Which of the big three has the best first party and why?

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

I think at least OoT and TP have sold more than TLOU.
I also think that if you walked to the average person on the street, they would know and recognize Zelda more than they would know and recognize TLOU.

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Your underplaying TLOU a little bit. It's very well known to the average person now, especially considering that zombie or anything resembling zombie apocalypse is pretty popular these days. It's kind of one of those very popular PlayStation games that actually is popular in popular culture.

 

[A New Beginning]

/

 

[Salmone_D_Oro]

Thinking about it , the discussion is pointless . It's natural that Nintendo has more FIRST party exclusives , they focused on games instead of hardware power .

 

[Deleted member 249]

Your underplaying TLOU a little bit. It's very well known to the average person now, especially considering that zombie or anything resembling zombie apocalypse is pretty popular these days. It's kind of one of those very popular PlayStation games that actually is popular in popular culture.

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I'm not arguing that TLOU (or Uncharted) are not well known- I am arguing neither is even close to the cachet that Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon have.

 

[MrBS]

Ninty got this one covered.

Why? Well the output of games is the best.

 

[Deleted member 4461]

This year it's not even close.
While Nintendo occasionally has some low points, the variety and quality they pump out is unmatched.

To put it another way, Nintendo is the only one that can come close to supporting a platform by themselves even if it's not a sure thing (Wii U)

Sony is second since they actually try. Variety is a bit more limited, but it's quality stuff most of the time.

MS might just not be for me, but it feels like they don't put out much anymore. Even when they do it seems like reception is mixed like with Gears and halo

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Basically these. Sony and Microsoft are great in that they have a larger variety of games. But if they had to support themselves, Nintendo would do the best by far.

 

[Arthoneceron]

For me It's Nintendo. The excitement of a Zelda, a Mario, a Donkey Kong, a Pokemon and even a Metroid game can't be matched, at least for me. The game itself hasn't announced yet, and I'm around here salivating for the Smash Bros Switch.

I like some games from Sony and, apart for me disliking the Sony itself, their games tend to be nice overall. Well, personally I hate the low replayability and mostly of their MP seems forced to justify a bought. The Last of Us MP is basically like that, at least for me.

And I like Forza and Halo too. Forza Horizon 1 is one of the best games I ever played, while Halo generally makes everything perfect by itself. Even hating Halo 5, I can't say that the game itself is bad. GeoW is too dudebro to my tastes. And let's see how Age of Empires 4 wll be, I hope that something really good tbh.

So, it's basically this:
Nintendo 1st
Sony 2nd
Microsoft 3rd

 

[Deleted member 2145]

Your underplaying TLOU a little bit. It's very well known to the average person now, especially considering that zombie or anything resembling zombie apocalypse is pretty popular these days. It's kind of one of those very popular PlayStation games that actually is popular in popular culture.

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I don't think saying that more people are familiar with the Zelda series than TLoU series is underplaying TLoU at all. it's just reality. one series has been around since the 80's with multiple entries having had a major influence on gaming as a whole as well as defining specific generations and pieces of hardware while the other series isn't even 5 years old yet and only has one entry out with a sequel still on the way.

 

[LuigiV]

The answer is obviously Microsoft. The McLaren P1 is my favourite gaming mascot.

But in all seriousness. Nintendo is an easy first pick me, though honestly Sony isn't too far behind. They're pretty damn close to Nintendo in terms of quality but their games don't quite peak my interest the same way Nintendo's games do.

 

[Salmone_D_Oro]

Yes but TLOU is more well known that games like Splatoon . SONY did well with new brands . Horizon was a critical and sales success as well .

 

[PhilouFelin]

My whole point is that there is no objective way to measure the quality of art. There just is not. It's a fools errand to try find one. Aggregate scores are a helpful tool for getting a sense of the zeitgeist, but they do not help you figure out if a game is truly meaningful or worthy of your attention. There is nothing objective that can help you with that. All we have is the subjective to help us determine artistic value.

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That's very much what I said ! The only difference being that I think aggregate scores are the best tool for getting a sense of the zeitgeist quality-wise (sales being the best tool for popularity).

 

[DSN2K]

Sony.

Nintendo continue to make wonderful games but i feel they don't match the diversity Sony Studios put out, meaning Sony cater to more people and that is one of the main reasons they are market leaders currently.

 

[BitByDeath]

Yes, and I am arguing those people are being stupid :P

I don't know, at least 2-3 generations while maintaining their stature? Depending on how the new God of War goes, I suppose it will become the first Sony franchise to do so.

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It's not that stupid if you take it from a continued story standpoint :-p

Gran Turismo would be the first... if you want to count a car game... :-/

 

[Deleted member 26753]

Really you don't understand how people choose Sony or MS? Really?

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Honestly, no. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I can't see a way Nintendo isn't the king of first-party titles. You can argue specific game rankings and popularity, but Nintendo has a wider and deeper selection of great games. They've just been at it longer.

 

[Deleted member 249]

It's not that stupid if you take it from a continued story standpoint :-p

Gran Turismo would be the first... if you want to count a car game... :-/

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Yeah, but Zelda doesn't do continued stories (with very few exceptions). That's what I am getting at lol :P

GT lasted two generations before losing prestige with GT5. God of War has so far gone two generations. If the new one is well received, it will be three.

 

[Deleted member 5727]

Sony

 

[Deleted member 30681]

I grew up with Sony on the PS2, so naturally I would say Sony with the caveat that while I do love the exclusives on PS4, and PS3 I'm very nostalgic towards the PS2 exclusives. With that being said though Nintendo has some fantastic stuff too. I mean Nintendo just dropped 2 GOTY candidates in the same year which is very impressive.

Microsoft is a mixed bag for most people these days, but while I don't care for most of their exclusives it can't be denied that most of it is quality. As of this moment though the only Xbox/PC exclusives I've wanted to play this gen are Sunset Overdrive and Cuphead.

 

[Kemono]

S
O
N
Y

No contest imo.

Nintendo does also very well.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Like I said in a post a few minutes before yours, Zelda and Mario aren't even Nintendo's biggest sellers =P
Pokemon, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing ... all games famous for selling more than zelda and more than most 3D Marios. Probably the Wii series (wii sports) also sold more than most zeldas

Hell people are even mentioning Metroid ... metroid games sells like SHIT compared to the heavy hitters

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TLoU ain't Sony's either, but not my point. My point was that it's pretty big already, there's no need to downplay it. AIso If cultural impact and sales were all that mattered MS would be miles ahead of both with Minecraft alone.
Who has the biggest I.P shouldn't even really matter, they all have big I.Ps and there's not an objective right answer.

 

[JusDoIt]

That's very much what I said ! The only difference being that I think aggregate scores are the best tool for getting a sense of the zeitgeist quality-wise (sales being the best tool for popularity).

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That "quality-wise" is where we have our disconnect. I don't believe a Metacritic or OpenCritic score is a reliable tool at all for determining the quality of a title. It's just a great tool for figuring out what many people believe is the quality of a title.

 

[Caliaztec]

Honestly, no. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I can't see a way Nintendo isn't the king of first-party titles. You can argue specific game rankings and popularity, but Nintendo has a wider and deeper selection of great games. They've just been at it longer.

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Each individual person has different tastes... I enjoy playing Nintendo games but I don't love them like I use too, they are great in their own way but their quality doesn't all of a sudden make other games not enjoyable because of some sort of comparison.

You cannot get an experience like TLOU, Uncharted, God of War, Shadows of Colossus, Gran Turismo, or Last Guardian in any Nintendo first party game. Where I can get a great fill Platforming, Creation Tools, Whimsical fun, or cartoon wackiness in games like Crash, Ratchet and Clank, Little Big Planet, Knack, or ModNation Racers they may not be up to the same standard or quality of their like genre Nintendo titles but I at least have more variety and a much broader range of genre and game types with mature themes.

 

[Deleted member 249]

TLoU ain't Sony's either, but not my point. My point was that it's pretty big already, there's no need to downplay. AIso If cultural impact and sales were all that mattered MS would be miles ahead of both with Minecraft alone.
Who has the biggest I.P shouldn't even really matter, they all have big I.Ps and there's not an objective right answer.

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:|

No. While I agree with you that cultural impact is meaningless for this discussion, your assertion that there is 'no objective right answer' for who has the IP with the most cultural cachet. The answer is Nintendo, it is literally madness to try and argue otherwise. Mario closed the Rio Olympics ffs.

 

[IIFloodyII]

:|

No. While I agree with you that cultural impact is meaningless for this discussion, your assertion that there is 'no objective right answer' for who has the IP with the most cultural cachet. The answer is Nintendo, it is literally madness to try and argue otherwise. Mario closed the Rio Olympics ffs.

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No objective right answer to who has the best, not biggest cultural impact. I should have been more clear there. My bad.

 

[Deleted member 249]

No objective right answer to who has the best, not biggest cultural impact. I should have been more clear there. My bad.

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Ah. Yes, there I agree that the answer simply comes down to what you prefer more :P

 

[AndrewDean84]

For games that are appealing to me personally, nothing comes close to Nintendo.

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Same.

 

[BitByDeath]

Yeah, but Zelda doesn't do continued stories (with very few exceptions). That's what I am getting at lol :P

GT lasted two generations before losing prestige with GT5. God of War has so far gone two generations. If the new one is well received, it will be three.

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Zelda does repeated stories tho, save the princess.

GT5 didn't lose prestige, it sold 12m, 17m if you include prologue.

GT6 slowed in sales due to releasing post PS4.

 

[MetalLord]

Considering that when sony published their first game in 1994, nintendo had already released the entire nes and snes libraries, thats not even a question

 

[gfxtwin]

Current gen or overall? Because overall Nintendo has been around much longer than Sony and especially Microsoft and have made first party exclusives a priority for an even longer time, thus many more classics have accumulated over time so this isn't really a fair comparison.

 

[Deleted member 249]

Zelda does repeated stories tho, save the princess.

GT5 didn't lose prestige, it sold 12m, 17m if you include prologue.

GT6 slowed in sales due to releasing post PS4.

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I mean, if 'repeated stories' is what we're counting, then Uncharted has rehashed the same story at least five different times in ten years so far.
And sorry, by prestige I only meant critical reception, I should have been clearer there. I do agree GT counts in terms of commercial performance.

 

[Bahamut]

Honestly I think the poll speaks for itself at this point.

 

[PhilouFelin]

That "quality-wise" is where we have our disconnect. I don't believe a Metacritic or OpenCritic score is a reliable tool at all for determining the quality of a title. It's just a great tool for figuring out what many people believe is the quality of a title.

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I think I can see where you're getting at and I'm pretty sure we just mean to say the same thing, but there's a barrier in the choice of words and in the way we lay our thinking into sentences. Because what I meant to say all that time was that aggregate score is imo the best tool for figuring out what the majority thinks about the quality of a title (or a movie, or a record, or...). That's really much similar to your last sentence.

 

[LuckyChamCham]

Honestly I think the poll speaks for itself at this point.

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It really does!

 

[GongagaSOLDIER]

It depends really. In terms of variety of content and amount of content Sony is number 1 and the quality is generally good - fantastic for their titles. They excel in storytelling and pushing the boundaries of graphical tech on consoles. Nintendo however, has the most recognised first party character (Mario, Link, Samus to a lesser extent), and their highs reach higher than either of the other platform holders.

Microsoft certainly needs to add more variety to their line-up, but if you know you like their franchises you are sure to enjoy their output (Gears, Halo, Forza/Forza:Horizon).

Overall, Sony and Nintendo have a very good foundation already whilst Microsoft still needs to evolve and heavily invest in additional talent.

 

[Entryhazard]

Of all the IPs you posted, Xenoblade is the only one that resembles Nintendo first party quality

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At the VERY least Splatoon and ARMS are up there

 

[YukidaruPunch]

Honestly I think the poll speaks for itself at this point.

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I find it funny how most polls on this site tend to stay relatively the same once they start going. This and the slogan one seem like they haven't changed a bit, accumulating new votes but keeping the same propostions.

 

[UCBooties]

I think that Nintendo has the best and most consistent first party output. Not only do they maintain a stable of high quality, classic franchises, they really know how to push their hardware to the best of its potential.

That being said, Sony's third party exclusives tend to be more of a draw to me than Nintendo's first party exclusives.

 

[casiopao]

Nintendo of course. Where can i play the best fashion game like Style Savvy anywhere there?

Also, Nintendo also give us one of the best submarine fps game which is criminally underatted.^_^

 

[impact]

Does that mean things like Pokemon, Bayonetta 2, and Xenblade aren't Nintendo first party? They aren't made by Nintendo internally.

I think it's better if we just consider 2nd party and 1st party the same thing and just ignore cases like Ninja Gaiden 3 RE or Rise of the Tomb Raider where obvious 3rd party developers just had a deal for a console manufacture to publish their console specific version.

Also SCEJ actually is co-developer on DS and BB.

Either way it's pretty clear 1st party means the console manufacturer's published games. I don't think anyone is going to argue that Pokemon is not a Nintendo game.

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SCEJ didn't actually co-develop anything on those games. If they did then they should really patch Bloodborne at least, it doesn't even support Sony's latest console and it's pretty laggy both in netcode and in framerate.

I feel like the only time anyone pretends Sony had anything to do with the development of those games is when they need ammo for list wars. And no, Nintendo didn't develop Bayonetta 2 lol.

 

[sxiebonjour]

You mention variety and then proceed to list a bunch of third person/shooter/action games.

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I was talking more about the variety of game themes and I am not sure if you are seriously questioning the genre variety of Sony first party . But anyway for this gen/cross gen

RPG: Bloodborne, Horizon
Action adventure/TPS : Uncharted series, Knack, TLOU
Hack and slash : God of war
FPS : Killzone
Twin sticks shooters : Dead nation, Alienation
open world action : infamous
unique adventure : Journey, The last guardian,
Interactive movie style adventure : Heavy rain , Beyond : two souls
Racing : Driveclub, GTS
Sports : MLB series
Platformer : LBP ,Sound shapes

And I believe there are some good hunting rpgs on handheld like Soul sacrifice, Freedom war.

 

[Deleted member 2145]

At the VERY least Splatoon and ARMS are up there

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Splatoon is like the most Nintendo game ever

gameplay concept before everything else, premise characters world look etc. are born from the gameplay, a distinct and stylized art style, concessions are made to achieve a stable 60fps, top tier game feel due to understanding of controls, animations, and sound design, simple on the surface while being deceptively deep, and puns. all the puns.

 

[ghostcrew]

Easily, easily Nintendo. The Switch could have nothing but first party Nintendo games and I would still buy one. BOTW and Mario Odyssey aren't just GOTY contenders, they're GOAT contenders.

I love Halo & Forza and God of War & Driveclub but Microsoft and Sony can't hold a light to the big N. Nintendo has had dips for sure but they're on fire at the moment. Varied and high quality.

 

[Nairume]

Basically these. Sony and Microsoft are great in that they have a larger variety of games. But if they had to support themselves, Nintendo would do the best by far.

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I've seen people say that Sony and/or Microsoft have a larger variety of games, and, while that might be true for overall when factoring in third party, I just don't really see it if we are limiting to just first party stuff.

Even if we just limit ourselves to their most recent and consistent stuff, Nintendo's games cover action, adventure, platformers, racing, fighting, golf, tennis, turn based RPG, action RPG, strategy RPG, strategy, puzzle games, rhythm games, party games, life sims, competitive shooters, open world, survival horror, and I'm sure I'm probably forgetting more.

Sony probably comes close to that kind of variety, but Microsoft certainly doesn't.

 

[GenG]

Nintendo is the company with many of my favourite franchises and games: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Fire Emblem, MOTHER, Metroid, Pikmin, Smash Bros., Xenoblade, Splatoon, Donkey Kong Country, Kid Icatrus Uprising, etc. whereas only Sony's Japan Studio appeals to me. My PS3 collection attests to that since it lacks Sony's 1st party produced titles beyond Demon's Souls, and it's mostly SEGA offerings and some Tales Of games.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Thinking about it , the discussion is pointless . It's natural that Nintendo has more FIRST party exclusives , they focused on games instead of hardware power .

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I mean, can you say for sure the R & D for Switch is easier than R & D for stuff like PS4 or Xbox?

It's not like consoles are like phones who gets changed every year so Sony / Xbox have to "focus on hardware power" all the time, whatever that means.

I've seen people say that Sony and/or Microsoft have a larger variety of games, and, while that might be true for overall when factoring in third party, I just don't really see it if we are limiting to just first party stuff.

Even if we just limit ourselves to their most recent and consistent stuff, Nintendo's games cover action, adventure, platformers, racing, fighting, golf, tennis, turn based RPG, action RPG, strategy RPG, strategy, puzzle games, rhythm games, party games, life sims, competitive shooters, open world, survival horror, and I'm sure I'm probably forgetting more.

Sony probably comes close to that kind of variety, but Microsoft certainly doesn't.

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I mean, if we really breakdown the variety of games, I'm pretty sure Nintendo actually will be in the lead. I mean, if we take out "3rd person action game" from the equation, for example. Sony would lose a number of its marquee IPs such as Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us.....

 

[Deleted member 17388]

Nintendo, just from the sheer amount of titles and quality of them.

But in terms of preference, Sony and Nintendo have worth titles to play, a shame MS fell behind with their first party input for the X1 lately

 

[Wracu]

As someone who hasn't really been into Nintendo since the Wii... It's Nintendo by the length of the known universe.

They've kept their core franchises relevant, even ascendant, for 30+ years now.

Sony at least has first party, and they're usually very pretty... But lol. I feel there's at least one better third party game for every Sony 1st party effort. That's just not true of so many Nintendo games.

 

[WestEgg]

Nintendo, just from the sheer amount of titles and quality of them.

But in terms of preference, Sony and Nintendo have worth titles to play, a shame MS fell behind with their first party input for the X1 lately

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There's a few promising things on the horizon for Microsoft. I'm weirdly, inexplicably hyped for Sea of Thieves. Also, even though it's a PC game, Age of Empires I believe is a Microsoft IP, so that counts.

 

[The Pet of the Month]

I always knew I was part of the 1% ;-)


But in all seriousness, I prefer Microsoft's exclusives over the competition, even if their output is lacking.

Still, that doesn't stop me from picking up the other titles! I've played a lot of PlayStation and Switch exclusives this year, and I'm looking forward to playing Xenoblade 2 and I'm having a blast with .hack (even though that's not a first party title).

For me,

1. Microsoft
2. Nintendo
3. Sony

 

[Tsuyu]

I think the ps1 has much better rpg than snes and Nintendo has the best first party games.

The votes on both threads are in lined with my opinion.

I'll fit in here.

 

[Bugy52]

I think the answer has to be Nintendo, no other company can seemingly live off there first party stuff almost exclusively.