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[TheInfamousKira]

Any long running series that managed to recover from an ass backwards sequel.

I'm thinking Final Fantasy II and Zelda 2, for reference. Both changed basically everything about their debut titles. Both weren't *awful* persay but definitely didn't scratch the same Itch. Both were black sheeped, and Both saw third entries that were essentially reboots of their first titles.

 

[Xenon]

Not sure that's the comeback story you think it is.

Also, they weren't rookies. They are actually the ones who developed Madden 94-95 and NHL95,97.

They made an NBA and college football game as well.

Wow I didn't know that. I figured there were some madden programmers working at 2k. But not the whole team. The rest of the post was actually sarcastic.

 

[EruditeHobo]

PS3 in it's early life was not very good.

Absolutely. Roared back and caught up to 360 after very slow start... flat out took the title back before the generation was over.

 

[Deerock71]

Nintendo going from WiiU to Switch.

Surprised this took 13 posts. We might be crowning a new hardware King in the not-too-distant future. Deniers be like:

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

For Series:
Tomb Raider - After The Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics brought it back with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld to re-release the IP again. Then it had an even bigger trilogy with the 2013 reboot, Rise and Shadow.

For Platforms:
From PS3 to PS4 - although the way Sony managed to turn things around DURING the PS3 gen was already nothing short of a miracle with the re-release of the PS3, games like LittleBigPlanet, PS Home, Buzz, in 2008 and then starting in 2009 it was all fire with Uncharted 2, Infamous, partnerships like Heavy Rain, etc...then ending the gen with The Last of Us was just incredible.

For studios:
Insomniac - After being stuck at making Ratchet games for Playstation platforms for over 10 years and an IP that ended up flopping and dying (Resistance), they thought it would be wise to sign a contract with MS to make a game which turned into another flop with Sunset Overdrive. They did a flop Ratchet & Clank movie and a flop reboot of the first game as well. Sony hired them for a Spider-Man game and they ended up having their biggest hit to date, ended up doing another huge Spider-Man short game (Miles Morales) and are hard at work on doing Spider-Man 2 and a new game with Wolverine. Their Ratchet & Clank PS5 game was the best received Ratchet game since Tools of Destruction from 2007. They are now bigger than ever.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

The Nier Franchise.

The first one went really unnoticed, with very few sales, but became a real critical acclaim over time.

It's a small miracle that we got a sequel.

Danji Danji!!! What is your opinion Danjin44

 

[Danjin44]

Danji Danji!!! What is your opinion Danjin44

 

[Dream-Knife]

All that being said, Monster Hunter Rise has absolutely been thrashed by fans.

What?

 

[MagnesD3]

From Software bar none, went from niche for years to potentially the greatest developers of our time.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

For Series:
Tomb Raider - After The Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics brought it back with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld to re-release the IP again. Then it had an even bigger trilogy with the 2013 reboot, Rise and Shadow.

For Platforms:
From PS3 to PS4 - although the way Sony managed to turn things around DURING the PS3 gen was already nothing short of a miracle with the re-release of the PS3, games like LittleBigPlanet, PS Home, Buzz, in 2008 and then starting in 2009 it was all fire with Uncharted 2, Infamous, partnerships like Heavy Rain, etc...then ending the gen with The Last of Us was just incredible.

For studios:
Insomniac - After being stuck at making Ratchet games for Playstation platforms for over 10 years and an IP that ended up flopping and dying (Resistance), they thought it would be wise to sign a contract with MS to make a game which turned into another flop with Sunset Overdrive. They did a flop Ratchet & Clank movie and a flop reboot of the first game as well. Sony hired them for a Spider-Man game and they ended up having their biggest hit to date, ended up doing another huge Spider-Man short game (Miles Morales) and are hard at work on doing Spider-Man 2 and a new game with Wolverine. Their Ratchet & Clank PS5 game was the best received Ratchet game since Tools of Destruction from 2007. They are now bigger than ever.

Sunset Overdrive has an 81 on metacritic and Ratchet and Clank PS4 has an 85, and while involved they were not solely or chiefly responsible for the Ratchet and Clank movie. Resistance 3 was the lowest rating game in the trilogy and received an 83 on metacritic.

As for the PS3 vs 360, I think not enough attention is given to the fact that the PS3 came out a year later and was more expensive than the 360 and still technically outsold it. 360 numbers could also be entirely inflated by RROD. While not the absolute marvel that is Uncharted 2, Uncharted 1 has an 88 on metacritic and that came out in 2007. Resistance came out in 2006 with a metacritic grade of an 86. I think there was a pretty consistent and steady release of good games, but the price had to drop overtime. I think we act as if Sony had software that just bombed on the PS3 and that never really happened.

Tomb Raider came back but that comeback was short lived.

 

[L*][*N*K]

Larian Studios didn't do too well after Divinity 2, their Original Sin and Dragon Commander Kickstarter was their last "Hurrah"

Probably Kim Kardashian

She got it on her back in that video

 

[Drizzlehell]

The original Witcher game was a mess and they turned it around.

The Witcher was just a niche PC RPG that had a smaller following but was largely overlooked due to its low budget nature. No one ever claimed that it was a mess or that it was a comeback story. It's more of a story of an underdog who went from rags to riches over the course of three games, with each one getting progressively better and with higher production values.

 

[Roufianos]

The ps3 as a whole

Came to post this. Required multiple hit games for half a generation.

 

[Ozzie666]

Another vote for FFXIV, easy to dimiss if you weren't there at the beginning. But it's nothing short of a miracle how well it turned out.

Second already mentioned too , Sony PS3 comeback leading into PS4 deomination. Leading them from selling buildings and in deep debt, to turning their business around. This must drive Microsoft crazy how close they were to putting Sony in the ground. 2010 was the introduction of Kinect, ruined it all. Times were really bad for Sony, hard to imagine now. But also a reminder how quickly companies can start to fuck up, just as 1990's Sega.

 

[PanzerCute]

Dark Souls after how clunky and obscure Demons Souls was.
I know that NOW we all love demons souls but back then only few outlets realized it's potential

Wtf, did you really play Demon Souls?

The gameplay and design philosophy is absolutely the same, the only thing Dark Souls changed was adding an 8 way dodge and have an interconnected map.

The game was obscure tho, yes.

 

[TheHolyGhost]

PS3 to PS4 was a big comeback, even if half of that was because of Xbox directly.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Sunset Overdrive has an 81 on metacritic and Ratchet and Clank PS4 has an 85, and while involved they were not solely or chiefly responsible for the Ratchet and Clank movie. Resistance 3 was the lowest rating game in the trilogy and received an 83 on metacritic.

As for the PS3 vs 360, I think not enough attention is given to the fact that the PS3 came out a year later and was more expensive than the 360 and still technically outsold it. 360 numbers could also be entirely inflated by RROD. While not the absolute marvel that is Uncharted 2, Uncharted 1 has an 88 on metacritic and that came out in 2007. Resistance came out in 2006 with a metacritic grade of an 86. I think there was a pretty consistent and steady release of good games, but the price had to drop overtime. I think we act as if Sony had software that just bombed on the PS3 and that never really happened.

Tomb Raider came back but that comeback was short lived.

Why only focus on metacritic?

Commercially speaking Sunset Overdrive was a huge flop, so was Resistance as an IP (which is why it only got 3 games), and so was Ratchet's 2016 reboot...and the movie that they released. Insomniac wasn't on their best place from the PS3 era until the Spider-Man in 2018 game came along. Even the Ratchet PS3 trilogy didn't exactly set the charts on fire. There's a reason why they went from "we'll be independent forever" to "Sony just bought us for less than 300M".

 

[nkarafo]

Metroid Prime.

- Appeared after the series was pretty much presumed dead.
- The change to first person view worried a lot of old fans thinking it might just be a dumb FPS.
- Instead or a primary Nintendo team, It was handled by a small, unknown western developer.

 

[Roman Empire]

Crash Bandicoot with the Remake, CTR Nitro-Fueled, and 4 (debatable). Then it's fading into obscurity with whatever Team Rumble is.



Shawn Layden was one of the few CEOs who actually knew how to hype things up. Jimbo on the other hand...

 

[Dazraell]

Not technically tied to game developer per say, but the fact that Baldur's Gate III garners tons of attention and brought so much new and fresh energy to this franchise is nothing but mindblowing. If someone would told me 5 years ago that Baldur's Gate will not only come back, but will also be one of the serious contenders for the game of the year title, I don't think I would believe it

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Why only focus on metacritic?

Commercially speaking Sunset Overdrive was a huge flop, so was Resistance as an IP (which is why it only got 3 games), and so was Ratchet's 2016 reboot...and the movie that they released. Insomniac wasn't on their best place from the PS3 era until the Spider-Man in 2018 game came along. Even the Ratchet PS3 trilogy didn't exactly set the charts on fire. There's a reason why they went from "we'll be independent forever" to "Sony just bought us for less than 300M".

I'm focusing mostly on metacritic here because the developers don't really have the ability to influence what happens after the game is made.

Maybe if Microsoft promotes Sunset OVerdrive more it's a huge success. Maybe if it was made on PS4 instead it would have sold well.

Only 3 games? That's pretty successful. Most games don't see 3 games.

I think platformers, especially how Insomniac makes them started to lose flavor, which is why a lot of people are out of the platform market.

 

[funking giblet]

id software seemingly falling apart, and losing the plot with DOOM.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

For Series:
Tomb Raider - After The Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics brought it back with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld to re-release the IP again. Then it had an even bigger trilogy with the 2013 reboot, Rise and Shadow.

For Platforms:
From PS3 to PS4 - although the way Sony managed to turn things around DURING the PS3 gen was already nothing short of a miracle with the re-release of the PS3, games like LittleBigPlanet, PS Home, Buzz, in 2008 and then starting in 2009 it was all fire with Uncharted 2, Infamous, partnerships like Heavy Rain, etc...then ending the gen with The Last of Us was just incredible.

For studios:
Insomniac - After being stuck at making Ratchet games for Playstation platforms for over 10 years and an IP that ended up flopping and dying (Resistance), they thought it would be wise to sign a contract with MS to make a game which turned into another flop with Sunset Overdrive. They did a flop Ratchet & Clank movie and a flop reboot of the first game as well. Sony hired them for a Spider-Man game and they ended up having their biggest hit to date, ended up doing another huge Spider-Man short game (Miles Morales) and are hard at work on doing Spider-Man 2 and a new game with Wolverine. Their Ratchet & Clank PS5 game was the best received Ratchet game since Tools of Destruction from 2007. They are now bigger than ever.

By what metric was the 2016 game a flop?

"It was number 1 on the Australian charts during the week of release[36] and became the second best selling game in the month of April in the U.S. at retail and on the PlayStation Store, making it the best launch of any game in the Ratchet & Clank series. NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan exclaimed that these sales recaptured success not seen for the franchise since the height of the PlayStation 2 era.[37]"

To say the 2016 reboot was a flop is simply NOT accurate at all.

However, I do agree that they have been Sony's MVP and easily and I do mean easily the best acquisition of any major publisher in the last 10 years.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

id software seemingly falling apart, and losing the plot with DOOM.

I have no idea what this means.

Doom and Doom Eternal are some of the best games I have played in the last 10 years.

 

[Unknown?]

For Series:
Tomb Raider - After The Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics brought it back with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld to re-release the IP again. Then it had an even bigger trilogy with the 2013 reboot, Rise and Shadow.

For Platforms:
From PS3 to PS4 - although the way Sony managed to turn things around DURING the PS3 gen was already nothing short of a miracle with the re-release of the PS3, games like LittleBigPlanet, PS Home, Buzz, in 2008 and then starting in 2009 it was all fire with Uncharted 2, Infamous, partnerships like Heavy Rain, etc...then ending the gen with The Last of Us was just incredible.

For studios:
Insomniac - After being stuck at making Ratchet games for Playstation platforms for over 10 years and an IP that ended up flopping and dying (Resistance), they thought it would be wise to sign a contract with MS to make a game which turned into another flop with Sunset Overdrive. They did a flop Ratchet & Clank movie and a flop reboot of the first game as well. Sony hired them for a Spider-Man game and they ended up having their biggest hit to date, ended up doing another huge Spider-Man short game (Miles Morales) and are hard at work on doing Spider-Man 2 and a new game with Wolverine. Their Ratchet & Clank PS5 game was the best received Ratchet game since Tools of Destruction from 2007. They are now bigger than ever.

Wtf.... The reboot Ratchet game was not a flop. It was their best selling Ratchet game ever. In fact I believe it was their best selling game too until Spider-Man.

Edit: It was! It beat Spyro even.

Ratchet & Clank 2016 Most Successful Insomniac Game Ever, Confirms Developer - PlayStation LifeStyle

A developer at Insomniac has confirmed that Ratchet & Clank 2016 is the studio's most successful game ever.

www.playstationlifestyle.net

 

[deriks]

Nah. Capcom was always good. They are fairly consistent.

People already forgot the whole on-disc payed DLC thing, huh?!

Also, DLC to the "real ending"

and a reboot of Devil May Cry that is only remembered as "is not a bad game"

 

[StueyDuck]

genuinely sega, i know their output is mixed, but they were basically dead at one point so they manage to right the ship enough to still exist and publish games and i respect that.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Medal of Honor made a nice comeback in the 2010’s especially how dynamic the gunplay was, I think choosing frost bite engine was a great move and made the game comfortable.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

By what metric was the 2016 game a flop?

"It was number 1 on the Australian charts during the week of release[36] and became the second best selling game in the month of April in the U.S. at retail and on the PlayStation Store, making it the best launch of any game in the Ratchet & Clank series. NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan exclaimed that these sales recaptured success not seen for the franchise since the height of the PlayStation 2 era.[37]"

To say the 2016 reboot was a flop is simply NOT accurate at all.

However, I do agree that they have been Sony's MVP and easily and I do mean easily the best acquisition of any major publisher in the last 10 years.

I think the Mojang purchase was probably a better one. And I'd give Insomniac an asterisk given they don't actually own the IP for the games they're making and full profit on these games can't be going to just Sony.

I do think Sony has made the best string of purchases though: Insomniac, Bluepoint, Housemarque, Audeze. That being said the Bungie buy might turn into a miss.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Wtf.... The reboot Ratchet game was not a flop. It was their best selling Ratchet game ever. In fact I believe it was their best selling game too until Spider-Man.

Edit: It was! It beat Spyro even.

Ratchet & Clank 2016 Most Successful Insomniac Game Ever, Confirms Developer - PlayStation LifeStyle

A developer at Insomniac has confirmed that Ratchet & Clank 2016 is the studio's most successful game ever.

www.playstationlifestyle.net

Oh wow...so only the movie was a flop...and the Resistance games...and Sunset Overdrive. My point still stands even if i was wrong about one point.

Thanks for pointing that out though. I'm legit shocked at that. The PS3 trilogy deserved that success tbh.

 

[Madflavor]

Cyberpunk 2077, No Man's Sky and FFXIV are probably the three best examples I can think of.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Sony fumbled the hell out of PS3, but wound up recovering nicely.

Sega’s Genesis was also a monster comeback considering Master System hardly existing, and Nintendo’s threatening publishers if they supported them. Nothing else can come close.

 

[NT80]

Devil May Cry 3 after the flop that was 2.
From what I remember Shinji Mikami and his team made DMC1 but they changed the team for 2. The same team that made 2 turned things around dramatically with DMC3.

 

[Unknown?]

Oh wow...so only the movie was a flop...and the Resistance games...and Sunset Overdrive. My point still stands even if i was wrong about one point.

Thanks for pointing that out though. I'm legit shocked at that. The PS3 trilogy deserved that success tbh.

I agree with everything else you said, but it was Ratchet that marked their comeback. They were doing poorly with EA and MS.

 

[RoadHazard]

Most impressive and unexpected was No Man's Sky. Now I am not a fan of the game, but I really admire the way they went about addressing issues. They didn't whine, complain how fans didn't understand, or blame anyone. They stayed quiet and fixed things. Not only that but they have continued to support and transform their game how IMO GAAS should be done.

Yep, the way they launched the game without promised (or at least strongly hinted) features was garbage, but now they've fulfilled all those promises and kept going WAY beyond that.

And it's not even GAAS as such, every single update has been completely free, you just pay for the game once.

 

[Kadve]

The original Witcher game was a mess and they turned it around.

Also from the same studio around the same time:

Yes, they made the PC port.

 

[Labadal]

Jagged Alliance. After the second game, the IP was treated like a vilage that vikings would pillage and burn down. For years, its corpse was kicked at, and molested. Jagged Alliance 3 comes out, and it is actually good.

 

[Kadve]

The Nier Franchise.

The first one went really unnoticed, with very few sales, but became a real critical acclaim over time.

It's a small miracle that we got a sequel.

Considering Automata Saved Platinum from bankruptcy. Yea definitely.

Though shoutout to the "original" original that people often forget Nier was a sequel too. And not just spiritually.

 

[Nvzman]

The ps3 as a whole

This, people really forget nowadays how genuinely fucking awful the PS3 was doing at launch. There was a point where the Gameboy Advance was outselling the PS3. In 2007. The sales cut and aggressive marketing combined with Sony pushing out so much first-party stuff from late 2008/early 2009-ish for the rest of the gen absolutely saved the PS3 in a way I don't think any console has ever accomplished before. Its genuinely incredible how Sony managed to break even with the PS3 considering how it was almost certain Sony would go under with how the first few years were going. I distinctly remember how the PS4 almost didn't get made because of how much money the PS3 cost Sony.

P.S. Parry in Third Strike is broken and the horrible "EVO Moment 37" is a prime example of how badly it can alter the flow of a match. It should be a point of ridicule with regards to the game but is ironically considered a highlight of fighting games. It's a f@%#ing joke.

I do not disagree that the parry is too strong in Third Strike, I would definitely take it over the stupid bullshit SF2 and Alpha cheese that plagued those games. Parry makes neutral matter significantly more and leads to more intelligent play rather than the stuff you'd see with Vega in SF2 Turbo where he could basically poke from any direction all day and some characters could have zero options. I think SF6 does a SIGNIFICANTLY better job balancing parry to be a universal defense tool that mixes up neutral play and discourages just blindly mashing.

Also, the Daigo parry is really, really fucking difficult to pull off especially in a tournament set (the stress of being that close to victory), thats why its a highlight, its really not that hard to understand that.

 

[iorek21]

The original Witcher game was a mess and they turned it around.

To be frank, Witcher 1 is still my favorite game of the trilogy. Actually, BG3 reminds me a lot of it, specially the open-ended approach to quests and sidequests.

 

[Diddy X]

After several years Donkey kong country returns on Wii was great

 

[simpatico]

Time Traveler checking in. Quake 2024 ends up with a 97 metacritic. They go full Lovecraftian aesthetics with a 20hr campaign and killer MP. Robust modding tools available on launch day. Romero and Carmack both came back to iD to work on it. In fact *checks watch*, they're already secretly working there today, in your present timeline.