Smilebit vs. Treasure

[johnk_]

i thought it might be interesting to pit the positive and negative aspects, and the games, of these two developers against each other comprehensively..

let's see..

Smilebit
of course, responsible for the critically acclaimed Jet Set Radio games, as well as recent and upcoming high-profile games such as Gun Valkyrie and PD-Orta, so they've been pretty big in recent days.. They don't have much history behind them, as they're relatively new, so they should obviously be cut some slack there.. sales-wise their games haven't been the hottest off shelves..
i don't know as much about Smilebit as i'm sure some of you do, so feel free to add things..

Treasure
as we all know, the ex-konami developers responsible for quite a few classics.. i'm not %100 sure, but i think Treasure started off around '92 and let loose with Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier then did a few other duds on the genesis, and then came back strong on the saturn with guardian heroes and RS and others.. more recently they've come up with sin & punishment, bangai-o, and a couple of forgettable PS2 games.. besides ikaruga in the arcades, and their new tiny toons games, they've been pretty quiet..
they don't heavily promote their games for some reason, and most of them are limited runs or sell rather poorly..
they also tend to be more appreciated in the US then in japan..


you guys can probably guess where my vote's going, but i'm sure many of you have conflicting opinions on both developers..
although this vote wasn't too hard for me, I am really looking forward to PD-Orta.. but who isn't?

[Tain]

Smilebit. Easily. JSR, JSRF, and GV are, IMO, much better than Treasure's goodness.

[Rick]

Treasure has a better track record than SmileBit I believe, but SmileBit does have a chance to prove otherwise depending on how good PD Orta is when it comes out. But between then and now, I say Treasure.

[Andy787]

I love Guardian Heroes and Gunstar Heroes, but my vote goes to Smilebit. Sega Rally 2, JGR, JSRF, Typing of the Dead, Gunvalkyrie, PD Orta, Baseball Advance.

[AaronChance]

Smilebit has a total of one ho-hum game (Hundred Swords), which I personally like because it's not like another C&C RTS clone. They also have a series of sports managment sims we never see in the US, but are well loved (and well selling) in Japan. I think they have one of the best track records out there.

Smilebit games constantly thrill me. Heck, I was playing JSRF again today and I've probably got 60+ hours logged on that already. Treasure has had some games I enjoyed, but never to the level of enjoyment that Smilebit provides.

Smilebit all the way. I understand the Concept of Love.

[sggg]

Well, I love them both..... but Smilebit gets my vote, and I didn't even need any time to consider it. I love many Treasure games, but none of them are on the level of the Jet Set Radio series in my mind. JSR is so extraordinarily special that on it's own it's more valuable to me than most developer's entire catalogues..... Smilebit have made several other good games too, GUNVALKYRIE, SEGA Rally 2, Baseball Advance.....

I love many Treasure games as well. They're in my top 5 or at least my top 10 developers. But Smilebit is in my top 3.

[Green]

Both Jet Grind and Gunstar take wild ideas and wreck havoc with them...but I think Gunstar goes the extra length towards sheer gaming madness. Then you got Headdy, Radiant Silvergun, Silhuette Mirage, ect. Treasure for me.

[Frogacuda]

Smilebit
Jet Set Radio 9
Hundred Swords 7
Jet Set Future 7
Gun Valkyrie 8
Typing of the Dead 7
Total: 38

Treasure
Gunstar Heroes 10
McDonald's 5
Alien Soldier 9
Dynamite Headdy 8
Light Crusader 3
Yu Yu Hakusho 8
Guardian Heroes 9
Silhouette Mirage 9(the import saturn one, anyway)
Mischeif Makers 8
Bangai-O 8
Radiant Silvergun 10
Rakugaki Showtime (haven't played)
Sin and Punishment 10
Silpheed 2 1
Stretch Panic 6
Ikaruga (haven't played)
Total: 104

Winner: Treasure by a mile

I like JSR and all, but Smilebit is largely unproven to me. JSRF was disappointing, and Gun Valkyrie was plenty fun, but not exactly a land mark. Smilebit is one of the most promsing new developers, but they've yet to prove themselves. They have potential, but it's not even fair to compare them the a company like Treasure who has made so many of the best 2D action games ever.

Also, Smilebit just did the crappy DC port of Sega Rally 2, not the original game.

[johnk_]

oh, smilebit did the DC port of Sega Rally 2??

i didn't know.. but i liked the game a lot.. it wasn't a crappy port at all..

[Tsubaki]

Smilebit
of course, responsible for the critically acclaimed Jet Set Radio games, as well as recent and upcoming high-profile games such as Gun Valkyrie and PD-Orta, so they've been pretty big in recent days.. They don't have much history behind them, as they're relatively new, so they should obviously be cut some slack there.. sales-wise their games haven't been the hottest off shelves..
i don't know as much about Smilebit as i'm sure some of you do, so feel free to add things..

Smilebit actually has quite a lot of games under their belt:
http://www.smilebit.com/jpn/game/gamesoft.html
(Yakyuu = Baseball btw)

DC:
Sega Rally 2
Pro Yakyuu Team wo Tsukurou!
J League Pro Soccer Club wo Tsukour!
Pro Yakyuu Team de Asobou!
The Typing of the Dead
Jet Set Radio
Pro Yakyuu Team de Asobou Net!
Motto Pro Yakyuu Team wo Tsukurou!
J League Pro Soccer Club wo Tsukirou! (Special)
Hundred Swords
Dirby Tsuku 2
J League Pro Soccer Club wo Tsukurou Special 2
J League Spectacle Soccer

GBA:
Pro Yakyuu Team wo Tsukurou! Advance
Greatest Nine
J League Pro Soccer wo Tsukurou! Advance

XBox
JSRF
Gun Valkyrie

PS2
SakaTsu 2 ~J League Pro Soccer Club wo Tsukurou!~

Phew... vs Treasure's... oh... 14? games?