In response to PlayStation game status, we now have a solid look at many upcoming PS5 titles. Your mileage may vary depending on what the lineup looks like, but the question still bears repeating where are all the ps5 games was not fully answered. Some of the biggest games at the showcase were remakes or remasters of older games such as until dawn or Silent Hill 2 remakes, or PC ports of already released titles like God of War: Ragnarok. That’s not to say there weren’t some big new PS5 games shown, but one in particular has me scratching my head as to what we should take away from it.
That would be it Concord, the debut game from first-time PlayStation developer Firewalk Studios. An endless multiplayer 5v5 shooter, the game didn’t make the best impression on me. The script and characters in the movie trailer feel like microwaved leftovers from Guardians of the Galaxy, and knowing that this is an Overwatch-like heroic shooter where the pretty cutscenes and lore aren’t actually reflected in the game doesn’t help. Of course, Concord could very well surprise once we get our hands on it, but Sony’s focus so heavily on a game that looks so lackluster is just a reminder that they have two solid first-party shooter IPs languishing on their backs. -catalog too long: Killzone and Resistance. Why should Sony bring these forgotten franchises back into the limelight? Let me explain.
Sony FPS crisis
Concord being the first game shown during State of Play isn’t something that happened in a vacuum. Ever since Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision, the question mark hanging over the PlayStation brand is what will happen to the Call of Duty franchise when it is owned by its direct competitor. Big part Sony’s argument in a regulatory case that tried and failed to block Activision’s purchase of Call of Duty dependent, with Sony stating during the case that “Microsoft argues that Nintendo’s differentiated model shows that PlayStation does not need Call of Duty to compete effectively.” But this reveals Microsoft’s real strategy… After the transaction, Xbox would become a single point of contact for all the best-selling console franchises.”
To Microsoft and Sony signed the agreement to keep the long-running series multi-platform, but such deals aren’t bulletproof. Microsoft has full control over the Call of Duty IP, meaning that Sony is truly at its mercy when it comes to the franchise. However, Sony’s argument that PlayStation needs Call of Duty to stay competitive is defeatist thinking. Call of Duty being the number one shooter series is not predetermined by the gods. Franchises rise and fall all the time; look at Halo going from the top of the universe in the mid-2000s to simply being “one of many” shooters in the modern era, or Overwatch being the biggest thing in the world at launch and now becoming a laughing stock as Blizzard tries and fails. fulfilling many of the promises of what Overwatch 2 was meant to be.
However, none of this changes the fact that right now Sony doesn’t have a prominent FPS to call its own. Helldivers 2 was certainly a surprise hit, but it’s a third-person shooter with no campaign. There is also a recent issue regarding the PSN login requirement, even if it was on footstill caused a lot of chaos in the gaming community and led the game to be removed in 177 countries. Sony needs a big win in the FPS space to counter Microsoft’s takeover of the likes of Activision, Blizzard and Id Software. Fortunately, Sony has two legacy franchises waiting in the wings that could help it out of this bind.
Helghan forever
At a time when much of Sony’s brand is focused on first-party AAA games like The Last of Us, God of War, Horizon, or Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, leaving Killzone out in the cold is a seriously missed opportunity. More than most other franchises, Killzone was synonymous with the PlayStation brand in the PS3 era, with the release of Killzone 2 in February 2009 something of a landmark for a console that seriously struggled with quality exclusives in its first few years. Alongside the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 helped change the reputation of the PS3 and finally made it a worthy competitor to the Xbox 360. That it was a sequel to a game that was No the good reception in the first place made Killzone 2 even more remarkable.
The first Killzone was released in 2004 on the PS2, and despite a lot of pre-release hype as Sony’s potential answer to Halo, the game received mixed reviews. It’s not a bad game by any means, but given how impressive the world and visual design is, it’s a disappointing start to the franchise. It often felt like a decent game with excellent presentation, including a stellar vocal performance by Brian Cox as Scolar Visari and an iconic original score by Joris de Man. But Killzone 2 showed that sometimes it pays to take a second chance on an idea that didn’t work out perfectly the first time, great review (including IGN), and sales more than a million units worldwide in less than two months. The Killzone series would become one of Sony’s main franchises in the following years, with the PS3 sequel Killzone 3 launching in 2011, and Killzone: Shadow Fall being one of the PS4 launch titles in 2013.
Now we know Guerrilla Games are busy with Horizon these days, but Sony definitely has enough studios under their umbrella to let someone else take up the Killzone flag. Its unique blend of hard-hitting sci-fi space opera, heavy FPS combat, and a “world war 2 in space” aesthetic paired with the iconic design of the Helghast soldiers really hasn’t been matched by other shooters on the market. A new game in the series could also finally pull the trigger on a story campaign from the perspective of the Helghast, something fans have long wanted due to their likable story. Given Killzone’s importance to the history of PlayStation consoles, leaving it off the PS5 seems like a massive unforced error. Killzone 2 in particular is close to a masterpiece of sci-fi shooter design and deserves not only a modern facelift, but also a proper new entry in the continuation of the saga. But it’s not the only Sony shooter that deserves a resurrection.
Vive la Résistance
As mentioned earlier, the PS3 struggled out of the gate due to how few quality games were made for the console in its first year. But of all the initial titles, the one that stood out the most was Resistance: Fall of Man, the original FPS from Insomniac Games, better known for Ratchet & Clank and its recent Spider-Man series. While the multiplayer was lackluster, the single-player campaign was surprisingly massive and playable in split-screen co-op (remember that?). Plus, its story was fascinating—set in an alternate history where aliens called the Chimera invaded Earth in the 1950s—and Insomniac’s trademark off-the-wall weapon design made for a great game that got lost in the cultural conversation. more expected games running on the system.
Despite this, Resistance was a regular in the PS3 franchise catalog with two direct sequels in Resistance 2 and 3 also released during the console’s life cycle. Sadly, the series suffered a decline with the second game trying too hard to conform to the conventions of other shooters on the market at the expense of its own personality. Not only was the first game’s collection of creative weapons shortened by forcing players to only carry two at a time instead of a full arsenal, but the sparse campaign was also littered with a number of disappointing boss fights that tended to be more scripted. sequences rather than dynamic battles. Multiplayer was improved, but the story was weak compared to the previous entry.
Insomniac righted the ship with Resistance 3, returning to much of what fans and developers alike enjoyed about the series. In an interview with KotakuInsomniac CEO Ted Price said that all of the changes in Resistance 2 “maybe weren’t good” and that “for Resistance 3, we went back to some of our more traditional core mechanics that players loved and then created a story that was more personal … we’re really proud of Resistance 3.” But that improvement didn’t translate into sales, and the series flamed out with the third entry and the poorly received PlayStation Vita spin-off, Resistance: Burning Skies. However, if Killzone taught us anything, it’s that one misstep shouldn’t mean giving up on a good series, and the alternate history world presented in Resistance is still full of creative possibilities. An unconventional arsenal of weapons could be a great way to spice up a multiplayer suite, and there are many unseen eras or locations in the world of Resistance that a new campaign could focus on if Insomniac or one of Sony’s other developers took another crack at it. it.
Sony has the wherewithal to fight in the shooter space, like long-dormant franchises like Killzone or Resistance, or developers known for shooters like Bungie. There are many ways to build first-person shooters on the PlayStation, and games like Concord meet that need. We’ll see how Firewalk debuts, but chasing the heights of other games that are already starting to age past their sell-by date is rarely a winning strategy. Not that Sony shouldn’t try to cultivate new IP, it certainly should, but if it needs a competitive edge, it would be worth highlighting the PlayStation brand values that are actually PlayStation specific. And reviving two big franchises in the genre you’re currently struggling with that have a pre-established fan base and are already associated with your console? This would be a way to gain a competitive advantage much sooner.
Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and essays about Mass Effect. You can watch his fixations on Twitter.