I don’t know what it is about this Sony. It just had its most successful concurrent State of Play ever based on ‘hype’. In the end, it was just a falsehood wasn’t it? Unless you like uninspiring shows with no sort of risk taking. Yet, I find it rather unimaginative that they’re utilising the same PlayStation Studio franchises. Insomniac hasn’t been let off its lead to do anything other than Marvel things. Obviously, that scratches the itch of everyone who loves Marvel games. If you’re a Sony fan you’d probably be expecting Infamous or Resistance, or a Killzone comeback from somewhere.
(Infamous) has been passed onto another studio, Insomniac will likely be employed to continue sequels to Wolverine. I am not saying that I didn’t like Wolverine’s showing. It looks great, but when you look at the current flock of games coming out from PlayStation Studios in general.
It’s gotten to a point where we know exactly what to expect and what we’re going to get and the hype isn’t justified anymore is it? There is no variation in genre defining game-play, it’s just a hold your hand cinematic. There is no surprise factor in any of it to be honest.
I think there has been a steady decline in PlayStation this generation and this State of Play epitomizes the direction. I think they’re tone-deaf and they’re playing it extremely safe this generation. There are aspects of what they’re doing which have promise, but unlike XBOX or Nintendo.
They’ve lost a certain level of being able to read the room on what their fans expect within the new leadership.
A lot of PlayStation fans are hoping they can get that swagger back but when you see Marathon constantly being something that Sony is pushing instead of looking at what the fans expectations are. I think personally, we’re going to have a really interesting time in gaming over the next few years. I see Nintendo Switch 2 getting stronger and with their hardware catching up to a level where third-party games are playable. It’s offering an opportunity to explore other options for fans that are as fed up with Sony as everyone else is.
I think Project Helix is going to be another generational defining console based on taking on that feedback and reading the room of its fans. That’s why this XBOX Showcase is going to be really interesting, and it’s also why, my enthusiasm for Nintendo later in the year for what they have coming has never been higher. There is no doubt what PlayStation does they do well and they’re having a lot of success with it. However, we’ve seen and played it all before and that’s becoming a problem this generation at least.