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Sony had an exclusive FPS and they killed it.
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00:00If an online brand has its servers pulled or is discontinued from digital stores, it
00:04could be done forever.
00:05Although certain shooters, roleplayers or battle royales might still function offline,
00:09it's a real kick in the teeth when the servers close shop, especially if the property had
00:13a passionate online community.
00:15Sytrees on this list may have been popular in their day and developed a devoted fanbase,
00:19but that didn't stop Sony from shutting them down for good.
00:22I'm Sy, this is WhatCulture and these are 10 PlayStation Games Sony Killed.
00:2710. SOCOM Confrontation
00:30A development team should be really confident in a recognised IP before deciding to switch
00:35things up and turn a mainstream entry into an online multiplayer focused game.
00:39And since SOCOM Confrontation was the first instalment in the military series that wouldn't contain
00:44a single player campaign, this decision was risky.
00:48Having said that, Slant6 Games' franchise was impressively consistent to this point,
00:52so this new direction had potential, but due to technical issues, constant lag and game
00:57crashing bugs, this PS3 tactical shooter was a major misfire.
01:01Also SOCOM Confrontation is an awkward name to say out loud, so it probably didn't help.
01:06Title aside, many actual gameplay issues were resolved over time, but Confrontation never
01:10redeemed itself due to lack of maps, graphical limitations and unambitious gameplay.
01:15Sitting with a score of 63% on Metacritic, the underwhelming multiplayer title is the lowest-rated
01:21SOCOM of them all.
01:22A mere three years after launch, Confrontation servers were put to rest.
01:26The online services for the follow-up SOCOM 4 came to a close on the same day.
01:31The reason why Confrontation ranks so low on this list is because it's technically still
01:35possible to play it.
01:36In 2001, die-hard fans reverse-engineered the servers for the defunct online game and using
01:41a private connection, Confrontation found a way to live on, no thanks to Sony.
01:46That said, the aforementioned SOCOM 4 from 2011, which fared really no better, remains
01:51the last game in this now-buried franchise.
01:559.
01:55The Legend of Korra After the success of Avatar The Last Airbender,
01:59a sequel was commissioned by Nickelodeon called The Legend of Korra.
02:02When this follow-up was a smash hit, Activision published a beat-em-up based on the beloved
02:06cartoon, with Platinum Games serving as the lead development team.
02:10Since the studio had worked on innovative combat games like the Bayonetta series and Metal Gear
02:14Rising Revengeance, the cel-shaded fighting property appeared to be in safe hands.
02:19But due to uninspired combat, empty levels and a lack of enemy variety, especially in
02:24the bosses, Legend of Korra felt like the laziest of lazy tie-ins.
02:28With the rampant bugs, this train wreck could easily be mistaken as a barely functioning beta,
02:33and after how awful M. Night Shyamalan's last Airbender film adaptation turned out, you'd
02:37think that the fanbase had suffered enough.
02:39Thanks to the abysmal reviews, the digital-only title sold extremely poorly, and since it
02:44failed to make much money, Activision weren't keen on continuing to pay the licensing fees.
02:49As a result, Legend of Korra became digitally unavailable three years after release.
02:53Since it never received a physical release, it's been impossible to buy since.
02:58Considering how adored the animated series is, it doesn't really matter that the game's
03:02bad, there are people out there that want to own a copy, and that's just not possible
03:06anymore.
03:078. Swords of Gargantua
03:09On paper, virtual reality should work well with a game like Swords of Gargantua.
03:13The self-proclaimed Sword Combat Simulator has the hero using their oversized blade to slash
03:18enemies and deflect attacks.
03:20If the slicing and dicing mechanics were executed correctly, Third Wave's Sword Fighter could
03:24have been a phenomenon.
03:25Too bad, then, that this PSVR title is a steaming pile of doo-doo.
03:29No matter how skilled a player is, there's nothing you can do to combat the clunky controls
03:33and inconsistent movement.
03:35Since the gameplay doesn't always register a parry or a jab, the player's best bet is
03:38to flail around aimlessly hoping to hit something in the game, not in your front room.
03:43Sadly, there's no hope of these issues being patched as the PS4 version was delisted after
03:48a two year run.
03:49Three months later, the servers went kaput.
03:52Since the multiplayer and single player require internet access, this decision rendered the Sony
03:56port of Swords unplayable.
03:58Yes, it's still available on Steam, but the PS4 version has gone the way of the dodo,
04:02which is appropriate because as I said, it was doo-doo.
04:05No official reason was given behind this sudden decision, but it doesn't seem likely that
04:09Swords of Gargantua will be available on a Sony system any time soon.
04:137.
04:14Nobi Nobi Boy
04:15After the success of the Katamari series, Kaya to Takahashi released a similarly whimsical
04:19game called Nobi Nobi Boy in 2009.
04:23In each level, an elastic worm creature called Boy must twirl its body at certain times.
04:26and angles to stretch out as much as possible.
04:29And though Kratos didn't name the character, it's genuinely called Boy, and the more Boy
04:33expands, the more points he's awarded, allowing him to unlock new areas.
04:37Much like Katamari, the PS3 title is incredibly addictive despite its simplistic and pretty
04:42silly premise.
04:44Although there's no real goal, finding elaborate ways to make the wiggly hero expand is deeply
04:48satisfying.
04:49Even though modern gamers would have a blast with Nobi Nobi Boy today, and I mean just look
04:53at it, it's absurd, it would just blow up on social media.
04:57Obtaining this gem nowadays is a bit problematic since it was taken off the PlayStation Store
05:01in 2018, meaning you can't get your hands on Nobi Nobi Boy unless you already purchased
05:07it.
05:07Look, playing devil's advocate here, it's understandable when companies like Sony shut down the servers
05:11of lesser known IP that came out over a decade ago.
05:15But Nobi Nobi Boy comes from a fairly prominent and respected developer, and you can't help
05:19but think that it had its legs, not that worms have legs, cut out from underneath it.
05:246.
05:24Gran Turismo HD Concept As the title suggests, Gran Turismo HD Concept
05:29served as a sneak preview for the upcoming PS3 racing simulator Gran Turismo HD.
05:34Despite minimal content, Polifoni Digital's free advertisers showcased enough material to
05:38build anticipation for the real deal.
05:40Less than a year after Concept's release, head director Kazunori Yamo, she decided to
05:44go in a different direction, which led to the creation of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, a demo
05:49for a new sequel called, surprise surprise, Gran Turismo 5.
05:54Though GT HD Concept only contained one track and ten playable vehicles, GT5 Prologue boasted
05:5970 cars, 6 tracks and 50 events.
06:03Since Prologue offered smoother gameplay and better physics, it was clearly the superior of the
06:072, and so for this reason, it wasn't long before GT HD Concept was purged from the PlayStation
06:11Store, effectively replaced by GT5 Prologue.
06:15Even though it was a shame the original version never came to be, it was the right decision.
06:19After all, many ideas planned for Gran Turismo HD, including noticeable car damage and online
06:25racing, were incorporated into Gran Turismo 5.
06:28Nevertheless, it would have been nicer if Gran Turismo HD Concept was still downloadable purely
06:32for the sake of nostalgia, and as an artefact of Gran Turismo's history.
06:375.
06:37Dust 514 It's hard to comprehend how awe-inspiring EVE Online
06:41was when it debuted back in 2003.
06:44The persistent world MMORPG is renowned for its complexity, range of gameplay and player
06:49interaction, as well as its gargantuan scale.
06:52After all, the spacefaring roleplayer contains nearly 8000 star systems.
06:57Just when it looked like CCP Games couldn't get more ambitious with it, they created a multiplayer
07:01spin-off called Dust514, which tied to EVE Online in a unique way.
07:06Rather than existing separately, interactions in one game had consequences in the other,
07:10whether it be political, social or environmental.
07:13To build hype to the absolute max, Dust514 was totally free.
07:17How could anyone not be excited for this potential game-changer?
07:21Though the customisation and player interaction was awesome, this PS3 title was let down by
07:26atrocious graphics, glitches around every turn, and a heavy focus on grinding.
07:30Oh, there goes my excitement.
07:32Even if Dust514 was a triumph, it was fighting an uphill battle from the beginning since it
07:36was released six months before the PlayStation 4 as well.
07:39With Sony fans flocking to the next-gen console, interest in the cosmic spin-off dried up quickly,
07:44and Dust514 closed its doors in 2016.
07:47Despite the fact that EVE Online is still going strong after two decades, its offshoot failed
07:52to last three years.
07:544.
07:54No Mercy
07:55Best known for making pinball games, Zen Studios partnered with Marvel in 2009 to develop
08:01an arena-based shooter called Punisher No Mercy.
08:04And it would be easy to bag on this game.
08:05It is bad.
08:06I mean, it's really bad.
08:08In fact, it's so bad that it's not really anything.
08:10In fact, it's nothing.
08:11There is basically nothing in this game.
08:13It almost doesn't exist with how slight in content it is.
08:17Seriously, the story mode is composed of four matches.
08:20Seriously, four.
08:21The multiplayer has a couple of options, but it's not engaging enough due to the empty
08:24levels and minimal weapons, of which players can only carry three at a time.
08:29Worse of all, the dull FPS doesn't try to have any fun with the Marvel brand, to the
08:33point where it's easy to forget that this is a Punisher game.
08:36Due to the poor reception, nobody would have blamed the powers that be if they closed the
08:39servers down, but since the Marvel licensing with Zen Studios was set to expire just a couple
08:44years after the release, it was wisely decided to put this trash out of its misery.
08:49In early 2011, the comic book Dud was taken off the PlayStation Store less than two years
08:54after its debut.
08:55Although there is often understandably outcry when a game is killed off for good, even the
08:59biggest of Marvel fans didn't notice or care when Punisher No Mercy was taken out back
09:04and executed.
09:063.
09:06Drive Club
09:07Pushing the technological boundaries with its flawless car renders, Evolution Studios'
09:11Drive Club looked like it was set to be something truly special.
09:14Considering each car was composed of 260,000 polygons and took seven months to develop,
09:20it probably would have been easier if the developers manufactured actual automobiles.
09:24Thanks to all the buzz, the racing simulator was among the best-selling games on the PlayStation
09:284, shipping 2 million units.
09:30However, Drive Club was met with heavy criticism due to its poor online capabilities, inconsistent
09:36AI and lacklustre gameplay.
09:38Creators tried to make up for it with a bunch of patches, and they threw in additional features
09:42at no extra charge, including an innovative weather system that factors in cloud formations
09:47and movements of trees and grass.
09:49But unfortunately, the bumpy start cost Drive Club dearly since it didn't bring in enough
09:53cash to turn much of a profit.
09:55When Evolution Studios shut down in 2016, the updates of course came to a grinding halt,
10:00signalling the beginning of the end.
10:02And sure enough, the online servers for Drive Club, Drive Club VR and Drive Club Bikes were switched
10:07off soon after.
10:08Although the single player functioned fine, it wasn't the same, and the future of this
10:12burgeoning series was snuffed out.
10:142.
10:15MAG
10:16Before its release in 2010, MAG looked like it was going to have a long and prosperous future.
10:21Zipper Studios' MMO Military Shooter was the first game to maintain 256 players simultaneously,
10:27which was the world record at the time.
10:29Each eight player squad was overseen by a leader who was selected if their rank was high enough.
10:34This mechanic incentivised players to be extra diligent during their playthrough so that they
10:38could be promoted to team leader later.
10:40Since the missions involved airstrikes, parachuting tanks and planes, the gameplay had a tremendous
10:45amount of variety.
10:46And with the well-structured skill tree, vast customisation and a plethora of diverse modes,
10:51MAG was a wonder to behold.
10:53Yes, it suffered from a few glitches and janky animations, but it wasn't enough to ruin
10:57the entire experience.
10:58With a couple more patches, MAG really could have been epic.
11:02However, everything went belly up when Sony unceremoniously shut down Zipper Studios in
11:072012 due to quote, resource realignment.
11:10Yay, capitalism.
11:12When the developers went bust, it was no surprise when the servers were turned off less than two
11:16years later.
11:17MAG may not have been perfect, but he deserved a much longer run.
11:21And number one, of course, P.T.
11:24Ten years later, and this one still stings.
11:27Ten years, Jesus Christ.
11:30With Hideo Kojima working alongside Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, P.T. was set up
11:35to be truly groundbreaking.
11:37Despite only being 20 minutes long, the horror experience was lavished with praise due to its
11:41eerie atmosphere, disturbing imagery and photorealistic graphics.
11:45And when the ending revealed P.T. was a playable teaser for an upcoming Silent Hill project
11:50starring Norman Reedus, it couldn't come out soon enough.
11:53Although drastic changes in gaming development are nothing new, what came next was truly heartbreaking.
11:59After Kojima and his senior staff parted from Konami, the P.T. follow-up Silent Hills
12:03was cancelled.
12:05Just to row an ocean's worth of salt into the wound, P.T. was withdrawn from the PlayStation
12:09store three days later, a decision that was regarded rightfully as spiteful, unprofessional,
12:14and cowardly.
12:16It caused such an uproar that several gamers rebuilt P.T. from scratch or ported it onto
12:20other systems, but due to legal issues these recreations were rendered unplayable.
12:25Many of the games on this list deserved so much better, but P.T. is in a universe of its
12:31own in terms of its influence on the gaming industry, with many horror games taking a nod
12:35from an unfinished project, no less, and one, of course, that you can't play unless you spend
12:42a lot of money on a PlayStation 4 on eBay that still has it installed.
12:46Oh, isn't that great?
12:49Thanks, Konami!
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