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[SlimySnake]

Full Disclaimer: I am a recovering Destiny addict with over 1000 hours in Destiny 1 and Destiny 2. I loved the gameplay in other looter games like Anthem, Avengers, Metal Gear Survive, Gotham Knights, and I am sure SS will be a fun game to play.

I am talking exclusively about how a legendary single player studio like Rocksteady is trying to tell a story in a GaaS game and will undoubtedly fail to do so. ND has not said much about Factions so far but they've repeatedly stated that it will feature story and world building we've come to expect from ND games. But I've played enough of these games to know that you just cant have a good story campaign when the missions are designed around coop. It just doesn't work.

SS looks like someone vomited purple all over the screen, but the one cutscene they showed was actually rather intriguing, and yet no one is talking about because it's hard to turn on your brain for a story moment after mindlessly killing healthbars for half an hour. How are you supposed to get emotionally invested in the game world if you are too busy bitching about RNGesus? What's the point of all the world building via NPCs in hub areas if you only care about your light level?

Crystal Dynamics, Rocksteady, Bioware and to a lesser extent Bungie are all well known for their storytelling prowess and they failed just as miserably as Ubisoft did with Division. CD actually got the Uncharted Lost legacy creative director to helm Avengers. Didnt work. ND is perhaps a cut above these studios, but this genre simply does not allow for the careful placement of story beats and character development thats a hallmark of Naughty Dog games.

I would love to be proven wrong, but I think ND should've just done a simple 6v6 MP mode with the amazing motion matching combat mechanics in TLOU2 and called it a day. Hogwarts made $850 million in two weeks on next gen consoles. You dont need to chase whales for $1 skins and $5 battle passes. We are the whales who will give you $70 on day one.

 

[GymWolf]

Potato\brotato?

The games are not similar, one is an arcadey action rpg open world with coop, the other is a slow, realistic full fledged multyplayer title with pvpve.


From what i know the first factions was fairly loved so i have trust that ND is gonna do a fine job with the sequel.

 

[anthony2690]

What is with all these strange threads?

Suicide Squad and TLOU Factions are completely unrelated.

People love to make comparisons between completely unrelated titles.

 

[Dr_Ifto]

Dont even know what Factions is and you are saying its going to fail.

 

[Flabagast]

Factions is a waste of everybody's time. I hope it's released and forgotten as soon as possible so that ND can go back to what they do best

 

[Pejo]

I think it will come down to gameplay, as you mentioned. The Sony fanboys will carry it to at least have a decent start, but it's up to the gameplay hook to determine long term success.

 

[ManaByte]

What is with all these strange threads?

Suicide Squad and TLOU Factions are completely unrelated.

People love to make comparisons between completely unrelated titles.

They're both GaaS MP games though.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Yes.

if Neil nails it. pfff, Sony's Next CEO.

 

[ABnormal]

Not sure about that, but story driven games are not lacking in Sony's offer, so I appreciate that they try different things. Even if it will not be hugely succesful, it will allow to create expertise on other aspects, which is always good.
And anyway I espect it to be AT LEAST good.

 

[Cyborg]

How should we know when we haven't seen Factions? Waste of a thread, sorry OP.

 

[XXL]

 

[Kacho]

What is with all these strange threads?

Suicide Squad and TLOU Factions are completely unrelated.

People love to make comparisons between completely unrelated titles.

I think OP is talking about GaaS in general since these games are all going after the same market and designed to push MTX above all else. There seems to be a lot of pushback on GaaS titles recently in enthusiast spaces.

 

[dorkimoe]

What is with all these strange threads?

Suicide Squad and TLOU Factions are completely unrelated.

People love to make comparisons between completely unrelated titles.

People lose there mind when a game theyve been wanting turns to shit. Thats what they get for overhyping shit. See: Anthem, Cyberpunk. People dont learn. Lower expectations for these games

 

[Vick]

Naughty Dog Multiplayer components always lasted for stupid amount of years.. you can easily find a match in the still super active original Factions, released in 2013. Same for Uncharted 4.

They will be fine.

 

[01011001]

it's gonna have a niche audience, nothing more.

the whole setting and IP is too limited in its theming to be super popular with a broader audience.

multiplayer GaaS games need to stay relevant by constant updates and new cosmetics.
you can't really sell a lot of interesting cosmetics in a universe like TLOU without completely breaking the theming and atmosphere.

alternatively you could have non-cosmetic MTX, but those would alienate a lot of people as well because it would make the game pay 2 win.

Suicide Squad with its whacky style and coop only nature can sell way more stuff theoretically. from characters to flashy outfits and gun skins.

 

[SSfox]

As long as the game isn't shown nobody will know

 

[Nankatsu]

I don't see the point in comparing both games, they'll play out very different from each other.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

 

[dorkimoe]

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

my reaction would be hell yeah. Gimme a season pass while youre at it

 

[Talkin Hawkin]

Naughty Dog's could lay a fresh turd on your lawn and it would succeed more than Suicide Squad

 

[Fbh]

I liked the Arkham Games but I wouldn't consider Rocksteady to be particularly good in regards to storytelling. Arkham Knight in particular had a mediocre plot.
Anyway it's hard to say without having seen fractions. Do I do have way more faith in ND being able to pull it off than most other studios (though I'd still rather get a single player game)

People lose there mind when a game theyve been wanting turns to shit. Thats what they get for overhyping shit. See: Anthem, Cyberpunk. People dont learn. Lower expectations for these games

Was anyone actually really hyped for SS?
Anthem at least had that fake gameplay reveal that looked kinda cool but I was never given any reason to be hyped about SS. It has sounded like a loot GaaS from day 1

 

[DenchDeckard]

my reaction would be hell yeah. Gimme a season pass while youre at it

Same haha

 

[Markio128]

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

Mild shock.gif

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Another team deathmatch game would just fall into irrelevancy

Open world dynamic pvpve is where they're going to make the most impact.

 

[anthony2690]

I think OP is talking about GaaS in general since these games are all going after the same market and designed to push MTX above all else. There seems to be a lot of pushback on GaaS titles recently in enthusiast spaces.

I think he should've titled the thread completely different tbh.

Also non of us have seen tlou factions gameplay (I'm sure it will look fine)

I feel we've had a lot of GAAS threads recently, sadly most games don't do it well & some do it really well.

I think the issue is, Fortnite had created unrealistic expectations and other games can't match the pace that game gets new content.

Back in the day, we would pay £40 or whatever for a map pack dlc, and we would get it over the course of a year or so & it was pretty rubbish as it would exclude friends from games or they would have dead playlists and you'd never see the maps.

Also I'll never understand how £8+ outfits have taken off, especially as people flipped their shit over 80p characters skins in gears judgment.

Publishers should consider more sensible prices like £2.50 maximum and I would probably buy a couple items here and there in infinite (the only GAAS title I can think off that I play currently)

So far I've purchased the battle pass as it doesn't expire and it seems worth it to me for £6.

Sorry I've started rambling on

 

[sainraja]

I can't disagree with what SlimySnake is saying. He's bringing up some good points. I wish ND the best, but I am cautious. I did enjoy Factions on PS3 though so if it just an enhanced version of that, I think it will be good enough for me.

Another team deathmatch game would just fall into irrelevancy

Open world dynamic pvpve is where they're going to make the most impact.

This is also very true. That is what is pretty much expected and when a dev nails it, people forget and think it is what they wanted all along.

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

You don't need to wait. Uncharted 4 had them. It's already been done by ND. Most games have 'em now and they have already followed.

 

[EN250]

They're both GaaS MP games though.

Yeah, but SS is 4 players coop game against AI, Factions 2 should be TLoU MP to PvPvE extended beyond its basic premise, TPS + melee combat, scavenging, food/resourse management, amount of survivors im your group and the risk of losing a % if not all of them when advancing time with new threats showing up and all the stuff that was there, but expanding and fleshing out more so it actually makes sense to do a whole game about it, instead of just repackage the base MP with a few maps with the SP and be done with it

 

[Vick]

Not sure about that, but story driven games are not lacking in Sony's offer, so I appreciate that they try different things.

Meh.. Sony should focus on what it does best, what brings millions of dollars and keep fans happy.
They shouldn't try to please completely different kind of fanbases. Two or three exceptions is fine, but that's it.

I liked the Arkham Games but I wouldn't consider Rocksteady to be particularly good in regards to storytelling. Arkham Knight in particular had a mediocre plot.

Disagree. And Knight plot/narrative was WAY above average anyway.

Rocksteady was a God Tier studio. In some regards my absolute favorite.
What happened to them is a disgrace.

 

[anthony2690]

People lose there mind when a game theyve been wanting turns to shit. Thats what they get for overhyping shit. See: Anthem, Cyberpunk. People dont learn. Lower expectations for these games

I feel this definitely applies to pretty much every game, I feel like people hype games up to unreachable heights sometimes or have completely unrealistic expectations.

 

[Kacho]

I think he should've titled the thread completely different tbh.

Also non of us have seen tlou factions gameplay (I'm sure it will look fine)

I feel we've had a lot of GAAS threads recently, sadly most games don't do it well & some do it really well.

I think the issue is, Fortnite had created unrealistic expectations and other games can't match the pace that game gets new content.

Back in the day, we would pay £40 or whatever for a map pack dlc, and we would get it over the course of a year or so & it was pretty rubbish as it would exclude friends from games or they would have dead playlists and you'd never see the maps.

Also I'll never understand how £8+ outfits have taken off, especially as people flipped their shit over 80p characters skins in gears judgment.

Publishers should consider more sensible prices like £2.50 maximum and I would probably buy a couple items here and there in infinite (the only GAAS title I can think off that I play currently)

So far I've purchased the battle pass as it doesn't expire and it seems worth it to me for £6.

Sorry I've started rambling on

Another issue is single player focused studios chasing the GaaS trend. Enthusiasts are much more likely to reject GaaS titles from them (as we’re seeing with Rocksteady) because it comes at the cost of titles we actually want from them.

Will these games find an audience in such a crowded market? Maybe.

Will enthusiasts drum up a lot of negative buzz that affects the public perception of these games? Definitely.

 

[StueyDuck]

Will James Gunn DCU succeed where the Ouya failed?!?

 

[Captain Toad]

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

Does anyone expect it NOT to? Odd comment.

 

[MiguelItUp]

They're both GaaS MP games though.

True, but that's the only thing they have in common. I don't think I/we will really know until we see what Factions looks like, and plays like.

For me personally, Suicide Squad looks incredibly uninspired. Just a lasagna of stuff we've already seen and played, but with a new paint job. I'd like to think that Factions will be what everyone wants and more. But I guess we'll wait and see.

 

[nowhat]

They're both GaaS MP games though.

Right, so where's the Factions vs. Hay Day thread?

 

[Represent.]

Yes, its Naughty Dog - They never fail.

They will set the standard, and show that GaaS games don't always have to be mindless trash of low quality.

I fully expect this to be the GOTY.

Plus, the gameplay style will lend itself to a more story driven approach. The slow, stealthy approach lends itself well to co-op. And the ability to go in guns blazing will ensure the kid crowd doesn't get bored either. Its the perfect fusion.

 

[SlimySnake]

Can't wait to see people's reactions when factions has skins and loot etc lol

The games are not similar, one is an arcadey action rpg open world with coop, the other is a slow, realistic full fledged multyplayer title with pvpve.

Realistic? The datamining showed a jetpack my dude.

 

[ABnormal]

Meh.. Sony should focus on what it does best, what brings millions of dollars and keep fans happy.
They shouldn't try to please completely different kind of fanbases. Two or three exceptions is fine, but that's it.


Disagree. And Knight plot/narrative was WAY above average anyway.

Rocksteady was a God Tier studio. In some regards my absolute favorite.
What happened to them is a disgrace.

Two or three exceptions are what they are doing. They acquired some new studios to do some kind of GAS, but the usual studios are pretty much still dedicated to big single player projects. Those kind of titles are not going anywhere, luckily.
And yes, I was really looking for the next title from RS, but when they announched SS, I lost any hope in them.

 

[SlimySnake]

Another team deathmatch game would just fall into irrelevancy

Open world dynamic pvpve is where they're going to make the most impact.

Cant do it. Everyone thinks they can go into a different genre and innovate but everyone other than Bungie has failed and even bungie literally gave up on the franchise after just two games and have resorted to churning out DLC for the last six years.

Even open worlds are struggling with creating dynamic events. PvE that is meant to be played for hundreds of hours is simply not sustainable unless you have an AI system govern everything in the world and we are decades away from that. And thats just the gameplay, im mostly talking about their promises to tell a good story in this world. Even AI cant do that. Sorry ChatGPT.

 

[cormack12]

What is with all these strange threads?

Suicide Squad and TLOU Factions are completely unrelated.

People love to make comparisons between completely unrelated titles.

That's what you say but how does that affect wet style mousse?

For me, if Sony see this as a large scale, massive GaaS then the questions have to focus on two things:

1. Converting online players to factions players. Factions was loved but like uncharted the online bases are not massive, certainly not in the ballpark to sustain a GaaS over multiple years. I don't think the crossover from single player TLOU fans to multiplayer TLOU fans has a huge overlap
2. How to avoid the drop off from F2P mutliplayer (if it is F2P)

I don't think the story is that important tbh. Destiny 2 had interesting stories released as DLC and updates - though convoluted. Division 2 did it well as well, and FFXIV but ultimately too much emphasis is being placed on the story element. As soon as you get into the grind and level loop, the story is not important at all. You could maybe try faction aligned community events but they tend to just be facades for instance content.

An interesting game loop would be expanding the SoD community concept on a wider scale.

For me the launch will be a massive success whatever, but it's the longevity (at suitable scale) that makes me feel a little more reserved. PvEvP can help mask direct low PvP numbers though, so maybe a smaller player base is fine provided that playerbase is lucrative.

It's going to be interesting to see unfold. Has potential to either radically change ND as a studio or be a failed experiment that cements them back to what they excel at

 

[GymWolf]

Realistic? The datamining showed a jetpack my dude.

Yes, unless they fuck up tlou gameplay completely, the gameplay is gonna be way different, and you know it, cmon...

 

[Daneel Elijah]

If Factions is a PS5 only game they will have at least a better base than all those Gaas titles that have to consider the old consoles. Sony got Bungie to help so we can hope to find a polished game with at least a decent amount of content. I think that after Factions in 2013 and the multiplayer in Uncharted they know what they are doing. Not sure that i will play it but some will. And the IP is getting stronger each day with the HBO series. 50/50? As long as there still is a team doing a single player experience I don't mind them trying a Gaas title.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Maybe. It’ll get the first party bump at the very least.

 

[angrod14]

I still can't believe Sony put their major studio to make a fucking GAAS title since their last release. What a waste.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I still can't believe Sony put their major studio to make a fucking GAAS title since their last release. What a waste.

I thought I remember Jimbo saying they gave several teams working on several GaaS games.

 

[cormack12]

I thought I remember Jimbo saying they gave several teams working on several GaaS games.

Yup. The red team, the yellow team and the blue team.

 

[Punished Miku]

I'd like to see the game first.

 

[T4keD0wN]

Suicide Squad is not even out.
"Factions" is not even properly announced. All they said is that they are working on "standalone multiplayer game".

Either of these games can range from being the best game in history to the worst game in history.
They are 2 unknowns to anyone with no history of working at Rocksteady and Naughty Dog + their parent companies at this stage.

 

[ManaByte]

I still can't believe Sony put their major studio to make a fucking GAAS title since their last release. What a waste.

How dare Sony make a game that's actually worth $70 that people will play for years and years instead of putting it on their shelf after 30 or so hours.

 

[Kacho]

I thought I remember Jimbo saying they gave several teams working on several GaaS games.

Yep. Should be an interesting few years for PlayStation going forward.

 

[Jamesb0ndjr]

Factions is a waste of everybody's time. I hope it's released and forgotten as soon as possible so that ND can go back to what they do best

Dude, with opinions like yours we would be playing Uncharted 9 and Last of Us wouldn’t exist. Actually, we’d be playing Crash Bandicoot 34. There are thousands of games for you to enjoy if Factions isn’t for you. Go play them.