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[Ass of Can Whooping]

I've grown past genre labeling given how worthless its become

Witcher 3 is touted as RPG of the generation but I wouldn't for the life of me have ever classified it as one.

 

[Shmunter]

That’s the thing, PlayStation has all the huge hitting 3rd party GaaS games, complimented by their own catalogue. Unless the MS studios games are a draw card, it’s tough to make a case for Xbox. But that’s where gamepass comes in as a point of difference for the casuals at large.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

Crackdown 3 comes to mind... *shudders*

People can try and spin however they want, truth is Microsoft's output this gen was pretty lackluster and it's quite clear that they can't compete with Sony. Guess they're okey with being the "Netflix of gaming" guess that means straight to VOD quality like games.

How can you say this when something like Flight Simulator is quite possibly the higher quality 'game' ever created?

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

I don’t want MS to make Sony style games. If I want to play a Sony style game, I can play one of their games. I also don’t go to a burger joint and expect them to make some great enchiladas like another place does. I’m glad Xbox has its own type of games and their own philosophy.

This is all subjective anyway. I had more fun playing Crackdown 3 than any of the Sony exclusives I have finished this gen.

 

[Krisprolls]

Will I get banned for agreeing with this? (And I play said ‘over the shoulder cinematic PS4 games.’.........)
I mean, a lot of those ND games have boner level visuals but mang oh mang......I think I literally know exactly when to put my controller down, without pausing, take a leak and grab another drink. Kinda like a television commercial. Personal pref, for sure.
I just don’t understand why peeps get so much flack (and reported ON AN INTERNET MESSAGE BOARD OMGZ!!) for having the AUDACTITY to say that they just are not turned on by such games. Okay, back to this not so thinly veiled console war bait thread...........

Oh you're allowed to prefer mediocre games to great ones. Some people prefer burgers to Michelin rated meals so why not.

 

[Krisprolls]

How can you say this when something like Flight Simulator is quite possibly the higher quality 'game' ever created?

Looks great but it's barely a game and it's mostly made for PC. As a simulator and with a good PC though, it certainly looks incredible.

 

[Winter John]

I'd like Microsoft to go in a completely different direction from Sony and offer a real alternative. Gamepass is a good start but I'd like them to get over the dumb rivalry and do their own thing.

 

[WatDat]

I don’t want MS to make Sony style games. If I want to play a Sony style game, I can play one of their games. I also don’t go to a burger joint and expect them to make some great enchiladas like another place does. I’m glad Xbox has its own type of games and their own philosophy.

This is all subjective anyway. I had more fun playing Crackdown 3 than any of the Sony exclusives I have finished this gen.

I was seriously disappointed with Crackdown 3 on first go but may have to give it another shake. Same with Sea of Thieves. Just haven’t had time these days! Mostly traveling on an airplane and playing Mario Golf on my 2DS. ME AM HARDCOREZ!!1!1

 

[Krisprolls]

I'd like Microsoft to go in a completely different direction from Sony and offer a real alternative. Gamepass is a good start but I'd like them to get over the dumb rivalry and do their own thing.

Well, that's what they're doing right now, but people don't see it. Their strategy is gamepass on any platform now, they officially gave up on competing with Sony 1st party AAA. They could actually sell Gamepass on PS5 one day.

Major Nelson himself retweeted a guy who explained that console war was over and that every competitor did something different now. It means he wants you to understand it's over. Xbox 360 era is not coming back.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

Well, that's what they're doing right now, but people don't see it. Their strategy is gamepass on any platform now, they officially gave up on competing with Sony 1st party AAA. They could actually sell Gamepass on PS5 one day.

Major Nelson himself retweeted a guy who explained that console war was over and that every competitor did something different now. It means he wants you to understand it's over. Xbox 360 era is not coming back.

That's not at all what it means, them doing something different doesn't mean they're not competing. Take Halo Infinite for example, that's clearly a AAA game that's probably going to be 15 hours in length, very story and gameplay heavy... However Microsoft's goal is to build on this, make a compelling game package that can be engaged for months to years beyond initial play and sale.

It's not that they're not competing, they don't have to be mirroring the same style of games, the ethos in terms of what a player can get out of a AAA game is completely different though.

 

[lastmessiah]

Looks great but it's barely a game and it's mostly made for PC. As a simulator and with a good PC though, it certainly looks incredible.

If FS is "barely a game" then just think about what that makes something like TLOU2.

 

[Krisprolls]

That's not at all what it means, them doing something different doesn't mean they're not competing. Take Halo Infinite for example, that's clearly a AAA game that's probably going to be 15 hours in length, very story and gameplay heavy... However Microsoft's goal is to build on this, make a compelling game package that can be engaged for months to years beyond initial play and sale.

It's not that they're not competing, they don't have to be mirroring the same style of games, the ethos in terms of what a player can get out of a AAA game is completely different though.

Halo Infinite is not even AAA, graphics look like a PS3 game. It's planned as a game as a service with a 10 year plan, no AAA is planned for 10 years like that. It's not the Halo you used to know.

MS wants multiplayer games and they want to put everything on gamepass. You can't do that with high budget games, it would lose money. They want to be the Netflix of gaming but to do so, each game must stay relatively cheap.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

Halo Infinite is not even AAA, graphics look like a PS3 game. It's planned as a game as a service with a 10 year plan, no AAA is planned for 10 years like that. It's not the Halo you used to know.

Oh be quiet.

 

[Krisprolls]

If FS is "barely a game" then just think about what that makes something like TLOU2.

Nice try but TLoU is obviously a game, with objectives and gameplay mechanics.

Flight Simulator has none of that, you just fly from point A to point B. Or Excel and Word are games too .

 

[Hobbygaming]

Sony will never produce AAA FPS, RPGs, arcade racers and 2D Metroidvania games. In fact, it seems all Sony can do is 3rd person cinematic games. Not much diversity. If you want diversity, come to Xbox.

What about games like Ratchet and Clank, Concrete Genie, Dreams, Killzone, Nex Machina, etc

 

[lastmessiah]

Nice try but TLoU is obviously a game, with objectives and gameplay mechanics.

Flight Simulator has none of that, you just fly from point A to point B. Or Excel and Word are games too .

It takes more knowledge, skill, concentration, engagement to successfully fly that plane from point A to point B than anything in TLOU2.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

Nice try but TLoU is obviously a game, with objectives and gameplay mechanics.

Flight Simulator has none of that, you just fly from point A to point B. Or Excel and Word are games too .

Do you not understand that the entire psychics model is based upon real world conditions, this isn't GTA son...

 

[Krisprolls]

It takes more knowledge, skill, concentration, engagement to successfully fly that plane from point A to point B than anything in TLOU2.

My job takes more knowledge, skill, concentration, engagement too... but that's not a game either. What's the gameplay mechanics behind FS2020 ? There's none.

As a simulator it's certainly impressive though. I'll buy it on PC (it definitely doesn't fit on console since there are tons of commands, a mouse is a lot better for simulators like that).

 

[WatDat]

Hoo boy.......

 

[Archvile82]

There is no way Microsoft can compete while Mark Cerny secret sauce is pumping around the ps5 internals. Thats why so many Sony studios can grow better games with Cerny DNA

 

[JonnyMP3]

What about games like Ratchet and Clank, Concrete Genie, Dreams, Killzone, Nex Machina, etc

Pretty sure Drive Club(RIP) was an arcade racer and Ni No Kuni was RPG as well.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Not everyones a fan. When EA started down this same path they won the award for worst company in America twice.

EA's Been Voted 'The Worst Company In America' Once Again

www.businessinsider.com.au

That correlation seems...insane at best.

 

[Hobbygaming]

Pretty sure Drive Club(RIP) was an arcade racer and Ni No Kuni was RPG as well.

Yes and the PS5 has an arcade racer coming in Destruction Allstars too

 

[Krisprolls]

Pretty sure Drive Club(RIP) was an arcade racer and Ni No Kuni was RPG as well.

Yes, that's the usual "PS exclusives are all cinematic single player games" crap.

 

[Polygonal_Sprite]

People just ignoring Fable, Gears, Halo, Hellblade 2 and the other games some of the studios are working on? Those are AAA 'cinematic' games right?

 

[JonnyMP3]

Yes and the PS5 has an arcade racer coming in Destruction Allstars too

I don't know about racer. It looked like Fortnite does Destruction Derby tbh.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Nice try but TLoU is obviously a game, with objectives and gameplay mechanics.

Flight Simulator has none of that, you just fly from point A to point B. Or Excel and Word are games too .

Here you go:

objectives: fly from point A to point B

gameplay mechanics: fly (ie control a plane, take off, land, etc)

 

[Neo Blaster]

Of all people, I honestly didn't expect him to say this. For those of you who don't know, Jez is a Windows Central writer & a Xbox Insider. When asked about the quality of exclusive games that have come to Playstation this generation & wishing Xbox would improve on the quality of their next gen exclusive games, Jez says he doesn't think Xbox will be able to deliver that type of content to gamers and you should get a Playstation instead.

 

[Redlancet]

Oh you're allowed to prefer mediocre games to great ones. Some people prefer burgers to Michelin rated meals so why not.

And you allowed to think your tuna sándwich its a delicatessen

 

[Redlancet]

Yes, that's the usual "PS exclusives are all cinematic single player games" crap.

The same people who try to convince you crackdown3 mas a hidden gem powered by the cloud (tm)

 

[JonnyMP3]

Yes, that's the usual "PS exclusives are all cinematic single player games" crap.

Exactly!

 

[IntentionalPun]

And what games were like Minecraft before Minecraft?
The only thing similar I can think of were called Sims.

No, seriously. Drawing a blank... I'll even completely concede the name of sandbox from GTA, if you can give me an example of a sandbox before GTA took the term from whatever was a sandbox before it.

Edit: Nope. Can't think of any still. GTA 3 came out in 2001. I am really struggling to think of a popular world building game from the 90's that's similar to Minecraft.

Just look at wikipedia (or be as old as me, and remember the history of these terms lol)

Early sandbox games came out of space trading and combat games like Elite (1984) and city-building simulations and tycoon games like SimCity (1989). The releases of The Sims and Grand Theft Auto III in 2000 and 2001, respectively, demonstrated that games with highly detailed interacting systems that encouraged player experimentation could also be seen as sandbox games. Sandbox games also found ground with the ability to interact socially and share user-generated content across the Internet like Second Life (2003). Minecraft (2011) is one of the most successful examples of a sandbox game, with players able to enjoy in both creative modes and through more goal-driven survival modes.

Sandbox game - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It used to be for games where you built stuff... that's what I mean by Minecraft shares more with the OG "sandbox" games than GTA III does.

Just read the wiki description literally describes what I'm talking about.. it's now "any game where experimentation is encouraged" is suddenly a "sandbox game."

I don't mean this as some sort of insult.. I enjoy when games try to have sandbox elements.. but it applies to a much wider variety of games than it ever did before and isn't very useful as a "genre label" for open world games.

 

[Redlancet]

Do you not understand that the entire psychics model is based upon real world conditions, this isn't GTA son...

I love how people who havent Touch a flight sim on his life are using this game as the second coming of christ, im into flight sims and its a niche thing, if you think the generall audiences will spend three hours inside the cockpit looking as díals you are delusional

 

[Bo_Hazem]

At this point, you don't even need your brain, not even your guts, to know that. Sony as a company circulates around entertainment, joy, and that's what you get with their products.

 

[GiJoint]

If you have a decent rig, the PC/PS5 combo is looking more and more appealing.

 

[DavidGzz]

If you have a decent rig, the PC/PS5 combo is looking more and more appealing.

And if you don't you don't have to spend $1500 to have a PC that is more powerful than the XSX, you can just buy both consoles. Or is that a no-no where the fanboy mentality is involved?

 

[Texas Pride]

Guess if they're going all in on games as a service and Gamepass it makes sense to get smaller cheaper games out fast to supplement what they already have. Look at Netflix. There's more trash than treasure and quantity Trump's quality.

 

[JonnyMP3]

Just look at wikipedia (or be as old as me, and remember the history of these terms lol)

Sandbox game - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It used to be for games where you built stuff... that's what I mean by Minecraft shares more with the OG "sandbox" games than GTA III does.

Just read the wiki description literally describes what I'm talking about.. it's now "any game where experimentation is encouraged" is suddenly a "sandbox game."

I don't mean this as some sort of insult.. I enjoy when games try to have sandbox elements.. but it applies to a much wider variety of games than it ever did before and isn't very useful as a "genre label" for open world games.

Yeah, I get you and as I've said earlier, I've always known them more as 'Sims' honestly. So Sandbox is kind of a... Blanket term rather than a genre in that case.
But GTA 3 was probably the thing that populated the term with 'Open World Sandbox' where instead of linear mission level based game play... You could literally go off and do what you wanted within the confines of that open world.
Which for most people in GTA3 meant going nuts and killing lots of people mostly. But that was the sandbox of open world game mechanics... You didn't have to do mission by mission in order. You had multiple missions that didn't have to be done in sequence... Or you could jack a car and rocket launcher some pedestrians.

 

[FranXico]

I'm not looking for that. I prefer shooters and non-linear action games with great game play and stories

I prefer action games such as God of War with superb gameplay myself. Each to their own.

 

[Tschumi]

I think... In the run up to Craig and the XSX reveal.. i think xBox fans were kind of hitting people over the head with the idea of an even more next gen killer exclusive IP waiting in the wings that would take advantage of the epic power of the XSX...

And we've been on a kind of come down after Halo Infinite brutally laid out their new focus on "long term engagement" games at the expense of memorable story and colossal production ambition.

And, well, we're trying to reframe it all. PS fans crow that xBox is telling its fans what they really want, despite decades of console generations proving that everyone wants a nice, shiny generational jump. XBox fans claim that this expanded accessibility indicates that xBox is trying to be more customer friendly.

I personally think it's a bit closer to the first suggestion, i feel that xBox has backed away from confrontation with PS5 on a gaming level and is trying to get its fans to do the talking for them, like Sony did for the months between the Deep Drie and the big reveal event, and justify their new focus on cash piñatas.

Xbox will regret not having a brain bending ip to give us 4x the game experience alongside 4x the TFLOPs. I suspect they've already commissioned their attempt to make up for this miscalculation, and we'll see it released in a couple of years after they've phased out the xbox one, etc. Let's hope it isn't another Too Human.

 

[SoraNoKuni]

Know a great addicting game that you can play for months? Tetris.
Stop with that nonsense, MS doesn't make that kind of games because when they tried they failed miserably. That's all.
Next.

 

[Gamernyc78]

At this point, you don't even need your brain, not even your guts, to know that. Sony as a company circulates around entertainment, joy, and that's what you get with their products.

It's tht level of polish and quality tht the competition can't replicate. I'm not a fan of the Sony name but of the quality games and hardware they create.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

EDIT: WAW did I ever misread the contents of the OP! Prob just gonna save what I wrote before for another topic altogether.

But yeah, MS doesn't need to copy Sony's 1st-party formula of 3rd-party, over-the-shoulder, "cinematic" single-player games. To be perfectly honest, most of the stories in Sony's games of that ilk aren't very good. TLOU2 is one of the biggest clusterf**ks of a story I've seen in a long time. If it were a movie it'd be a Netflix deal IMHO.

I think it's perfectly fair to compare their stories to actual films, since those are Sony's obvious inspirations for most of their cinematic games. Some are better than others I'd say, like SpiderMan and GOW4, but others like UC4 and TLOU2 are pretty bleh. I think the issue for me is the feeling that some of their games really lean heavily on filmmaking techniques in lieu of strong game mechanics and structure/player engagement to actually tell rather big/important parts of their stories.

 

[thismeinteil]

I think Xbox fans are in for a shock next gen if they think they're in for a new 360 gen. With MS focusing on GAAS and xCloud, it'll become a numbers game. They aren't making huge budget AAA games and give them away for $10 a month, or $1 if they continue those promos. There's a reason Infinite looks so underwhelming. And it ain't lighting. Not to mention the 4Tflops S they have to develop for, too.

Sony is continuing the same strategy, so PS gamers are in for a similar gen to the past ones. High quality exclusives that sell millions, which helps fund more risky ventures.

 

[GiJoint]

And if you don't you don't have to spend $1500 to have a PC that is more powerful than the XSX, you can just buy both consoles. Or is that a no-no where the fanboy mentality is involved?

I’m not sure, is it? you’re free to buy both consoles if you want

 

[OneShotThrill]

And if you don't you don't have to spend $1500 to have a PC that is more powerful than the XSX, you can just buy both consoles. Or is that a no-no where the fanboy mentality is involved?

Yea ..but then you cant play PC games

 

[THEAP99]

Well.. duh.

people need to realize that Xbox bought all these studios for gamepass. Everything they do revolves around Gamepass.

the goal of the games Microsoft are making, is to keep people engaged and subscribed to Gamepass.

Yes, subscriptions and this Gamepass stuff changes the way games are made, since it’s a completely different philosophy/goal.

this is why I hope sony keep doing what they’re doing instead of trying to pump out content for cheap subs.

 

[DavidGzz]

Yea ..but then you cant play PC games

Most any PC game that is exclusive are cheap Indy's that can run on a much weaker system. I already have a 1660ti rig for those which will most likely be good for the next 5 years at least where those games are concerned. Everything else will come to Xbox.

For gaming sake, if you're not extremely into shooters and hardcore sims, buying XSX even if all games are on PC is a much smarter move, unless you gonna utilize that PC for other useful stuff.

Yep, the PS5 and XSX will have me covered. I have a PC for smaller titles that won't ever come to consoles. I'll be good to go.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

And if you don't you don't have to spend $1500 to have a PC that is more powerful than the XSX, you can just buy both consoles. Or is that a no-no where the fanboy mentality is involved?

For gaming sake, if you're not extremely into shooters and hardcore sims, buying XSX even if all games are on PC is a much smarter move, unless you gonna utilize that PC for other useful stuff.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Yeah, I get you and as I've said earlier, I've always known them more as 'Sims' honestly. So Sandbox is kind of a... Blanket term rather than a genre in that case.
But GTA 3 was probably the thing that populated the term with 'Open World Sandbox' where instead of linear mission level based game play... You could literally go off and do what you wanted within the confines of that open world.
Which for most people in GTA3 meant going nuts and killing lots of people mostly. But that was the sandbox of open world game mechanics... You didn't have to do mission by mission in order. You had multiple missions that didn't have to be done in sequence... Or you could jack a car and rocket launcher some pedestrians.

I just feel like "open world" is a better descriptor for.. well.. open world games... and a game having an "open world" does not make it a sandbox game, or mean it even has sandbox elements. GTA for instance is a 3rd person story driven action game.. with some fun "sandbox" elements.. (a world you can fuck around in, cause car chases, etc.) It's not the open world that makes it a sandbox, it's the fact they included a lot of randomness in the open world that made it a sandbox.

I think it was you who used Ghosts of Tsushima as an example earlier in this thread and that's exactly what I'm talking about. There's really not much in the way of experimentation in that game or emergent gameplay.. it's a series of combat encounters where you have some choice, but that's almost every game with combat. Same with collecting items, or finding any of the 4-5 "check these off your list" things you can do (haiku, hot springs, etc.)

Days Gone on the other hand I see the sandbox elements with your ability to sort of create emergent scenarios by getting zombies to attack the enemy... or just fly around doing crazy shit with hoardes in general. GoT has none of that.. just has a few different activities you can do in a world that in the end is fairly structured and leaves no more experimenting than any game that has multiple weapons and a stealth element.

Essentially: games with large open worlds lend themselves to sandbox style gameplay, but the open world itself is not what makes them that way.