Insomniac Games will always hold a special place in the hearts of veteran PlayStation players.
This is the team that brought you the lovable and acclaimed Spyro the Dragon IP in the PS1 era, the widely revered Ratchet & Clank franchise during the PS2 era, and the excellent (and very much under-appreciated) Resistance franchise in the PS3 era. Now, they’re working on a very promising new title: Sunset Overdrive. But this one is exclusive to the enemy (aka, Microsoft’s Xbox One).
We don’t need to know the reasons behind this little switcheroo; we just want Insomniac to come back. At the very least, make games for both sides; go multiplatform, but don’t leave us entirely!
I don’t care what anyone says, Resistance was a TOP-TIER FPS franchise
…and one of my all-time favorites. I don’t really care as much about multiplayer, which I know doesn’t make any sense in the FPS world today. But there was a time in this industry when many shooters boasted amazing campaigns, and Resistance always delivered on this front. The original was hands-down the best game of the PS3 launch (and far better than anything the Xbox 360 or Wii launched with, too). The sequel was wildly under-appreciated (and introduced 60-player multiplayer action for the console), and Resistance 3 was just plain great.
I still say the latter title featured the single best arsenal of any shooter I’ve ever played. Insomniac’s endless inventiveness on the weapon front can be seen in just about every game they’ve made, and that includes the Ratchet & Clank franchise. One could argue that Resistance 3 felt like a step back, but I don’t buy that analysis at all. As for R&C, it went off the beaten path with a few experimental installments but aside from that, Ratchet will always be Ratchet.
Fuse didn’t perform as well as anticipated, but don’t forget about good ol’ Spyro!
Sony has the best first-party studios in the world…it’s less impressive without Insomniac, though
Insomniac was a staple of the PlayStation family, as far as I’m concerned. They’ve been every bit as important as Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, etc. I know they’re independent, and I get that. They can go make games for whomever they wish. But why would they eliminate fans of 15 years and more by going to the Xbox side with Sunset Overdrive? I don’t resent the move; I’m sure the studio had their reasons. I just hope Insomniac hasn’t jumped ship entirely. I want them to eventually make games again for PlayStation platforms because without Insomniac, PlayStation feels just a little…light.
I wouldn’t mind hearing about the studio’s future plans, although I imagine they’re not willing to talk about it yet. They may not even know right now. I think a lot will hinge on the performance of Sunset Overdrive; Microsoft is an extremely results-oriented company, and if that game doesn’t sell too well, they might not have as much interest in securing exclusive rights for another Insomniac game. We’ll have to see how that goes, I guess.
Published: Aug 31, 2014 05:10 pm