August 28th 2024.
Sony's latest release, Concord, has stirred up quite the controversy. As a live service shooter, it has received mixed reviews and many are questioning its long-term potential. The gaming industry has been buzzing with debates about the risks involved in creating a live service game versus a traditional video game. The argument being that a decent single-player game has a higher chance of selling well, even if it's not on the level of popular games like Fortnite and Minecraft. However, only a small percentage of live service games end up becoming successful, with most being abandoned within a few months of their launch. Unfortunately, it seems like Concord will fall into the latter category.
Despite its potential short lifespan, Sony has already had success with live service games this year with Helldivers 2. However, this game was created by an external developer, while Concord was developed by Sony's own Firewalk Studios. It was supposed to be the first of 12 games created by Sony's first-party studios, but it's unclear if this plan is still in place.
Although Helldivers 2 gave Sony a glimmer of hope, Concord faces the harsh reality of most live service games: launching with little hype and quickly fading into obscurity. Perhaps with some changes and improvements, Concord can turn things around, but at the moment, it seems unlikely.
To put it simply, Concord is basically a copy of Overwatch with different characters. This lack of originality is one of the game's biggest flaws. Despite some minor differences, it's clear that Overwatch was a major influence in the creation of Concord.
There are certainly lessons to be learned from Concord's development process. It's not just about increased costs, but also the fact that what may have been a great idea at the beginning of development can seem outdated by the time the game is released. In Concord's case, it began development eight years ago, which is a shockingly long time in the gaming world. Back in 2016, the concept of a hero shooter, where each character has unique abilities and weapons, was new and exciting. But now, it feels overdone, with even the highly anticipated Overwatch 2 struggling to maintain its popularity.
However, it's important to note that Concord is not a bad game. It's well-made and has some strengths, such as its superior gunplay and diverse characters. The 16 playable characters offer a variety of abilities and stand out among their peers. From the typical space marine to the pyromaniac and the robot with a unique bomb-making ability, each character brings something different to the table.
The three main characters, Lennox, Star Child, and Haymar, each have their unique weapons and abilities, with Haymar's wrist-mounted crossbow being a challenge for new players.
Despite having a large roster of characters, the gameplay itself feels familiar and unexciting. The maps lack visual interest and the game modes are predictable. Firewalk attempted to add a storytelling element to differentiate Concord from other similar games, but it's clear that they took inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy, making it hard to see how this feature will set it apart.
Visually, Concord is impressive, and this was meant to be one of its selling points. But graphics can only take a game so far when the overall experience is underwhelming. The game's long time to kill for most characters may be appealing to newcomers to the genre, but it's not enough to make it stand out.
One unique aspect of Concord is its Rivalry playlist, where players must use a different character in each of the seven rounds. However, this doesn't make up for the lack of originality in the game.
Although things don't look promising for Concord at the moment, the benefit of live service games is the potential for post-launch improvements and added content. There's already talk of a future roadmap for Concord, but that's not the game's main issue.
The problem with Concord is that it offers nothing new or different from other games in its genre. It's competently made, but it falls short in standing out from its competitors. In the end, the game's biggest selling point is its long development time, which doesn't necessarily equate to a unique or successful game.
In summary, Concord is a decent Overwatch clone, but its lack of originality is a major disappointment. The well-designed characters and impressive graphics can't make up for the game's unexciting gameplay and unoriginal concepts. While there is potential for improvement through future updates, it's hard to see how Concord will distinguish itself from the many other live service games already on the market.
Overall Score: 6/10
Available on: PlayStation 5 and PC
Price: £34.99
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Firewalk Studios
Release Date: 23rd August 2024
Age Rating: 12
Despite its impressive graphics, Concord falls short in offering anything new or innovative compared to its competitors. Share your thoughts on the game by emailing us, leaving a comment, following us on Twitter, or signing up for our newsletter.
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