Naughty Dog: A Retrospect
With Naughty Dog’s newest game being released this Tuesday, I think it’s time to look back on the developer’s lauded history and see what lead to what is apparently their magnum opus, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
Naughty Dog has a surprisingly long history in the gaming industry. It stretches all the way back to 1986 when the company was founded by two dudes, Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin. It took them a while but they ended up developing their first major console game as Naughty Dog in 1991. They used development money from Universal Interactive to create the wildly successful Crash Bandicoot franchise.
After being bought by Sony in 2001, Naughty Dog began work on their 2nd successful character driven series Jak and Daxter. Then, after continued growth and success through the 6th generation of gaming consoles, the Naughty Dog team began work on Uncharted, their brand new franchise for the PS3 era.
Naughty Dog’s games have shown progressive growth since the original Playstation and it seems as if Sony has provided them with the support they need to create quality products. Their new title Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is released this week and has already been praised as a landmark title for this generation and currently holds a 97/100 rating on Metacritic (w/40 reviews on record).
A closer look at their back catalog reveals that historically, Naughty Dog’s track record is nearly spotless.
Rings of Power 1991 (Sega Genesis)
An RPG published by EA, that put them on the map as a serious developer, despite it’s shortcomings. This title is unique in that Naughty Dog has not developed any RPGs since Rings of Power and none of the subsequent titles have had any elements of RPG-like game play (leveling, questing, potions, etc.)
Way of the Warrior 1994 (Panasonic 3DO)
Continuing to get their footing Naughty Dog develops a fighting game, probably the most popular genre at the time of its release, called Way of the Warrior. Being on the 3DO did not help the games popularity, and while it won 3DO specific awards after it’s release, Way of the Warrior is largely considered a cheap Mortal Kombat knockoff.
Crash Bandicoot 1996 (PlayStation)
Game Ranking Score 80.4%
After receiving capital from Universal Interactive they began working on what would become one of the most popular franchises on the original Playstation. Crash Bandicoot, was a 3D platformer whose gameplay style was dictated mostly by the limitations of the hardware. While it pales in comparison to Super Mario 64 (released the same year) Crash has a unique “running down a hallway” gameplay style that turned into the the hallmark of the series. The game is frustratingly difficult at times and while it looks good for a Playstation game of that era, it was still very rough around the edges. Crash as a character was pure 1990’s pop culture at it’s best. He was a cool as the Fresh Prince and carried himself like a crazed Jolt Cola drinking 10 year old. It sold well and became a greatest hits title. This paved the way for sequels.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 1997 (PlayStation)
Game Ranking Score 88.5%
Crash 2 built on the groundwork that the first laid and refined the mechanics that made the original game so ungodly hard. A slightly improved overworld was added and the character models were exaggerated even more. Gameplay wise it was simply a rehash of the first game with a significant amount of polish. Again, after selling extremely well, Universal gave the green light for a third game.
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped 1998 (PlayStation)
Metacritic Score 91/100
Crash 3 was a huge Crash adventure and is easily the best Crash game to date. It has an unprecedented amount of level variety and really juices the orange that is Crash Bandicoot until it is empty. The only real downside to Crash 3 is that despite Insomniac proving that a true free-roaming 3D platformer can be made on the Playstation with Spyro, Naughty Dog chose to stick with the “Hallway” approach. This was the last canon Crash Game that Naughty Dog developed and their next true adventure would be on the PS2.
Crash Team Racing 1999 (PlayStation)
Metacritic Score 88/100
As many franchises that become insanely popular, Crash got into the Cart racing genre in 1999. Naughty Dog developed Crash Team Racing for the Playstation and quickly moved on to their production of the Jak series. Other Crash racing games would be developed once Naughty Dog let go of the reigns.
Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy 2001 (PlayStation 2)
Metacritic 90/100
After being purchased by Sony Computer Entertainment and with Universal retaining the rights to the Crash character, Naughty Dog began working on Jak and Daxter. As a traditional 3D platfomer much like Banjo Kazooie, and/or Super Mario 64 the first Jak game proved that Naughty Dog was more than a one trick pony. It was also the title that was their first step towards a more mature audience. Jak and Daxter is still a very child friendly game, but having a silent protagonist and all comic relief coming from a anthropomorphic sidekick meant the subject matter was much easier for older audiences to swallow than the frantically dancing antics of a Bandicoot. The story structure of the Jak series is much better crafted than in the Crash games and Naughty Dog showed significant growth with the release of The Precursor Legacy.
Jak II 2003 (PlayStation 2)
Metacritic 87/100
In another giant step forward, Jak II completely redefines what a Jak game is by refocusing the series on open world gameplay. After the phenomenal success of Grand Theft Auto 3 and it’s open world ideas, Naughty Dog gave Jak a significantly darker tone and added an arsenal of guns vehicles for Jak to interact with. While a bit alarming at first, playing Jak II convinced much of the gaming community that Naughty Dog could make a story driven serious adult game. It wasn’t as well received as the original, but it still sold well, and garnered high marks with critics.
Jak 3 2004 (PlayStation 2)
Metacritic 84/100
Jak 3 brought a “more of the same” feel to the franchise. More guns, more moves, more vehicles, a bigger map and a deeper story helped to close out the trilogy with not only the best plot twist ever, but also surprising gameplay mechanics such as the Nintendo-esq mode of Dark Jak and the late game addition of Jak having wings. Along with Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, God of War and Ico, Jak and Daxter was proving that Sony had, without a doubt, the best 1st party studios in the business.
Jak X: Combat Racing 2005 (PlayStation 2)
Metacritic 76/100
Much like Crash Team Racing, Jak got a racing game as well. It was an arcade style racer that had a tremendous sense of speed and included impressive driving and crash physics. It’s story fits the fiction and has surprisingly engaging gameplay. However, due to one of the ugliest save game glitche in the history of gaming, its all but unplayable on a PS2 slim.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune 2007 (PlayStation 3)
Metacritic 88/100
Naughty Dog spent two years developing their next project. The first Uncharted game was released for the PS3 in 2007 to further critical acclaim. It was praised for it’s story, graphical prowess and high action gameplay. Personally, I believe the first Uncharted game is one of the best games of the current console generation behind such greats like Super Mario Galaxy, Bioshock and Rock Band 2. As a story driven movie like experience, the character of Nathan Drake is believable, and easy to sympathize with. It contains another fantastic plot twist and solidly establishes Naughty Dog as a Big-Boy developer that should be compared to the likes of Valve, Rock Star, Ubisoft Montreal or Infinity Ward.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 2009 (PlayStation 3)
Metacritic 97/100
Uncharted 2 takes Naughty Dog into…might i say…Uncharted territory. It will be the very first title they have developed with a substantial online game play meant to sustain sales and a fully functional co-op mode. It has been compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark, been labeled the “Killer-App” for the PS3, and right now sits as one of the few “must own” PS3 exclusives. I pick up my copy on Tuesday, but to remain professional will not be reviewing the game. As a huge fan of both the Uncharted series and Naughty Dog as a whole I don’t feel that there is any possible I way I can give this game a professional and fair rating. Tune into this week’s Podcast see what I think of this apparent masterpiece.
