For everything PlatinumGames related!
This is a community thread for PlatinumGames, one of the most talented developers in the gaming world. We can discuss their games, the studio itself and all the things related to them. But before we start, lets have a quick review of Platinum and their history.
Clover Studio
The story began with a group of passionate game developers gathering together and starting a game studio. The Creativity Lovers named their studio Clover and started to make awesome, fun, creative and beautiful masterpieces. Shinji MIkami, Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba took the helm of Clover and guided the studio through the rough seas of this industry. Clover focused on making great new IPs rather than sequels and truly succeeded in doing so in its short lived life.
Viewtiful Joe
Kamiya being crazy as always. After Devil May Cry, Kamiya decided to make another crazy action-focused game. Viewtiful Joe is about Joe, a movie lover who finds himself in Movieland, where his girlfriend, Salvia is kidnapped. He meets with his favorite superhero, Capitan Blue and receives a V-Watch from him and his crazy, Viewtiful journey begins. Viewtiful Joe has its own unique style of mixing 2D and 3D visuals and gameplay with amazing combat. The behind the game (Team Viewtiful) wanted the game to create a challenging game with stunning visuals and fluid gameplay and Ill be damned if that wasnt what they created. Viewtiful Joe was somewhat a commercial success. The game was followed by an anime TV series and three other games (Viewtiful Joe 2, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble and Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble!). To this day, fans are waiting to see Viewtiful Joe 3.
Okami
Next original IP from Clover was another Kamiya masterpiece, but this time, not an action game, but an adventure one. Okami tells the legend of Amaterasu, the Goddess of sun who took the form of a white wolf and had been awaken to defeat Orochi and finish the job she started 100 years ago. She is not alone in this journey. Issun, (a Poncle. an inch-high, tiny creature), Ushiwaka the mysterious man (ahem ahem), Sakuya the beautiful tree sprite and all the good people of the great Nippon help her to defeat the evil Orochi and his subordinates. Okami was a masterpiece. The great Nippon was illustrated in a breathtaking, cel-shaded, watercolor style/Sumi-e (ink wash) graphics. The game was highly associated with nature and this really affect the gameplay. The team wanted the players to get more involved in the artwork rather than just watching it and thus, the idea Celestial Brush techniques was born. The Celestial Brush let the players to highly interact with the environment of the game. Okami won various awards for its art design, the fantastic music and great story. The game also won various Game of The year awards. Although Okami was a critical success, the game didnt sell well, but because of its big fanbase, Capcom decided to make another game in the franchise. In 2010/2011 Capcom released Okamiden, an indirect sequel to Okami for Nintendo DS. Okamiden was not made by Clover. To this day, fans are waiting to see the true sequel to Okami by its original creators.
God Hand
Mikami being crazy. God Hand was a beat em up/brawler action which focused on hand to hand combat rather than using weapon. The story was about Gene, who possesses the powerful God Hand and Olivia who accompanies him through the fucked up, bat-shit crazy world of the game. The first Idea for the game came about when Mikami and Inaba were discussing action games and the overuse of weapons in them. They decided to make an action game focused on hand to hand combat for the hardcore action gamers. Later on, more humor was added to the game and God Hand was born. Like every Clover game, fans and reviewers (minus that one guy from IGN) loved the game, but the sales werent good. In fact the game sold even less than Okami. To this day, fans are waiting for God Hand 2.
The Clover Closure Incident and PlatinumGames
After releasing God Hand, Capcom went loco and shut down Clover. EA Style. Apparently the existence of Clover was in conflict with their EA-like strategies. After the clover closure, Mikami, Kamiya, Inaba and most of the staff at Clover decided to form their own independent studio. They named their studio Seeds Inc. which later merged with ODD Incorporated in October 2007 and was renamed to PlatinumGames Inc. Again, they decided to focus on creating new IPs in this sequel driven industry. In a partnership with SEGA, PlatinumGames started to create more amazing experiences.
MadWorld
Platinums first game after the Clover incident was MadWorld. A Black and white, violent, beat em up directed by Shigenori Nishikawa. MadWorld was about Jack, a chainsaw wielding badass who enters Varrigan City, a city turned into a killing game show, DeathWatch. The players had to kill the enemies to unlock the final boss and there were a lot of fun ways to achieve that. Using the environmental elements or using weapon such as that badass chainsaw or other stuff like a baseball bat. The team wanted to create a unique and violent experience on Wii that would be fun and attractive, and according to most of the fans and reviewers they succeeded in doing so.
Infinite Space
Next up was Infinite Space. A collaboration between Nude Maker and PlatinumGames for Nintendo DS. Infinite Space was a sci-fi RPG with spaceship simulation elements. The game was a mixture of 2D and 3D graphics and featured an amazing story with great characters. The game was praised by fans and reviewers for its epic story and the games fun battles. The game was even compared with Mass Effect series in terms of being a good space opera.
Bayonetta
Another masterpiece by Hideki Kamiya. Words cannot even begin to describe how crazy this game is. From the first second to the last one. Kamiya decided to get back to the character action (or Hack and Slash, or whatever you call it) world and push the genre forward. Bayonetta, the Umbran witch, wakes up from a 500 year sleep, not knowing who she is and looking for the truth about her past. As she continues her journey, she meets up with Jeanne, a woman who appears to know about Bayonettas past. The amazing, fast paced, insane and over the top gameplay of Bayonetta blew fans and reviewers away. Mechanics like Dodge Offset and Witch Time and tons of unlockable content made Bayonettas gameplay a timeless masterpiece. The crazy character and environment design completed the over the top package that was Bayonetta. Although according to Platinum the game didnt sell as much as they hoped, the game was somewhat a commercial success. Bayonetta quickly maintained a cult following among the action fans.
Vanquish
Mikami being crazy again. Vanquish was a third person shooter which was NOT a cover shooter, but a forget-the-cover-and-fight-the-enemies-face-to-face shooter. Vanquish was highly inspired by the anime show Casshern. Both in graphic style and gameplay. The team wanted the game to have the Casshern feeling of speed. The story was about Sam Gaiden, a DARPA agent who was armed with an Augmented Reaction Suit, a suit which had features beyond awesomeness. AR suit had rocket boosters on its knees, could form Sams weapons into different shaped and abilities and could also slow down time. Vanquish had a unique gameplay. There was no traditional upgrade whatsoever, the more you played better the more powerful you became. Upgrades were gained by collecting bullets and upgrade boxes, but was lost in the beginning of every mission. The gameplay was fun and fast and was praised by fans and reviewers. Vanquish was the first and the last game by Mikami in PlatinumGames.
Anarchy Reigns
Anarchy Reigns was some kind of spiritual successor to MadWorld. Directed by Masaki Yamanaka, Anarchy Reigns was a brawler more focused on multiplayer. In fact the game was the first Platinum game to feature a multiplayer mode (it had single player mode, too). The story was about Jack, the protagonist from MadWorld, and his new adventures with new people such as Sasha Ivanoff, Leonhardt Victorion and The Blacker Baron. AR featured multiple multiplayer modes such as Battle Royale, Capture the Flag, Tag Team, Survival and Death Match.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was a MGS spin off starring Raiden which first was revealed in E3 2010 as Metal Gear Solid: Rising, but after spending nearly two years in development hell, was handed to Platinum by Kojima and re-revealed in VGA 2011. Directed by Kenji Saito, Rising was a lightning-fast action game which focused on slicing enemies up with a technique called Zandatsu (meaning cut and take in Japanese). Rising shared similarities with both Bayonetta and Vanquish, but came out completely different. The parry and the unique combo system made the game to be something new in the character action genre. The soundtrack also was beyond awesomeness. Fans and reviewers both praised the game and there has been talks around the corner about the sequel.
The Wonderful 101
The next game by Platinum was another superhero action by Kamiya. TW101 was about a group of superheroes by the same name who wanted to save the earth and defeat aliens. With an isometric camera, in TW101 players control a group of heroes instead of just one. The heroes can turn into different weapon and objects called Unite Morphs. TW101 was continuation of Kamiyas love for Super-sentai super heroes which he previously showed by Viewtiul Joe. In fact, the game is considered to be a spiritual successor to VJ by many fans.
Bayonetta 2
The sequel to Bayonetta, directed by Yusuke Hashimoto. The game continues the story of Bayonetta and her friends where her contract with demons is broken and she should face with the consequences. Less is known about the story or gameplay other than new weapons and a new ability called Umbran Climax which lets Bayonetta to turn all her moves into a Wicked Weave for a short amount of time and some new characters. Hopefully we will know more about the game in the future.
Scalebound
Hideki Kamiya's next game. A game about dragons! Exclusively for Xbox One.
The Legend of Korra
A game based on the TV show The Legend of Korra. Published by Activision.
Twitter:
PlatinumGames official Twitter account
Tatsuya Minami (CEO)
Atsushi Inaba
Hideki Kamiya (check his log before asking anything or hell fucking block you)
JP Kellams (he also has a GAF account)
Yusuke Hashimoto
Kenji Saito
Masaki Yamanaka
Mari Shimazaki (Not a Platinum staff atm, Bayonetta character designer)
Facebook:
Official Facebook page
Official Websites:
Platinumgames.com (English)
Platinumgames.co.jp (Japanese)
Media
Metal Gear rising: Rvengeance Documentary Part 1
Metal Gear rising: Rvengeance Documentary Part 2
Bayonetta Developer Commentary (Full)
Platinum Concept Movie
PlatinumGames iTunes page
This is a community thread for PlatinumGames, one of the most talented developers in the gaming world. We can discuss their games, the studio itself and all the things related to them. But before we start, lets have a quick review of Platinum and their history.
Clover Studio
The story began with a group of passionate game developers gathering together and starting a game studio. The Creativity Lovers named their studio Clover and started to make awesome, fun, creative and beautiful masterpieces. Shinji MIkami, Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba took the helm of Clover and guided the studio through the rough seas of this industry. Clover focused on making great new IPs rather than sequels and truly succeeded in doing so in its short lived life.
Viewtiful Joe
Kamiya being crazy as always. After Devil May Cry, Kamiya decided to make another crazy action-focused game. Viewtiful Joe is about Joe, a movie lover who finds himself in Movieland, where his girlfriend, Salvia is kidnapped. He meets with his favorite superhero, Capitan Blue and receives a V-Watch from him and his crazy, Viewtiful journey begins. Viewtiful Joe has its own unique style of mixing 2D and 3D visuals and gameplay with amazing combat. The behind the game (Team Viewtiful) wanted the game to create a challenging game with stunning visuals and fluid gameplay and Ill be damned if that wasnt what they created. Viewtiful Joe was somewhat a commercial success. The game was followed by an anime TV series and three other games (Viewtiful Joe 2, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble and Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble!). To this day, fans are waiting to see Viewtiful Joe 3.
Okami
Next original IP from Clover was another Kamiya masterpiece, but this time, not an action game, but an adventure one. Okami tells the legend of Amaterasu, the Goddess of sun who took the form of a white wolf and had been awaken to defeat Orochi and finish the job she started 100 years ago. She is not alone in this journey. Issun, (a Poncle. an inch-high, tiny creature), Ushiwaka the mysterious man (ahem ahem), Sakuya the beautiful tree sprite and all the good people of the great Nippon help her to defeat the evil Orochi and his subordinates. Okami was a masterpiece. The great Nippon was illustrated in a breathtaking, cel-shaded, watercolor style/Sumi-e (ink wash) graphics. The game was highly associated with nature and this really affect the gameplay. The team wanted the players to get more involved in the artwork rather than just watching it and thus, the idea Celestial Brush techniques was born. The Celestial Brush let the players to highly interact with the environment of the game. Okami won various awards for its art design, the fantastic music and great story. The game also won various Game of The year awards. Although Okami was a critical success, the game didnt sell well, but because of its big fanbase, Capcom decided to make another game in the franchise. In 2010/2011 Capcom released Okamiden, an indirect sequel to Okami for Nintendo DS. Okamiden was not made by Clover. To this day, fans are waiting to see the true sequel to Okami by its original creators.
God Hand
Mikami being crazy. God Hand was a beat em up/brawler action which focused on hand to hand combat rather than using weapon. The story was about Gene, who possesses the powerful God Hand and Olivia who accompanies him through the fucked up, bat-shit crazy world of the game. The first Idea for the game came about when Mikami and Inaba were discussing action games and the overuse of weapons in them. They decided to make an action game focused on hand to hand combat for the hardcore action gamers. Later on, more humor was added to the game and God Hand was born. Like every Clover game, fans and reviewers (minus that one guy from IGN) loved the game, but the sales werent good. In fact the game sold even less than Okami. To this day, fans are waiting for God Hand 2.
The Clover Closure Incident and PlatinumGames
After releasing God Hand, Capcom went loco and shut down Clover. EA Style. Apparently the existence of Clover was in conflict with their EA-like strategies. After the clover closure, Mikami, Kamiya, Inaba and most of the staff at Clover decided to form their own independent studio. They named their studio Seeds Inc. which later merged with ODD Incorporated in October 2007 and was renamed to PlatinumGames Inc. Again, they decided to focus on creating new IPs in this sequel driven industry. In a partnership with SEGA, PlatinumGames started to create more amazing experiences.
MadWorld
Platinums first game after the Clover incident was MadWorld. A Black and white, violent, beat em up directed by Shigenori Nishikawa. MadWorld was about Jack, a chainsaw wielding badass who enters Varrigan City, a city turned into a killing game show, DeathWatch. The players had to kill the enemies to unlock the final boss and there were a lot of fun ways to achieve that. Using the environmental elements or using weapon such as that badass chainsaw or other stuff like a baseball bat. The team wanted to create a unique and violent experience on Wii that would be fun and attractive, and according to most of the fans and reviewers they succeeded in doing so.
Infinite Space
Next up was Infinite Space. A collaboration between Nude Maker and PlatinumGames for Nintendo DS. Infinite Space was a sci-fi RPG with spaceship simulation elements. The game was a mixture of 2D and 3D graphics and featured an amazing story with great characters. The game was praised by fans and reviewers for its epic story and the games fun battles. The game was even compared with Mass Effect series in terms of being a good space opera.
Bayonetta
Another masterpiece by Hideki Kamiya. Words cannot even begin to describe how crazy this game is. From the first second to the last one. Kamiya decided to get back to the character action (or Hack and Slash, or whatever you call it) world and push the genre forward. Bayonetta, the Umbran witch, wakes up from a 500 year sleep, not knowing who she is and looking for the truth about her past. As she continues her journey, she meets up with Jeanne, a woman who appears to know about Bayonettas past. The amazing, fast paced, insane and over the top gameplay of Bayonetta blew fans and reviewers away. Mechanics like Dodge Offset and Witch Time and tons of unlockable content made Bayonettas gameplay a timeless masterpiece. The crazy character and environment design completed the over the top package that was Bayonetta. Although according to Platinum the game didnt sell as much as they hoped, the game was somewhat a commercial success. Bayonetta quickly maintained a cult following among the action fans.
Vanquish
Mikami being crazy again. Vanquish was a third person shooter which was NOT a cover shooter, but a forget-the-cover-and-fight-the-enemies-face-to-face shooter. Vanquish was highly inspired by the anime show Casshern. Both in graphic style and gameplay. The team wanted the game to have the Casshern feeling of speed. The story was about Sam Gaiden, a DARPA agent who was armed with an Augmented Reaction Suit, a suit which had features beyond awesomeness. AR suit had rocket boosters on its knees, could form Sams weapons into different shaped and abilities and could also slow down time. Vanquish had a unique gameplay. There was no traditional upgrade whatsoever, the more you played better the more powerful you became. Upgrades were gained by collecting bullets and upgrade boxes, but was lost in the beginning of every mission. The gameplay was fun and fast and was praised by fans and reviewers. Vanquish was the first and the last game by Mikami in PlatinumGames.
Anarchy Reigns
Anarchy Reigns was some kind of spiritual successor to MadWorld. Directed by Masaki Yamanaka, Anarchy Reigns was a brawler more focused on multiplayer. In fact the game was the first Platinum game to feature a multiplayer mode (it had single player mode, too). The story was about Jack, the protagonist from MadWorld, and his new adventures with new people such as Sasha Ivanoff, Leonhardt Victorion and The Blacker Baron. AR featured multiple multiplayer modes such as Battle Royale, Capture the Flag, Tag Team, Survival and Death Match.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was a MGS spin off starring Raiden which first was revealed in E3 2010 as Metal Gear Solid: Rising, but after spending nearly two years in development hell, was handed to Platinum by Kojima and re-revealed in VGA 2011. Directed by Kenji Saito, Rising was a lightning-fast action game which focused on slicing enemies up with a technique called Zandatsu (meaning cut and take in Japanese). Rising shared similarities with both Bayonetta and Vanquish, but came out completely different. The parry and the unique combo system made the game to be something new in the character action genre. The soundtrack also was beyond awesomeness. Fans and reviewers both praised the game and there has been talks around the corner about the sequel.
The Wonderful 101
The next game by Platinum was another superhero action by Kamiya. TW101 was about a group of superheroes by the same name who wanted to save the earth and defeat aliens. With an isometric camera, in TW101 players control a group of heroes instead of just one. The heroes can turn into different weapon and objects called Unite Morphs. TW101 was continuation of Kamiyas love for Super-sentai super heroes which he previously showed by Viewtiul Joe. In fact, the game is considered to be a spiritual successor to VJ by many fans.
Bayonetta 2
The sequel to Bayonetta, directed by Yusuke Hashimoto. The game continues the story of Bayonetta and her friends where her contract with demons is broken and she should face with the consequences. Less is known about the story or gameplay other than new weapons and a new ability called Umbran Climax which lets Bayonetta to turn all her moves into a Wicked Weave for a short amount of time and some new characters. Hopefully we will know more about the game in the future.
Scalebound
Hideki Kamiya's next game. A game about dragons! Exclusively for Xbox One.
The Legend of Korra
A game based on the TV show The Legend of Korra. Published by Activision.
Twitter:
PlatinumGames official Twitter account
Tatsuya Minami (CEO)
Atsushi Inaba
Hideki Kamiya (check his log before asking anything or hell fucking block you)
JP Kellams (he also has a GAF account)
Yusuke Hashimoto
Kenji Saito
Masaki Yamanaka
Mari Shimazaki (Not a Platinum staff atm, Bayonetta character designer)
Facebook:
Official Facebook page
Official Websites:
Platinumgames.com (English)
Platinumgames.co.jp (Japanese)
Media
Metal Gear rising: Rvengeance Documentary Part 1
Metal Gear rising: Rvengeance Documentary Part 2
Bayonetta Developer Commentary (Full)
Platinum Concept Movie
PlatinumGames iTunes page
