Platinum games have developed Mad World (Wii), Bayonetta(PS3/Xbox 360), Infinite Space(DS) and their upcoming game Vanquish(PS3, Xbox 360). I have played all of these games and the demo of Vanquish except Infinite Space, which I have yet to pick up since I keep on forgetting about it. Each game is unique in their own way, and over the top which contributes to how enjoyable they are.Mad World is very violent, gory and is a very over the top 3rd person beat em' up. The setting is in a Gladiator esque TV show and while you are playing it there are shout casters commenting on what you are doing in game. Its really quite funny, in a dark sort of way... Oh and I forgot, the entire game is in black, white, and red. It gives it an unique and stylized look for a Wii game.
Bayonetta on the other hand, is a third person action adventure game with EVEN MORE over the top violence. You play as a Witch that has forgotten her past and is on a rampage against the heavens... I haven't watched the cut scenes in awhile, but its extremely ridiculous but I love it... This game is very easy to pick up and put down every once and awhile, and I tend to play it when I'm tired of RPGs.
Vanquish is a cover based shooter much like Gears of War, but 10x better because its much more fast paced, and enjoyable all around. You can do many more things in a 10 minute window than Gears of War, due to how ridiculous the action is. You can slide across the ground, shoot people while you are sliding (it goes in to slow-mo while you are doing this), get in to cover shoot some enemies, slide out, do a melee attack that launches you in the air, and WHILE in the air you can shoot people before you fall to the ground... It's satisfying...
Now, their previous company name was Clover Studios. They produced fine games even then, consisting of God Hand ( PS2), Okami (PS2), and the Viewtiful Joe Series which were all good in their own way. Although, Okami is the one game i am going to focus o.
Okami is a third person adventure game that is very reminiscent of the 3-d Zelda games. The protagonist is the Japanese god Amaterasu whose avatar in this game is a white wolf. She is summoned by a forest spirit due to the release of the terrible Orochi, whom Amaterasu defeated 100 years ago with a famed Swordsman named Nagi. The only problem is that the wolf is not whole, and does not have all of her powers... So along the story you slowly receive more and more powers that help you get through the game.
Game Play:
The game is very similar to the 3-d Zelda games, you go through dungeons, receive new brush techniques (tools) and utilize them to get through the dungeon and defeat the enemies. Using brush techniques slows the game play down a bit since you have to hold R1, then paint which ability you want to use, release and see the action. You do not need to use these abilities mid-battle but they make them go by much more quickly, unless you just want to sit there and bash the square button the entire time.
The puzzles are actually well implemented, and are quite simple but easy to over think them per se. There seems to be multiple ways to solve it after looking over the environment, like in one situation is seemed that you could control wind and topple this giant kettle over to melt ice to get through, but instead you receive a new ability to control fire and melt it to continue onwards.
Amaterasu has many weapons at her disposal, being able to wield rosary beads, giant swords, and a disk that floats over her back. You are able to use each one as a main, or sub weapon and have different purposes when they are wielded either way.
Graphics:
The games graphics are gorgeous, they use cel shading effects but they look brushed rather than the normal cel shading. The entire game is done in this style and make it much more unique and over all, much more breath taking. This game is 4 years old and it still has really good graphics, it even looks good on a HD TV; its quite astonishing... The backdrops, the foliage, the character models, everything is done in this paint style and is always a joy to look at. More recent video games should be like this, rather than being dark, boring, and very drab per se. The graphics of this game actually inspired Street Fighter 4, which is obvious and quite impressive.
Conclusion:
The game so far is excellent, and worth seeking out. The game is creative, and gives the Zelda game play style a breath of fresh air, as it is different enough to make it feel new again with a few switch ups in game mechanics. Plus, it does not have that annoying fairy... Rather it has a more comical and loving fairy; Issun.
picture references
http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/01/01/platinum-games-perplexing-countdown/
http://videolamer.com/unlocking-okami
http://www.trustedreviews.com/video-games/review/2007/02/07/Okami/p1
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