The Platinum Problem

I have three games that I considered the absolute cream of the crop of this generation. They couldn’t be more different in terms of genre and gameplay, but they all share one blissfully simple trait – control. Dark Souls is a gruelling adventure that’s completely dictated by how you develop your character. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is stealth at its most intense, giving you the final say on every aspect of the game.  And XCOM: Enemy Unknown? You decide everything from how a battle plays out to where you place your sick bay.

Even my current front-runner for Game of the Year, Soul Sacrifice, is all about handing the game's direction over to you.

In my heart of hearts I know that somewhere amidst this list there should be a Platinum game. The team comes from the exact same school of thought as the games mentioned above. Sure, the bulk of the studio’s portfolio consists of linear action adventures, but each one features a combat system tuned to a liberating degree of finesse. Within each system is the opportunity to learn, expand and master countless sets of combos and intricacies. The result is usually something that lets you squeeze the very top level of performance out of every fight, given the necessary dedication.  

 Everyone agrees that no one makes an action game like Platinum does.

And yet, I have no Platinum game to call my own. In 2013 they’ve released a sublime spin-off to one of my most cherished gaming franchises, and the most charming, literally wonderful tribute to Saturday morning cartoons and comic books. You’d think it was a match made in heaven.

But instead, Metal Gear Rising, while enjoyable, remains the only game in the entire franchise (warts and all) that I haven’t beaten twice. Every time I manage to psyche myself up to play The Wonderful 101, I usually leave about 20 minutes later, deflated and a bit bored. That stings even more than Rising, as I always felt 101 had the potential to be my favourite game of the year.

The trouble is I blame myself, and I don’t know if I should. I know that Metal Gear is a technically accomplished brawler, but I just can’t come to master it like I have Ninja Gaiden. I want to be perfect, because I know this is the sort of game that can be played flawlessly with the right train of thought. It makes every slip up all the more demoralising. The same goes for W101, although the sheer insanity of everything that’s happening on screen has me convinced I’d have to hook my brain up to a super computer to process and react to everything that’s happening.

Admittedly, I’m pushing the incredible Vanquish to the back of my mind here. It’s easily my most-played/loved Platinum title, but I can’t help but think that the genre alone makes it simpler and thus less-rewarding than the likes of Bayonetta and Rising have the potential to be.

Maybe I’m over-thinking it; W101 is so finely polished you can practically see yourself in the screen, but it’s also incredibly inaccessible. The frustration comes from the fact that there are people out there who master these games with ease, some of them are good friends of mine, and it makes me question if I’m right to mark it down for my personal barriers.

I suppose that’s what I’m really getting at here. I’m a good gamer, I get pretty good at almost everything I play. But when a game gives me such an information overload that I can’t keep up with it while others can… should I be looking to blame said game? It’s almost like my gaming equivalent of an insecurity, and it certainly doesn’t help that Hideki Kamiya’s tweets usually reinforce the idea that I’m just not up to snuff for his games. It makes you feel honour that reviewers couldn’t handle W101? Oh… uh… good.

Perhaps there’s a Platnium game on the horizon that strikes the perfect balance. I’m not talking about a dumbing down of any sort – that would be the last thing I’d want to see – but perhaps something that doesn’t start with…

OH HERE’S THIS GIANT NUKE-FIRING MECH AND YOU’VE GOT TO BEAT IT CAUSE YOU’RE ALREADY AWESOME BUT OH WAIT NO YOU MESSED UP AGAIN.

Or.

THIS TRAIN IS CRASHING AND YOU’VE GOT TO DRAW THIS BECAUSE YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO RUN AND JUMP RIGHT AND OKAY NEVERMIND A LEARNING CURVE HERE WE GO WOOOOO.

To have a Platinum title join my list of all-time favourites would be something of a dream, because I’d love to know that I’d explored at least one of their titles to the very depths of what it offers. Here’s hoping that such a game is on the horizon.