Platinum Games Reveals Anarchy Reigns

Platinum Games might be stepping outside their comfort zone with their upcoming PS360 title, Anarchy Reigns. Developed by the team that made Mad World, director Atsushi Inaba is claiming that they are "creating a new genre". They plan to pitch players against one another in an online action brawler. Think Mad World or Bayonetta with lots of players trying to kill each other in an online environment.

While I wouldn't necessarily agree that an online multiplayer action brawler is a new genre, one could argue that it is one that hasn't been very successful. There are some exceptions like Jedi Outcast, but they come and go without leaving too much of a mark. One of my favorite games of last generation, Phantom Dust, could also be placed in this genre, but that game had a level of depth in its map design, character customization, and skill variety that might not be present in Anarchy Reigns.

But I think the problem that will arise with this type of game will be in the online execution. I'm glad Inaba has already acknowledged the "synchronization issues" that plague any kind of melee based online game. Shooters work well online because a certain amount of predication as to wear a bullet will land can be made as soon as a player pulls the trigger. It makes it much easier to hide latency in shooters than in games where players are connecting with someone directly in front them. It's why there are hundreds of great online shooters and truly only a few fighting games that work really well online.

It's certainly a tough nut to crack, and I'm a little frustrated that Platinum Games doesn't have Hideki Kamiya's team working on the creation of this "new genre". Kamiya arguably created the genre that they are trying to bring online with the original Devil May Cry. And with Bayonetta, he reminded us that he is still a master of his craft. If anyone would have the chops to pull this off, it would have been Kamiya and his team. Mad World is certainly a fun game, but it doesn't have the technical depth and intuitive feel of a Kamiya game. It's a missed opportunity, but I'm still very much excited about Anarchy Reigns. In Platinum Games we trust.

Oh, and that dude in the picture is totally Jack from Mad World. And it is completely strange seeing him in color. Platinum is probably going to be bringing in characters from their other properties as well, I just wish Jack was still black-and-white in a world of color. It would have looked so much cooler. I'm just hoping that Sam from Vanquish isn't completely vulnerable after a single punch.

Here is the teaser: