Why does Sony fail at making another mega franchise?

[Michael-5]

VXIII said:

I agree with RolStoppable. In the past Sony has really made some genre defining, or redefining games, but this generation not so much.

VXIII I agree with you on God of War, that game redefined the genre, but not mainly with it's gameplay, with it terific plot, gory battles (I mean ripping a head off!?!), and topless sex depicting cut scenes. Then again, this is one of PS3's best selling games, already selling 3 million units. Thats more then any Action game I know.

Metal Gear Solid is also genre defining, but thats the best selling PS3 exclusive, and has been among the best selling exclusives on a Sony console since the franchise started.

Twisted Metal also used to be big on the PS1 era, I'm a big fan of the franchise, but Sony butchered the series when they released "Small Brawl", and as a PS2 game, Twisted Metal Black didn't offer much (outside of the amazing cinematics). The PS3 version looks very cheap as well, why does an entire building fall when you shoot the corner? The physics and gameplay engine are simply too dated, and Sony hasn't really put enough $$$ into Twisted Metal since the PS1 titles.

As for ICO, Shadow of the Colosus, and Heavy Rain those are fairly niche games. Why didn't Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Alan Wake or better yet Baten Kaitos sell well? Amazing games, just poorly marketed, and they appeal to a smaller audience.

MAG was a concept, it was a game designed to show people that you can have smooth 256 player multiplayer on the PS3. What does that prove? More oponents doesn't mean better multiplayer, Gears of War 1 got away with 4 vs 4, and Halo 3 was limited to 32 players (I haven't played in a while, is this right?)? MAG didn't redefine anything.

Modern Warfare really defined realistic shooters, and by realistic I mean your not fighting Aliens, or a planet that doesn't exist. By real I mean your fighting using guns which simulate real guns, in environments which simulate real places, and battles which simulate potential wars (it's a game some fiction must be used). Modern Warfare 2 took off because many gamers missed Modern Warfare 1, or simply wanted more.

Basically, you can't blaime just marketing, there are other factors involved. Killzone is an awesome game, and it pushed the bar graphically on what the PS3 can do, but it doesn't look that much better then Gears of War 2, and the Plot is not that different from older FPS games, it's not that different from Halo. Gears of War was the first amazing third person shooter. Yes there was Kill Switch beforehand, but that was a glitchy game with a mediocre story. Halo was epic in 2001, and in 2004 it defined online console gaming.

As for LittleBigPlanet, yes it came out before New Super Mario Bros Wii, but Super Mario Bros is a 20 year old franchise, that defined platforming, and a new game after what about 20 years? THATS EPIC! I know people who don't play games who wanted a Wii for this thing because of nostalgia.

Sony makes some great games on the PS3, there is no doubt about that. However, I already forgot the Plot to Resistance 1, yet I still remember what happened in Halo 1, and going back further I still remember all the environments and level layouts to Donkey Kong Country. I cannot say that about Sonic, which was also a great game.

You think that both GoW and MGS are genre defining but as you can see they're not mega franchises like Halo or Gears , it's more like you disagree with him XD .

we can't just blame lack of innovation in Sony games ( which is not true, and you seem to agree with me about some games) as he suggests either .

I think Sony is happy with it , they seem that they don't want to focus on single franchise to make it mainstream therefore they don't launch huge marketing campaigns, building a mega library is all that matters,  but I don't know for sure just like everybody else in this thread.

On the PS3, Metal Gear Solid, and God of War are borderline mega-franchises. On the PS2 and PS1 MGS sold over 5.5 million copies, thats a lot, just a touch below Gears of War, which is definatly a mega franchise. After actually looking up God of War sales, I'll take back them being a mega franchise, 3.73 for God of War 1 is not enough to be mega in my opinion.

It definatly is not the lack of innovation, but a lot of the bigger PS3 eclusives don't really seem to offer much. I mean what does Killzone do that Halo or Call of Duty don't do better? What make the Chimera more interesting over the Covanent or Locust? Killzone, and Resistance are interesting games, but offer no real solid reason to switch from a bigger franchise.

Uncharted 2 is exempt from this, but it's sales are moderatly strong, especially considering since Uncharted 1 wasn't that special (BTW, I own and beat it).

I'll tell you, one of the big reasons I still play Halo 3 is to see a Grunts head explode with colouful paper, and hear Horray!

However, I'll agree with you about sony not focusing on any key franchises, thats why none of their big games (except Gran Turismo) ever see huge marketing.