[PS3] Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

To be fair, I only played the Clank demo halfway (May be not even half). The time puzzles look deeper than regular Ratchet gameplay. I will see how it flows in the main game.

It's just that on first glance, I didn't quite like what I saw and hear compared to the Beast Rider demo (Still fear Clank is too tiny !). At the same time, I also felt that some of the early negative comments were over-reacting.


I fooled around with the space exploration a bit. It is rather promising. Dispatched 2 flight of enemy vessels, visited a small asteroid.

I am too tied up to play it at one go. Don't want to chop one of my favorite games into loose slices of game time. May have to come back to this next week. :(
 
I think the game looks very nice. I'm just bored out of my skull with the gameplay (tried the Ratchet demo only so far). All I'm doing is smashing and shooting things to bits, over and over again. It gets very tiresome.
 
Did you like the Clank time puzzles ?

One of the reasons I dislike demoes is because they don't give you the reason/motivation/context to your actions. It's usually very focused on the mechanics.

If it's R&C style shooting and platforming, "everyone" should already be familiar with it. The complete R&C game would have item collection, mini-puzzles/games, streamlined exploration, weapon upgrading, and humor all thrown into a simple plotline.

I am only in the 3rd chapter but the GAF folks seem to like it quite a bit.
 
Dear Insomniac,

Your game is full of awesomeness.

Especially thanks for listening about this year's animalator. Great weapon. Unfortunately I couldn't use it during most of my playthrough since you decided to put it as a final reward for the arena, but all good and forgiven since I already started challenge run, and currently saving money for the Next Generation one.

I guess difficulty balancing is still shady (even at this point I'm not sure if it's better to start from normal or hard).

But I have to say, gameplay, platforming and weapon variety is as great as ever. In fact with a little more depth in hack and slash and everyone would have been covered (RPG, shooter, platforming, adventure and puzzle fans).

Streaming between galaxies (+moons) and planets would have been nice but I'm not gonna nitpick at this point.

Thanks again for the great game.

Sincerely,
-betan

ps1: OK, I do want coop as well. Full campaign coop, PJ Eden style. Don't listen to anyone, it would work.

ps2: Please bring back humor, wheel and the original health system to Resistance.
 
Billy Idol said:
How long did it take you to finish the game?
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Around 10 hours I think.

I'm not a collectable kind of guy, but they are very well done here, and when you start challenge mode you get the option to buy more expensive weapons to upgrade. Game has pretty good replay value (of course coop would have made it even more awesome).
 
I am really enjoying this game. I am about 6-7hrs in so far and I am not bored like I was with Tools of Destruction. I like the switching between Ratchet and Clank, the different type of game play they offer. I prefer Clanks game play because it is more puzzle based. I enjoy the space combat and visiting the different moons and asteroids for side missions.

I went in with low expectations and I am pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying it.
 
The feeling of the Clank demo is difficult to explain. The graphics are ok, with some good high-res textures in golden trees and such, but because of no concrete reason I don´t feel stunned while watching the whole thing.

On the other hand, Ratchet demo is really surprising, a complete pack of unstoppable action, some refreshing innovations in gameplay (the new way Ratchet advances at full speed is pleasant), exploration moments and the graphics seems top notch. More complex than the graphics of the first installment in PS3, IMHO.

If we assume that the engine behind both demos is the same, then the perceived difference is just game/art design. I agree with the comment about the height of the camera, which seems to be more distant from the action in this game than in previous installments.

To be fair, the graphics in CiT demos are more than enough to my taste: good framerate, adequate models, big scope, colorful and vivid environments.

I´m waiting for more impressions about the game. I have to decide yet if make the investment in Forza 3 or Ratchet... the year ending is really full of games of high quality. I´ve got U2, Katamari Forever an D. Souls already and I don´t know what to buy next. The list is overwhelming: A. Creed 2, MW2...
 
Well, if you're into Sims, Forza 3 will give you tons of replay.

Ratchet won't give you the same, but it does have a lot to offer. I'm loving it so far, and the break up between Ratchet and Clank is awesome because the game never feels "samey" throughout, I'm always on my toes (and the moons / space sections are really fun, best in Ratchet...ever).

The cutscenes BLOW ME AWAY. I know they aren't real time, but MAN Insomniac should use their engine (or license it) to create some really amazing TV Show for Ratchet and Clank. I'm astonished at the quality, as it seriously trumps a ton of the CG Shows that are on Saturday Mornings.

DO IT INSOMNIAC. GIVE ME A RATCHET AND CLANK SERIES ON SATURDAY MORNINGS. MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN!!!
 
DonaldDuck said:
The feeling of the Clank demo is difficult to explain. The graphics are ok, with some good high-res textures in golden trees and such, but because of no concrete reason I don´t feel stunned while watching the whole thing.

On the other hand, Ratchet demo is really surprising, a complete pack of unstoppable action, some refreshing innovations in gameplay (the new way Ratchet advances at full speed is pleasant), exploration moments and the graphics seems top notch. More complex than the graphics of the first installment in PS3, IMHO.
Click to expand...

I think it's the art direction. But that's my personal opinion.

The Clank demo has some large scenes where Clank appears very very small. The screen lacks focus as a result. I find my eyes wandering with so many activities in the background. A tiny Clank also means it's harder to see good details about our hero (Aliasing appears worse, animation is limited since there's not much to animate).

For the few levels I have played so far, I also prefer the color scheme used in Ratchet's levels. Clank's color scheme looks plain to me.

When I see Clank and Ratchet together and up-close, the above shortcomings went away and I'm happy again.
 
Fantastic game, and easily the best in the series after the very easy first entry on the PS3. Very well balanced and there is never a dull moment (lots of action with Ratchet). If they really intend to stop the series with this game, they're out with a bang IMO.
 
Have been playing the game for the last couple of days and definitely felt like a step up from R&C TOD. Graphics seems to have improved, they have a lot more stuffs going on, better shaders and larger environment, the graphics can look inconsistent especially when the cutscene lighting is so much better. Now that Insomniac is moving on to 30fps I really hope HDR would be their first priority and SSAO would add tons to the world. Also am I the only one who doesn't like Clank's level all that much? Time recording is just boring and tedious.
 
Got it yesterday and played for like 3 hours already. I found the Clank levels fun but I don't know how it will feel once the time recording novelty wears off. So far, so good.

I really like the graphics and the art direction. Compared to TOD I like this one better so far. I never played the demo so can't compare but IMHO Insomnia has delivered a solid product.

Now if they decide to go 30Hz and add more eye candy for the next game they could deliver some pretty awesome visuals.
 
Finished it. It's an excellent game. The Clank levels were probably my favourite parts. It's a rare thing in games these days to find a puzzle that actually makes you think. It gives a nice sense of accomplishment to see 4 versions of Clank running around like clockwork, opening up doors for yourself.

I'm playing challenge mode right now. Which isn't very challenging because I carried over all my weapons, exp, ect, from the previous game.
 
The end is buggy though.

I collected all the zoni after the last Vorsilon fight so when I completed the game it asked me if I wanted to go back before the nefarious fight to beat him, which I did. Now I can complete the game without ever defeating nefarious. Credits roll but when the selection screen comes up it just dumps me back into the first clock level as Clank with no enemies.
 
There are a lot less enemies left in the levels if you decide to go back after you complete the game. I did the same thing to collect all the Zoni and Holo plans. After that I restarted the game in challenge mode to power up the weapons faster. You always keep the option to do that after you beat the game. And you keep everything you've collected that way.
 
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