So, I figured I'd share some great PS (And Ninendo) data since some people have been asking me in PM to share some positivity. You all know by now how I'm very much so a person who tries to use data to explain why a thing is good - in this case the PS4 - so here's some proof.
I've been going about my generation, tallying data concerning the critical reception of console exclusives across the board. Up until last night, I had only really held a really firm grasp on what scores exclusives had from 2017 until 2019, because I was using GameRankings.com and that site has since gone defunct. I was tallying up every game that got a 75 or higher on each respective console of the main three (Switch, Ps4, Xbone), to see how well they were doing and how that all worked out. At one point I was doing it because I was bored and I like crunching numbers in some respects, but after I realized just how poorly Xbox was doing, I started using it as a way to explain using numbers and data why I was so bored with that console and think so little of it.
However, Xbox games are all on PC, and a lot of even the best PS4 and Switch games were also on PS3 and WiiU or other handheld consoles like the Vita or 3DS, so I had to make some amendments to my rules to ensure everything was fair and balanced for all three participants, but didn't completely eviscerate any participants just becuase they were on some other console from generations past. I also didn't want to just put every game with 12 reviews that only the most hardcore have heard about, so I abided by a handful of rules to limit things will still ensuring each console got a proper opportunity.
The rules were as follows:
1 - The games had to have 20 or more reviews. That's the threshold I was able to abide by in the gamerankings days and that's what I've gone for on the Metacritic day.
2 - The Games were brand/console exclusive. That means if it's on Switch but not on PS4/XBO, then it's fair game even if it's on PC or handheld or WiiU, for example.
3 - The games had to have at least 75 on the Metacritic scale. That's where Metacritic decides 'green' starts and 'yellow' ends, so I'm going with that.
There used to be a 4th rule since I was doing each of these for a given year that stated that the game was considered exclusive if it released on its console that year but then came out on other consoles following years. In the example of Cuphead and the Ori games, those were Xbox games but then came out on Switch/PS4. On the flipside, games like Nier Automata and the FFX and FFXII HD editions eventually came out on Xbox and Switch. they would have been counted in the original listings but will not be counted here. Again, same rules for everyone.
If y'all are wondering why I'm posting this here, it's because I spent like 8 hours yesterday sifting through all 500+ Switch games, all 600+ Xbox One games, and 800+ PS4 games that had 75 or higher on Metacritic, opening every single page and checking to see if a game had enough reviews and was not on the other two consoles this gen. As I'm sure everyone who loves Playstation knows, PS4 won this competition by a landslide. Like, such a landslide. like, more than 4:1 in favor of them compared to Xbox. I'm not going to get too comfy with the Switch yet because it's had three and a half years less time on the market so it might actually prove to be just as strong as the PS4 by the end. However, comparing Xbox One to Ps4 it's such a hilarious disparity that...well, it's the kind of real fact that sounds like I'm being biased with how lopsided it is in favour of Sony, but it's just the numbers when the same rules are applied to all consoles equally.
I also divided them up into 4 categories for the sake of managing it in bite-sized chunks and showing a few trends. These categories were sorted by scores. 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, and 90-100. The results probably won't surprise you. Here's the data. I can see about saving and screenshotting stuff at a later date if anyone is curious.
Games 90-100
PS4 - 11 games total.
Switch - 7 games total.
XBO - 2 games total
Right out the gate, off to a pretty disparate start. Notable facts are that Xbox's only 90+ games are Forza games (Which you might come to see as one hell of a pattern, so feel free to shut down anyone trying to claim the 'Halo/Gears/Forza' trifecta is a false narrative), and Nintendo has the only 2 games that are 95+ with Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey.
Games 85-89
PS4 - 19 games Total (30 if you include everything up to 100)
Switch - 9 games total (16 if you include everything up to 100)
XBO - 5 games total (7 if you include everything up to 100)
Again, a very distinct pattern. Keep in mind this data shows that there are 19 PS4 games between 85-89, on top of the 11 between 90-100. If you go 85+ all the way up to 100, the totals are 30, 16, and 5. Also, it's worth noting that pretty much half of everything on this list so far has been on PC, PS3, Mobile, Vita, WiiU, 3DS, or some other console or might even go multiplat in the future but are not at the time of this writing. For example, Spider-Man PS4 will also be remastered on PS5, and Final Fantasy VII Remake is said to be coming out on Xbox in the future (or PC, I don't actually know). all I know is that, according to the data I captured today, these are the numbers. Also, for the sake of laughing at the homogenous offerings of the Xbox, the 5 games in this category include Forza, Forza, TitanFall, Forza, and Halo: The master chief collection. So of its top 7, 5 of them are Forza, one is a remaster of the first four Halo games, and one is titanFall, another first person sci-fi shooter (That had a far superior sequel on PS4). I mean, I don't wanna shit on them too much, but it's so hard! Keep in mind I was not able to add Cuphead (As it is on Ps4 and Switch), or either of the Ori games (As they are both on Switch).
Games 80-84
PS4 - 28 Games Total (58 if you include everything up to 100)
Switch - 24 Games Total (40 if you include everything up to 100)
XBO - 9 games total (16 if you include everything up to 100)
I don't even know what to say at this point. It was about here that I started struggling because seriously, there are so many mediocre games in this category or games that I'd never heard of on all three consoles. I had to do a lot of digging, or Wikipedia searches just to keep the numbers down. Like at one point I saw some Switch game that was also on PS2 so I had to wonder if it counted, and I luckily didn't have to take it into consideration as it didn't have 20 reviews. Still, pretty much the entire lower two categories of this little experiment just had so, SO many games I'd never heard of. Lots more on Switch and Ps4, but a few like Kalimba and FRU on Xbox One. Also, in total, only like, 7 or 8 games exist on Xbox One that aren't also on PC or other consoles. My conjecture on that fact is that Microsoft would make a GREAT publishing house, but not a great hardware manufacturer. Just put their shit on PS5/Switch and everyone wins. However, Either way, at this point it's almost 4:1 in favour of Ps4, and it's just getting worse.
Games 75-79
PS4 - 41 Games total (99 if you include everything up to 100)
Switch - 22 Games total (62 if you include everything up to 100)
XBO - 8 Games total (24 if you include everything up to 100)
so yeah, I think those totals of 99, 62, and 24 explain WHY Ps4 has done so well. Not only does it have quality, but it has quantity in excess amounts. It plays to a wider variety of people, it's more diversified, and the games tend to be better. Yeah, there's a lot in there I would hardly consider a system seller - for example, have any of you even heard of Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth? I haven't, but according to my requirements it fit - but that's sort of exactly it. There's plenty of stuff on PS4 that's not on Switch or Xbox One. There's a reason that both it and the Switch are selling like hotcakes. Both have a tonne of exclusives.
Also, it's worth noting that there were also a tonne of Japanese games that are on Switch and PS4 but not Xbox One. there are also a lot of high-fidelity games that are on PS4 and Xbox One, but not a lot of games that are on Switch and Xbox One but not Ps4. Point is, PS4 - and by extension PS5, likely - wins because it has the most diverse and high quality lineup of games, overall. any given generation, PS ends up having more games to chose from, and that helped it and the brand to become a worldwide phenomenon. It happened with the PS1 decimating the N64 and becoming the first home console to breach 100 million units sold. the PS2 carried on this legacy and did even better, resulting in the highest selling console of all time. Ps3 did falter, nobody's pretending those were good times for the system, but they learned by the end and once again came back swinging with the PS4.
If they manage to maintain this momentum alongside the Nintendo Console of its time, I could see a long and prosperous period for PS5. I mean, nobody's really competing with the Switch, are they? The Switch is a handheld you can play on your TV, not a home console. Or is it? I dunno. all I know is that Nintendo and Sony or Nintendo and Microsoft can coexist, offering experiences different enough to not worry too much about overlap.
Just some tasty, tasty data for you all to munch on and use if you ever wanna argue about Xbox vs Playstation. the numbers are all right there, it's not my fault Xbox can't diversify or release enough games to bolster their console.
Oh, and of those 24 games on Xbox's list? 13 of them are either Halo, Gears of War, or Forza games. They also have TitanFall, a handful of indies, and a few other games like Dead Rising 3 and Rare Replay and Sunset Overdrive. Notably absent from this list were games like Dead Rising 4 (72), Rise: Son of Rome (60), Crackdown 3 (60), State of Decay 2 (66), and Sea of Thieves (69). I can only go by the data, not the subjective opinion that 'it's better now'. There are a few Switch games below the threshold like Daemon X Machina (69), Fire Emblem Warriors (74), and Marvel Ultimate alliance 3 (73). So it's not like I was just cutting Xbox games off without cause. I set a number and the threshold for Green on Metacritic seems as good as one could expect.
so yeah, enjoy! I write too much.
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