Sony
Who Won 2019?
Over the course of, well, pretty much the entire generation, Sony has led the way in terms of massive, big-budget, AAA games that have moved the industry forward.
2019 was the first year, however, maybe since the PlayStation 4’s launch window, that felt lacking.
Days Gone kicked things off and it was fine, it just likely isn’t a game that we’re going to remember generations from now unless Sony gives the franchise another go in the future.
Death Stranding is the big game this year. While we were fans here at Twinfinite, the gaming community at large (both from critics and fans) have been all over the place in terms of reception. It very much seems like one of those games you either “get” and appreciate, or you fail to see the appeal and find the experience boring.
Judgment and MLB The Show 19 were both solid as well within their respective genres, and in most years that would be enough. The bar was just set so high from previous generations and at some point, Sony was going to fail to clear it.
Fortunately next year looks a lot brighter.
Passing of the Torch
The PlayStation 4 looks set to go out with a bang with games like The Last of us Part II, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Nioh 2, and Ghost of Tsushima all launching exclusively for the PS4 in 2020.
Coupled with the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sony is positioned to have a major bounce back year in the gaming sphere.
I do wish we got to learn a little bit more of what Sony has planned for the PlayStation 5 this year. Aside from an acknowledgement of its existence, and some specs trickling out, the PS5 is still largely a mystery.
It feels like in this very early stage, Microsoft is stealing a bit of the hype each time we learn about a new feature such as its powerful graphical capabilities, backwards compatibility with games and Xbox One accessories, and the carry over of the excellent Xbox Game Pass.
Sony likely won’t be a slouch in these areas either, and its own subscription service, PS Now, is definitely coming along; but unless Sony has something that can outdo what Microsoft has revealed so far (which is very possible), their announcement might lack some punch after hearing about similar features from Microsoft earlier.
State of Play
Sony/PlayStation in 2019 has also stepped up how often they interact with their fans with the new State of Play broadcasts that were spread out throughout the year.
While they have varied in terms of quality, regardless Sony appears to be heading down a similar road as Nintendo; that is eschewing traditional media events for their own controlled reveals.
Fans seem to enjoy and look forward to most of the Nintendo Directs and Sony doing something similar going forward with the PlayStation brand isn’t a surprise, nor is it a bad thing.
There are certainly lots of positives to this approach such as it being easy to follow, and generating hype throughout the year rather than waiting for something like E3. Fans should be aware though of the obvious (and totally understandable) bias/spinning that comes from such controlled reveals, whether it’s Sony or any company for that matter.
