Following the PS5’s specs reveal last week, it seems Sony is slowly unraveling the essentials when it comes to the next-gen console. Of course, we know that regardless of how powerful a console is, it’s nothing without the right games. Given we’re a multiplayer-centric publication, we’re here to list down some of the PlayStation multiplayer franchises we want revived on PS5!
Warhawk (2007)
Last major series release: Warhawk (2007)/Starhawk (2012)
A spiritual successor to the original 1995 Warhawk, Warhawk for the PlayStation 3 released in 2007 and opened with generally good critics and player reviews. At the time, Warhawk was seen as the must-have multiplayer game with its impressive 32-player count, spanning on large battlefields that allowed players to fight on the ground, or in the air. At the time, it was nothing like PlayStation owners had ever experienced yet. Flying around was exhilarating as you took to dog battles with other Warhawks, and the ground combat was jam-packed with action as fleets of troops equipped with vehicles took to the massive map. There were a decent amount of game options, from clan system to server browsers, the game was truly ahead of what many other multiplayer games on console were lacking at the time. Surprisingly it was one of the most balanced titles I have ever played, even for today. Everything about Warhawk was fun, and it was easily a must-own title for PlayStation owners at the time.
It did eventually see a spin-off sequel known as Starhawk, and while it was solid, it never truly did capture that magic Warhawk created. Warhawk deserves another go, be that either a remaster/remake, or a true sequel that expands on its offering.
Resistance: Fall of Man (2006)
Last major series release: Resistance 3 (2009)
Probably the first title many PlayStation 3 owners played considering it was the console’s first exclusive and available at the launch of the console. There is a lot that the Resistance series as a whole did right. On PS3 (at the time), it introduced a friendslist, clan system, party system, in-game chat and a number of features that would eventually make their way into the PS3 itself. The game had an impressive player count with 20 vs 20 battles, something not seen on the console gaming space at the time. And the weapons were just incredibly awesome in that series, which Insomniac Games were pretty known for in other franchises. And the maps. It’s strange that a title from 2006 offered a lot more than most standard multiplayer shooters today, as every map had multiple variations to not only support to large 40 players fights, but also smaller skirmishes. Plus, who could dislike that setting? An Alternate WW2 timeline where an Alien invasion happens instead and mankind are being pushed back towards the brink of extinction? How kickass.
Sadly, with Spider-Man being as successful as it was on the PS4, don’t expect the original developers, Insomniac games to return to the Resistance series anytime soon.
PlayStation All-Star: Battle Royale (2012)
Alright, many of you probably have mixed feelings about this one because I know I certainly do. PlayStation All-Star: Battle Royale was intended to be Sony’s version of Super Smash Brothers. The game featured 24 playable characters, comparable to Melee’s number of fighters. However, unlike Smash, PS All-Star missed a majority of its iconic characters such as Cloud Strife, Spyro, Crash, and many more in favor of third-part characters such as Big Daddy (Bioshock), Dante (Ninja Theory DMC) and Raiden from Metal Gear Solid. Heck, Cole from the inFamous series had two variations, one version being evil and the other being bad. The roster needed some heavy work, and those third-party characters felt more of catering to what was current rather than what fans would have preferred.
It was also extremely unbalanced for a fighter and the odd decision to make combat only winnable via Super Kills didn’t help that either. If Sony were to ever give All-Star another try, they would seriously need to focus on getting their PS1 icons. This includes Crash and Spyro despite not owning them anymore, along with Metal Gear Solid’s Snake, and plenty of other classics. They’d also need to get rid of the whole kills with just the super system. It was a decent idea, but not one suited for this type of game. If they’re gonna do a Smash clone then they might as well make it a good clone.
MAG – Massive Action Game (2010)
Developed by now-defunct Zipper Interactive (SOCOM), MAG was a game a bit ahead of its time when it was released back then. Suppring up to a whopping 256 players in total per match, the tech wasn’t really there to support this kind of large-scale warfare then (heck, Battlefield couldn’t even get 32v32 matches on PS3 going).
While the core gameplay and ambition were solid, it had quite a number of bugs, an overall lack of polish and thin content that saw the game slowly die out. However, with the PS5 these ambitions can now be executed with the proper tech. Will we see another MAG entry at all? Probably not but this is one of those instances of what might have been.
Twisted Metal
Last major series release: Twisted Metal (2012)
Back in the PS1 era, first-person shooters weren’t as famous then as it is now. Back then, vehicular combat was king, and the king of that hill was Twisted Metal, the brainchild of David Jaffe (God of War). While the series saw continued success well into the PS2 generation, the last mainline entry was Twisted Metal released back in 2012 on the PS3 as a reboot of the franchise.
Overall, it was a solid entry loved by fans, but the lack of a proper story mode (which was a huge selling point of the franchise), the small roster of characters available, and somewhat cumbersome controls made Twisted Metal run out of gas earlier than expected.
Killzone
Last major series release: Killzone Shadow Fall (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g25I9yqQcnY
Before Horizon Zero Dawn became a big hit, Guerrill Games was originally known as the Killzone devs. While it might have failed to be Sony’s “Halo killer,” it still managed to carve its own fanbase. While Shadow Fall looked fantastic when it was released, the gameplay (especially multiplayer) got mixed reaction from fans.
The overly weighty controls might have been one of the causes while its multiplayer didn’t catch on as Guerrilla Games might have hoped, though one can also direct it at how it didn’t offer the same drip-feed mechanic that the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises do very well. Still, it’s been a long time since we got a Killzone game, and we’re very excited to see it come back. Can you imagine how a Killzone game would look and play on the Decima game engine? Minds blown might be an understatement.
SOCOM
Last major series release: SOCOM 4 US Navy Seals (2011)
If there’s a game on this list that has the most people asking for a revival, it’s probably the SOCOM franchise. Developed by now-defunct Zipper Interactive, SOCOM is a third-person military shooter that focused on team tactics, rather than running and gunning.
Unfortunately, stiff competition, and how some fans didn’t like how the gameplay was sped up to cater to the “shooter crowd” meant that the game died quite fast. Just three years after launch, multiplayer servers were already shuttered down in 2014, and Zipper was no more.
While we might not see another entry in the SOCOM franchise, its developers formed SOF Studios and is working on a PS4 (PS5 version at this time most likely) version of H-Hour: World’s Elite, which is said to be the spritual successor of SOCOM.
And there you have it! Our list of the PlayStation mutliplayer franchises we want to see come back on the PS5! Did we miss any games? What multiplayer games do you think deserve to be revived on the PS5? Let us know down in the comments.
