, first party is way less important. PlayStation as a platform now has free reign to profit without the high expense of needing exclusive first party titles.

red2tango30d ago

Sony has been very lazy with 1st party games compared to the PS4 era. And even the PS4 era was nothing compared to the PS3 era in terms of games.

S2Killinit29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

We have Ghost and Intergalactic coming. And then Marathon which is not exclusive to PlayStation. I think Covid and that chip shortage put a speedbump in game development because game manufacturers dont want even more risk that their game will arrive to too little hardware, but the games are starting to show up.

Lightning7730d ago

"With Xbox consoles collapsing and no more Xbox exclusives, first party is way less important."

Absolutely not. If that was the case then Nintendo would put Mario on Sega Genesis and Sonic on Super Nintendo. I know things are way different 30+ years later but not much has really changed in terms of exclusives and their impact on hardware. Especially early in the console life cycle.

Sony made all the money this quarter handover fist. Profits isn't a issue for them right now. I was just saying lower hardware sales and lower first party sales will hurt them or any console manufacturer of they don't have the compelling games in the long run. Just like it hurt Xbox. IF Sony keeps up not having lower first part output. Which we know they're not.

crazyCoconuts29d ago

Well no big exclusives in the last two years yet PS is doing great. What are people gonna do? Buy an Xbox?

S2Killinit29d ago

I agree with you. But they have had plenty of exclusives so far. Has it been ideal? Nope. I have a feeling we are seeing a resurgence with the effects of covid and that chip shortage now behind us.

Lightning7729d ago

No it's just like 360 where they had no games yet ppl still bought it because they sold ppl on the games early on that gen the fans were locked in and invested. They were riding the good will and was dubbed the shooter, racer box. The games dried up and they never recovered from it which hurt them in the long run. Same here with PS they still make the big bucks because they had games early on and the fans locked in and will continue to lock in for a little while longer despite lacking in first party.

S2Killinit29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

I agree. But the problem with xbox was that for some crazy reason MS thought game development wasnt all that important to a platform holder. They literally did not fund games with their own studios. When they lost marketshare they couldnt justify paying for exclusives with large install bases making it too expensive. That is not the scenario with PlayStation.

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150°

PS5 shipments top 77.8 million

PlayStation 5 has shipped 77.8 million units worldwide, Sony announced in its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

italiangamer30d ago

Perfectly in line to reach 100 million by March 2026.

Profchaos30d ago

Theys have to clear 22.2 million to do this.
When you average out the current number over 5 years it's unlikely.

If the console was going down in price it would be possible but they have not been able to reduce the cost in fact it's gone up so this is working against them.

gta Vi has also been pushed out of the financial year and there's likely millions of GTA v players still on ps5 that have not made the jump those players would for GTA vi

The overall poor market conditions and uncertainty doesn't fill me with confidence trade war, weak yen and the ongoing cost of living crisis. We're not talking core gamers picking up a new system were talking gamers who wait for the back 9 to enter a new generation.

I think 2027 they will but 100 not this year.

italiangamer30d ago

They will reach 100 million during 2026.

S2Killinit30d ago

It might actually get a boost considering that even the PS5 PRO is currently cheaper than the series x. This will of course be over soon as Im expecting a price hike for the PRO.

Travesty30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

I know Sony said they are considering raising prices.. Well as of yesterday China and the US lifted their tariffs standoff. At least for 90 days until they can agree on a trade deal that would benefit both parties. So with manufacturing in China and shipping them to the US I’m hoping it will not affect the prices.

Although I kind of doubt Sony will top 100 million since GTA 6 will be releasing next year by March. Could be wrong and I’ll be glad to be.

Xbox shooting itself in the foot or more like nailing their own coffin with rising prices. Hopefully Sony will stay put.. Ghost of Yotei is releasing for $70 still so that’s a god sign hopefully.

senorfartcushion30d ago

Is this a good thing for someone with no shares in Sony stock?

italiangamer30d ago

More PS5 on the market = higher chance of getting even more games.
It's not rocket science.

gold_drake30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

very nice.
in almost 5 years too.
some big hitters are yet to come

badz14929d ago (Edited 29d ago )

come on...don't say that! that slogan "Greatness Awaits" is haunting me everytime someone says this and yeah...1st party output has not been a highlight this gen which is a huge bummer! personally, I would rate their 1st party output this gen 4/10!

gold_drake29d ago

to be honest, when i typed it out, it did sound like a slogan for that ha