This month marks PlatinumGames’ 10th Anniversary. Created by former Capcom developers, the company was established on 1 August 2006 in Japan. As one would imagine, it took years for them to produce an actual product, but in 2009 they shipped three games and they’ve been cranking them out ever since.
MadWorld was PlatinumGames’ first release. Launching first in Japan on 10 February 2009 for the Wii, it features stylised black and white art, similar to that of Manga. It’s kind of like The Hunger Games wherein participants battle it out for victory in a destroyed city in order to entertain the media. That’s actually more of the basis for Running Man, but I digress. By and large it’s a brawler.
Infinite Space debuted first in Japan on 11 June 2009 for the DS. Essentially it’s like Star Trek, but as a turn-based RPG; rather than characters duking it out for victory, players instead man a ship and fight other space crafts in the process.
Bayonetta released first in Japan on 29 October 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. More or less a spiritual successor to Devil May Cry, the protagonist is Bayonetta, a time witch suffering from amnesia who must travel to stop angels from destroying the world. She uses her hair magic and dozens of guns to rain hell on heaven. Slick action, a goofy story, and plenty of extras made Bayonetta their first real hit.
Vanquish launched first in the U.S. on 19 October 2009 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The story is just is dumb and blissfully over-the-top as Bayonetta, but it put a twist on robots and the whole space marine oversaturation during this period. Despite the run and gun action Vanquish offered with its bullet time, robotic suit, and waves of colossi enemies, it sold poorly. Not hard to decode why there’s still no sequel.
Anarchy Reigns debuted first in Japan on 5 July 2012 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Contrary to the name, it’s actually a sequel to MadWorld, though PlatinumGames threw out the Manga style for a more realistic approach. It’s still a brawler, but a more sluggish one. The only innovative thing about Anarchy Reigns was the implementation of the online multiplayer that was in the same genre, where most multiplayer modes attached to a game were based on shooting at the time.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance began with a bit of troubled development after it was originally announced during E3 2009 under the name of Metal Gear Solid: Rising. The actual game takes place four years after Metal Gear Solid 4, but the original scope from the Konami team was to set the game between the second and fourth entry. Due to setbacks, Konami sought a partnership with PlatinumGames to help finalise the project in 2011. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance released first in the U.S. on 19 February 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
The Wonderful 101 launched first in Europe on 23 August 2013. It’s reminiscent of Capcom’s Viewtiful Joe, which a lot of PlatinumGames’ members had a hand in. The Wonderful 101 is about a team of Power Rangers-esque super heroes having to unite with ordinary citizens in order to conquer an evil entity. In this regard, it’s also very similar to Nintendo’s Pikmin series.
Bayonetta 2 debuted first in Japan on 20 September 2014 for the Wii U. It’s technically PlatinumGames’ second sequel, but first by name alone. Thanks to Nintendo, they were able to fund it along with some help from Sega. It’s very similar to the first game albeit more polished. Early editions of the game came with a Wii U port of the originally Bayonette with new additions including Nintendo themed costumes.
The Legend of Korra released globally on 21 October 2014 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It’s based off of Nickelodeon’s second series of Avatar shows, following the pursuits of Korra, a water bender. It began PlatinumGames’ partnership with Activision to develop games on licensed-based properties they owned the rights to. Other than being a brawler with cel-shading, there’s not much flair to it.
Transformers: Devastation launched first in the U.S. on 6 October 2015 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It’s been dubbed the “Bayonetta of Transformers“, and that description isn’t far off. Unlike Korra however, everything about the game feels more planned out; it’s not spectacular, but it does have an art to it.
Star Fox Zero debuted first in Japan on 21 April 2016 for the Wii U. PlatinumGames’ involvement is due to their performance in Bayonetta 2’s shooter level, which in itself was homage to Star Fox classics. Aside from a publishing standpoint, this was the company’s first true collaboration with another group in terms of pure development. They also worked on the pack-in game, Star Fox Guard.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan released globally on 24 May 2016 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It’s a brawler similar to the Transformers and Korra games and is PlatinumGames’ first four-player co-op title. This is their most current game on shelves.
Currently, Platinum have two other games currently in development: Scalebound for the PC and Xbox One and Nier: Automata for PlayStation 4. Both games are expected to release sometime in 2017. I have a lot more to say on PlatinumGames so if you want some actual opinions to go with my burst of facts then again, check out the supporting video.
Happy 10th Anniversary PlatinumGames!
