Evil Avatar: Time to smoke cigarettes and Russian robots.
Vanquish comes to you by way of Platinum Games. Captains of cool, alternative Japanese videogame products, their most recent titles include MadWorld, the ultra-violent Wii combat game, and Bayonetta, sexy witch alternative to Devil May Cry. The former is still in shrink-wrap, my copy sitting abandoned in a drawer. The latter is one of my favorite games in recent times - a heady trip through constant stimulation, variety and an exciting combat system. Regardless of my opinion on those titles, both have a distinctly Eastern flavor. Vanquish wears its inspiration on its armour covered sleeve - calling on Gears of War and its army of diligent, cover-based followers. Now Gears is just about the most American thing in gaming, so as a starting point for a wild mix of Japanese craziness it seemed like an odd choice.
TNS: Hideki Kamiya recently hosted a reunion and drinking party with former Bayonetta devs, confirming even more PlatinumGames resignations.
Platinum Games faces a talent drain as five senior developers, including directors behind Astral Chain and Bayonetta 3, reportedly leave the studio.
Even if they buy them, they'd be buying a shell of a studio at this point. Almost everyone that mattered to the studio is gone.
Never a good sign. They lost Hideki Kamiya, which was arguably the top tier of their talent list. So, seeing this is like the writing on the wall. They got Ninja Gaiden 4 coming, so hopefully that’ll deliver and keep them going.
Richard Bailey Jr. of The Koalition writes: 2024 was a special year for new game announcements and reveals across various broadcast industry events. From the official return of the Virtua Fighter series to the revival of several Capcom franchises like Onimusha, there is no doubt that the future looks bright. With this in mind, I wanted to put together a quick list of a few game reveals I fully expect to be announced within the next 12 months of this calendar year.
I would love it if Capcom would throw a curve ball shock everybody with a Dino Crisis remake. I would day one the game if it came true.
5. Resident Evil 9
4. The Next Final Fight (Street Fighter)
3. Housemarque’s Next Game (They made Returnal)
2. Horizon Forbidden West Sequel
1. Half-Life 3
