Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4: Post
Oh boy, this isn't going to go over well
Today is the final planned day of our Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4 features, though considering how much fun they've been and what a great response they've gotten in the community... maybe we'll do some more. Today we're going over each console's post-launch exclusives, though there will certainly be some complicated issues to discuss along the way. It wouldn't be the console war if it were simple.
The largest issues being what do we call an exclusive? Do we say PS4 and Xbone exclusive only? How about Xbone/PC and PS4/PC, or PS4/PS3/PS Vita again Xbone/360? It's not easy to decide, because we if we focus in on these specific consoles it becomes a very different discussion than if we accept the broader range of exclusives. Well, why don't we do out best to cover both areas today then?
Unlike yesterday we won't be dealing with cross-platform titles or separating games into digital and retail releases -- there are simply too many games. In fact, hopefully today's comparisons won't even require too much analysis. I'll be the first to admit these pieces have been getting a bit overly wordy. No, everything should be quite readily apparent. That said, I'll probably rant like teenage blogger as soon as we get into the heart of the story. I can't wait, so let's go, go, go!
Day 5: Post-Launch Exclusive Games
Part 1: Post-Launch Xbox One and PlayStation 4 ExclusivesLet's start with what's certainly to be the most heated debate, which is the respective exclusives coming only to each next-gen console. We're talking about the Halos of Xbox One, the... erm, The Order: 1886s of PlayStation 4. See, I hadn't even gotten a paragraph in and I had to make a wildly unfair comparison. How does any exclusive PlayStation 4 games compare to the scope and sales power of Halo?
Ah, but we haven't even started yet! Before we even begin to list games we have to lay some groundwork. First, we're only covering announced platform exclusives, which means Halo 5 technically works, but The Last Guardian doesn't. It needs to have been specifically associated with the platform, much like Halo 5's announcement trailer was last year. It also can't have been associated with another platform, despite the likelihood it will also come to another platform. Like Xbox One's Beyond, which will inevitably come to PC in addition to Microsoft's console.
With that said, here's (what I believe to be) the list of exclusives coming to each platform post-launch:
Xbox One Post-Launch Exclusives
Below - Capybara Games D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - Access Games Fable Legends - Lionhead Studios Halo 5 - 343 Industries Kinect Sports Rivals - Rare Quantum Break - Remedy Entertainment Sunset Overdrive - Insomniac Games Xbox Fitness - Microsoft Studios
PlayStation 4 Post-Launch Exclusives
Oof, now comes the complicated bit of sorting everything out and deciding who is really in the lead here. What should be immediately apparent is that most of the PlayStation 4's post-launch exclusives are Japan-first release. Yes, the console is region-free, but that doesn't mean they're anywhere near ready for western consumption, let alone appeal to western demographics (looking at you, Mobile Suit Gundam).
All said and done, Sony has DriveClub, The Order: 1886 and Lily Bergamo headlining the upcoming PS4 exclusives, with a handful of solid indie games to support them. Meanwhile, Microsoft has a half-dozen triple-A titles coming down the pipeline, along with a couple of very solid support titles. Sony says they've got some more first-party exclusives that should be announced any day now, but as of right now Microsoft has a very succinct, yet solid line-up. Also, Halo freaking 5. Until Naughty Dog cooks up Uncharted 4, there's really nothing that compares.
Part 2: Post-Launch Sony and Microsoft Exclusives
Next on the list are exclusives that aren't exclusive to just the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but will also make their way to the Sony and Microsoft's other platforms. That is to say, cross-gen exclusives. Considering current-gen systems will be quick to be phased out (in the grand scheme of things), this list will be understandably short. Again, this list doesn't include titles that will also come to PC.
Post-Launch Sony Exclusives Coming to PlayStation 4
Post-Launch Microsoft Exclusives Coming to Xbox One
Here's where we start to see the slant. It gets worse from here. Sony's influence with third-party developers is beginning to become apparent, even though many of the games listed here are quite small. Again, Microsoft scores a big title in Fantasia from Harmonix and Disney, but this time it's no comparison to Sony's dozens of indie titles. If Yakuza Ishin was confirmed for localization it would definitely be the biggest release here, but either way Sony still looking strong.
Part 3: Post-Launch Microsoft and Sony Console Exclusives
Here's the point where our little comparison starts to become shooting fish in a barrel. This is the category for post-launch releases that will be coming to both PC and console, but have signed their console exclusivity away to either Microsoft or Sony.
Before we dive in, let's go over why this category is so significant with respect to next-gen consoles and not current-gen consoles. Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have decided to use hardware that's similar in structure to modern PCs. That means porting games from PC to console or vice versa is easier than ever. That means whatever console courts PC developers faster will open a huge resource of games.
It's already possible that this courtship I'm talking about has already taken place.
Post-Launch Sony Exclusives Coming to PlayStation 4
Assault Android Cactus - Witch Beam The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - Nicalis Cosmic Star Heroine - Zeboyd Games Daylight - Zombie Studios Don't Starve - Klei Entertainment Dragon's Prophet - Sony Online Entertainment (free-to-play) DUST 514 - CCP (free-to-play) Dynasty Warriors 8 w/ Xtreme Legends Bundle - Tecmo Koei Everquest Next - Sony Online Entertainment (free-to-play) Fez - Polytron Corporation Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Square Enix Final Horizon - Eiconic Games : The Dimensional 17-BIT Guns of Icarus Online - Muse Games H-Hour: World's Elite - SOF Studios Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Dennaton Games Hyper Light Drifter - Heart Machine Mercenary Kings - Tribute Games Nuclear Throne - Vlambeer Outlast - Red Barrels Studio PlanetSide 2 - Sony Online Entertainment Primal Carnage: Genesis - Lukewarm Media Project: Heart and Soul - Reach Game Studios Project Phoenix - Creative Intelligence Arts Putty Squad - System 3 Ray's the Dead - Ragtag Studios Road Not Taken - Spry Fox Rogue Legacy - Cellar Door Games Samurai Gunn - Maxistentialism Secret Ponchos - Switchblade Monkeys SOMA - Frictional Games Tiny Brains - Spearhead Games Transistor - Supergiant Games Volume - Mike Bithell Games War Thunder - Gaijin Entertainment (free-to-play) Wasteland Kings - Vlambeer The Witness - Jonathan Blow
Post-Launch Microsoft Exclusives Coming to Xbox One
Damn, yo. Just... damn. Let's try to be fair here. All of Microsoft's post-launch console exclusives here are brand new games, either timed exclusives on Xbox One or debuting along with other platform releases. A large portion of Sony's games here are rereleases or updates of already existing games. Not a majority, but a lot of them.
Okay, we've been fair enough. Sony just blew the roof off this house. I can't count the number of releases I want to play from that list on my fingers and toes. That means there's a lot of good games there, a lot of outstanding games that will be debuting on the PlayStation 4. A lot of outstanding games that have zero plans to come to the Xbox One. Damn, yo.
Conclusion: PlayStation 4 Wins
There is absolutely not a single thing to be disappointed about with regards to Microsoft's post-launch release plans in terms of exclusive titles. There are a ton of huge games coming out in the next few months, the next year that will keep any Xbox One owners pleased as pie. That said, for evey big release Microsoft has over Sony, Sony has one, two, five, ten smaller exclusive titles to match.
It's ridiculously impressive how well Sony has been able to court independent developers and PC game makers to co-develop for the PlayStation 4. Allowing self-publishing is one thing, but Sony must have promised marketing, sales space, and who know what else to ensure all of these games were coming to PS4 and (for the time being) not Xbox One. It's enough to make Valve with their Steam Box say, 'Maybe we're too late.'
Of course, with many of these PlayStation 4 console exclusives, if you already own a gaming PC or even mobile phone in some cases the console loses a bit of its value. For the time being, if all a gamer wants from a next-gen console is one big triple-A release every other month, Microsoft's Xbox One may be the platform for them. If gamers want a huge variation in games constantly being released, well, I think the answer to that is apparent.
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