Best Games By Bluepoint Games, Ranked

Although Bluepoint Games has become a household name due to its comprehensive development of ground-up remakes of classic Sony titles, the Texas-based studio has an extensive history of bringing its remastering prowess to a whole host of classic franchises. Despite evidence of creative endeavors in external IP usage, the Sony-acquired developer has arguably become a cornerstone of Sony’s contemporary plans for the PlayStation brand.

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From original remakes of legacy properties and experiences utilizing console launches to more by-the-numbers remastered collections on Sony’s seventh-generation console, Bluepoint Games Inc. has incrementally become more and more trusted by both players and Sony alike in handling industry-defining properties.

8

Blast Factor

A Unique Neon-Tinged Shooter Exclusive To The PlayStation Network

Blast Factor

Released

November 11, 2006

Considering Bluepoint Games’ rise to become arguably one of the PlayStation brand’s most iconic contributing developers, the somewhat humble beginnings of the Texas-based studio with its 2006 indie-esque twin-stick shooter Blast Factor are surprising.

Being hailed as one of Sony’s first PlayStation Network exclusive titles, Blast Factor‘s neon aesthetic and polished single and multiplayer experiences seemingly make it an impressive, if not revolutionary, effort from the remake and remaster-renowned studio. While it garnered middling reviews, and remains Bluepoint Games’ only wholly unique title they have released thus far in its near 20-year history, its legacy and microscopic scale highlight it as a notable digital-only release on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

7

God Of War Collection

A Concise HD Touch-Up Of A Generation-Defining Hack & Slash

Systems

Released

March 22, 2005

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Bolstering hack-and-slash fans’ PlayStation 3 game libraries before the 2010 release of God of War 3, Bluepoint Games’ God of War Collection remastered both God of War and God of War 2 in high-definition before the debut of Sony Santa Monica’s conclusion to its “rage-fueled trilogy.”

In releasing as the first of Sony’s Classics HD line of PlayStation 3 remasters — which would go on to port legacy installments from series such as Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper — the God of War Collection‘s 2009 release acted as Bluepoint Games’ first dip into the process of bringing classic titles onto current hardware. Utilizing the expanded graphical capabilities of Sony’s seventh console-generation hardware to provide players with both inaugural entries in the God of War franchise, the God of War Collection presented the PlayStation 2 classics in 720p at 60 frames-per-second for the first time.

6

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection

Bluepoint’s Visual & Gameplay Remaster Of The Uncharted Trilogy

Action

Adventure

Third-Person Shooter

Systems

Released

October 9, 2015

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Having made a name for itself with its impressive remastering efforts of the God of War Collection and the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection compilations on the PlayStation 3, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection saw the first time that Bluepoint Games was tasked to grapple with the improved horsepower of the PlayStation 4.

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While the package was well-received at launch, with much acclaim levied towards its remodeled textures, improved lighting, and re-tuned trophy system, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection — while providing players with the complete campaign gameplay of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception — did receive some criticism for leaving all multiplayer content on the cutting room floor. Remastered in partnership with original developers Naughty Dog, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection not only brings Sony’s Tomb Raider-esque protagonist onto its eighth console-generation hardware for the first time by bolstering its PlayStation 3 roots with graphical effects and improvements not possible on its original hardware.

5

Ico & Shadow Of The Colossus Collection

A Respectful HD Re-Release Of Japan Studio’s Classic PS2 Titles

9/10

Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Although the strength of Bluepoint Games’ remastering efforts is not to be ignored, the fact that the developer handled the two industry-defining titles “with the reverence and care that they’ve earned” is shown through effectively none of their core systems being altered.

With assistance from both games’ original developer, Japan Studio, the 2011 remaster of the PlayStation 2 classics for experience on Sony’s contemporary seventh-generation hardware brought with it high-definition textures, 3D capabilities, and support for 7.1 surround sound that bolsters the original games rather than altering them. As such, with the then still far off release of The Last Guardian in 2016, PlayStation players had the opportunity to play through Japan Studio’s acclaimed titles to tide them over until that point.

4

Gravity Rush Remastered

A Franchise-Defining Remastered Re-Release From Portable To Home Console

Although Gravity Rush Remastered‘s improved performance, presentation, and gameplay package utilizes many of the remastering efforts for which Bluepoint Games has become renowned, its legacy remains stoic within the franchise.

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Thanks to Bluepoint Games’ 2015 remastered re-release of the once PlayStation Vita-exclusive on Sony’s eighth-generation console, the “fun and mysteries-filled story about self-discovery” of Gravity Rush was brought to many more players and laid the groundwork for the game’s sequel. With improved lighting and draw distances compared to the original handheld release, while also utilizing the same graphics engine as its 2017 sequel, Gravity Rush Remastered has seemingly taken up the mantle as the definitive way to experience one of Sony’s most unique titles in recent memory.

A Collaborative Effort To Bring The Action-Stealth Franchise To More Players

Systems

Released

November 8, 2011

Although Bluepoint Games has found repeated success with its continual remasters and reimaginings of Sony first-party properties, the utilization of the Texas-based developer’s re-release skills in collaborating on the 2012 launch of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection stands out as the studio’s only non-PlayStation-centric compilation to date. While the seven action-stealth titles available in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ranged from the series’ 1987 home computer roots to its 2010 portable entry, Bluepoint’s involvement was concentrated on the remastering of the franchise’s notable entries on the PlayStation 2.

In remastering Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the content from their respective expanded versions, the 2012 re-release of some of these “masterpieces in the medium” saw great critical reception. Utilizing the power of the seventh generation of consoles to present the Hideo Kojima-penned classics in 720p at 60 frames-per-second, with modern trophy and achievement systems and further improvements, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection remains a standout remastering endeavor and the basis for the series’ further HD ports.

2

Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)

Bluepoint’s First Merging Of Original & HD Classic Content

Systems

Released

February 6, 2018

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Despite Bluepoint Games’ adeptness at bringing legacy content to contemporary platforms, the Sony-owned developer has found recent success in pivoting its efforts toward the merging of its independent creativity and faithful reproduction of previously-released titles.

With 2018’s PlayStation 4 remake of the 2005 classic Shadow of the Colossus, Bluepoint Games not only returned to an IP it had previously worked on with its critically lauded The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, but they rebuilt the game from the ground up with a focus on the improved hardware and industry expectations of the eighth console generation. Implementing 4K assets best utilized by Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro, alongside evolving the control and camera mechanics of the original, 2018’s Shadow of the Colossus is a love letter not only to Bluepoint Games’ past work but to the industry-defining original title.

1

Demon’s Souls (2020)

A Front-And-Center Remake As A Launch Title For Sony’s PlayStation 5 System

Systems

Released

November 12, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Although recent industry movement has arguably minimized the role of exclusive software in pushing console hardware units, it seemingly remains that Sony concentrates on providing such experiences on its PlayStation 5 system. The release of Sony’s ninth console-generation hardware in 2020 coincided with a selection of great launch titles to help it stand out against the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series consoles — seemingly the most notable being Bluepoint Games’ ground-up remake of the FromSoftware genre-defining classic, Demon’s Souls.

With Japan Studio assisting in development behind the scenes, Demon’s Souls remains a faithful yet greatly bolstered interpretation of 2009’s inaugural soulsborne title. Utilizing the greatly improved technology of the PlayStation 5 console to implement 4K textures at variable frame rates between 30 and 60 frames-per-second, alongside a re-recorded set of musical performances and voice lines, 2020’s Demon’s Souls arguably remains the quintessential way for modern players to play the PlayStation breakout classic.

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