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

It won't be long before someone's going to need a dual layer blu-ray disk.

My money is on Square.

 

Proof the Gamespot review makes no sense http://www.n4g.com/industrynews/News-77513.aspx

If the game didn't have the variety it has, then you can gurantee that every other site would have given the game 7.5 and only gamespot would have given it a 9.

"Gamespot Guy # 1:"Crap! There's NOTHING wrong with the game. How can I justify a bad review. No multiplayer? No, we didn't mark Bioshock down for it... There's just so much variety, it's amazing!"

Gamespot Guy # 2:"Yeah... Maybe a little TOO much variety..." "

"Gamepot guy #1: Oh, and whats the deal with playing both rachet AND clank?

Gamespot guy #2: Yeah, it confusing. I don't know who I am supposed to be playing

Gamespot guy #1: Seems like this game is having an "identity crysis" (wiggling his fingers to make imaginary quotation marks)."

LOL loves it.

 

I don't think that was it, exactly. From the sounds of it, and everyone agrees, there's no challenge. Straight away that has to take serious points from the title because that's more often than not the very basis of any gameplay - here's a challenge and your skills overcome it. So if you then couple lack of challenge with loads of different things, it's not a huge a leap to say Insomniac lacked focus in making a killer game. Though I don't agree with everything said, that review vid does provide a POV that I can at least see as generally fair. If the game has no challenge, I'd probably score it on the low side of good too.

 

Just picked it up last night and played through the first two or three levels. It's lots of fun -- classic Ratchet & Clank. New devices like the disco ball and the gel/bouncing thing are amusing. The graphics are fantastic, it really does look like a Pixar movie.

I disagree with the review. His complaints don't seem justified, and at the same time, he completely ignores the lack of multiplayer (a real omission, in my view).

 

That was one of the minor criticisms, but was not his major. And don't forget - children have to be able to play the game, enjoy it and complete it.

 

None of the R & C games were much of a challenge IMO so if he liked the previous iterations i'm not sure how that would make this game alot worse. I'm confused by them not liking variety but to each his own.

 

Good point; these guys also brought us Spyro (speaking to the early games and not the later poor sequels) which one could argue was also a *really* easy game, but back then I don't recall its ease as a point of failure or even one of noteworthy criticism.

 

There's enough challenge, though admittedly there's not a huge amount. As with platformer heritage, there's usually not "challenge" so much as "repeating things until you get it right." (The main game of a platformer, due to the audience it's aimed at, is supposed to provide some challenge, but with repetition able to get you through most times, and the REAL challenge being those additional extras you can pursue afterward. The "main game," however, needs to be fun over "challenging," and for any mature gamers is usually along the easy side.) R&C's own heritage draws in some added "challenge by finding just the right weapons to use, or trying to perfect your spanner use so that you conserve ammo and get more bolts."

For everyone else, though, there's "having fun blowing shit up."


Reading their review, though, it seems like their biggest complaint is with the story, even though they say "it doesn't matter much." (They seem to mention it the most, though.) And, of course, for games like this you normally don't have ANY story, or you basically have crap story, so... It's almost like they count R&C's attempt TO include story against them, because even though they're mainly having some cheesy fun with it, if you start putting ANY kind of serious thought in, you need to immediately be like a full-fledged RPG.

...and all things considered, if you can get through the first 7-8 planets with only one of those "identity crisis" extras (one extended rails scene, one Sixaxis-controlled falling scene [what you see in the demo], one flying scene, one rails spaceship shooting scene...), there's really not all that much to be confused with. Unless the spacing of them goes straight to hell in the second half of the game, I don't think there's much to latch on to. It's just one of those "somethings extra" that they toss in to add variety, instead of doing everything the same way. It doesn't really matter if you're using springy goop to bridge a "not normally jumpable" ledge or gap, or you're using rocket boots, using a laser whip, robo wings, a jumping pad, a teleporter... They're not difficult elements, they're just fun in slightly different ways, look different, and let you experience the board in different ways.

R&C is really just as glorious as ever, and "more random fun" is never a bad thing.

 

DOn't you think it's extremely creative and talented to create a game that is so fun, yet while not being too challenging? I mean one of the ONLY fun things about shooting games is that you are avoiding being killed using your wits....whereas this game has oh so much more!

Plus there's a hard mode after you've completed it.

 

I got my game at 6:30 last night and played until 3 in the morning. So far the difficulty is identical to the previous games. It's not hard by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly has enough challenge to entertain me. It's slightly easier for me than Halo 3 on normal, much easier than Resistance on normal, and I've died less than I did in heavenly sword on normal so far.

All the new minigames are improvements over the old ones to me (I really hated some of the old ones). The decryptor minigame is vastly better imho. Also, the on rails space flight is 100X better than the 3D space scenes in Going Commando (I hate 3d flight games). The collect "stuff" for money sidequests are vastly improved in that you only collect a few things through a level and not 100s in a giant annoying field/sewer. Oh and so far the one clank section I did was much better than past ones. The clank parts in the older games were mostly just annoying (helper bots die, run back and collect them again, bleh).

I've run into a couple of glitches. I got stuck on the floor at one point and had to load my last save to get out. Some boxes stay floating after you knock the ones beneath them down.

All the weapons are pretty good so far too. Although I don't much care for the tornado one. I'm fine with sixaxis controls if that's all I'm doing. But moving my character and swinging the camera around while controlling a tornado with tilting. Not happening yet, but maybe I just need practice. Also, I really like the new weapon upgrade system.

Overall, so far it's just ratchet and clank only with better minigames, cool new weapons, and far more impressive epic environments. If the story holds up well then it will be my favorite ratchet and clank outing. My biggest worry is that some the new elements may be underused which could lead to them feeling disjointed even if they themselves aren't bad.

 

Thanks for the impressions, pretty much what I expected. Regarding weapons, is there an infinite ammo short range beam weapon (like transformers in the first three)?
Demo had bomb instead, I don't know about Deadlocked.

 

just dont watch the review from GS, just rent the game or better yet buy it and play it for yourself and judge it for yourself, if is fun and make you play on then it is a good game. i mean there are countless of ppl on this thread who played it and loved it, they cant all be wrong.

 

there are other difficulty settings. also, does difficulty really matter if the game is fun? you also have to consider this game is intended for younger audiences, but like most animated films, adults can appreciate the humor and fun factor as well.

Gametrailers also mentions that it is not very difficult, but that obviously didn't let that affect their score too much.

 

As of where I am in the game right now, not yet. I haven't looked at a weapons list and can't play again until saturday (work and other obligations), so I won't know until I get further in.

 

I played the first 2 levels of the game. About the difficulty... the game is a good introduction for new players like me. While the game is relatively easy compared to Resistance, it does not mean that there is no challenge.

I have failed quite a few times on the second level already, but it just dropped me off where I failed. There is no need to backtrack at all. I like it because it allows me to learn the diverse controls, and explore different tactics quickly without serious disruption. It remains to be seen if the gameplay will get old with subsequent level designs.

I also heard from GAF that none of the journalists were able to pass the last stage at its original difficulty. So perhaps they tuned it down a notch so that all can complete the game.



I think Insomniac should partner with a Japanese game developer for their next game. Their platform, combined with Japanese character design, art style and alternate gameplay (like Folklore) will turn heads.

 

Not so far, but I still have one weapon to unlock.

 

This is an amazing looking title. Ranks up there with TF2 and Eternal Sonata in terms of design (imo of course). Very good use of technology and well executed.

 

I played more levels (It's 4:42am now ). The game does send you back if you failed after level 2, but I'm enjoying my ride. Have to stop because I'm stucked. Dropped a post over at GAF to ask for help.

P.S. I bought the Tornado Gun too. Had a little fun with it. Will try to use it on more enemies.

 

I had just checked out the Eternal Sonata demo on Live, and I agree it has a very nice style, though it's not so smooth, but then it's an RPG. But I'll discuss it's merits elsewhere (some interesting comparisons with Folklore in some respects).

I'm really looking forward to the full Ratchett game. I'm not even a big fan of Ratchett gameplay, but I just really love the full and alive world of the demo and the technology is indeed very awesome ...

 

Just like playing a pixar\dreamworks movie. Fantastic!!