Killzone: Shadow Fall was the first PS4 exclusive to let some people down. It has long since been an industry truism: PlayStation first-party exclusives are very often a cut above.
One could argue that after an abysmal start, PlayStation 3 would never have caught Xbox 360 in terms of worldwide sales if it weren’t for the surge of top-tier exclusives, many of which managed to outstrip 360 exclusives in terms of critical acclaim and popularity. But thus far in a new generation, the immense quality of the Sony first-party exclusive appears to have slipped. That is, if we are to believe the critical reception.
Compare and contrast, if you will: Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots holds a Metascore of 94, Heavy Rain has an average score of 87, God of War III has a review average of 92, Killzone 2 holds an impressive 91 average, the first two LittleBigPlanet games come in at 95 and 91, and the three Uncharted titles have the following Metascores respectively: 88, 96, and 92. Undoubtedly, these games helped lead the charge last generation and establish PlayStation as, once again, the king of exclusive software.
The Uncharted series always hauled down huge review scores, but…
But something has happened since and it’s even happening within established franchises. For instance, LittleBigPlanet 3 on PS4 only managed a 79 average, God of War: Ascension landed an 80 (well below the franchise’s average), and after the critical darling that was Killzone 2, Killzone 3 came in at an 84. No bad games here, to be sure, but we’re seeing a decline. Killzone: Shadow Fall continued that decline, only setting a 73 Metascore. Last year’s inFamous: Second Son was supposed to be pretty special and while the 80 Metascore isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, many will agree it fell shy of lofty expectations.
Now, out comes The Order: 1886 and its disappointing 65 average seems to continue the downward slide for Sony’s first-party exclusives. Next month’s Bloodborne may prompt a recovery and everyone is expecting great things from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End but thus far, it seems as if Sony’s exclusives are simply falling short. However, let’s not forget that we’re only talking about review scores here. Perhaps there are other reasons the scores are falling; maybe it’s because critics are simply getting stricter with all games, or maybe it’s because expectations were just too high for a new generation.
However you view it, it’s a fact that scores have declined for the PlayStation first-party exclusive, and Sony might want to address the issue. You can check our other reviews about Sony games in VGRHQ.com.