Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Retro|Spective 060: Platinum Games

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Retro|Spective 060: Platinum Games

    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

    #2
    [MENTION=1482]dataDave[/MENTION] loves these guys, but I find their games too hard, if I'm honest with myself.

    I couldn't get on with Bayonetta and stopped playing Transformers when I realised I was just struggling through using some really basic combos and couldn't scratch beneath the surface.
    Who's that guy Dave raves about? I watch his SS Rank videos and weep.

    I have a lenticular Vanquish sat on the shelf unplayed.
    I like the look of TW101 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeancerizer, but again I just can't become the god-of-gaming I wish I could be to play these properly.

    I did like Transformers, but I'll admit I spent the first ten minutes of play just transforming Optimus and making the noise.

    Comment


      #3
      I need to get back to Revengance. That was one wicked game. But yeah, Bayonetta is the one.

      Comment


        #4
        Vanquish is an absolute gem of a game, I think even you’d enjoy it [MENTION=10111]QualityChimp[/MENTION], as I feel the same about their other games as you do.

        Comment


          #5
          I have MadWorld, but haven't played it much -- I need to go back to it. Bayonetta was really impressive on the 360 back in the day -- I also have it and the sequel for the Wii U. Vanquish is a totally awesome experience -- one of the best 360 games I've played. I bought the Wonderful 101 last year for a cheap price but I haven't played it yet; I know some people say it's great. I wish Star Fox Zero had been more straightforward and didn't need the tablet.
          Last edited by Leon Retro; 09-10-2018, 00:27.

          Comment


            #6
            All the great work on Bayo, MGR:R, Vanquish etc was totally undone by the travesty that was Star Fox Zero.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Colin View Post
              Vanquish is an absolute gem of a game, I think even you’d enjoy it @QualityChimp, as I feel the same about their other games as you do.
              Thanks, Colin. I see that it's backwards compatible on the One, so I may give it a whirl.
              A lot of PlatinumGames' offerings give maximum reward for multiple replays to master the moveset.

              Transformers was great, though and really nailed that cartoon vibe.
              You can even get sticker kits that make the Masterpiece Optimus figure look more like the Devastation model:


              They really seemed to drop the ball with TMNT though.
              It's should've been a no-brainer with the martial arts theme lending itself even better to these action type of games.
              However, the game itself turned out to be a bit middling and repetitive.
              They also dropped the local multiplayer, with Activision claiming the reason was they didn't because they'd lose the 60fps speed, but Digital Foundry tested it and it never hits 60fps!

              Comment


                #8
                Vanquish was the most fun I'd had in years of modern gaming. If I could I'd play it now. I still remember that huge boss perhaps the second or third one and parts of the invading enemies reminded me strongly of Starship Troopers or similar big budget films. I really like the art design and graphics and little touches like the main player having a quick cig in the heat of the action. Years later I played the most recent Gears of War with a friend and although that's multiplayer the game did not come close to the fun and appreciation I had for Vanquish. The only other modern games I enjoyed as much were probably Outrun 2 and Afterburner Climax.

                Bayonetta was a lot of fun to me but it often was needlessly pervy and I'm not a big fan of the gothic style if that's the right description. Definitely a quality product, though.

                I haven't played all their games but I think Anarchy Reigns was one and I thought that was just terrible.

                Metal Gear was a lot of fun bits made me laugh the last boss reminded me of Tony Soprano and the game had some brilliant design. The wolf looked great. I would replay that given the chance, also. Reminded why I liked Japan developed games so much growing up.
                Last edited by monel; 09-10-2018, 07:52.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Big, big fan of Platinum. Loved almost everything that they've done but haven't played the licensed games yet.

                  Anarchy Reigns is one of my favourite games from the last generation. Great character design, thumping combat, amazing OST and fantastic online. The online suffered from some tech problems but when it worked it was a great arena brawler with some really cool modes. Not a technical game like Bayonetta or as sublime as Vanquish but it's an excellent rough and tumble brawler.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I'm somewhat surprised Platinum didn't follow up on Transformers but if they weren't interested in making a sequel to MGR then I wouldn't be surprise if they didn't want to return to Optimus either.

                    I didn't click with W101 but I'm at the point where I'd be more than willing to take a fresh stab at it if they put it on Switch, the Bayonetta's feel like the star though. The level of design in the original in terms of how it plays is amazing considering how early a game it was for them, love the soundtrack too, it's been a great revisit and it'll be good to do Bay2 again in a while.

                    Nier, I can only imagine what they'll do for a follow up on that now that they have the confidence of knowing they have a hit on their hands.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Transformers: Devastation isn't backwards compatible, but I remembered it came out on PS4 and One too, so it won't be.
                      However, it's not listed on PS Store and the Live store says "unavailable".
                      It's about £17 on Amazon and at CEX it's £8 One, £12 PS4, £6 360 and £8 PS3.

                      I'll just fire up the 360!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Bayonetta's basics only really take minutes to master, it's the amount of enemy behaviours and reactions to your attacks that take the time to learn. Once you've memorised their every move and sound it's almost impossible to get hit by them, or to lose track of where they're being flung around.

                        The Future Press guide is the holy grail. It goes for crazy money on eBay as well. I've never even seen inside one before.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Clue for the next thread:

                          Clue - An Adventure of Color Unleashed Forces Generations Heroes

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Superman Falls View Post
                            Clue for the next thread:

                            Clue - An Adventure of Color Unleashed Forces Generations Heroes

                            Bubsy the Bobcat
                            ?

                            In seriousness I'm going to love this one.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Saurian is the guy Dave keeps mentioning. He's the master of PlatinumGames titles!

                              I'd also like to be good at God Hand and Viewtiful Joe, but they're also a bit too hard for me!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X