So, what's the best first-party PS5 game at the moment?

What is the best first-party PS5 game at the moment?


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I would've picked Stellar Blade but that's Shift Up's IP and they are also its developer, so in relation to SIE it's more a 3P game they happened to publish. Similar to how they published stuff like FF VII back inn the day on PS1 in certain regions, and we don't really call that a firt-party game.

So same rules apply here IMO.
 
Platform holder published games get treated as first party because those games are afforded the full rights as any other first party game, in terms of marketing and control over where they can be published.

For Xbox, it means Play Anywhere, Day One on Gamepass, on xCloud.

That's why we use the word "Technically" to describe the 2nd party to differentiate the game from other first party games.
I'm not sure it matters. If Sony present their first party lineup of games Stellar Blade, for example, will be there.

You, me, or anyone else can always make up any definition we want for what a first party game is and isn't. But the main source for this will always be Sony/Nintendo/MS themselves.
 
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Voted for Astrobot, but I'd also pick Stellar Blade and R&C Rift Apart for the podium. The list is pretty depressing overall considering it's been almost 5 years. A lot of the BIG releases are very safe sequels and remasters, Returnal didn't click with me despite liking Housemarque's previous work, I don't play MP so can't rate Helldivers.
 
Astro Bot with Ratchet & Clank behind it.

Sony is such garbage this gen and I still don't have a SOCOM 2 remaster! ;_;
 
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Unless the studio is OWNED by Sony, I don't consider it first party personally. I do understand funding the game, but not owning the studio and calling it first party? That's a nah from me.

Stalker isn't xbox first party.
Stalker isn't produced or published by Microsoft, dumb comparison.
Stellar Blade was neither funded nor produced by Sony, just published. The game was revealed in a Xbox showcase trailer long before Sony got involved, same as WuKong.

It's technically a 2nd party game. Sony owns neither the studio nor IP.
Yes, it was. Sony funded all the rest of development when they picked it up and they literally produced it via XDev Japan.
Sony was never involved in Wukong, so wrong point of comparison.
 
I would've picked Stellar Blade but that's Shift Up's IP and they are also its developer, so in relation to SIE it's more a 3P game they happened to publish. Similar to how they published stuff like FF VII back inn the day on PS1 in certain regions, and we don't really call that a firt-party game.

So same rules apply here IMO.
No, it's not similar to that, all at, lmao.
Nice try, though.
 
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Of course they are going to say that, it makes it sound bigger than they are. Its all marketing, but at the end of the day a 1st party and a 2nd party games are different in ownership. You call call it what you like but there is a term that does specifically define what that is and that is second party or as what Hulst calls "partners". It's not the same thing as first party it never has been.


"second party" is still a term that fanboys/Gamers made up tho, not companies or devs themselves. That is actually a fact.
 
1) Death Stranding 2;
2) Astro Bot;
3) GOW Ragnarok;
4) Stellar Blade;
5) Returnal.

At least one GOTY every year and people keep saying this gen is bad. lol
People are saying it's bad because of the factual huge drought in-between those releases. Also if you remove the more "niche" Stellar Blade from the list, your options get smaller too. It could've been better, that's the thing, but way too many things got wasted this gen. Their gaming budget, the closed studios, hell even their Best Studio Naughty Dog basically wasted years on something they cancelled anyway. I can't remember such noticeable phases of my Console just collecting dust or just being untouched.
 
People are saying it's bad because of the factual huge drought in-between those releases. Also if you remove the more "niche" Stellar Blade from the list, your options get smaller too. It could've been better, that's the thing, but way too many things got wasted this gen. Their gaming budget, the closed studios, hell even their Best Studio Naughty Dog basically wasted years on something they cancelled anyway. I can't remember such noticeable phases of my Console just collecting dust or just being untouched.
I agree it could be better, but it's still far superior to the output of the previous generation (and nobody used to complain about anything).
 
Jim Ryan announced that exactly 12 Live Service Games were in development. He also said that they chose to spend the majority of their Gaming Budget(I think it was 60 or 70% was dedicated to GAAS) on Live Service Stuff.

That's not all, the 🍒 on top was that they let their Single Player Studios work on those Games, not thinking of potential shortcomings that could happen, if they take the gamble. Even Multiplayer Proficient Studios like Treyarch, Infinity Ward etc took a while to go into Service stuff, cause it's always a huge risk. Your game literally depends on how much money the player base throws into your game on a consistent basis, but nope Sony said "Bluepoint, Naughty Dog, Bend Studios can do the same, it will be fine guys"


This is basically a Rookie Mistake and I'm still mind blown that nobody at the higher ups didn't try to at least talk to Jim Ryan about these decisions and just let all of that happen. Out of 12 GAAS Games, more than 9 of them are already cancelled. The rest in development hell..
 
I agree it could be better, but it's still far superior to the output of the previous generation (and nobody used to complain about anything).
Not compared to the PS4 and PS2 (Hell Id even put the PS3 too at this point in time )generation. The Cross-Gen stuff also kinda dampens the PS5 generation a bit, if we want to judge a bit stricter(GOW: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West etc would strengthen the PS4 gen as well, not just the PS5 gen.) Then again, it definitely seems like gens will be much longer than before.... So I hope they really impress in the end
 
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Jim Ryan announced that exactly 12 Live Service Games were in development. He also said that they chose to spend the majority of their Gaming Budget(I think it was 60 or 70% was dedicated to GAAS) on Live Service Stuff.

That's not all, the 🍒 on top was that they let their Single Player Studios work on those Games, not thinking of potential shortcomings that could happen, if they take the gamble. Even Multiplayer Proficient Studios like Treyarch, Infinity Ward etc took a while to go into Service stuff, cause it's always a huge risk. Your game literally depends on how much money the player base throws into your game on a consistent basis, but nope Sony said "Bluepoint, Naughty Dog, Bend Studios can do the same, it will be fine guys"


This is basically a Rookie Mistake and I'm still mind blown that nobody at the higher ups didn't try to at least talk to Jim Ryan about these decisions and just let all of that happen. Out of 12 GAAS Games, more than 9 of them are already cancelled. The rest in development hell..

ND were working on Factions years before the GAAS push, and it was the first to be abandoned. I find it interesting that they didn't consider moving it onto another studio despite the IP value, which suggests to me that it had bigger problems than just time/budget.

Bend were always dubious considering they lost their creative leads in the clusterfuck following Days Gone's launch -apparently sabotaged at the studio end, and a PS4 era issue anyway.

Bluepoint still have no record in doing anything but remasters so would possibly finding pitching a challenge.

The rest, and vast majority, were from external acquisitions.

Its also worth noting that Sony were also trying to prop up PSVR2 throughout.

The big laugh of course is that even if you consider how this compares with the first 5 years of PS4 it actually compares pretty favourably. Unless I guess there are more Knack fans than I thought!

Its especially funny when TLOU2 only came out less than 6 months before PS5 launch, so people acting like ND should have a ton of output thus far in the gen are kinda stretching it.
 
Returnal by a mile.

I thought Astrobot was a turgid low rent Mario game that was so shameless in its thievery (while not even being able to be as good) that I couldn't finish it.
 
it's between demon's souls and TLOU Part 1 for me (because i haven't played TLOU before). going to get astro bot and yotei eventually because i enjoyed GoT. not sure if i should get ragnarok because while i enjoyed the first GoW i didn't think it was amazing and lots of people are saying ragnarok is worse. might get the Horizon games if i can get them really cheap just for the graphics.

man this gen should have been so much better in terms of sony first party. bluepoint should have started working on bloodborne remake a long time, same with TLOU3 (intergalactic doesn't looks that great to me).
 
ND were working on Factions years before the GAAS push, and it was the first to be abandoned. I find it interesting that they didn't consider moving it onto another studio despite the IP value, which suggests to me that it had bigger problems than just time/budget.

Bend were always dubious considering they lost their creative leads in the clusterfuck following Days Gone's launch -apparently sabotaged at the studio end, and a PS4 era issue anyway.

Bluepoint still have no record in doing anything but remasters so would possibly finding pitching a challenge.

The rest, and vast majority, were from external acquisitions.

Its also worth noting that Sony were also trying to prop up PSVR2 throughout.

The big laugh of course is that even if you consider how this compares with the first 5 years of PS4 it actually compares pretty favourably. Unless I guess there are more Knack fans than I thought!

Its especially funny when TLOU2 only came out less than 6 months before PS5 launch, so people acting like ND should have a ton of output thus far in the gen are kinda stretching it.
After the GAAS push tho, ND said They wanted to do more with Factions and release it as its own Game. I know about the Factions story already, but it was supposed to be part of TLOU2 tho. It's basically the Jim Ryan stain that made them decide to do it.(Behind the closed doors, definitely)
 
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