Support NeoGAF

[Bartski]

Yep

 

[yurinka]

IMO they stopped being it in the moment they decided to go too woke get rid of their iconic male protagonists of Uncharted and TLOU in Lost Legacy and TLOU2.

SSM, Guerrilla, Insomniac, Sucker Punch, Bend and Team Asobi/Japan Studio gave more more fun than Lost Legacy and TLOU2 in their recent games even if some of them weren't as good as ND in the visual tech side.

For me it's ok to have females (I'm ok with lesbians too btw, and don't need to be hot chicks with huge boobs but I want them to be likable and very charismatic, which is not the case of Abby, Chloe-outside U2-, Nadine, Rivet or Selene) as main characters and my favorite main character of the last generation was Kat from Gravity Rush, but I think Sony has to get rid of the woke stuff and see that there is nothing wrong at having white male protagonists and that there is no need to remove Nate and Joel, include a female Ratchet or turn Kratos into a pussy teddy bear.

I think it's ok to have the political/religious beliefs and views they may have, but that they should keep them and the related activism, parroting etc. out of their blockbusters because it's better to make them more open and likeable by anybody. And I say that being as someone leftie, LGBT friendly, antiracist and antifascist (but that doesn't like the recent woke/white signaling/cancel culture poser trend).

 

[Lupin25]

Thread needs a poll.

Yes they are. Insomniac appears more efficient…
But R&C: Rift Apart and Miles Morales combined are shorter than TLOU2 alone in playtime.
Spider-Man came out a year after
UC: Lost Legacy, so personally, I’d say they are equally productive.
I like Insomniac, but neither of those games are better than ND’s last two so..

Naughty Dog it is. (w Bungie/SSM #2)

 

[93xfan]

Don’t understand the logic behind attributing movies and TV shows to a video game studio that had nothing to do with either. At least tlou has Neil as showrunner though that’s pretty much where the studio involvement ends. They need to be judged by their video games and games alone.

There was a thread here last year around the same time gow ragnorak was reviewed and most picked ssm over ND. Then the game came out and it was clearly overrated by the critics and all ssm have proven is that they are no naughty dog when it comes to ambitious storytelling and pushing boundaries in both graphics and combat. So yes, ND is their best studio right now. Tlou remake notwithstanding.

But have you seen their website? They have one of the best websites. And then there’s some really good fan art. So best studio, right?

 

[Tomofdahook17]

Naughty Dog remains my favorite studio but for now Insomniac is Sony's best studio.
That is first based on their output for new-gen but they also championing game-changing technologies such as Raytracing, VRR and fully harness the power of PS5's SSD. I might be wrong but I believe they were first releasing games in performance RT and also 40fps in VRR. Now many studios, including Sony's, are using it.
Naughty Dog engine provide great results but they are stuck using 1440p as internal resolution.They used that for PS4 Pro but also used it for TLOU Remake for PS5. It need an update.

I mean being able to hit 1440p at a near flawless 60fps on a PS5 with their internal lighting and animation engines is really impressive.
I'll be really interested to see what they can pull off with a native PS5 single player game.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Japan Studio/Team Asobi with Bluepoint Games as a combo is my choice.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Japan Studio/Team Asobi with Bluepoint Games as a combo is my choice.

Plus Bungie

 

[wvnative]

If uncharted 3 and tlou2 is a dip, then insomniac is even further from the top lol

They get a pass, because all of their bad games were low budget spin offs that were never meant to be anything more than experiments, or the one time they signed a game with EA (lol) ALL OF THEIR AAA games are excellent, except MAYBE Resistence 2.

 

[Gambit2483]

Still going with Insomniac. They continue to consistently pump out high quality titles. Even though they have recently been relegated to "The Spider-Man studio", I'm more curious to see what they do with Wolverine than anything Naughty Dog is doing atm.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Yes - but I would wait and see with that one. While we know, based on reviews, that TLOU on HBO is a critical success, the same can’t be said for many Netflix video game adaptations. Horizon will need a considerably bigger budget to do the premise justice, and I’m not altogether sure it’ll be what fans want.

I am confident that the Amazon (God of War) show and Netflix (Horizon) show will get significant budgets.

It's Twisted Metal and Gran Turismo that have serious concerns. I have concerns about Day's Gone, Jak and Daxter, and Gravity Rush as well.

Ghost of Tsushima, I'm less concerned with too for now.

 

[remember_spinal]

I am confident that the Amazon (God of War) show and Netflix (Horizon) show will get significant budgets.

It's Twisted Metal and Gran Turismo that have serious concerns. I have concerns about Day's Gone, Jak and Daxter, and Gravity Rush as well.

Ghost of Tsushima, I'm less concerned with too for now.

Twisted Metal has some good talent behind it, but thats also a game that probably needs a good budget, even if they are going for dark comedy/satire.

The screenwriters of zombie land and Deadpool 1 & 2 are doing this, which is the perfect tone for it

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

No, Cuckman has turned them into a LOU studio.

When Insomniac isn't barfing out superhero games nonstop, they are by far the most efficient studio with the most number of high quality titles.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Really hard to say who is best right now. Insomniac for their higher number of quality content, ND for their animation and tech, Santa Monica for GoW, Guerilla for the best cross port in HFW which uses the PS5 to the fullest.

 

[bitbydeath]

I think the God of War makers are better. God of War 2018 is imo the best sony exclusive ever.

You should try Ragnarok, it’s leagues better.

 

[gow3isben]

It was now number three after Santa Monica and insomniac

 

[bitbydeath]

I’d put Insomniac, Santa Monica and Bend above them.

 

[01011001]

*worst

 

[KungFucius]

I don't know. They have a relatively low output of 2 games per gen plus an expansion. They haven't done anything different since TLoU came out other than set the precedent of creating a game that got remastered twice in a decade. Insomniac will have put out Ratchet and 1.5 Spider-Man games in the first 3 years of the PS5 compared to ND's 1 multiplayer game, plus Wolverine might drop before a proper single player ND game.

 

[remember_spinal]

I’d put Insomniac, Santa Monica and Bend above them.

 

[Represent.]

It was now number three after Santa Monica and insomniac

What on earth have any of them done to surpass Naughty Dog?

Santa Monica is a God of War machine, thats all they make. Not once have they tried to do anything else.

Insomniac, they put out games quickly. Great. TLOU 2 is longer than their past 3 games combined. And none of them have inspired any other devs.

 

[Crispy Gamer]

Naughty Dog is probably top 3 or 5 in the entire industry when their games release it's an event it feels as if the whole industry stops just to see how good their game will be. The likes of From Software, Santa Monica Studios, CD Project Red and Rockstar get the same treatment. Having said that Insomniac and SMS are still my favorite Sony Studios

 

[gow3isben]

What on earth have any of them done to surpass Naughty Dog?

Santa Monica is a God of War machine, thats all they make. Not once have they tried to do anything else.

Insomniac, they put out games quickly. Great. TLOU 2 is longer than their past 3 games combined. And none of them have inspired any other devs.

Insomniac makes more games of comparable quality and Santa Monica makes better games fam

 

[bitbydeath]

Bend created the best open world game of all-time, setting what others will hopefully follow moving forward.

 

[semiconscious]

'the best'? most profitable? very likely. most technically proficient? again, very likely...

creators of the best games? ask me that at the end of the ps3 era (uncharted trilogy, last of us), & you'd've gotten a huge 'hell, yeah!' ask me now? no. quite the contrary. after uc4, lost legacy, & tlou2, i have little to no interest in naughty dog at this point. obviously, that could change, & i'd be happy if it did, but i won't be holding my breath...

 

[Jaybe]

The best? They can’t even figure out how to add skip functionality to their forced slow walk sessions. /s but I seriously wish they would because it would make TLOU2 more fun to play a second time

 

[Represent.]

Insomniac makes more games of comparable quality and Santa Monica makes better games fam

Not even close on both fronts. I mean... Santa Monica is heavily influenced by The Last of Us - Infact, you can thank TLOU for what God of War is today. TLOU DNA is all over GOW.
Same goes for Ragnarok and TLOU 2.
And no insomniac is not making games anywhere near as ground breaking as ND. Come on my guy.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Twisted Metal has some good talent behind it, but thats also a game that probably needs a good budget, even if they are going for dark comedy/satire.

The screenwriters of zombie land and Deadpool 1 & 2 are doing this, which is the perfect tone for it

I assure you it will bomb.

 

[remember_spinal]

I assure you it will bomb.

Probably but it might still be entertaining. Can’t be much worse than halo

 

[UniformDeliverance]

I'd give the crown to Bungie. Keeping a live service alive as long as they have, with consistent success.. real pros.

 

[Represent.]

When Insomniac isn't barfing out superhero games nonstop,

Look. I love Insomniac, but its time to stop putting them on a pedastal.

When they aren't making Superhero games (IP's they don't even own, nor did they create, hello Marvel), they are making Ratchet and Clank game number 1000. Their own IP's are mostly doo doo.

Resistance was garbage, Sunset Overdrive was a massive failure.

And they are supposed to be better than Naughty Dog?

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I like Insomniac personally, Spider-Man was great, love Sunset Overdrive and I can’t wait to see what they do with Wolverine. Their games not only look nice but are fun too.

The one studio as predominantly a Xbox guy , I wish they had something very similar to.

 

[Dream-Knife]

Crash Bandicoot defined western platformers in the 32 bit era

Not really. Mario 64 was a much bigger deal.

 

[remember_spinal]

Not really. Mario 64 was a much bigger deal.

Thats why i said western

 

[Katajx]

They make pretty games, and they are good at a technical level, but they aren’t very fun to me.

Insomniac is also up there on a technical level, but their games are fun. Not just fun to look at. They also develop their games faster while maintaining a high quality.

 

[gow3isben]

Not even close on both fronts. I mean... Santa Monica is heavily influenced by The Last of Us - Infact, you can thank TLOU for what God of War is today. TLOU DNA is all over GOW.
Same goes for Ragnarok and TLOU 2.
And no insomniac is not making games anywhere near as ground breaking as ND. Come on my guy.

You are WRONG

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Look. I love Insomniac, but its time to stop putting them on a pedastal.

When they aren't making Superhero games (IP's they don't even own, nor did they create, hello Marvel), they are making Ratchet and Clank game number 1000. Their own IP's are mostly doo doo.

Resistance was garbage, Sunset Overdrive was a massive failure.

And they are supposed to be better than Naughty Dog?

Yikes....opinions and all but thats a seriously shitty hot take

 

[Gambit2483]

Look. I love Insomniac, but its time to stop putting them on a pedastal.

When they aren't making Superhero games (IP's they don't even own, nor did they create, hello Marvel), they are making Ratchet and Clank game number 1000. Their own IP's are mostly doo doo.

Resistance was garbage, Sunset Overdrive was a massive failure.

And they are supposed to be better than Naughty Dog?

You Ain't shit.

 

[Topher]

 

[Represent.]

You are WRONG

Yikes....opinions and all but thats a seriously shitty hot take

You Ain't shit.

3 trash rebuttals in a row.

especially gow3isben .. how you gonna deny God of War has TLOU DNA all over it? A child could point out the influences it took from the last of us.

 

[remember_spinal]

Yikes....opinions and all but thats a seriously shitty hot take

I love ratchet and Clank and think Insomniac are solid devs but they’re kind of right. Naughty Dog created 4 super (jak less super) successful IP, and have pretty much been the golden child of Sony first party since the 90’s.

Insomniac despite their technical ability and turn around time, have not contributed as much to SIE’s success overall outside of spider-man. There is no real objective measure that puts them ahead of ND.

Even when we talk about output Naughty Dog put out 3 games last gen, so its not like they aren’t productive also. This is the longest gap they’ve had between releases since Crash bandicoot

 

[decisions]

Why are we including films and TV in the accolades of a game studio?

ND last put out a good game in 2016.

 

[remember_spinal]

Why are we including films and TV in the accolades of a game studio?

ND last put out a good game in 2016.

Because its their IP. The same way GRRM gets credit for Game of Thrones is the same reason ND would get credit for their work being adapted into other media

And thats objectively false.

 

[Topher]

Why are we including films and TV in the accolades of a game studio?

ND last put out a good game in 2016.

Every ND game going back to the PS3 has been extremely well received.

 

[gow3isben]

3 trash rebuttals in a row.

especially gow3isben .. how you gonna deny God of War has TLOU DNA all over it? A child could point out the influences it took from the last of us.

Lol ok I chuckled at that

 

[nial]

Jak had no point in existing after the first game.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

No, Cuckman has turned them into a LOU studio.

When Insomniac isn't barfing out superhero games nonstop, they are by far the most efficient studio with the most number of high quality titles.

Last Of Us is very successful. The upcoming TV show is apparently very good as well which will only boost the IP's appeal in both videogames and the movie industry.

They've achieved something similar with Uncharted though not too sure on the movie side of things but the exposure is there.

I agree with you on Insomniac's efficiency but on a purely technical standpoint, Naughty Dog is head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[KungFucius]

Not even close on both fronts. I mean... Santa Monica is heavily influenced by The Last of Us - Infact, you can thank TLOU for what God of War is today. TLOU DNA is all over GOW.
Same goes for Ragnarok and TLOU 2.
And no insomniac is not making games anywhere near as ground breaking as ND. Come on my guy.

What has ND done in the last 9 years that was ground breaking? TLOU2 was good, but not that much different from TLOU1. I suppose the dueling protagonists was a bit different, but that was more of a story thing than a gameplay thing. I found TLOU2 to be a bit too long. I recently played Lost Legacy and the Uncharted tropes in it felt overused and annoying, but it was still a good game. I guess my point is that ND makes good games with good stories but they are not really amazing when you get more of the same in the sequel and that they also are producing new games much more slowly in recent years than they had in the past. Sure games are harder to make now, but they could make changes to improve overall output.

 

[Ar¢tos]

I would agree with Team Asobi atm being the best team. Games are made for entertainment, and their 2 games are completely packed with it, Astro Bot Playroom packs more fun in its 2-3h than all Uncharted/TLOU games put together.
Games are more than pretty graphics.

 

[It's all in the wrist]

Naughty Dog and Insomniac have been the best since the PSOne. Naughty Dog is pushing the boundaries more, so I feel they're more important. Also, they have zero misses and have produced what I consider to be some of the best games of all time.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Still going with Insomniac. They continue to consistently pump out high quality titles. Even though they have recently been relegated to "The Spider-Man studio", I'm more curious to see what they do with Wolverine than anything Naughty Dog is doing atm.

They've made 1.5 spider-man games, how are they relegated to the Spider-Man studio?