Dude, I'm confused. I've been looking forward to the PS2 God Hand for some time now. It's currently at the top of my Gamefly queue followed by Okami and Saints Row. So the news that the company behind the first two games is out of business and about to be liquidated kinda made me say WTF?!?!
To say that I was caught a little off guard would be an understatement of epic proportions. When I read about it earlier today I bit my tongue, literally. I was chewing gum and was so floored I lost my chewing rhythm, missed the gum, and bit my tongue. This added to me puzzlement and anger.
As you may [or may not] know, Clover Studios are the mad men and women behind Okami, God Hand, and Viewtiful Joe. If you haven't played any of these games, you've done yourself a disservice. I have yet to play the full versions of Okami or God Hand but I have played a demo of Okami and both of the Viewtiful Joe games. These games are unique. Within the first few moments of playing them you understand by instinct alone that these are the brain children of some creative ass people. Search the interweb for any of these titles or hit up the IGN website and look them up. You won't find any negative things being said about these titles. [Except for God Hand which gets dismissed for being a simple brawler that pokes fun at itself]. So why close up the Clover Studios shop on us Capcom?
I guess it's the same answer as always: creative does not always equal profit while missed profits always equal termination. It turns out that Capcom [Clover is a subsidiary of Capcom] has decided that although Clover Studios was productive, evidently they were not lucrative [enough]to continue on. While Viewtiful Joe is fun and interesting, it mostly has a cult following much like "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "The Blair Witch Project" films, and if you remember, it was a long time after the RHPS movie came out and BOMBED before it became a cult classic. In the game industry, the present is all you have to make a great impression, good doesn't cut it any more... do blockbuster sales, or go home. The more I write this, the more I ask myself why am I surprised at this turn of events.
One of my favorite games top play is a game called Ico. Don't feel bad, if you don't know it... many gamers have never played or heard of this game. In this game, you play a boy who is born with horns on his head. These horns are a sign that you are to be sacrificed to ward off evil spirits from your village. People from your village take you to the sacrifice sanctuary and entomb you, but you manage to get out. You meet a girl in white, who doesn't speak your language, [ain't that always the way?] find a stick, and try to escape from the evil shadow spirits inhabiting the castle. What is intriguing about Ico is it's sense of style and atmosphere. The environments are carefully detailed and grand. The mechanic of having to call out to your female companion in order to lift her to high areas or catch her when traversing great distances was, IMHO, ingenious, but very few people were interested in the game. No one knew how to market it over here, so few people ever heard of it. But those that did, loved it. The loved it so much that the fine folks that created Ico got a second chance and produced a game you probably heard of called Shadow of the Colossus. I am almost sure that the reason Shadow existed was because the fans of Ico were so vocal about their feelings for the game as well as all of the glowing reviews critics gave the game and it's design team.
Clover Studios sure wasn't lacking on praise for Okami nor was Viewtiful Joe a disaster, but I don't think either game has the kind of niche that Ico did, and that's why the panning that God Hand has been getting I think fueled the impending dissolution of the company. I think this is a mistake. As a creative person myself, I hate it whenever something creative gets rubbed out because the profit side of the deal was decent as opposed to being spectacular. Personally, I find it short-sighted to scrap a game, or developer studio because the titles they create do appease the large chunk of the gamer market. The market is diverse: give your audience time to find you and love you. You would be amazed by the length a devoted series fan will go to in order to show their support for the title, but you have to have the ability to accept "good" or "decent" sales in return for the loyalty. Many companies I think ask, "Why spend the time and resources to reach only this part of the market?" Simple, because that part of the market exists and NEEDS to be serviced. In all honesty, how many "flagship" titles can any company have or really need?
I guess I have to just find some solace in the fact that the Clover Studio folks might just turn around and start their own company and continue being creative. I hope they do... I'll be waiting.
To say that I was caught a little off guard would be an understatement of epic proportions. When I read about it earlier today I bit my tongue, literally. I was chewing gum and was so floored I lost my chewing rhythm, missed the gum, and bit my tongue. This added to me puzzlement and anger. As you may [or may not] know, Clover Studios are the mad men and women behind Okami, God Hand, and Viewtiful Joe. If you haven't played any of these games, you've done yourself a disservice. I have yet to play the full versions of Okami or God Hand but I have played a demo of Okami and both of the Viewtiful Joe games. These games are unique. Within the first few moments of playing them you understand by instinct alone that these are the brain children of some creative ass people. Search the interweb for any of these titles or hit up the IGN website and look them up. You won't find any negative things being said about these titles. [Except for God Hand which gets dismissed for being a simple brawler that pokes fun at itself]. So why close up the Clover Studios shop on us Capcom?I guess it's the same answer as always: creative does not always equal profit while missed profits always equal termination. It turns out that Capcom [Clover is a subsidiary of Capcom] has decided that although Clover Studios was productive, evidently they were not lucrative [enough]to continue on. While Viewtiful Joe is fun and interesting, it mostly has a cult following much like "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "The Blair Witch Project" films, and if you remember, it was a long time after the RHPS movie came out and BOMBED before it became a cult classic. In the game industry, the present is all you have to make a great impression, good doesn't cut it any more... do blockbuster sales, or go home. The more I write this, the more I ask myself why am I surprised at this turn of events.
One of my favorite games top play is a game called Ico. Don't feel bad, if you don't know it... many gamers have never played or heard of this game. In this game, you play a boy who is born with horns on his head. These horns are a sign that you are to be sacrificed to ward off evil spirits from your village. People from your village take you to the sacrifice sanctuary and entomb you, but you manage to get out. You meet a girl in white, who doesn't speak your language, [ain't that always the way?] find a stick, and try to escape from the evil shadow spirits inhabiting the castle. What is intriguing about Ico is it's sense of style and atmosphere. The environments are carefully detailed and grand. The mechanic of having to call out to your female companion in order to lift her to high areas or catch her when traversing great distances was, IMHO, ingenious, but very few people were interested in the game. No one knew how to market it over here, so few people ever heard of it. But those that did, loved it. The loved it so much that the fine folks that created Ico got a second chance and produced a game you probably heard of called Shadow of the Colossus. I am almost sure that the reason Shadow existed was because the fans of Ico were so vocal about their feelings for the game as well as all of the glowing reviews critics gave the game and it's design team.
Clover Studios sure wasn't lacking on praise for Okami nor was Viewtiful Joe a disaster, but I don't think either game has the kind of niche that Ico did, and that's why the panning that God Hand has been getting I think fueled the impending dissolution of the company. I think this is a mistake. As a creative person myself, I hate it whenever something creative gets rubbed out because the profit side of the deal was decent as opposed to being spectacular. Personally, I find it short-sighted to scrap a game, or developer studio because the titles they create do appease the large chunk of the gamer market. The market is diverse: give your audience time to find you and love you. You would be amazed by the length a devoted series fan will go to in order to show their support for the title, but you have to have the ability to accept "good" or "decent" sales in return for the loyalty. Many companies I think ask, "Why spend the time and resources to reach only this part of the market?" Simple, because that part of the market exists and NEEDS to be serviced. In all honesty, how many "flagship" titles can any company have or really need?
I guess I have to just find some solace in the fact that the Clover Studio folks might just turn around and start their own company and continue being creative. I hope they do... I'll be waiting.
Labels: Capcom, Games, Movie, Ninjasistah, PlayStation, PS2
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