PlatinumGames / Clover Studio

[Spark Of Spirit]

God Hand and Viewtiful Joe are Clover's best games, in my opinion. Pure gameplay first, everything else after.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, gameplay over everything else is what defines games by this developer, in general. If you count every game made by this developer, I'm pretty sure most if not all of them fit that profile. That's why I consider them the best action game developer currently around, because they actually make action GAMES, not interactive movie rip-offs.

[Rynnec]

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It looks a lot like Anarchy Reigns, except with LOK characters. Of course I could be speaking out of my ass since I haven't played Anarchy Reigns, but I'd be willing to try this game.

[RacattackForce]

Considering that 3D action brawler/beat-em-ups appear to be Platinum's speciality, I'm hoping that Korra turns out to be as fun as it looks.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, if I have one pet-peeve with PG, it's how a lot of their action games (including Korra, from what I've seen of the preview) have these instances where you get grabbed by an enemy or knocked into a dizzying state. To get out of it, you have to waggle your analogue stick like crazy to get out of,it. I hate that so much. It really takes yOu out of the combat and kills the momentum of the game whenever it happens. Honestly, most of the time I just let an enemy hit me again to knock me out of that state or kill me so I can restart, rather than ruin my controller. I'm all for being punished in a game for making a mistake and getting hit, but don't make a goddamn mini-game out of it. I'd rather take a quick strike and drains half of my health than deal with a single drawn-out grab animation that I have to either ruin my controller over, or just sit and watch until it's done. It's just not fun gameplay.

I think that DMC is the best when it comes to avoiding gimmicky stuff like that. And enemy just hits you and if you survive it, than you move on and try not to make any more mistakes.

[Foggle]

So now that three more Platinum games have been announced, I thought I'd post a quick retrospective of how absolutely fucking amazing and perfect this company is. This studio has developed some of the most ridiculous, complex, and downright fun games of all time, and nearly every single one is a masterpiece in its own right.

MadWorld



Perhaps the greatest gore-focused game I've ever played, MadWorld would still be a stellar beat 'em up even if it wasn't filled with ridiculous violence and an unprecedented level of gruesome interactivity that allowed players to skewer and otherwise maim enemies in the most hilariously horrific of ways. It also features a stellar soundtrack that made many of its fans realize just how fantastic hip hop music can be, brilliant sports-style commentators, and an inspired comic book art style.

Infinite Space



Often forgotten by even the most hardcore Platinum fans, Infinite Space is an excellent (if unpolished) RPG with some of the most in-depth mechanics ever seen in the genre. While it can get overly convoluted at times, the gameplay and story are both good enough to make this one worthwhile for any science-fiction fan.

Bayonetta



It's like Devil May Cry, but crazier. 'Nuff said.

Vanquish



The feeling of momentum this third-person shooter gives off is second to none. It's fast, it's frantic, it's challenging, and it's so addicting that the rather short run time is rendered negligible by the sheer joy that comes from constantly replaying its exciting, well-paced campaign.

Anarchy Reigns



What should have been a breakout multiplayer hit was ruined by Sega's botched launch and lack of advertising campaign. The single-player mode is decent, but the gameplay only truly shines online, so most people will never get to experience the greatness promised by this unfortunate stealth release. A few hours of multiplayer simulator (bot match) is absolutely worth it for $5, though. And you'll probably want to buy the soundtrack if you liked MadWorld's.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance



After Hideo Kojima's secondary team failed to create an interesting action game, the legendary director hired Platinum to develop the best ninja combat title since Ninja Gaiden 2. They didn't disappoint.

The Wonderful 101



Easily the most unique title in Platinum's library (and that's an achievement!), The Wonderful 101 received a lukewarm reception from critics because they couldn't wrap their heads around the complex controls. However, its fans see this as a strength rather than a weakness, because despite its outward appearance as "Pikmin on speed," TW101 is one of the most expertly-designed and involving action games of all time.

Bayonetta 2



It's like Bayonetta, but crazier, and featuring cooperative play. 'Nuff said.

The Legend of Korra



While far from Platinum's finest work, a disappointing first hour leads into one of the most engaging licensed games in recent memory that is sure to be a treat for series fans.

Transformers: Devastation



This is the Transformers game of every 80's kid's dreams.

Star Fox Zero



It's a Star Fox 64 sequel, featuring concepts from the unreleased Star Fox 2, developed by Platinum Games, with hands-on support from Shigeru motherfucking Miyamoto.

Scalebound



It's an action game about dragons directed by Hideki Kamiya. It's gotta' be magnificent.

Nier: New Project



The unexpected sequel to Square Enix's 2010 cult classic action RPG, this game promises to contain the holy trifecta of amazing gameplay, story, and music.

[Spark Of Spirit]

If anyone played that High Noon game War For Cybertron released a few years back, you should know that Transformers has a LOT of potential for an action game.

It just needs a killer remix of "Dare" for the final boss encounter with planet destroying Unicron.

But it's good to see that despite any real commercial success that they continue to soldier on. I do hope they eventually manage that breakout hit, but who knows when that'll be? Star Fox being co-developed with EAD should be their first real shot.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Great post.

Despite being made by Kamiya, and even though it's popular opinion to compare it to DMC, Bayonetta feels very unique and fundamentally different from that series or any other action games in existence, to me. That's why I can play both and still have fun without feeling like one outclasses the other.

I still haven't played Korra, but I've heard from a few hardcore gamers which I follow that it's a very flawed but highly entertaining action game. Far below PG's usual high standards, but high above the "unfair and ridiculous" level of criticism that it got from game journalists.

As for MGRR, in some ways it's my favorite PG game to date. What holds it back is its lack of polish, with some flaws that are tough to ignore on the harder difficulty settings, but when it's at it's best, it has some of the best combat gameplay in the genre. And to prove that I'm not just all about combo depth and care more about a good combination of simplicity and nuance, I actually prefer MGRR's combat system to Bayonetta's, although both are excellent.

[Foggle]

Great post.

Thanks!

Despite being made by Kamiya, and even though it's popular opinion to compare it to DMC, Bayonetta feels very unique and fundamentally different from that series or any other action games in existence, to me. That's why I can play both and still have fun without feeling like one outclasses the other.

Yeah, that's true! It's crazier, not necessarily better or worse. Similar, but different. They're both fantastic.

I still haven't played Korra, but I've heard from a few hardcore gamers which I follow that it's a very flawed but highly entertaining action game. Far below PG's usual high standards, but high above the "unfair and ridiculous" level of criticism that it got from game journalists.

Yeah, I was totally wrong about it. It really does get quite good once you start unlocking bending powers.

As for MGRR,  in some ways it's my favorite PG game to date. What holds it back is its lack of polish, with some flaws that are tough to ignore on the harder difficulty settings, but when it's at it's best, it has some of the best combat gameplay in the genre. And to prove that I'm not just all about combo depth and care more about a good combination of simplicity and nuance, I actually prefer MGRR's combat system to Bayonetta's, although both are excellent.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite. I love them all! I'm a stupid fanboy. You would have gone deaf if you were there when I found out they were developing Nier 2...

If anyone played that High Noon game War For Cybertron released a few years back, you should know that Transformers has a LOT of potential for an action game.

It just needs a killer remix of "Dare" for the final boss encounter with planet destroying Unicron.

But it's good to see that despite any real commercial success that they continue to soldier on. I do hope they eventually manage that breakout hit, but who knows when that'll be? Star Fox being co-developed with EAD should be their first real shot.

I still need to play the High Moon Transformers games, I heard they're great.

I think Bayo1 and MGRR did pretty well for them as well, but I could be wrong. It seems like they always make back their budget with each game, so I guess they're just really talented at using the money and time allotted to their full extent.

[gunswordfist]

I was thinking about the High Noon Transformers and another Tranformers game that came out a few years ago. They were near the top of my most wanted co-op games.

I still need to play MGRR

Didn't the 1st hour of Korra suck due to not having all of the bending styles? I don't know what they were thinking

[Foggle]

Yeah, it leaves a pretty bad first impression, especially compared to Platinum's other titles.

[gunswordfist]

Sucks that it didn't live up to it's potential. I want to see near flawless games for Korra/Avatar and Fullmetal Alchemist, one day.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The game WOULD HAVE BEEN flawless had Activision given Platinum a more reasonable budget and time to work with. From what I heard, they barely got any funding for the game, and were basically forced to make it in about six months. On top of that, neither Activision nor Nickelodeon even bothered to properly advertise the game.

Despite all of this working against them, the game was still surprisingly decent, which is amazing considering what a disaster it would have been if any other developer had to handle it under the same outrageous circumstances.

[Foggle]

Despite those problems Korra experienced, it seems Activision was happy enough with the result - and Platinum enjoyed working with them enough - for PG to get a much bigger budget and longer development cycle for Transformers. Now let's just hope Activision doesn't try to buy them out.