Sony’s varying boxes of wonder have gone from strength to strength over the decades. At first, they attracted exclusives like theTekkenseries or the mainlineFinal Fantasygames. Now, both of those series and others have gone multi-format. However, thePlayStationstill has a few exclusive franchises, like theJak & Daxtergames, orLittleBigPlanet.
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Most franchises have at least one embarrassing entry in their oeuvre. Jak and his Ottsel friend haveLost Frontier, and Sackboy hasLittleBigPlanet Karting. But some are lucky enough to stay golden, or green in this case as these franchises’ games have either stayed on or wellover the 75% mark on Metacriticthus far.
5Wipeout
Wait,Wipeout? Were they Sony-exclusive? Not originally, as the Sega Saturn got a port of the originalWipeout, and the N64 had a version ofWipeout 3calledWipeout 64. So, why is it here? Because Sony MADE it exclusive when they bought original developers Psygnosis in 1999. After that, the series never made it to rival consoles. Even before then, the PlayStation entries were touted as the best versions of each game.
So, call this an honorable mention entry, as everyWipeoutgame recorded on Metacritic has scored over 79%, withWipeout 2097 (akaWipeout XL) being the series’ peak at 93%. If it weren’t for those dalliances with other machines, it would be Sony’s most successful franchise based on Metacritic scores alone. Not even Sony-exclusive racers liketheGran Turismogamesmanaged its full green streak (Gran Turismoon PSP fell short at 74%).
4Astro Bot
If we were adding franchises with just two games to their names, there would be more entries like theHorizonandTearawaygames. But that’s a bit scanty for a series. So, why isAstro Bothere? He onlyhasAstro’s PlayroomandAstro Bot: Rescue Mission, right? They got a 90% and 83% score retrospectively. So, where are these otherAstro Botentries?
It’s true that Astro wasn’t named until he got his own Playroom on the PS5. However, the first appearance of the little white bot and his friends was in the PS4 ARGThe Playroom. It first appeared as a mini-game collection in 2013, then got a VR port in 2016. The original game has a ‘TBD’ (‘to be determined’) on Metacritic, but the VR version has a respectable 77%. Since the firstPlayroomhasn’t been ‘determined’ yet, theAstro Botseries is still in the green…for now.
3The Last of Us
The original game was a surprising treat when it first came out in 2013. Sony certainly liked it enough to give it botha Remaster and a Remakefor the PS4 and PS5 respectively.The Last of Us Part IIwas a shakier prospect due to behind-the-scenes shenanigans and fights among fans. Still, excluding ports, the original PS3 and PS4 titles for both games were 95% and 93% each, earning a ‘Must Play’ badge as well.
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But again, if we’re excluding ports, where’s the 3rd entry? Well, remember that DLC pack for the first game?The Last of Us: Left Behind? That was eventually made a standalone title that could be played without its parent game. As a result, it got 88%, keeping the series going strong.
2Sly Cooper
If onlyInFamous: First Lighthadn’t fallen short with a 72% rating. Then original developers Sucker Punch could’ve had two franchises on this list. Instead, their animal mascot-based stealth game series aboutthe titular thieving raccoonhas stayed in relatively good nick. Granted, the games didn’t reach the heights ofThe Last of Us, withSly 2: Band of Thievesbeing the series’ best rated entry at 88%.
Yet they’re all good scores, withSly Cooper: Thieves in Timenarrowly keeping the side up with 75% for both its PS4 and PS Vita ports. Maybe with this record, Sony could give the series a new entry, givenThieves in Timecame out in 2014. Alongside Astro, Sly and his friends are perhaps the most unlikely franchise front-runners on this list to get ahead.
1God of War
Kratos might be Sony’s most successful exclusive lead character, as all his main games have ranked high on Metacritic. Nathan Drake fromUnchartedwould’ve rivaled him ifUncharted: Fight for Fortuneon the PS Vita didn’t let the side down with a 67% score. Sure, it was a card game spin-off, but it still counts. While theGod of Wargames have all ranked above the 80% mark.
OnlyGod of War: Ghost of SpartaandGod of War: Ascensionlet the side down with 86% and 80% scores respectively. Though that’s only a let-down compared to the 90%+ scores and ‘Must Play’ badges the other entries got. The top dogs are the original PS2 game and the 2018 PS4 game with 94% each. WillGod of War: Ragnaröklive up to expectations, beat them, or be the first to break the streak?
