Earlier this week, Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya said, in a reply to a Twitter question that asked if Bayonetta 2 was on the horizon, “This week… in a game magazine….” The possibility that the leggy gun-toter would return for another over-the-top shooting romp got the already easily excitable internet into a tizzy–a tizzy that Atsushi Inaba squashed by tweeting ”There is no such announcement!” As I and video game journalists ponder which statement is truthful and with is a troll, all I can say is this: “No Bayonetta 2, please.”
I love a quality sequel as much as the next chap. After all, without follow ups, we would’ve been denied classic titles such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, Starcraft 2, and a slew of industry-changers and fan favorites. Certainly intrigue and innovation can appear in a sequel–those three mention titles prove that–but returning to the well can also stymie forward motion. Consider any game that comes out on an annual basis as proof of this. Even SNK Playmore had to pull the plug on my beloved King of Fighters‘ annual update.
And that’s exactly what I don’t want to see happen with Platinum Games. Dating back to when the core members (Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya) were the heart of Capcom’s Clover Studios, the company has delivered excellent titles. Check the track record: Okami, Viewtiful Joe, God Hand, Mad World, Bayonetta, Infinite Space, Vanquish, and the upcoming Power Stone-like multiplayer beat ‘em up, Anarchy Reigns. Platinum Games is a company that takes chances.
Platinum Games has quickly emerged as Treasure’s successor, unleashing a string of critically praised, hardcore titles that manage to distinguish themselves from the overabundance of “me too” games. Platinum Games doesn’t cater to the mainstream audience by churning out an annual shooter or sports game; instead, its titles are radically different from one another even when they are in the same genre. Take God Hand and Viewtiful Joe, for example. The former is an absolutely insane 3D beat ‘em up with some of the most incredible moves seen in a brawler, while the latter is a 2D side-scrolling game with excellent time-control powers that enable equally bad ass attacks.
This is why I don’t want a Bayonetta 2. I’d rather Platinum Games focus on creating new and exciting IPs. In an era where’s the word “innovative” laces press releases as thoroughly as the word “the”, Platinum Games catalog has been quite refreshing.
I hope it stays that way.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson’s love of all things shiny/digital has lead to jobs penning gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for E-Gear, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, PC Magazine, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. Besides overseeing the editorial content at 2D-X.com, the Brooklyn College grad hosts New York City’s monthly Bits and Bytes video game media and public relations meetup. You can find him at a bar sampling foreign beers, or on Twitter doing twittery things.
