"The typical Sony game" stereotype

[Deleted member 16876]

So I keep hearing this phrase the past couple of years and I don't get it. Can somebody explain the term to me?

Sony have some of the most diverse type of IP's:
-God of War 4
-Horizon
-Uncharted 4
-Days Gone
-Gran Turismo
-Ghost of Tsunishima
-The Last of Us
-Spider Man

So from this list I see many that are open world, two games made by Naughty Dogs and have similiar gameplay. And God of War 4 that is very similiar to the Greek saga games but with camera similiar to Uncharted. Interms of gameplay each game has something unique to them, Days Gone for example is an open world zombie Macgyver game while Horizon is very similiar to Monster Hunter (dont know how to explain this but using all your equipment against the robot dinos). Uncharted 4 which is close to Tlou but still different as drakes mobility is very flexible, while TLOU is Manhunt with crafting and story focus and is much less mobile and is slow paced survival game.

So would somebody please explain to me this phrase?
Is it the camera view?

Sorry about the wierd grammar errors as I am on mobile will clean up the thread when I am on PC.

Edit:
More diverse sony games:
Everybody's Golf
Knack
Concrete Genie
MLB The Show
Until Dawn
Detroit
Dreams
SingStar
Gravity Rush
The Last Guardian
Shadow of the Colossus
Dreams
Concrete Genie
Tearaway

 

[Bandage]

I wish Legend of Dragoon was a typical Sony game...

 

[Zalman]

I do sense a "Last of Us" influence on their latest games. God of War and Days Gone definitely feel inspired by that. It feels a little same-y to me, even if I understand their differences.

 

[Mystic Vivi]

Yeah I always have a chuckle when I hear this. Especially when you look at their past games as well as the 3rd party games they front that otherwise wouldn't get made.

 

[FelipeMGM]

they all have trees

 

[GamingEnthusiast]

I believe its a term used by bunch of haters who think they cracked the code behind Sony's success or something. However, i also do realize that their games are taking a more cinematic approach.

 

[Sun's Resting Place]

I saw someone posting this image elsewhere:

Is this what you're talking about? Obviously it's a troll image, but like all troll images, it has a basis in at least a little truth. I have noticed that there's a lot of over-the-shoulder style third person games lately.

 

[OVOCanadaBooth]

I think the phrase refers to the AAA outstanding quality each of those games possess.

 

[Deleted member 224]

Removing the ability to jump in God of War 4 is hmm. TLOU has had a big impact on other Sony properties.

That being said, there's still diversity there with Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn

 

[Deleted member 9971]

Maybe because of their recent cinamatic focus? But still they had and have lots of different kind of games so yeah it makes no sense. Probably just a way to mock a bit.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

they all have trees

Click to shrink...

.

 

[AntiMacro]

-God of War 4 - third person adventure
-Horizon - third person adventure
-Uncharted 4 - third person adventure
-Days Gone - third person adventure
-Gran Turismo - racing
-Ghost of Tsunishima - third person adventure
-The Last of Us - third person adventure
-Spider Man - third person adventure

That might be what it boils down to. I see a very similar vibe between Uncharted/TLoU/Days to be honest, but we have zero clue what Ghost will be like at all, or even - to an extent - Spider-Man.

 

[chobel]

EDIT: Dammit, beaten!

 

[Jaypah]

I don't know bruh , I've never heard this before. But to the point, that would be stupid as their games are no more alike than any other publisher with a decent amount of titles.

 

[witty_mittie3]

(I kid, but this was going around for a while.)

 

[Cess007]

They are all Playstation exclusives, I guess

 

[Dukie85]

I wish Legend of Dragoon was a typical Sony game...

Click to shrink...

We can only wish. The Legend is dead..

 

[Vault]

Post apocalyptic walking simulator

 

[Animal Liberation Ⓥ]

I think the phrase refers to the AAA outstanding quality each of those games possess.

Click to shrink...

Nailed it.

 

[Rats]

I think there's a broad generalization you can make about most of Sony's first-party output, but I don't see that as a bad thing. The same is true for Nintendo and Microsoft. Sony tends to make a certain type of game, and I happen to greatly enjoy that type of game.

 

[Chacranajxy]

Inordinate focus on flashy visuals, conceptually uninteresting.

Not that I necessarily believe that's the case with all of their stuff.

 

[Lyrick]

It will probably feature an angsty character or side character that will mumble to themselves or another character the entire goddamn game.

it will be incredibly reminiscent of an already popular game or IP to the point where it feels completely derivative.

It will probably be a technical showcase graphically.

 

[Abrasion Test]

God of War reinvented into a behind the back action adventure focused on a companion character (the son) didn't help to challenge the idea. I think it's a good direction, but on paper it is kind of strange.

 

[chrisPjelly]

While I do think their games are as strong as ever, maybe stronger, they had a waaay more diverse lineup last gen. For better and worse, it's hard to deny that TLoU has influenced a lot of Sony's current output.

 

[Kcannon]

Sony has been focusing more on the cinematic aspects of games.

Which makes sense considering the kind of company they are.

 

[Riderz1337]

-God of War 4 - third person adventure
-Horizon - third person adventure
-Uncharted 4 - third person adventure
-Days Gone - third person adventure
-Gran Turismo - racing
-Ghost of Tsunishima - third person adventure
-The Last of Us - third person adventure
-Spider Man - third person adventure

That might be what it boils down to. I see a very similar vibe between Uncharted/TLoU/Days to be honest, but we have zero clue what Ghost will be like at all, or even - to an extent - Spider-Man.

Click to shrink...

3rd person adventure can apply to every single game that has a third person camera view if you use your logic. Its an extremely basic and simplistic way to list a games genre.

Detroit - third person... Adventure? Sure I guess lmao

 

[jacks81x]

If you're going to say Sony has a diverse portfolio, then don't forget to name the games that heavily contribute to that diversity,

Everybody's Golf
Knack
Concrete Genie
MLB The Show
Until Dawn
Detroit
Dreams
SingStar

 

[mas8705]

Honestly, I wasn't even aware of that there was even a stereotype of Sony games. Usually I look at games released by Sony and Microsoft and just see them as two sides of the same coin since it isn't like I look at a game and say "Yep! Totally expected out of a Sony Game!" or vice versa.

Quality should be expected out of games, and when it comes to Sony, I'd like to think that we do see that when they want to present a new gaming coming to their system.

 

[ailaeshiz]

PlayStation games, the big ones at least, seem to have a more Hollywood influence to them.

 

[Silky]

Ratchet and Clank seems refreshing compared to their current AAA lineup and that's kind of impressive for a 15+ year old franchise

 

[Zalman]

While I do think their games are as strong as ever, maybe stronger, they had a waaay more diverse lineup last gen. For better and worse, it's hard to deny that TLoU has influenced a lot of Sony's current output.

Click to shrink...

I completely agree. I miss the variety they had during the PS3 gen.

 

[Deleted member 3815]

I saw someone posting this image elsewhere:

Is this what you're talking about? Obviously it's a troll image, but like all troll images, it has a basis in at least a little truth. I have noticed that there's a lot of over-the-shoulder style third person games lately.

Click to shrink...

To add more to this but all these games are targeting the older crowds with a greater focus on a more grown up story, with game play taking a back seat.

At least that's how I view it when I see the image.

 

[Jawbreaker]

I would have listed the following:

Everybody's Golf
Gravity Rush
The Last Guardian
Shadow of the Colossus
Dreams
Concrete Genie
Tearaway

People would be more receptive to your argument if those were on your list. Just saying. : p

 

[entremet]

I've never heard of this critique. Sony 1st party is well regarded as rather diverse in its output. Where are you getting this?

 

[Deleted member 4976]

It's cause some folks can only see in broad generalities.

I see it akin to folks calling Nintendo games kiddy. Tells you a lot about the individuals gaming taste and understanding.

 

[joe_zazen]

For me, it's simply the games all seemhave cinematic style, linear narratives and the gameplay always feels jarring in comparison. Stories are the last thing that draws me to a game.

 

[Glio]

They have a very clear pattern. Realistic graphics, generally focused on the adult audience, strong cinematographic component ... From time to time there are things like Ratchet and Clank, Gravity Rush or Little Big Planet more different but they are exceptions

It's not a bad thing but of course, everyone has their own tastes

 

[DarthWalden]

Practically every single big Sony exclusive is a third person game with heavy narrative ties and top tier visuals. There is rarely any multiplayer component to any of these games or online component whatsoever and they rarely go outside of box gameplay wise.

Not that there is anything wrong with that mind you. These games don't come out very often and it seems like Sony is the only one making them so I will take all the third person narrative games. It's literally the reason I keep my PS4 around at this point.

 

[Riderz1337]

It's cause some folks can only see in broad generalities.

I see it akin to kids calling Nintendo games kiddy. Tells you a lot about the individuals gaming taste and understanding.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much this.

Let's call all Nintendo games kid games because they are colorful. These games are not meant for adults...give me a break.

 

[Ardiloso]

-God of War 4 - third person adventure
-Horizon - third person adventure
-Uncharted 4 - third person adventure
-Days Gone - third person adventure
-Gran Turismo - racing
-Ghost of Tsunishima - third person adventure
-The Last of Us - third person adventure
-Spider Man - third person adventure

That might be what it boils down to. I see a very similar vibe between Uncharted/TLoU/Days to be honest, but we have zero clue what Ghost will be like at all, or even - to an extent - Spider-Man.

Click to shrink...

This. The're all 3rd person games, somewhat similar and that troll image makes a little sense. I don't see much difference in concept, they even removed Kratos jump in GoW4 to normalize it with the other titles.

 

[Deleted member 31817]

Removing the ability to jump in God of War 4 is hmm. TLOU has had a big impact on other Sony properties.

That being said, there's still diversity there with Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn

Click to shrink...

You can't jump in gow4? Lol

 

[Raijinto]

A lot of them do feel and look same-y to me but taking the point to the extreme is silly. No they aren't all the same game, but Days Gone's various showcasings for example have just turned me off the game almost entirely. Feels like I've seen most elements of that game already and yes a lot of those were in Sony published games.

 

[Deleted member 19213]

I think Naughty Dog's influence is spreading across the industry, particularly Sony's first party. While God of War isn't a 1 to 1 remake of TLOU, it's hard to deny TLOU's influence in the few demos we've seen. Additionally, the story trailer of Days Gone had TLOU's tone, so much so that I thought it may have been TLOU Part II until they showed gameplay.

I also think they mean games that emphasize story.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

the typical sony game template is story focus, beautiful worlds, single player and relative lack of exploitative microtransactions

 

[HighJump]

Dreams...?

The game that's so diverse it'll probably bomb T_T

But yeah, I've been getting that same-y vibe too. Third person, heavily story driven with humanoid and realistically proportioned protagonist and realistic graphics. That applies to those that perform the best out of SCEI's portfolio. But Sony's quirkier games not selling on par is another issue altogether (Marketing).

 

[Guymelef]

I'm hearing Yamauchi is going to be fired soon, not for GT Sport online component, it's because he uses 2D trees.

 

[Mugen X]

I saw someone posting this image elsewhere:

Is this what you're talking about? Obviously it's a troll image, but like all troll images, it has a basis in at least a little truth. I have noticed that there's a lot of over-the-shoulder style third person games lately.

Click to shrink...

Ppl can shit talk all they want lol. Sony has one of the best if not the best exclusive lineups available.

 

[Titik]

They are cinematic, almost movie-like. Thats what people are talking about. It's not necessarily a bad thing either. They found an identity. Similar to that Nintendo 'twist/aesthetic'. Actually, that's a good thing.

 

[Mashing]

Personally, I don' think they iterate enough. Not compared to someone like Nintendo where nearly every mainline Mario game has something completely different from the previous version (call it a gimmick if you want). Where the Sony cinematic games basically play the similarly and structured similarly. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just something I notice. A franchise like Uncharted hasn't changed nearly as much as Zelda as another example.

To be fair Sony is not the only publisher/developer guilty of this.

 

[AegonSnake]

It's because unlike most studios, Sony studios put a lot of focus on cinematic games. The graphics are usually best in the business, the cutscenes are usually mocapped and given a lot of polish compared to say Assassins Creed or Mass effect which have abrupt editing and inconsistent facial animations.

Even Sony's SCEA boss Shawn Layden said they are good at cinematic story driven games. Sony used to invest in all kinds of games last gen but have pigeonholed themselves into narrative driven video games with GT and DriveClub being outliers. We no longer see games like MAG, Twisted Metal, PS All Stars, Warhawk. They have no First Person Shooters on the horizon after releasing several great shooters last gen in Resistance 3, KZ2&3 and MAG. They have one RPG which is technically an open world action adventure game with dialogue choices.

So lots and lots of action adventure story driven games. No GaaS games like Destiny or PubG. No traditional multiplayer shooters like CoD, Halo or BF. No RPGs like Witcher 3, Mass Effect, Fallout and Skyrim. No fighting games. No real platformers like Nintendo.