I made a similar thread 1-2 years ago, but I can't find it or remember what the general response was. So I've made this one.
Insomniac used to be as acclaimed/respected as Naughty Dog. During the PS2 era, Insomniac was considered by many as the most talented developer of Sony's "platforming trio" which also included Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch. I think it was generally believed that Ratchet & Clank was a better game than both Jak & Dexter and Sly Cooper. There may have been a few that preferred Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, but most people would agree that Insomniac was at least comparable to ND or SP. Most people regarded Ratchet & Clank as being on par with Sly and Jak, if not better.
These days, Insomniac is rarely even compared to Naughty Dog. Now, during the PS3 era, things are much different. Naughty Dog skyrocketed past Insomniac in terms of acclaim & success. Ask ten people to list their top 5 games on the PS3 and I'd wager nine of them would include Uncharted. On the other hand, you'd be lucky to get one or two people to mention Insomniacs new IP, Resistance. Uncharted is held by many as the PS3's signature franchise, while very few people feel similarly for Resistance. But during the PS2 era, Insomniac recieved as much, if not more, acclaim than Naughty Dog. What happened?
Naughty Dog's transition to this gen was smooth and allowed them to implement their learned skills. I think the change this generation has nothing to do with developer talent and all do with the different genres they chose for the PS3. Coming off of a third-person platforming shooter, Jak & Dexter, Naughty Dog already had experience with Uncharted's genre. They were already experienced with platforming, jumping, and the general design guidelines that came with making a third-person shooter. All they had to do was change the camera a bit to implement an over-the-shoulder view, add more realistic characters, animations, etc. and it was a fairly smooth transition.
Insomniac chose a genre were they were limited and inexperienced. Unlike Naughty Dog, Insomniac had to make more drastic design changes with Resistance. Resistance would be a first-person-shooter. Therefore, Insomniac really couldn't implement the platforming strategies that they were skilled at with Ratchet & Clank. They were also flat out inexperienced with making first-person games. They had thrived with third-person platformers and were experienced with all the strategies that came with it. It seems like Naughty had the much easier transition for their PS3-era IP.
Insomniac could have potentially been as acclaimed/respected as Naughty Dog, this gene. I still think Insomniac has as much talent as they did in the past. This can be seen with the recent Ratchet & Clank: Future games. Many consider A Crack in Time to be the greatest Ratchet & Clank game of the franchise, or at least close to it. With that said, I think they had the talent to make a new IP this generation as great as Uncharted, if not greater. Had they made a game where they could utilize their platforming skills, and perhaps one from a 3rd person perspective, I think Insomniac could have been the developers of the PS3's signature franchise. The moderately received Resistance could have been replaced by one of the generation's greatest series.
What do you think?
