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2 years into next gen and Forza Horizon 5 and God of War: Ragnarok are the highest rated console exclusives on Metacritic.

Which did you enjoy more

  • Forza Horizon 5

    Votes: 71 47.3%
  • God of War Ragnarok

    Votes: 79 52.7%

  • Total voters
    150
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I'm a bit disappointed in the mixed quality of console exclusives between the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles this gen. Forza Horizon 5 and God of War: Ragnarok are the only two new original game entries that have a 90 or above on MC which makes me believe that quality is taking a back seat to monetization and remakes even more than last gen.

In the 360 and PS3 first two years, the console exclusives (at the time) included Gears, Bioshock, Oblivion, Halo 3, Mass Effect 1, GRAW, Forza 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, LBP1, multiple MLB the show games, etc, all scoring 90 or above.

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with games that scored lower than 90, though even the 80's range of games looks to be falling farther away from even last gen for XBS/PS5 consoles first two years, but it's jarring to notice that both Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 have been having an issue with quality high rated console exclusives this gen.

I know people are saying wait for 2023, but given how many people have complained about nickel and diming in so many recent releases, or poor forced GAAS implementations, do we really expect that to change even with developers getting more used to the new consoles? it seems like to me we should continue to expect quality to, outside the occasional exceptions, take a back seat to monetizing the gamer unfortunately.

I would like to be wrong, but given the practices that are common now, inflation, and the lack of risk and ambition by big studios and publishers in the AAA and AA space, it has me concerned.

With that said, both these two games, FH5 and GOW:R, are fine games compared to what we have seen released so far and deserve their scores on that merit. But compared to the past I feel like this gen is starting out on the wrong foot. I'm hoping things change but I am not sure they will change by much,
 
ratchet and clank rift apart felt like the first proper next gen game to me
Rift apart was my first PS5 disappointment. Followed up by Forbidden West, also a disappointment.
God of War better be the bees knees.
The best PS5 game this gen has been the pack in game Astrobot.

I'm not a racing fan so Horizon 5 just wasn't something I want to spend much time with, followed up by Halo Infinite which is an Infinite well of disappointment.
The best Microsoft game this gen has been Psychonauts 2, and it was available on the PS5 not even exclusive to xbox.

2023 will be the make or break year for this generation. It looks packed the gills with tons of games.
Here's hoping they don't all suck.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Unless flipping the switch from 2022 to 2023 magically changes new games to be next gen only, expect lots of cross gen games again. You probably wont get majority next gen games until 2024 or 2025.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I didn't play Forza Horizon 5 but I absolutely loved Forza Horizon 3 and got bored of Forza Horizon 4

Is Forza Horizon 5 better than Forza Horizon 3?
 

bender

What time is it?
I didn't play Forza Horizon 5 but I absolutely loved Forza Horizon 3 and got bored of Forza Horizon 4

Is Forza Horizon 5 better than Forza Horizon 3?

FH > FH3 > FH5 >>> FH2 = FH4

The formula is getting long in the tooth but FH5's map is pretty great which elevates it well beyond 2 & 4.
 
Unless flipping the switch from 2022 to 2023 magically changes new games to be next gen only, expect lots of cross gen games again. You probably wont get majority next gen games until 2024 or 2025.

All comes down to cycles. Was the game developed from the ground up on last gen or current gen.

Games usually take anywhere from 3-5 years to develop, covid has been delaying games 1-2 years... Meaning we're realistically looking at 4-6 years of development time.

Next-gen games should have started development in most cases 2018/2019 and in some cases 2020/2021.

The earliest PS5 exclusive games like Rift Apart and Demon's Soul's weren't built from the ground up. Ratchet and Clank always reuse assets and designs and are generally very basic games. Demon's Souls and TLOUP1 are spot-for-spot remakes, thus they were able to come out more quickly.

Horizon, GT7, God of War R, and Spider-Man Miles Morales are all PS4 games running on PS5 just like Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Death Stranding Directors Cut or Uncharted Lost Legacy.


Spider-Man 2 will probably be Sony's first genuine PS5 game. That's 5 years of development time if they started right after the first game ended. We'll have to see how much of a distraction Ratchet and Clank and Miles Morales were. We'll have to see how much their attention has been divided with Wolverine as well. Will we still get cross gen games? Sure, but Q3 and Q4 2023 I think you'll see at least Sony focusing on PS5, but even Starfield is Xbox Series exclusive.
 

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
35EcvNN.gif
 
It’s weird. The other poll said Phil Spencer is doing a better job than Jim Ryan, and more people in this poll enjoyed FH5 more than GoW:R. Kind of weird if you think about it.
 

tommib

Member
I'm a bit disappointed in the mixed quality of console exclusives between the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles this gen. Forza Horizon 5 and God of War: Ragnarok are the only two new original game entries that have a 90 or above on MC which makes me believe that quality is taking a back seat to monetization and remakes even more than last gen.

In the 360 and PS3 first two years, the console exclusives (at the time) included Gears, Bioshock, Oblivion, Halo 3, Mass Effect 1, GRAW, Forza 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, LBP1, multiple MLB the show games, etc, all scoring 90 or above.

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with games that scored lower than 90, though even the 80's range of games looks to be falling farther away from even last gen for XBS/PS5 consoles first two years, but it's jarring to notice that both Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 have been having an issue with quality high rated console exclusives this gen.

I know people are saying wait for 2023, but given how many people have complained about nickel and diming in so many recent releases, or poor forced GAAS implementations, do we really expect that to change even with developers getting more used to the new consoles? it seems like to me we should continue to expect quality to, outside the occasional exceptions, take a back seat to monetizing the gamer unfortunately.

I would like to be wrong, but given the practices that are common now, inflation, and the lack of risk and ambition by big studios and publishers in the AAA and AA space, it has me concerned.

With that said, both these two games, FH5 and GOW:R, are fine games compared to what we have seen released so far and deserve their scores on that merit. But compared to the past I feel like this gen is starting out on the wrong foot. I'm hoping things change but I am not sure they will change by much,
Why aren’t you counting Demon’s Souls?
 

Jennings

Member
Why are there no Switch exclusuves listed? Depending on the top Switch game that could be my choice. For example, I enjoyed Bayonetta 3 more than FH5.
 
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Fredrik

Member
I didn't play Forza Horizon 5 but I absolutely loved Forza Horizon 3 and got bored of Forza Horizon 4

Is Forza Horizon 5 better than Forza Horizon 3?
Do you play on console or PC?
FH3 is only 30fps on console, that alone makes it drop far down from a console perspective.
If you play on PC things are different, personally I really enjoyed FH3 a ton. FH5 has a more fleshed out Hot Wheels expansion though and a much more varied main map, getting the difficult boards are more fun too. I’d place FH5 slightly ahead, but they’re very close.

PC:
FH5 > FH3 > FH4

Console:
FH5 > FH4 > I don’t even race in 30fps
 
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I didn't play Forza Horizon 5 but I absolutely loved Forza Horizon 3 and got bored of Forza Horizon 4

Is Forza Horizon 5 better than Forza Horizon 3?
It's more FH. It really comes down to the map and environments for me. I did enjoy FH5 more than FH4 though. 5 is stupid good looking, especially if you can play it on PC at higher fre rates.
 

GHG

Gold Member
I didn't play Forza Horizon 5 but I absolutely loved Forza Horizon 3 and got bored of Forza Horizon 4

Is Forza Horizon 5 better than Forza Horizon 3?

No. The series peaked with 3 IMO. 5 is better than 4 but only because the map is better, but if you hated the structure of 4 then 5 is more of the same. Everything is great apart from the actual racing, progression and rewards.




Itsthesamepicture.jpg

If only.
 

Chukhopops

Member
Voted FH5 since I don’t intend to play Ragnarok any time soon, didn’t like 2018 that much.
It’s weird. The other poll said Phil Spencer is doing a better job than Jim Ryan, and more people in this poll enjoyed FH5 more than GoW:R. Kind of weird if you think about it.
That’s actually logical, Ragnarok sold around 5-6M so far while FH5 has 21M players in its leaderboards. Way more people have played FH to begin with.

Edit: actually that’s 25M now, woah it just blew up in the past weeks.
 
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lukilladog

Member
Meh, have they fixed the slow AI in custom tracks yet?... game is useless. As for god of War, not my cup of tea.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
Do you play on console or PC?
FH3 is only 30fps on console, that alone makes it drop far down from a console perspective.
If you play on PC things are different, personally I really enjoyed FH3 a ton. FH5 has a more fleshed out Hot Wheels expansion though and a much more varied main map, getting the difficult boards are more fun too. I’d place FH5 slightly ahead, but they’re very close.

PC:
FH5 > FH3 > FH4

Console:
FH5 > FH4 > I don’t even race in 30fps
I play on consoles but Forza Horizon 3 was more than fine for me at 30FPS
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
It’s weird. The other poll said Phil Spencer is doing a better job than Jim Ryan, and more people in this poll enjoyed FH5 more than GoW:R. Kind of weird if you think about it.
Well this is only judging two games and many people here probably haven't played Ragnarok yet
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Both good games. Not voting either way. Totally fifteenth and both great. Forza horizon 5 wows me more but I love action games so I'm currently playing god of war but Ince I'm done with it I'll be done with it. I often fire up FH5 for a blast so I love that side of it.
 

xrnzaaas

Gold Member
I don't mean to sound like a guy who's swimming against the current at all costs, but in my opinion they both don't deserve top scores. They are safe sequels, especially Forza with copy-pasted mechanics and overall progression. I generally like sequels, but I expect them to make bigger leaps forward.
 

Fredrik

Member
I play on consoles but Forza Horizon 3 was more than fine for me at 30FPS
I thought it was a stutterfest tbh, it just doesn’t work for high speeds, I only played on console in rare occasions when the kids wanted to see it. FH4 on the other hand was great on console, but the game itself wasn’t as good, and FH5 is magical on console.
 

Thebonehead

Banned
Forza Horizon 3 on PC is one of the best gaming experiences you can have.
Well it doesn't have a VR patch so I'd have to disagree.

Also not a fan of all the bloat when you start a race. Lots of menus / Swooshes etc .

Just let me bypass all of that and get straight into it
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Well it doesn't have a VR patch so I'd have to disagree.

Also not a fan of all the bloat when you start a race. Lots of menus / Swooshes etc .

Just let me bypass all of that and get straight into it

VR is a requirement? Damn, I missed the memo.

What menus? You approach race starting area press a button, wait few seconds for it to load and press race. That’s it. All other stuff is optional.

Okay, enough talking… I’m reinstalling it right now. It’s been few months.
 

Thebonehead

Banned
VR is a requirement? Damn, I missed the memo.

What menus? You approach race starting area press a button, wait few seconds for it to load and press race. That’s it. All other stuff is optional.

Okay, enough talking… I’m reinstalling it right now. It’s been few months.
VR is not a requirement, but more icing on the cake.

The Menus are for FH5, which I got confused and thought you were talking about.

FH3 is peak pick up and get straight in to the action. The later iterations introduced too much bloat.
 

01011001

Banned
I like FH5 way more, but neither game deserves to be as highly rated as they are.

both of these should be in the mid 70s at best.

both have really bad gamedesign flaws throughout the whole experience.
 
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small_law

Member
I don't mean to sound like a guy who's swimming against the current at all costs, but in my opinion they both don't deserve top scores. They are safe sequels, especially Forza with copy-pasted mechanics and overall progression. I generally like sequels, but I expect them to make bigger leaps forward.
I'm generally okay with one sequel's worth of recycling a game's content so long as that content was worth playing and the studio fixes issues the preceding game had. Forza Horizon 5 is exactly that type of game. It's more Forza Horizon 4 without that game's rough edges. Playground games grinded away at FH4 during its tenure and most of those improvements made it into FH5. The snowy winter season is gone, the weekly challenges are less arduous, etc. FH5 is the best version of FH4.

I'm maybe 60% of the way through Ragnarok and it's very much the same kind of thing FH5 is. It's fundamentally GoW 2018 with some tweaks like better side quests, clearer visual indicators during combat, etc. That's not a bad thing. I'm not tired of what GoW 2018 is and there's no need to blow up the fundamental experience just for the sake of a new game being a sequel.
 
I'm maybe 60% of the way through Ragnarok and it's very much the same kind of thing FH5 is. It's fundamentally GoW 2018 with some tweaks like better side quests, clearer visual indicators during combat, etc. That's not a bad thing. I'm not tired of what GoW 2018 is and there's no need to blow up the fundamental experience just for the sake of a new game being a sequel.
Also, if the sequel is too different it will no longer really be a sequel... I'm not too sure what people expect.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
I'm a bit disappointed in the mixed quality of console exclusives between the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles this gen. Forza Horizon 5 and God of War: Ragnarok are the only two new original game entries that have a 90 or above on MC which makes me believe that quality is taking a back seat to monetization and remakes even more than last gen.

In the 360 and PS3 first two years, the console exclusives (at the time) included Gears, Bioshock, Oblivion, Halo 3, Mass Effect 1, GRAW, Forza 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, LBP1, multiple MLB the show games, etc, all scoring 90 or above.

Look at that list of Xbox 360/PS3 games! What an exciting time that was, right? We saw a very noticeable jump in visuals, and along with that some original games with presentation that went beyond anything we’d previously seen.

Fast forward to 2022, and we haven’t really progressed beyond that old list. It’s still the same old franchises being pushed, and visually there’s no massive leap.

if anything I think that’s why there’s fewer high scoring games. AAA is the same old shit we’ve seen and done for two generations now.
 
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Eddie you don't seem to understand that expectations and review standards have changed over the past 10+ years...just like how the common accepted "mainstream price point" of a relatively new console for mainstream & casual gamers/customers has changed 😉.

A lot of the PS3/360 games of that gen would receive lower scores if they were released today as-is (outside of obvious graphical improvements), assuming the innovations they had were already commonplace. Meanwhile we know that review scores today don't tell much whatsoever; Halo Infinite got an 87 but died among its fanbase three months post-launch, and has turned into an industry embarrassment.

Your argument here lives and dies way too much off of MetaCritic. If that's your sole measure to determine other games released so far are "lacking quality" because they didn't score a 90, then it's a really bad one.
 
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