Well-known on the PS5: Sony has a creativity problem - Column

To start with, I would like to clear up a little misunderstanding that arose in view of my column from last week. There I encourage developers to give a damn about creativity and instead happily steal from other manufacturers in order to ultimately deliver a better game. I stand by that and I mean it. What I by no means meant by that, but what went down well with some readers, is that I want a generic consistency.

Table of contents

1 The Sony formula 2 Old brands, rethought 3 Can't someone else do this? 4 Good guy Microsoft I think creativity very often grows out of reinterpreting and re-classifying what is known. As someone noted under my article, about the critically acclaimed Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn't great for reinventing things; every aspect of the adventure has been seen in a similar way in other titles. No, it is unique and also creative because it reinvents ITSELF, i.e. the Zelda series, and because it simply uses the familiar game elements so well and coordinated that it is one of the best video games for many people, including me the last few years was and is.

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The Sony formula

Well-known on the PS5: Sony has a creativity problem - Column (1) Source: Moby Games Let me say: Like so many other people in the world, I am a big fan of the Playstation exclusive games. Uncharted 1 to 4, God of War, The Last of Us 1 and 2, Ghost of Tsushima and Co. are some of the best that the game market has to offer. But because I'm a nagger who is never satisfied, I look at these games and say: Numerous great adventures, all of which are a bit similar in essence - is that all?

In principle, the Sony games do exactly that what i want. They combine familiar elements in such a way that something great comes out often enough. Sony is doing more than well with that. But it is precisely this aspect of similarity that bothers me. If you accuse Ubisoft of a Ubisoft formula, then I find that a Sony formula cannot really be denied. Sure, one thing is open world, the other is linear, one has role-playing elements, the other doesn't; In the end, however, the Sony titles always feel very familiar as soon as you hold the Dualshock 4 or the Dualsense in your hands.

Old brands, rethought

Well-known at the PS5: Sony has a creativity problem - Column (3) Source: YouTube Most likely this is intentional, people like familiar things, you feel good straight away and don't have to think too long. Despite this fact and the undeniable quality of the games, I would just like to see games again that leave the Sony comfort zone a bit. Sure, they do exist, see Astro's Playroom, Sackboy: A Big Adventure or, currently, Destruction Allstars. First of all, these are exceptions, secondly, they are good adventures, but despite a different basic theme, they are developed very safely and in the case of a Destruction Allstars not exactly the greatest achievement of all time.

As mentioned at the beginning, I don't expect Sony genres redefined or even reinvented. But how about a return to brands that you haven't seen for a long time and which with a modern twist would definitely enrich the PS5 portfolio? I am thinking, for example, of the prime example Parappa the Rapper, but also of something like Primal, which I loved at the time, of a new media record (which is better than the lame 1: 1 remake, please), of twisted metal, Ape Escape, Wipeout, Siphon Filter, Dark Chronicles, a new Jak & Daxter, something like Dog's Life, Eyetoy, Ghosthunter and, and, and.

Can't someone else do that?

Well-known on the PS5: Sony has a creativity problem - Column (6) Source: jp.playstation.com Sure, some of these games would fall into a similar scheme to the modern Sony games, many would be like Destruction all stars, not masterpieces. But I am of the opinion that Sony celebrated a much greater variety of genres and absurd ideas, especially in the PS1 and PS2 times. I miss that nowadays, because, unlike when adopting ideas from other games, I see a lack of creativity as a problem in the long term.

Of course, that doesn't mean that there are no weird games on the Playstation. But they mostly don't come from Sony itself. A Persona 5, which brings the JRPG genre into new spheres with its style, an Inside, an Overcooked, a Celeste, a Nier: Automata - you have to work with third-party manufacturers and indie Look around studios. They often develop (time) exclusively for the Sony console, but Sony itself is afraid to leave its own footprints with first-party projects.

Is that nagging at a high level? Without any question, at the very highest level, because in the end quality comes first, and Sony doesn't fool anyone that quickly. In addition, the caution exercised when it comes to crazy ideas is not a Sony-exclusive problem, but simply the direction in which the games industry is developing. Just look at Nintendo, which beyond Zelda, Mario and a few other brands are continuing their series on the back burner, if at all.

Good guy Microsoft

Well-known on the PS5: Sony has a creativity problem - Column (7) Source: Double Fine The indie market is of course the beacon in the dark, but in my opinion the third big player in the console trio is also positive: Microsoft. Perhaps also because the Xbox is evolving away from the console and towards the service concept anyway. In my opinion, the quality of the Xbox portfolio is less good than that of Sony, but it is much more colorful; Many of the wilder ideas come from studio acquisitions, but no one has forced Microsoft to buy a team like the one from Double Fine, which with Psychonauts 2 is definitely not going to deliver a multi-million seller. We Happy Few, Microsoft Flight Simulator, State of Decay, the two Ori hops - some, not all of these games are great, but with them Microsoft is sometimes moving out of the 2021 blockbuster comfort zone.

I don't want Sony to stop developing brands like Uncharted or God of War, nor do I want them to stop relying on well-made new developments like Ghost of Tushima. But the small, unruly voice in my head screams "there used to be more tinsel!". And should the Playstation group at some point hang tinsel, candy, colorful lights or even a bratwurst on the PS5 Christmas tree in addition to the balls, then I'll be completely satisfied.

How do you see that? Do you share my thoughts or do you think I am on the wrong boat? Discuss in the comments!

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