Is Insomniac The New Rare?

Anthony, the editor in chief over at XeNonX wrote an interesting article comparing developers Insomniac and Rare. In particular he focussed on the Ratchet & Clank and Banjo Kazooie franchises. In the article he talks about how Rare seem to have been influenced in their decision to make a new Banjo game because of Insomniac's growing success with the Ratchet franchise. The article does go in favour of Insomniac but he makes a well thought out, logical argument though many would see it as bias.

From The Article:
"The concept behind 'N&B' sounds quite cool actually, the idea of making your own vehicles allowing you to solve things within levels does intrigue me, but will it work? From all accounts it works well but has a rather steep learning curve. Something which Ratchet, for the most part, doesn't have. Surely platformers are there to cater for the masses? They are meant to appeal to kids and adults alike, something that Insomniac can pull off very successfully. It's simple and effective and keeps people playing for ages. I don't see the same thing happening with Banjo."

Read the full article over at XeNonX.

[HighDefinition]

Their the new Bungie.

Either R2 or KZ2 is going to take the online FPS "Crown" this gen.

[Euphrate]

.

[InMyOpinion]

In what way are they like Bungie if I may ask? The only resemblance I find is that they have both made FPS games. Other than that, nothing.

[HighDefinition]

Stepping it up a notch above everyone.

R2- In options and size

KZ2- Graphics and Intensity.

[predator]

im sorry but R2 is definitly not taking the FPS crown

[InMyOpinion]

Well, not if you look at Resistance 1. It's nowhere near Halo in terms of sales, review scores, online activity, awards etc.

Resistance 2 might become a milestone in FPS gaming but that still remains to be seen, since it's not been released yet.

I personally feel that Killzone 2 has better conditions of becoming a big hit.

[HighDefinition]

Like I said R2 or KILLZONE2.

Who will it be? IYO, obviously.

@Jenzo

I agree, Killzone2 has a better chance.

@Omega

I don`t think that at all and I don`t HATE Halo, Halo1 was great.
Killzone2 and R2 are both far more appealing than Halo3, Halo3 was quite a bit of game and R2 "DWARFS" that ammount of content. As for Killzone2, It`s the graphical MARVEL so far, and I have seen one game that matches the intensity, from what I`ve seen obviously. If COD4 gave Halo3 problems, Killzone2 is going to...........

[Omega4]

As much as you likely hate Halo, Halo 3 is still the best online FPS shooter this gen and will likely keep that crown till Halo 4.

While R2 will be good and possibly K2, just by looking at their predecessors they have a LONG way to go before they can hold a candle to the Halo franchise

As for Insomniac being the new Rare i dont see how, just because both made platformer doesnt mean their are similar, but if Insomniac was bought by MS then they might be similar

[Shane Kim]

Luckily, MS will never get their dirty hands on Insomniac. That would be just as bad as MS entering the console market.

[FantasyStar]

Kinda out of character, don'cha think?

[Rick Astley]

Lol Insomniac makes AAA games. Rare doesn't.

[Beast_Master]

Rare has made 2 Games Of the Year, Donkey Kong Country and Golden eye, which Insomniac cannot say. But you are right, they have not made an AAA title really since the first Perfect Dark on N64. I heard that viva pinata (I never played it) did get some good scores but nothing like what Ratchet and Clank Future got.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

You do know you're talking about a launch title and comparing it to Halo 3, which should be embarrassing in a way. You never hear anyone talking about Perfect Dark Zero taking over the First Person Shooter genre because it didn't make much of an impact. For the fact you used a launch title should tell you the quality of the exclusives that will be coming out this year and the next.

[Man_of_the_year]

Well halo 1 was a launch title for the first xbox and is considered to be the best out of the 3 so son't be so quick to use the it was a launch title excuse...

[InMyOpinion]

Tell that to HighDefinition. I'm not the one who said Insomniac is the new Bungie. You seem confused.

[Lord_Ash]

Omega4: "As much as you likely hate Halo, Halo 3 is still the best online FPS shooter this gen and will likely keep that crown till Halo 4."

I don't know man, Call of Duty 4 is the most played online game on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and it's almost a year old I think that makes it the best online FPS so far not Halo 3.

[PimpHandStrong]

this gen wont be over for atleast 5more years

so yea

R2 and KZ2 might be the best of the best but im willing to bet someone will top them both b4 this "gen" is over

[gaffyh]

@Omega4 - Halo is a complete hype game, it is not and IMO never was the best FPS ever. Half-Life was better in the previous Gen, and this gen it is clearly Call of Duty 4 (at the moment). Even Resistance 1 is better than Halo 3, and it is almost certain that the R2 and KZ2 will be better (judging by the gameplay videos of KZ2).

[Fox01]

Killzone 1 a.k.a "Halokillah" was an epic fail.
Resistance 1 was just an average FPS.
What makes you guys think that their sequels are going to be any better?
It's not like you've played them. Have you?

For the second, third time, the games aren't even out yet and you guys are already saying GOTY... GOTY...

[HighDefinition]

WHY?

Because Insomniac and GG seem to be progressing and Bungie seems to be regressing. Maybe I have played them or maybe my friends have. Either way.....

Some get better, Some get worse.

@pimphand

I agree, I`m just speaking for the time, more than the rest of these systems lifespans. MAG is another candiate.

[robbo918]

@Fox01: Resistance 1 was not "just an average FPS", you are either a biased X360 fanboy (likely) or have never played the game. If you don't like it so be it but just because you deem it average does not make it so. I laugh when X360 fans want to tout Metacritic on a game when it works in their favor but abandon it like the Titantic or justify it away when it disagrees with them.

As to the GOTY comment, its nothing we haven't heard about Gears and Fable ad naseum so to each their own.

Insomniac is an amazing developer and a great company. They are better than Rare IMO, though they remind me at times of Rare when Rare was in its prime. Insomniac has been an incredible developer for a long period of time now. They have earned their stripes.

[beoulve]

COD4 already beat HALO 3 by a lot.
The weapon feels and battle intensity are way over HALO 3.
I expect the same thing from KillZone 2. I played the multiplayer kiosk, feels very good but I still think COD4 is better.

[bootsielon]

Bungie makes generic storylines for overhyped and overrated FPS games. Insomniac actually delivers. Bungie is known for Halo... Insomniac has made mostly awesome franchises including Ratchet and Clank, Spyro the Dragon and Resistance Fall of Man.

Only fanboys of halo or those that have only played Halo will defend it. Their only argument is "Halo has the best controls" which is really poor, considering most FPS have similar feel, what makes them is the AI, enemy and gun variety, level design, graphics and storyline, but whatever, let them enjoy their "good control".

The only Halo that I am dying to play is Halo Wars, but that isn't made by Bungie anyway. Ensemble Studios FTW, best RTS games ever.

[Le-mo]

Whether Insomniac is the new Rare or not, Sony should be damn proud they have Insomniac as a 2nd party developer.

[GodsHand]

Yes they should.

And if they are the new Rare, atleast they don't take forever to release a game. Rare made some bad-a$s games, but they sure did take their time with them. But that is not a bad thing either.

[Overr8ed]

Sony should suck IG pin Ballz. IG is so awesome that they shouldnt be labeled as the new Rare or Bungie, since IG are way better then both of them.

[kevnb]

first and only Insomniac.

[TheHater]

I am glad I am not the only one that think like that. Insomniac is Insomniac, and Rare is Rare.

[JimmyHACK]

They are as much of an "Icon" studio as Rare ever was

[Beast_Master]

Rare is such a different company under MS than Nintendo. If you are comparing the old Rare to Insomniac than Rare would be the winner by far. But Insomniac to the Rare under MS then again no contest in favor of Insomniac.

I don't know if you folks can remember but Rare did Donkey Kong Country on the SNES which sold 14 million copies then they did Golden Eye which 1 in every 4 owners of the N64 owned a copy of, something like 15 million copies.

As much as I love Insomniac Ratchet and Clank have never sold over 2 million copies of one game and Resistance 1 was a launch title. Considering PS3 will have an install base of 20 mill by X-mas, R2 will have to sell 5+ million copies to really make the argument that it is a better studio than the old RARE.

[calis]

I dunno if you meant Ratchet on PS3 or overall, but every Ratchet game on PS2 sold over 2 million

[josh14399]

well i think for run and gun fps run and gun crown will go to resistance because i enjoyed resistance1 and ive bought halo3 six months ago and dont like it.

[Kratos Spartan]

Sorry. Thehater in the gamerzone already said what I said.

[TheHater]

wait, what?

[Dyingduck]

.

[hot_gamer_girl_1]

kevnb Insomniac is the first and only Insomniac.

[beavis4play]

also, insomniac is better devs than rare EVER was.

[Honolulu]

Insomniac are easily one of the best studios out there imo, they create great gaming experiences in almost no time. And that's something which is really impressive nowadays when it takes much more time to create assets in a game.

I think ND is even better though, they don't make games as fast as insomniac but they've only developed great games since the Crash-days on psx, imo. And you have to give credit for Naughty Dog for their Jak&Daxter-engine which is the engine both the Ratchet&Clank-series and God of War games are running on the PS2. They have great sense of balance regarding quality/quantity, that's what I like about them :)

But, a note on Rare.
From what I've heard many of the people that were the oldschool crew on Rare have left the company over the last years, I'm afraid. But they're still a great developer I think with a lot of great sense of style.
But, Banjo Kazooie in all it's honor, I don't understand why there haven't been a Battletoads announced for the 360 yet.

[LastDance]

lol dude...rare made goldeneye and donkey kong(on snes) and a whole lotta other stuff. Im going to assume you were too young to understand what those games did for the industry.
whether you dont like em or not...you dont mess with the classics.

[beavis4play]

honolulu: i agree with ND. i'm a huge fan of jak and daxter as well as uncharted. i don't know if i could pick between the two devs. when you talk about ND and insomniac; that's some amazing talent all around.

and no last dance, i wasn't too young. but the fact that you have to go back that far is my point on this matter. comparing insomniac to rare of the PAST is valid. but rare (today) is not the same dev. house and really doesn't measure up to insomniac.(or ND either)
i understand your point, though, and agree. before rare lost a lot of their talent, they were a top-notch developer.

[rbbrdman]

Media Molecule is the new Rare.

[cliffbo]

that i can agree with

[TheHater]

Media Molecule is Media Molecule.
But if you want too force the issues. Then you can Say Media Molecule is the RARE of the Pass. The RARE that work on the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. RARE back on the Nintendo system made some of my favorite classic games.

[divideby0]

With a righteous, educated and vocally literate person like Ted Price at the helm....this is one sweet company....no wannabe rockstars and running big mouths...Cliffy and Peter M come to mind

[jay2]

Well, Rare didn't like the way Banjo Threeie went, so they made N&B to try something new, Shut you're mouth Anthony, every one rips other people off, you all but admit you're a Sony fan boy so get lost, you've also admitted you haven't even played N&B yet. So until you do, remove this artical and wait untill you at leaste play the demo.

[Stryfeno2]

So they are the new Rare, huh...Where is my Battletoads remake Imsomniac?

[cemelc]

Wow a batlletoads reamake would be awesome, but for PSN with HD graphics

[Raoh]

i'm not going to comment much into this one, but to follow up on a side topic

i think resistance 2 can take the crown for one of the best campaigns in the shooter genre.. out of all the shooters out this generation..

Resistance is by far one of the best story wise. Feel wise as well, there are jump out of your seat moments. and if you go by the viral ads for resistance 2, resistance 2 will raise the campaign mode bar; just like left 4 dead will raise the co-op bar

online multiplayer is still to be determined.. in my book it has always been and will be

SOCOM > everything else

[LastDance]

I agree about the atmosphere and story in Resitance was far better than any other Sci fi-ish shooter. Ive seen some people comment that the storyline is weak, but i think its intriuging as hell.

When playing the campaign you get this feeling of......No matter how hard you fight them....They will come back ten times harder (in regards to the storyline). And there's a sneaky feeling that there is something going on behind the curtains.

[beavis4play]

when i got to the point where i found out the large chimeran structures weren't being built, but rather unearthed; that really made me realize there is a lot more to this story than what we are seeing.(in part 1 anyways)

[cervantes99]

The only reason some people say the story in Resistance was weak is because they have never played it. Anyone who has played the game ALL THE WAY THROUGH surely knows different.

It just like some people say the graphics in Resistance are just brown tones. Sure the game is very brown for the first 20%, but the graphics get pretty sweet as the Chimera start transforming the landscape with alien technology - very Haloesque. Throw in a massive set pieces and constant action all around AND a liquid smooth framerate and I will take Resistance 1 over Halo 3 any day. Halo 1 & 2 I would take over Resistance 1 though.

[cemelc]

They were screw big time when M$ bought them, i knew something like this would happen, cos M$ is a company that was born from copying and stealing ideas from others(Never inventing them).

[mirroredderorrim]

Insomniac the new Rare? HAHAHA! Did a bunch of them jump ship when they were bought too?

[DJ]

I have to say that, simply because they excel at both Platforming and FPS titles.

[Beast_Master]

And so did the old Rare Ie Donkey Kong, Banjo and Conkers + Golden Eye and Perfect Dark. Great at both platforming and FPS. Insomniac and Bungie shouldn't be compared at all because Bungie has only made one game, Halo. There is talk that their next project is also a FPS, so they are not looking to diversify. Now you could compare Bungie to Guerrilla games that would be fair because they both only make FPS games and both have only one franchise that they are famous for.

[ghettocheeze]

of COD4?

Anyways Insomniac is a top notch developer and make high quality games perhaps like the Rare of N64 generation but that giant has now fallen from its mighty position. can't really compare to Bungie cause they haven't done much except for Halo the last decade. Insomniac has R&D and RFoM as 2 really good franchises from the same studio. I would compare them more to Epic which has 2 solid franchises as well, UT and GEoW.

[OGharryjoysticks]

Rare hasn't really done anything in recent memory

[cliffbo]

that's because the memory is only 7GB...

[mirroredderorrim]

I thought the memory was 9gb?

Anyway, Both devs are great. But for the current proven track record, as in now, this gen, Insomniac has got ground on Rare, when comparing the two, in terms of who's done what and when.

[clrlite]

"R2 will have to sell 5+ million copies to really make the argument that it is a better studio than the old RARE."
-WTH? You are basically saying that the studio that sells the most games is the best studio. Are you also implying that the studio that sells the most games makes the best games? Both of these are untruths! Some of the best game EVER made don't get the sales they deserve. You know that.
-BTW Insomniac is insomniac and Rare is Rare. However, I doubt Insomniac will make the same mistakes Rare has.
Edit:RARE did make some amazing games though!

[Beast_Master]

I know that sales don't make better games, but sales do determine how successful your studio is at creating games that people want to buy. There aren't many games that sold millions of copies that sucked. The only one I can think of is NintenDogs. Let's face it Insomniac has not had multi-million seller like Rare has. Ratchet and Clank games are some of the best platformers in history. Every time one is released they get a score no lower than 9 usually 9.5 and no one buys the game, the first Resistance game has been their best seller and got scores of 9 and above.

Now Rare's Goldeneye is considered by many including Screwattack.com as the greatest FPS ever, it won game of the year hands down, it sold more copies than any other FPS in history, more than DOOM! I bring this up because their game was so good that people who didn't like FPS typically still bought this one based mostly by word of mouth.

Now team Ico's Shadow of Col. is an example of a game like you are describing, it won game of the year and it didn't sell that well. But most analyst say the next ICO project will sell huge, which brings me to Insomniac.

I think that R2 will be Insomniac's coming out party. R & C future hasn't sold 2 million copies yet, the most any R&C game has sold is 3 mill. Insomniac cannot continue to create these great games and not have them sell. You see a great developer who makes great games will eventually have the sales. If R2 delivers like I am sure it will it should sell 5 mill units, that would be 1 out of every 4 PS3 owners which would put them in the class of elite developers. The old Rare did it twice you see, the magical 1 outta 4 owners. Then you can compare them to the Old Rare not the new Rare.

[pain777pas]

The only genre that Insomniac have to conquer is a racing title preferably an arcade Mario Cart rip off. They are definitely one of the best devs in the industry. They haven't yet made a bad game and that's rare.

[PirateThom]

I think Insomniac have been a lot more consistant with their games, in that they're all good, while Rare have had some epic games but also some downright horrible games.

Then again, Rare have been aroun since 1982 and a lot of their team formed Free Radical (another inconsistant company) while Insomniac have only been around since 1994 and have only had one staff loss (who formed High Impact who, so far, have only worked on Ratchet spin-off games for PSP).

Overall, I don't think any developer will reach the dizzy heights of SNES/N64-era Rare, when they were just untouchable, Insomniac are consistant, but they're not as "good" as Rare in that time.

[SabreMan]

Insomniac do not need to be compared to Rare or anyone else, the games they produce speak for themselves Insomniac are Insomniac currently one of the best games developers in the world.
Rare are sadly a shadow of there former mighty selves the people who made Rare great are no longer working for Rare, at this stage Rare would love to be compared to Insomniac but sadly for Rare and Microsoft they are far short of that.

I grew up with Ultimate Play The Game who were head and shoulders above anyone else in the 8bit era, they later became Rare who were head and shoulders above anyone else in the Snes/N64 era sadly as soon as Microsoft got there claws into them is when it all went down hill.

I may well be the only person who loved Starfox Adventures imo the last great game Rare made

[Defectiv3_Detectiv3]

Rare has been decent since the n64 days. I dont think a lot of people realize that 1/2 of the rare devs left and formed free radical b4 it was bought by MS. Since then rare has brought us Viva Pinata, Perfect Dark Zero, and Kameo, all of which are Lair bad.

[arika]

insomiac is better than rare.

[cmrbe]

are one of the best devs imo. Its unfortunate that they are only focusing on casual games for MS except for PD though. Rare made KI which in my opinion is the best fighting game back in SNES days.

[juuken]

I don't know about Rare these days. The only game that fancied me was Killer Instinct and that was an awesome fighting game.

But Insomniac has really impressed me, especially with the direction they've taken the Resistance series. I have a feeling there could be a Resistance 3 but that's too early to speculate. ^^;

[cemelc]

They are introducing a new character in the PSP version of the game, who knows perhaps is the new protagonist in R3, cos in the trailers are already killing Hale(my best guess is that he change into a hybrid at the end of R2, rather than kill him).

[juuken]

I'm so sure they'll be a R3 then. :D

[pixelsword]

...That's probably why the new guy was introduced; I think Hale's gonna bite it this game.

[bootsielon]

Insomniac is to Sony in the PS3 era what Rare was to Nintendo in the N64 era. However, Insomniac totally pwns Rare today. I hope Insomniac doesn't become "the next rare" in that they release bad attempts at reviving their old franchises like Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, and Killer Instinct. Awesome franchises back in the day, but not so much today. I just hope they don't butcher Killer Instinct, but DVD9 only goes so far...

[SSCOOLCHEA]

and yeah i bought there games banjo for n64 and KI . they suck didnt even finish it