At the end of the last generation, the gaming industry was in a different shape. Between first- and third-person shooters, racers, and sports titles, there were platformers. On PlayStation 2, the genre was led by three all-star development teams: Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, and Sucker Punch. A generation later, the genre is near-enough dead, but not all has changed: those three developers that brought the genre to life years ago are still here. For better and for worse, however, their output is not what it once was.
Insomniac Games was undoubtedly progressive in the PlayStation 2 era. Ratchet & Clank, its only PS2 franchise, performed the impressive feat of introducing gunplay while maintaining a Pixar-esque vibe. Indeed, Pixar is the most common reference point for the games, but perhaps Dreamworks is more appropriate–the Ratchet & Clank franchise contains an amount of pop-culture references and adult humour comparable to the Shrek films. It is this delicate balancing act that has kept the series popular throughout PS3’s lifecycle, at a time when many of its competitors have vanished.
The Ratchet & Clank developer was the first of the PS2 platformer trinity to put a game on PS3, releasing Resistance: Fall of Man as a launch title. Focused on a world-devastating alien invasion, Resistance proved much darker and adult-geared than the developer’s past titles. Gameplay-wise, it hearkened back to Ratchet & Clank, with the creative guns now a hallmark of Insomniac’s games. However, it has been regarded as generic, and the first two games feel a bit half-hearted compared to an excellent, unique shooter such as Half-Life 2. That said, Resistance 3 took a step forward by providing a genuinely exciting experience, rather than just another solid shooter.
Insomniac continued Ratchet & Clank with three new installments, but wanted to end the new console generation with something fresh. “One of the aspects of building franchises, and sticking with them for a long time is that even the team can get franchise fatigue,” said Insomniac CEO Ted Price in an interview with GamesRadar. Hence came multi-platform title Overstrike. It had action, wit, and a sprinkling of camp. However, a redesign brought a more serious tone, more realistic character design, and a new title: Fuse.
The move from fun platforming to serious action has been a bumpy ride. The Resistance series hasn’t had universal praise, and Fuse was somewhat poorly received across the board, including here at PSU. Even Ratchet & Clank suffered some brand damage, with the widely disliked multiplayer-focused installments by Insomniac’s secondary studio. However, the Ratchet & Clank games released by Insomniac’s primary studio–Tools of Destruction and Crack in Time–have continued to receive near-universal praise. The evidence suggests that keeping a franchise in the hands of its lead development team generally has a positive effect.
Sucker Punch has had a much smoother trajectory. On PS2, its Sly Cooper trilogy was very well received, but Sly has always remained overshadowed in terms of sales in favor of the more famous PlayStation mascots Jak and Ratchet. We have argued that Sucker Punch is underrated. The greatest strength of its Sly Cooper trilogy was the strong, likable characters and fun gameplay, features which made the developer a reliable underdog.
At the turn of the generation was an interesting leap away from Sly’s stealthy platforming to superhero action series inFAMOUS, although it’s not hard to see that the same team is behind both. The series share similar mechanics and comic-book elements. inFAMOUS’ comic book roots are much more distinct, and it suggests personal passion went into the games. It’s a shame, then, that the gameplay can become repetitive. Superpowers should allow for great freedom, but instead the world is too open for its own good, and the emphasis on destruction makes for a lack of variety.
Despite the weaknesses in inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2, both were well-received, leading to inFAMOUS: Second Son becoming one of PlayStation 4’s headline games. Clearly, inFAMOUS has won the hearts and minds of Sony and its customers alike, and Sucker Punch are no longer underdogs. It looks like it will remain that way moving into the next generation, as previews for the game have been positive, albeit negative towards the generic protagonist.
The reason Naughty Dog has been left until last is because they have dominated this generation. They haven’t just dominated these direct competitors, but have critically proved themselves against the most famous of franchises on PS3.
The groundwork for Naughty Dog’s success this generation was laid by the popular Jak & Daxter trilogy on PlayStation 2–more so than their blockbusting Crash Bandicoot games. It proved a midway point between the family fun they provided on PlayStation, and the gritty realism regularly paraded about on PlayStation 3. In the latter games of the trilogy, the elf-like eponymous Jak was gun-toting and angry, but Naughty Dog managed to maintain the sense of adventure that is expected of 3D platforming games.
Balance was an essential skill to bring to the Uncharted trilogy. It is visually realistic, but the atmosphere and story are pulpy adventures in the vein of Indiana Jones. It was therefore essential to have a tone that managed to include comedy, the absurb, and serious emotions without an overindulgence in any single area. Naughty Dog managed to nail it in that respect. Thankfully, the gameplay has lived up to its strong storytelling.
Their already-positive reputation received a further boost with the release of post-apocalyptic zombie tale The Last of Us earlier this year, which was lauded for its story, characters, and gameplay. It proved the caliber of the development team, as tonally, it is removed from anything that they have previously released and yet maintained the heart and emotion that Naughty Dog fans are familiar with.
It is difficult to know whether it is appropriate to refer to these companies as a triumvirate any longer. They share historical roots, but Naughty Dog is arguably such a cut above that it stands on its own, not just in comparison to Insomniac and Sucker Punch, but most developers of AAA titles. The problem with the latter two developers is that they have brought themselves in line with the mainstream, failing to continue their trends of innovation and creativity. Hopefully, the next generation will be defined not by one of these developers, but by all three.
What are you thoughts on these developers’ current-generation output? What do you think the next generation will bring for them? Disagree with my thoughts? Let me know in the comments section below.