Welcome again to The PlayStation Report! We’re wanting again via Sony’s listing of IP in alphabetical order to find out how wholesome they’re. This time, we’ve bought one more double letter entry, overlaying each J and Okay. We’ve bought some actually huge names this time round, so it’ll be attention-grabbing to examine in on simply how effectively they’re being maintained. Let’s get began with The PlayStation Report!
Jak and Daxter
Waaaay again within the previous days, Crash Bandicoot was thought of the de facto mascot for the PlayStation model. He was the orange foil to Sega’s Sonic and Nintendo’s Mario. The issue there was, Crash had solely ever appeared on Sony’s platforms, however he wasn’t flat-out owned by the corporate. Ultimately, the rights to the character turned much more nebulous, and the sport’s authentic developer Naughty Canine got here up with one thing a bit of extra completely “theirs.” Enter Jak & Daxter. This enjoyable duo turned the de facto mascot for the PlayStation 2, and loved a reasonably huge stage of success. It tells the story of two pals, one in every of whom is become a ottsel (otter and weasel hybrid) and their quest to battle darkish Eco and return him to his authentic kind.
Well being score: Mainly useless
I can’t consider Sony hasn’t invested in making any extra of those video games. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy did huge numbers on the PS2, and was adopted up by two profitable sequels, a racing spinoff, a PSP-exclusive Daxter spinoff, and cameos in numerous different PlayStation properties. The final authentic sport within the collection was Jak and Daxter: The Misplaced Frontier for PS2 and PSP. It was developed by Excessive Influence Video games as a substitute of Naughty Canine, however nonetheless acquired reasonably good opinions. There’s a ton of potential in these characters, and doubtlessly nonetheless an urge for food for brand new adventures starring the duo. This one’s destiny is an actual disgrace.
Jet Moto
In the event you had been to name Jet Moto PlayStation’s reply to F-Zero, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark. It’s a collection of racing video games that happen on hover bikes. There’s additionally this cool grapple method that helps you make turns. The primary sport got here out on the unique PlayStation all the way in which again in 1996, and solidly caught on, simply incomes a spot in PlayStation’s Biggest Hits line.
Well being score: Mainly useless
Holy cow, that is one other one which’s actually a shock. Not fully dissimilar to F-Zero, although at the least that collection bought F-Zero 99. JetMoto noticed 2 sequels on the PlayStation, however then mysteriously disappeared. Apparently there was a PS2 sport in growth for a few years referred to as Jet Moto 2124, however that was canned. As was Jet Moto: SOLAR, one other PS2 iteration that was cancelled in 2003. The final sport within the collection was 1999’s Jet Moto 3, and that was a very long time in the past. I feel this one’s sadly been put out to pasture.
Journey
Journey is a beautiful journey sport that initially got here out on the PlayStation 3 again in 2012. Developed by Thatgamecompany, who had earlier large ranges of success with Circulation and Flower, it’s a novel sport that has gamers discover a desert panorama with different gamers on-line.
Well being score: Full
That is a type of distances the place it being useless isn’t a foul factor. Journey is fantastic, nevertheless it was by no means meant to be a sequel-fueled franchise. Journey is a one and performed, and it’s been dealt with with care. The sport was re-released on PS4 and PC, the character has made cameo appearances in different Sony properties, and it stays one of many extra beloved names in Sony’s catalog. Great things.
Leaping Flash!
Properly effectively effectively, it’s one other Sony property with tons of promise! Gee, I ponder how that is going to go…
Leaping Flash is a sport a couple of robotic rabbit named Robbit. You soar round, in search of your lacking jet pods, and whereas the unique sport actually exhibits its age immediately, it’s bought a ton of attraction. I imply, it’s a robotic rabbit named Robbit! How will you go incorrect?!?
Well being score: Mainly useless
Critically, Sony. Why are you want this? To their credit score, similar to Jak & Daxter and Jet Moto, Leaping Flash did get followups at first. A direct sequel was launched on the PlayStation in 1996, aptly titled Leaping Flash! 2. Then, in 1999 a pair of Japan-exclusive spinoff video games got here out, one referred to as Pocket MuuMuu that labored with the PocketStation, and the opposite referred to as Robbit Mon Dieu, additionally for PlayStation. However that was it. Clearly, there’s nonetheless loads of love for this model, particularly contemplating how comfortable people had been to search out Robbit in Astro Bot, however new Leaping Flash! content material seems to be out of the query.
Killzone
Oh, Killzone. The sport that popularized the entire “Halo Killer” moniker. However actually, that’s at all times been a little bit of a crock of nonsense. Killzone’s similarities with Halo start and finish with it being a primary individual shooter. It takes place in a really totally different world with a really totally different sort of narrative. It was additionally heralded as a reasonably main technical showpiece for Sony, particularly the second sport’s now notorious E3 2005 trailer that turned out to be wildly over-ambitious.
Well being score: Might be higher
Killzone had a heck of a run up till about 12 years in the past. From 2004 to 2013, the collection spawned 7 video games throughout the PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP and Vita. It was well-liked, however I don’t know that it ever actually caught on as a type of collection that was ever really beloved. Then once more, not each franchise has to. Factor is, whereas there hasn’t been an authentic sport within the franchise in fairly a while, it did get some crossover content material with the massively common Helldivers 2. So, what does that imply? Clearly it’s not useless, nevertheless it positive may very well be doing higher.
Kinetica
Kinetica is the sport Santa Monica Studio did earlier than God of Conflict, which is wild when you consider it. God of Conflict and Kinetica couldn’t be extra totally different. This can be a futuristic racing sport the place you management these bizarre transformer individuals and a few wild gravity-defying tracks.
Well being score: Mainly useless
This was one and performed, and it’s not terribly tough to determine why. Santa Monica adopted Kinetica up with freaking God of Conflict. After all that’s what the studio was going to maintain doing for the foreseeable future. Besides, did they actually must? Kinetica was a reasonably cool concept, and there’s loads of cause to consider that Santa Monica may have pulled out some actually neat stuff with it. However in line with the web, the studio actually simply did Kinetica after which nothing however God of Conflict. Not that God of Conflict isn’t nice, however range is the spice of life! I hope that sometime they’re allowed to return to this sport, or that Sony sees match to rent any person else to offer it a go, however I doubt that can occur.
Knack
I’m not going to lie, I don’t perceive Knack in any respect. It was a PS4 launch title, and I assumed it seemed fairly neat. It’s bought this bizarre craft-inspired look to it, and it appeared to evaluate moderately effectively. However it’s taken on a reasonably… uncommon lifetime of its personal since.
Well being score: Mainly useless
Knack bought itself a direct sequel in 2017 within the type of Knack II, additionally for PlayStation 4. It wasn’t precisely a essential darling, although, with the sport receiving fairly middling opinions from quite a few sources. What I don’t perceive is the meme tradition surrounding it. It’s a relentless punchline in Sony circles and, effectively, I simply don’t get it. Even when the sport wasn’t nice, it was nonetheless fairly artistic, and it was designed for individuals who had by no means performed video games earlier than, so why go so onerous on it? No matter it’s, it’s past me, and following its reception, I don’t suppose it’s ever coming again.
And that about wraps issues up for an additional PlayStation Report. And I gotta say, I’m unsure how a lot I wish to hold going with these. This one was simply miserable. So many properties with a lot potential simply sitting there languishing. It’s a harsh reflection of the AAA sport area that Sony inhabits immediately. Each one in every of these collection is able to being actually stable leisure, however probably not large blockbusters, which I’ve to think about is a big a part of why they haven’t been touched in a long time.
However we should soldier on! Be a part of us subsequent time for the letter L. Lair is on that listing! You bear in mind Lair, proper?
RIGHT????
Not less than we all know The Final of Us is secure.
