The sixtieth thread milestone is hit and we for our second developer special we continue the action focused approach to look at the games developed by...
Retro|Spective Developer Focus : Platinum Games
History:
Emerging from a merger of Seeds inc and Odd inc in 2007 the new found studio carried key players in Capcom's past output and originally it found its footing putting out distinctly Japanese in design action titles under the publishing wing of Sega. All of this came about during the peak push of westernised gaming and as a result the studio always struggled to have sales success meet any critical success it enjoyed. Helping to keep the lights on, they took on a mixture of licensed work to balance the slowly building line up of original IP they were also working on. After the first six years of output the studio was starting to lose some momentum with its connection to Sega and since began building ties with Nintendo, working with the company on a mixture of original and licensed software. Today the company continues to work on both Nintendo based and third party output with an ever strengthening legacy and reputation for high quality action combat titles.
Releases:
-MadWorld
Standing out amongst the Wii family friendly largely shovelware era was Platinum's first outing, the loud and brash B&W shaded action fest MadWorld. Largely a walk along beat em up in structure, The result was an initial outing that was positively received but failed to light up the charts.
-Infinite Space
-Bayonetta
Effectively now the poster child of the studio. Platinum's third game took square aim at Capcom's DMC series but with added focus on bewbs. Though at the time the game was the highest praised release Platinum had put out, the game made only a borderline sales impression and its continuation in the face of hard figures is a testament to how much Platinum has put behind the series. From a gameplay stance, the original remains something of a sub-genre benchmark meaning that shot across its predecessors bow landed.
-Vanquish
With their next game Platinum once again took an action heavy look but this time at providing their take on a western genre, the cover shooter. Using high speed dashing and evade moves the game brought the same kind of high level moveset to a typically plodding paced game type that you would expect from the developers but as usual, the flare on show created a disconnect that translated to sales and the game remained a one off, even if a fondly thought of one.
-Anarchy Reigns
-Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Konami had been working on this game for a while and had been unable to get the analogue stick powered combat into shape. Often this would lead to the project being cancelled but Rising had been given a high profile reveal so, eager to see it through to completion, the game was handed to Platinum to see to the end. The end result was a project pulled by its ears through to release and Platinums guidance saw the game met with mostly positive reactions with the in game camera being one of the most common complaints. Sales were fairly okay at first but not earth shattering and Platinum seemed disinterested in working on a sequel which meant the series quickly ended at one title.
-The Wonderful 101
If one mantra could sum up Platinum's legacy to date its most commonly 'good game, weak sales'. Testing out the waters with Nintendo, this new IP took the developer in a new direction of aiming for the host consoles demography more. Saving citizens and working to build up your crowd of superheroes as you tackle puzzles and environmental hazards. Following another case of poor sales, W101 remains limited to the WiiU with Platinum ever keen on giving it a Switch rerelease.
-Bayonetta 2
-The Legend of Korra
-Transformers: Devastation
-8 Bit Bayonetta
-Star Fox Zero
With their shoe firmly in Nintendo's door Platinum finally got a shot at a first party game for the big N and the results were... not as expected. In what should have been a good fit Platinum took on Star Fox, a franchise badly in need of direction, and gamers were met by a poor product hobbled by a low budget, rushed release and shoe-horned gameplay elements Nintendo was keen on. The positive take away is that it seems like the relationship between the two companies remains solid.
-Star Fox Guard
-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
-Nier: Automata
For some Bayonetta or similar are Platinum's crowning glory, for others it's this recent collaboration with SquareEnix that took a clunky niche game from the previous generation and revived it as a big hit that married the beloved elements of the first game with Platinum's expert handling of gameplay and bosses. Played over multiple playthroughs with 26 outcomes of a sort, things finally came together in every way for the studio at last on this one.
Share your thoughts and memories of Platinum Games
Retro|Spective Developer Focus : Platinum Games
History:
Emerging from a merger of Seeds inc and Odd inc in 2007 the new found studio carried key players in Capcom's past output and originally it found its footing putting out distinctly Japanese in design action titles under the publishing wing of Sega. All of this came about during the peak push of westernised gaming and as a result the studio always struggled to have sales success meet any critical success it enjoyed. Helping to keep the lights on, they took on a mixture of licensed work to balance the slowly building line up of original IP they were also working on. After the first six years of output the studio was starting to lose some momentum with its connection to Sega and since began building ties with Nintendo, working with the company on a mixture of original and licensed software. Today the company continues to work on both Nintendo based and third party output with an ever strengthening legacy and reputation for high quality action combat titles.
Releases:
-MadWorld
Standing out amongst the Wii family friendly largely shovelware era was Platinum's first outing, the loud and brash B&W shaded action fest MadWorld. Largely a walk along beat em up in structure, The result was an initial outing that was positively received but failed to light up the charts.
-Infinite Space
-Bayonetta
Effectively now the poster child of the studio. Platinum's third game took square aim at Capcom's DMC series but with added focus on bewbs. Though at the time the game was the highest praised release Platinum had put out, the game made only a borderline sales impression and its continuation in the face of hard figures is a testament to how much Platinum has put behind the series. From a gameplay stance, the original remains something of a sub-genre benchmark meaning that shot across its predecessors bow landed.
-Vanquish
With their next game Platinum once again took an action heavy look but this time at providing their take on a western genre, the cover shooter. Using high speed dashing and evade moves the game brought the same kind of high level moveset to a typically plodding paced game type that you would expect from the developers but as usual, the flare on show created a disconnect that translated to sales and the game remained a one off, even if a fondly thought of one.
-Anarchy Reigns
-Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Konami had been working on this game for a while and had been unable to get the analogue stick powered combat into shape. Often this would lead to the project being cancelled but Rising had been given a high profile reveal so, eager to see it through to completion, the game was handed to Platinum to see to the end. The end result was a project pulled by its ears through to release and Platinums guidance saw the game met with mostly positive reactions with the in game camera being one of the most common complaints. Sales were fairly okay at first but not earth shattering and Platinum seemed disinterested in working on a sequel which meant the series quickly ended at one title.
-The Wonderful 101
If one mantra could sum up Platinum's legacy to date its most commonly 'good game, weak sales'. Testing out the waters with Nintendo, this new IP took the developer in a new direction of aiming for the host consoles demography more. Saving citizens and working to build up your crowd of superheroes as you tackle puzzles and environmental hazards. Following another case of poor sales, W101 remains limited to the WiiU with Platinum ever keen on giving it a Switch rerelease.
-Bayonetta 2
-The Legend of Korra
-Transformers: Devastation
-8 Bit Bayonetta
-Star Fox Zero
With their shoe firmly in Nintendo's door Platinum finally got a shot at a first party game for the big N and the results were... not as expected. In what should have been a good fit Platinum took on Star Fox, a franchise badly in need of direction, and gamers were met by a poor product hobbled by a low budget, rushed release and shoe-horned gameplay elements Nintendo was keen on. The positive take away is that it seems like the relationship between the two companies remains solid.
-Star Fox Guard
-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
-Nier: Automata
For some Bayonetta or similar are Platinum's crowning glory, for others it's this recent collaboration with SquareEnix that took a clunky niche game from the previous generation and revived it as a big hit that married the beloved elements of the first game with Platinum's expert handling of gameplay and bosses. Played over multiple playthroughs with 26 outcomes of a sort, things finally came together in every way for the studio at last on this one.
Share your thoughts and memories of Platinum Games
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