THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 12:57:53 AM

Title: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 12:57:53 AM
At least I think it's the first one. 7/10

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ratchet-and-clank-a-crack-in-time-review

"There's no question that Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is a quality platformer, complete with a superb combat system, decent puzzles, fun weapons, pretty visuals and plenty of variation. If you've never played a R&C game before, you should, and this is a great place to start. If you're a fan who just wants more of the same, you won't be disappointed."


Sounds like the platforming is better and the rest is as polished as ever, but they don't seem too thrilled about the whole space exploration thing. I had hoped that part would have involved more adventurous exploration, but I guess they are just excuses to shoot more stuff and collect more bolts. Oh well, it's going to be good entertainment anyway, but I'm not so sure about actually buying it right away.

Sort of wish Insomniac would drop the fast paced release schedule thing and put some serious work into something brand new at this point. And not an FPS either, something colorful and stupidly entertaining because that's what they are really good at.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on October 22, 2009, 01:10:41 AM
IGN gave it a 9

it's gonna be a Ratchet and Clank game. really all that has to be said. i'll rent it and play it and send it back.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 03:35:06 AM
Well, I guess I was hoping that it would be more than just another Ratchet game. It will be fun, and it's real pretty, but Insomniac needs to up their game.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: ManaByte on October 22, 2009, 03:39:39 AM
Yawn. Waaaay too many Ratchet games.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 03:40:08 AM
Yawn. Waaaay too many Ratchet games.

Can it, nerd.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: ManaByte on October 22, 2009, 03:46:43 AM
I own every Ratchet game except the second PSP one and the PS2 port of Size Matters. After Quest for Booty I got sick of the same old same old. It's like Insomniac has a piece of software where the select options in a wizard and it pops out a new Ratchet game. They need to do something new.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Purple Filth on October 22, 2009, 11:59:03 AM
i really hope that ACIT being the "end" will put the series on hold for a good while.

And maybe they can actually put back the multiplayer  :lol
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 22, 2009, 11:59:19 AM
To be absolutely fair, it's more like five games, one expansion pack and one off-shoot.  Still crazy when you consider they also pumped out two Resistance games during that time and another dev made two PSP games using the Ratchet license.

I'm still looking forward to it.  I always think the formula gets dry after I play the game, but then I always get addicted to the new game and enjoy it for the while it lasted.

i really hope that ACIT being the "end" will put the series on hold for a good while.

And maybe they can actually put back the multiplayer  :lol

multiplayer was actually fun in the Ratchet games.  Someone needs to make a mascot based multiplayer shooter for the current gen.  Maybe Bizarre can do a new Fur Fighters.


oh, and there is actually a demo for this new Ratchet out today
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 22, 2009, 12:04:39 PM
true

(but really Quest for Booty has nothing that even makes Ratchet games fun or addicting.  No new weapons or upgrades, collectibles or anything like that.  It was just a straight run through 3 hours of boring, but pretty, ares.)
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 22, 2009, 12:07:00 PM
They really couldn't cram some co op in here, or bring back the deathmatch they already had 4 years ago?

I spent a lot less time on the first PS3 one than I did on 2 or 3. Another game of that length with no multi just isn't gonna fly, I don't think.

spoiler (click to show/hide)
downloading the demo now  :-[
[close]
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Himu on October 22, 2009, 12:28:42 PM
Game looks like most refreshing Ratchet game since Ratchet 2.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Mrbob on October 22, 2009, 12:30:17 PM
I don't think I'll get this right away, but down the road I will.

I really enjoyed Tools of Destruction.  Nothing innovative, but a damn fun game.  Tons of variety and as strange as this sounds about me not wanting the sequel right away, I would put ToD in the top 10 games this generation on the fun factor alone. 

Too close to Dragon Age release.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 12:34:11 PM
Eh, I played Destruction, and it was ok but nothing special.

A colorful mascot shooter with great production values is "special" by default in this generation, but I agree with that it was very familiar. I was hoping against reason that this new one would bring more than just new guns and puzzles to the franchise, but at this point I think Insomniac is just plain incapable of doing so. So, maybe this one will end Ratchet and let the company move the hell on.

Game looks like most refreshing Ratchet game since Ratchet 2.

That's what I thought too, until that review. We'll see, though; I'm getting it, as it's bound to be good entertainment, I just don't know if I want to "reward" another formulaic entry with a full price purchase.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 22, 2009, 12:37:24 PM
Game looks like most refreshing Ratchet game since Ratchet 2.

Why? lol
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 12:57:44 PM
Gametrailers review

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-ratchet/57978

Game sure is purty

edit: god damn it, you have to unlock Hard difficulty for a second run.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 22, 2009, 01:03:06 PM
Looks like CG, which I think is a first for the series.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 22, 2009, 01:04:43 PM
The game looks pretty incredible.  Something about how it has a sorta soft ZoE2 style "not quite cel shading but it still has a cartoon look" to it makes it just look so good.  It confuses me since Resistance 2 is one of the ugliest games, yet Insomniac can still make something look this good.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 01:07:27 PM
They have had a lot of practice in this style, though. I think Resistance 2 was quite accomplished in terms of tech, but that dark and gritty "realistic" style just isn't their thing. Unsurprisingly, the alien levels in Resistance 1 were the only genuinely impressive environments in the game.

Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: M3wThr33 on October 22, 2009, 01:45:28 PM
I own every Ratchet game except the second PSP one and the PS2 port of Size Matters. After Quest for Booty I got sick of the same old same old. It's like Insomniac has a piece of software where the select options in a wizard and it pops out a new Ratchet game. They need to do something new.

Yeah. Aside from adding weapon levelups, the series has been virtually the same since the second one. Hell, my favorite was Deadlocked simply because it tried to be different without journeying to a shitload of planets, talk to stereotypes, see the plumber, play a dumb Captain Qwark minigame, upgrade the wrench and look, its over.

Jak changed genres with virtually every game. They actually tried to improve it.

Hell, they haven't even brought back Multiplayer! I could excuse it for the first one on a new console, but leaving it out here is criminal.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 01:46:16 PM
I don't know if that's the extent of what it was. They put a lot of effort in to the game, even having achievements, and normally I love character based games like that, so its not about me growing out of it. I loved Kameo and I loved Viva Pinata, but something about Ratchet just didn't grab me. I kind of remember having the same problem on PS2 though, I enjoyed Jak much more than ratchet.

Think maybe it's the whole shooter thing? That's what drew me into the game (Going Commando) in the first place, an imaginative arcade shooter with a colorful, bright presentation. It's still a fun shooter and the presentation stands out more than ever, but the combat obviously doesn't feel very imaginative. In contrast, I could never get into the Jak games, although that may have been because I started with the second game in that series.

Hell, they haven't even brought back Multiplayer! I could excuse it for the first one on a new console, but leaving it out here is criminal.

I was arguing in defense of their decision to leave it out for TOD, simply because I bought their talk of wanting to deliver a single player game without compromises. In retrospect, I can't think of a good reason as to why it didn't have for example co-op. None of the missions or puzzles felt so expertly tuned that they couldn't have been restructured to accommodate two players.


The cynic in me thinks they are just setting things up to release co-op or multiplayer modes via PSN.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 02:17:19 PM
Kotaku:

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time retains a lot of what was good about the previous games. But it also continues one of the best traditions of its developers — to compress past accomplishments, quickly give players a lot of the old stuff in the game's early going and then try new things. Earlier games' experiments with dialogue systems and multiplayer didn't thrill me. But, the new game's more dynamic physical movement (hooray for hoverboots), more interesting mission flow, amazing graphics and smart system of relatively easy main missions that branch off to more challenging moon challenges, are good innovations.

The Ratchet gameplay is improved. The Clank gameplay is a revelation. Two years ago, Ratchet & Clank Future showed how good Insomniac could make this series look on PS3. A year ago, Ratchet & Clank: A Quest For Booty showed that Insomniac was still prepared to innovate with gameplay. A Crack In time, the space case notwithstanding, finally shows the series leaping forward.


http://kotaku.com/5387715/ratchet--clank-future-a-crack-in-time-review-the-leap-at-last

Dude really didn't like the space stuff, though
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: M3wThr33 on October 22, 2009, 02:24:51 PM
I was arguing in defense of their decision to leave it out for TOD, simply because I bought their talk of wanting to deliver a single player game without compromises. In retrospect, I can't think of a good reason as to why it didn't have for example co-op. None of the missions or puzzles felt so expertly tuned that they couldn't have been restructured to accommodate two players.


The cynic in me thinks they are just setting things up to release co-op or multiplayer modes via PSN.

You think that, but I honestly thought Resistance 2 was one of the worst games I played this generation on the TEXTURES alone. Their sequels have hardly been earth-moving. The graphical inconsistency really just ruined the game for me. I haven't been impressed with Insomniac at all. I don't understand why they aren't more reamed for pumping out the same game.
(I own and beat every R&C game except Secret Agent Clank)

I fucking want a new Jak so bad. Hell, I got 100% in Jak X. I'm nuts for it. The PSP looks ok for a platformer, but I loved the open driving stuff in it, not the poor-man's R&C gameplay.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: iconoclast on October 22, 2009, 02:40:00 PM
As someone who has only briefly played the Ratchet PS2 games (no idea which ones), I'm kinda excited to get this during the Best Buy sale.

spoiler (click to show/hide)
I actually own Tools of Destruction, but never played it  :-[
[close]
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 03:02:55 PM
I don't understand why they aren't more reamed for pumping out the same game.

??? Every review so far has mentioned this, even by critics who usually seem to have no problem with "more of the same." It's evidently being saved squarely by the fact that it's a well designed familiar format.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: M3wThr33 on October 22, 2009, 03:26:07 PM
I don't understand why they aren't more reamed for pumping out the same game.

??? Every review so far has mentioned this, even by critics who usually seem to have no problem with "more of the same." It's evidently being saved squarely by the fact that it's a well designed familiar format.
Pointing it out is different from drastically lowering the score for being lazy. Although a 7 is a good start. They need someone to stop the constant praise so they can challenge themselves a bit.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 22, 2009, 03:49:40 PM
I'm not sure why you would expect that kind of ballsy lesson from critics. The fact that they are saying anything about it is out of the ordinary for them, as they usually tip toe around critical issues with games and typically grasp for ways to justify impossibly high component scores for their darling games. I don't necessarily think that's a bad mindset to have when it comes to judging entertainment products, but it can't be very beneficial for future games from these cushioned developers.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 22, 2009, 08:55:37 PM
the demo is up and it's 2.4 gigs, and this is only the Clank demo (Ratchet one later iirc) >:(

Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 23, 2009, 12:19:44 AM
Well, I'm gonna try it. BestBuy's deal may be this game's savior.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Joe Molotov on October 23, 2009, 12:27:34 AM
I picked up ToD for $15, probably do the same with this one. I like R&C, but it's not worth paying full price for the same game over and over.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 23, 2009, 03:15:09 AM
I picked up ToD for $15, probably do the same with this one. I like R&C, but it's not worth paying full price for the same game over and over.

That's generally how I feel about this, and some additional modes would help quite a bit. But the truth of the matter is that irrespective of how similar the games are to one another, they are still pretty unique when you look at what else is on offer these days. But since the cartoony shooter bit is the main draw for me, I sort of wish they would go all out with another Deadlocked instead. Fuck Resistance, they already had a superior multiplayer shooter.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 23, 2009, 11:17:11 AM
I'm such a sap, this demo is making me want to buy the game.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 23, 2009, 03:52:27 PM
well, if you do want it the day of and don't want to spend a lot, there is that Best Buy deal.  Amazon also is selling it for $52 if you enter RATCHET3 (gets you $5 off)
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 23, 2009, 03:59:53 PM
When is the Ratchet demo coming out?
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on October 23, 2009, 04:16:37 PM
demo was surprisingly good. i think the time puzzles were awesome.

but the graphics are pretty bad :(
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Snuflupagulus on October 23, 2009, 08:58:05 PM
When you hold down L1, eeeesshh.  What's with the streaking on Clank's head? 

I'm not sure how to square the praise for the graphics with what was on offer from the demo.  Quest for Booty looked great.  What happened?  Unless they forked this thing from main development eons ago, I'm not sure I trust that they could have improved this to the point the praise makes any sense.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 23, 2009, 09:02:05 PM
I thought the demo looked great, though, not as good as the videos led me to believe. 

noticed that Giantbomb put a review up: http://www.giantbomb.com/ratchet-clank-future-a-crack-in-time/61-25673/reviews/

5/5 meaningless score but the little blurb says "Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time manages to play to its strengths while adding enough to make this the best in the series."

so, uh, cool.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Third on October 23, 2009, 09:55:58 PM
Great reviews so far. I have it ordered.
Still don't know when the PAL release is out, though.
I'm hearing nov 4.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Snuflupagulus on October 23, 2009, 10:00:56 PM
I have it pre-ordered.  I guess I'll be pleasantly surprised.  GB says the graphics are stunning.  The stills made it appear stunning.  The demo left me stunned.  Thankfully, Amazon keeps giving me coupons.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on October 23, 2009, 10:11:29 PM
It looks like the took all the weird graphical features from Resistance 2 and shoved them all here. Anyone else see the strange dithered lighting and textures? Whenever something explodes
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 23, 2009, 11:29:20 PM
If it's anything like the first game (or any other Ratchet game, really), the quality will vary wildly between levels. There were some areas in TOD that looked almost impossibly good, presumably in part because that's what their artists knew the best, and in part because those areas played to the strengths of the engine. I have seen some ridiculously awesome stuff from ACIT, but the first area they showed feels pretty bland.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 24, 2009, 04:51:34 AM
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/arsenal-trailer-ratchet/58025

I have to say, I like the updated rift inducer.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 24, 2009, 12:41:19 PM
http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-ratchet-clank-future-a-crack-in-time/17-1545/
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Darunia on October 25, 2009, 12:50:30 PM
the clank stuff seems kinda interesting, but everything else is just same ol' same ol'. Blowing stuff up in an arena with the same exact weapons or rehashes got stale a while ago

At this point it's hard to get even remotely excited for a ratchet game
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Van Cruncheon on October 25, 2009, 01:48:15 PM
ew, i hate the kooky weapons.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 25, 2009, 01:49:41 PM
I enjoy the base Ratchet gameplay enough so that a lack of new ideas is less damaging, and I almost think I'd prefer a version that only reworked the best weapons, as opposed to force in new "creative" ones with each new game. Give me a few spectacular environments to use some high damage weapons in, and I'll be entertained. I guess it's a bit like Halo in that respect; every game has some deep flaws, but it's hard to deny the charm of bullet hoses and chain reaction gameplay.

That doesn't mean that I don't wish both studios would move on, though.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 28, 2009, 02:10:15 AM
I went into this not too excited and I think it's really good so far.  After a good amount of playing, I'd say the people saying this is the best Ratchet game might be right on.  Everything I hated in the past games, especially from the past two PS3 ones, are gone.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on October 28, 2009, 09:51:10 AM
should have it in two days. gamefly  8)
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 28, 2009, 10:38:27 AM
I'm enjoying it too. The two new things - the space zone and the bolt-on weapon accessories - are both pretty well implemented.

I turned it off after doing a couple side missions, but is there a way to know whether or not you completed the side mission on a planet? It would suck if in the endgame you had to keep on landing on them only to find you already got the little duder or the bolts.


edit - yup, it's all extremely organized. There are like 3 different ways to see what planetoids you still need to finish.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 28, 2009, 02:03:11 PM
It's kinda weird that they don't let you check that stuff when you're on a planet, though.  Like, I wanted to see if I got everything on the planet I was currently on and had to fly out just to see it say "incomplete" then jump back in to continue looking.  Load times are also pretty long between the space and planet sections, but at least the transition between space and moon is instant.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 28, 2009, 05:28:50 PM
Damn, almost bought this last night, but I just checked GF which has a Keep It price of $40 (with coupons). :rock
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Sho Nuff on October 28, 2009, 10:07:38 PM
I thought the first one on PS3 looked amazing, but I'm a sucker for 60fps. Gameplay-wise it was an utter snore though, I stopped after about 2 hours of running down trenches and shooting/hitting things
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 28, 2009, 10:10:54 PM
It's stupid that having a Ratchet save file automatically gives you a discount on all weapons. I'm like 2 hours in and I already have 30,000 bolts as a result.

Though I guess it doesn't matter, since so far weapon buying is completely linear anyway like in QFB. In the past you'd have a few guns available at any one time and you wouldn't be able to afford them all.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 28, 2009, 11:31:07 PM
I never got that discount, but I have the pirate hat.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Snuflupagulus on October 29, 2009, 06:07:39 PM
Yeah, this is actually pretty fun.  The space stuff, I kinda like.  Turning down the brightness helps quite a bit with the graphics.  The demo seems to be aberrant as the game so far is gorgeous.

I don't know if it'd convince people tired of Ratchet's gameplay, but the game is fun so far.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 29, 2009, 06:15:19 PM
I thought the Clank sections still looked kinda weak even in the final game since it's all really pristine and sharp environments.  Some of the Ratchet levels still look incredible.

and I finished the game and thought it was the best Ratchet game yet.  The only problems I had were that, despite removing most of what made recent and past Ratchet games bad, the new things added weren't expanded as much as I would have liked.  Weapon customization should be there for every gun, and space combat and exploration should have also been fleshed out.  I would have also liked it if some of the basic tools you got were upgraded a bit more.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: pilonv1 on October 29, 2009, 09:16:08 PM
I thought the first one on PS3 looked amazing, but I'm a sucker for 60fps.

sorry that boat has sailed

http://www.insomniacgames.com/blogcast/blog/mike_acton/1503082

Quote
a drop in framerate is interestingly seen by some players as a reward for creating or forcing a complex setup in which a lot of things must happen on the screen at once. As in, “Damn! Did you see that? That was crazy!”

Quote
There is virtually no advantage in sales or reviews of a 60 fps game versus a 30 fps game.

Quote
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac’s last 60fps game.

Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Draft on October 29, 2009, 09:31:04 PM
Mid tier dev doesn't understand importance of 60fps.

Film at 11.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 12:00:09 AM
That's a real bummer. I can see why they'd feel that way, but I really hope this is not them trying to appease critics again. Last time they did that, we got Resistance 2.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Stoney Mason on October 30, 2009, 12:08:28 AM
Quote
a drop in framerate is interestingly seen by some players as a reward for creating or forcing a complex setup in which a lot of things must happen on the screen at once. As in, “Damn! Did you see that? That was crazy!”

I saw that thread and that quote over at GAF and I loled hard.

And there is indeed a big difference in 60 versus 30 which is obvious to anyone who plays games. Just got through playing Forza today and the immediate and first thing you notice between it and a game like NFS Shift is the night and day difference in smoothness.

It's their call because lots of games settle for 30 to get other legit graphical benefits and enhancements on consoles or other benefits like in an open world game but that one excuse is utter bs. Nobody sees frame rate drop and goes "Wow Cool!"

They seem to be confusing it with old school top down shoot em up games where slowdown is appreciated as a gameplay benefit to dodge bullets or slow motion which is used to create a cinematic effect. But that is not the same thing as frame rate drop.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Joe Molotov on October 30, 2009, 12:20:48 AM
I thought the first one on PS3 looked amazing, but I'm a sucker for 60fps.

sorry that boat has sailed

http://www.insomniacgames.com/blogcast/blog/mike_acton/1503082

Quote
a drop in framerate is interestingly seen by some players as a reward for creating or forcing a complex setup in which a lot of things must happen on the screen at once. As in, “Damn! Did you see that? That was crazy!”

Quote
There is virtually no advantage in sales or reviews of a 60 fps game versus a 30 fps game.

Quote
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac’s last 60fps game.



:lol PS3 :lol
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Stoney Mason on October 30, 2009, 12:36:02 AM
LOL. Fanboy meltdown over at GAF.

Quote
BioShock would look great in 60, Uncharted 2 will not. That's why I said it depends on the game. You think using your little Internet emoticons will make you look like you have even 1/3 of a brain?

Gotta love when distinguished mentally-challenged fellows think they know something.

Quote
Games like Uncharted 2 are NOT. Imagine UC2 running at that framerate. Would look weird as hell.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 30, 2009, 12:38:11 AM
I like the Clank minigame with the globes.

Also, the weapon level ups are all boring. I miss Going Commando where a lava stream gun would suddenly start shooting out asteroids and shit.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 12:38:14 AM
Uncharted 2 is pretty much the only game I've played in the past couple of years where I didn't think about framerate at all.

I like the Clank minigame with the globes.

Also, the weapon level ups are all boring. I miss Going Commando where a lava stream gun would suddenly start shooting out asteroids and shit.

That's not only a good thing, in my opinion. Back then, I wished that there was a way to freeze the upgrades, as some of the max upgrades felt inferior (like the lava gun, I hated the asteroid stuff) or just plain boring (like the RYNO going from an insane rocket launcher to a white flash and instantly incinerated enemies).
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Crushed on October 30, 2009, 12:38:18 AM
I seriously don't understand why a great-looking game that runs at 30fps is suddenly causing all Sony fanboys to think that 60fps is some kind of devil.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 12:41:03 AM
I seriously don't understand why a great-looking game that runs at 30fps is suddenly causing all Sony fanboys to think that 60fps is some kind of devil.

Eh, really? I haven't read the thread, but I'm going to guess that they are trying to defend the latest move by a Sony-linked studio. Standard fanboy stuff.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Stoney Mason on October 30, 2009, 12:41:55 AM
Uncharted 2 is pretty much the only game I've played in the past couple of years where I didn't think about framerate at all.

That's a perfectly fine attitude. I accept GTA running at the frame rate it does because its an open world. There are always trade-offs with a closed box machine. As a primary console gamer I'm fine with that. But that dude is such a fanboy he can't even tolerate the idea that Uncharted 2 or the PS3 could be improved in any way. It has to be perfect in his mind.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 12:44:03 AM
Well, I wouldn't mind if it it ran at a higher framerate and had greater AF either so I definitely don't get the argument that it would look weird, it just never struck me as an issue either way. That game never felt compromised by its platform, which is really fucking rare.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Stoney Mason on October 30, 2009, 12:50:02 AM
Well, I wouldn't mind if it it ran at a higher framerate and had greater AF either so I definitely don't get the argument that it would look weird, it just never struck me as an issue either way. That game never felt compromised by its platform, which is really fucking rare.

To me it's all about compromise and tradeoffs and what fans of a series expect. Uncharted has never been 60fps and nobody expects it to be. There are series however that stake their claim on being 60fps. Forza, Gran Turismo, COD, etc. If those games suddenly stopped being 60 then the established fans of those series would probably be upset because they have grown use to the smoothness that 60 fps games bring to the table. 60 fps games generally look not as great as they could theoretically if they ran at 30 but it's a choice by the dev to concentrate on what they think is important. If COD didn't run at 60 I wouldn't like that series as much.

 The problem isn't with Insomniac necessarily outside of the fact maybe that they are changing course in an established series (which is what it is. Devs change their priorities all the time. Get over it.) The problem is with insane fanboys who can't understand basic facts.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 30, 2009, 02:35:05 AM
I like the Clank minigame with the globes.

Also, the weapon level ups are all boring. I miss Going Commando where a lava stream gun would suddenly start shooting out asteroids and shit.

I started off feeling the same way about the weapons, but a few of them do change (not radically like in older games) at Lvl 5.  It still was pretty weak.  I remember upgrading the burping gun and it just went from a orange/red beast to a blue one.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: maxy on October 30, 2009, 05:35:12 AM
I thought the first one on PS3 looked amazing, but I'm a sucker for 60fps.

sorry that boat has sailed

http://www.insomniacgames.com/blogcast/blog/mike_acton/1503082

Quote
a drop in framerate is interestingly seen by some players as a reward for creating or forcing a complex setup in which a lot of things must happen on the screen at once. As in, “Damn! Did you see that? That was crazy!”


Quote
There is virtually no advantage in sales or reviews of a 60 fps game versus a 30 fps game.

Quote
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac’s last 60fps game.



:lol PS3 :lol

There is a mission in Gay Tony that is just suited for people that write crap like that,hopefully someone takes Insomniac on that ride.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 30, 2009, 10:15:47 AM
Uncharted 2 is pretty much the only game I've played in the past couple of years where I didn't think about framerate at all.

I like the Clank minigame with the globes.

Also, the weapon level ups are all boring. I miss Going Commando where a lava stream gun would suddenly start shooting out asteroids and shit.

That's not only a good thing, in my opinion. Back then, I wished that there was a way to freeze the upgrades, as some of the max upgrades felt inferior (like the lava gun, I hated the asteroid stuff) or just plain boring (like the RYNO going from an insane rocket launcher to a white flash and instantly incinerated enemies).


Actually yea, I preferred the lava stream too lol. But at least it wasn't just MORE RANGE, MORE DAMAGE!

Quote
I started off feeling the same way about the weapons, but a few of them do change (not radically like in older games) at Lvl 5.  It still was pretty weak.  I remember upgrading the burping gun and it just went from a orange/red beast to a blue one.

The burping gun is a perfect example. It's one thing if your lame pistol and your little grenade thrower have simple upgrades (especially since they get pretty cool mods that give me the drastic changes I want). But you can't come up with something cool for the burp thing? How about it spews out chunks of goo that stick to the ground and blow up or something, or slow down enemies?
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 30, 2009, 12:34:42 PM
I was actually expecting the ability to belch for a long time instead of just one blast.  It's kinda funny that the weapons with the most potential are the ones that don't change.  Even the new Ryno doesn't change at all.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 12:36:56 PM
Oh, they don't change at all? I didn't know that. I think I'm getting the game in the mail today.

edit: lulz, no. Fucking Gamefly is so shit.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 30, 2009, 12:44:39 PM
Some of them change.  Like the rocket launcher becomes a triple rocket launcher, the buzz blades become exploding buzz blades, the sniper rifle becomes an armor piercing sniper rifle, etc.  Nothing radical where one gun becomes something else.  And some don't change at all.

The best path would have been the ability to customize all your guns, and as you level up the weapon, you unlock upgraded parts that way.  Then you can choose how you want them to fire.  As it is, the pistol, shotgun and grenade can be changed into different weapons.  For example, the options for the pistol are:

ammo type: regular shots, laser or giant bursts
shooting style: regular, charge shot, rapid fire
added effect: fire, explosive, stun

Things like that.  But only those three weapons in the game can be customized.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Kestastrophe on October 30, 2009, 02:58:32 PM
I wanted to try out the demo on PSN and I see there are two 2.4GB demos for the game. I queued them up and started the download then went to the gym. Over two hours later and one of the demos is at 3%. SCRATCH MY FUCKING HEAD. I would have loved to try out the game, but two 2.4 GB demos? By comparison, the entire mammoth game of Borderlands is only a 3GB install on my 360
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: cool breeze on October 30, 2009, 03:01:19 PM
PS3 demos are getting huge these days.  Before I deleted the MAG beta, it was 5 or 6+ gigs.  Ratchet demo was 2.5+ gigs and GoW3 is 2.5+ gigs.  I'm glad my internet isn't too shabby and these things download in about 20-30 minutes, but it's pretty ridiculous.  Install times are also 5-10 minutes.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Snuflupagulus on October 30, 2009, 07:34:36 PM
If you survived the N64 days, framerates schmamerates.  All I want is locked and vsynced; not to have gyrations like Infamous (looking at water is 60, everything else...alot less) or the tearing in the original Uncharted.  If it's 15, 30, 60, don't care.  Keep it locked, keep it synced.  All I ask.

This is one of the better Ratchet games, even if they took the route of Resistance 2 and made the weapons less memorable.  Haven't finished so maybe my disco ball is coming later?  Just got the hoverboots, not a whole lot of Clank so far.

I seriously don't understand why a great-looking game that runs at 30fps is suddenly causing all Sony fanboys to think that 60fps is some kind of devil.

The only concession I'll give to their belated rationalization is that God of War games would probably play differently at 30, but not create the ocular trauma they do at 60.  GoW games are like watching a 2 year-old attempt origami.  Riiiipppppp!!!
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 30, 2009, 07:38:32 PM
In their defense, the reworked rift inducer is probably the coolest "new" weapon in a Ratchet game since the Agents of Doom back in the day.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 31, 2009, 03:30:38 AM
Finally got around to playing the demo, and it was alright. I love the new "toon" shading, effects seem to have generally been improved and Insomniac still does robots better than anyone, but the mission itself was just alright. Didn't help that it finished with a dull "use the fixed canon to shoot down slow moving ships" segment.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 31, 2009, 10:16:03 AM
The toon shading sometimes sucks - it makes big enemies and characters like Qwark look like shit in cutscenes.

I'm probably 4 hours in and I've only had one fixed gun segment, and it was in the battle arena place. I've been to 5 or 6 planets as Ratchet I think. Haven't tried the demo.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 31, 2009, 11:51:14 AM
I just had a glitch in a mission where I had to kill 5 dudes to progress. One of the guys was completely invisible, I had to just blindly throw grenades and other area-effect weapons until he died.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 31, 2009, 04:02:04 PM
Yeah, the toon look is a bit hit and miss, but it's been mostly a positive so far; works really well with more earthy colors. There's also a serious difference in overall visual quality between the Ratchet and the Clank portions, with the former generally looking real good. Liking the game so far.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Junpei the Tracer! on October 31, 2009, 08:16:50 PM
I didn't know the Magus Sisters were in this game.  :smug  Good stuff so far though.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on October 31, 2009, 11:47:16 PM
Eh, now at the demo level. Not looking forward to this. Also not looking forward to another "space exploration." Whoever compared this to the Zelda TWW sailing bit is an idiot. On the upside, the new Hard mode does feel a bit more challenging, but only in terms of straight up damage tolerance and dealing. And the time puzzles are already pretty challenging, good stuff.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on October 31, 2009, 11:57:53 PM
i think my game is glitches. i'm on the second Clank subconscious training level and it won't let me do the action it's telling me to do. I follow the steps it says and it appears to begin the animation but then immediately ends it. i know i'm doing what it's telling me to do, so i dunno wtf is going on.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on November 01, 2009, 03:08:41 AM
I think I screwed up by being stingy with my bolts. I'm on the Axiom City boss, and I'm getting murdered in the last stage. Either I chose the wrong weapons to focus on, or Hard difficulty can eat shit and die.
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: fistfulofmetal on November 01, 2009, 09:00:34 PM
just beat it. great game. would play again

9/10
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: Third on November 02, 2009, 08:37:29 AM
Still waiting for my copy. Release date is nov 6  :'(
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on November 02, 2009, 09:09:26 AM
Stupid shit game bugged out on me, on the (first?) Valkyrie fight. I got the ship bar down to zero, but it got stuck there. Tried to fire at the ship, or hail it, but nothing worked. Tried reloading the save and going through the fight again, and the same shit happens. And that's my only save for the last 3 hours.  :punch
Title: Re: First Ratchet review
Post by: duckman2000 on November 03, 2009, 10:57:35 AM
Do the puzzles change in difficulty depending on the difficulty setting? I've only had to skip one, and that was mostly because I couldn't be bothered to even try solving that puzzle.

Think I'm nearing the end of the game, the game has definitely grown on me. Love the Valkyrie warriors and their diva battle walk.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: Junpei the Tracer! on November 03, 2009, 11:22:19 AM
Using the Magnet Launcher on the Valkyries is great especially if their in flight. Beat the game, really nice stuff.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 03, 2009, 11:45:36 AM
I think the only real failure of the new toon look is the Captain Quark thing that Viscen mentioned, although maybe it makes the Clank sections feel a bit too plain. Generally, I think it's a real good change as most of the environments go for that dusty look.

Also, playing this makes me wonder how in the hell they managed to make the creatures in Resistance look so plain and boring. The Ratchet games always had great looking creatures, and this one is the best of the lot. If they could get the "realism" stick out of their asses and just transplant some of these designs into an FPS setting, I could probably get excited about another Resistance.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 03, 2009, 06:00:02 PM
Word.

I'm becoming less enamored with the game now that I realize that there are only like 8 planets across 4 solar systems. Bummer.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 04, 2009, 02:01:41 PM
Finished the game last night, pretty happy with it even if it felt like they are running a bit dry on environments. Overall, I'd put it somewhere between Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. Rift Inducer kicks plenty of ass.

Also, the game stood the typical test of a good Ratchet game, in that I started up a second run immediately after finishing it. Not looking forward to the planet cleansing mini-games, though.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 04, 2009, 02:18:14 PM
Resistance is a gritty and mature franchise what with humans dying to Chimera and all that. Ratchet games are basically kids games like Viva Pinata, Mario, Spyro etc. Making their flagship FPS less gritty and more kiddy would be suicide methinks.

A nice medium would be better, and would put their real talents to good use. There were hints of it in Resistance, with creatures like the Widowmaker, but something like the Hydra in the new Ratchet is more brutal than the shit they put in their Resistance games. Insomniac held back when developing the Resistance games, and it was to the detriment of the games. At its core, a Ratchet game has more in common with Halo than it does Spyro or Mario, so it's not awfully hard to imagine a middle point between Ratchet and Call of Duty with Aliens.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: cool breeze on November 04, 2009, 06:08:40 PM
Basically make Resistance 3 Timesplitters 4
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 04, 2009, 09:33:55 PM
I don't know if they would need to go that far, but yeah. I'd preferred it if they erred on the side of the excessively fantastic.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 06, 2009, 07:46:16 PM
The last boss sucks my balls.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 06, 2009, 08:07:56 PM
Can't say I liked any of the bosses here. Least of all the Valkyrie shit, so damned boring.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 06, 2009, 08:11:15 PM
Yea, this is another mixed bag of a Ratchet game. By the end of it I think I liked ToD more.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: cool breeze on November 06, 2009, 08:23:31 PM
The bosses were really dull, and the a lot of the game felt like it was less than previous games (planets, arena, weapons, etc) but I still think it is probably the best one because I don't have anything I really dislike about it.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 06, 2009, 08:33:09 PM
It's well designed, but I'm not sure if I'm liking this whole origins take on Ratchet, and Clank. Going Commando had the best premise; use crazy weapons and hop from planet to planet to save the universe from a furry menace. I like the sphere world stuff here, though.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: cool breeze on November 06, 2009, 08:41:48 PM
I actually think they should remove most of the story and structure to the game and almost, maybe, give it a bit of a loot game vibe to it.  If they want to interject comedy, do it on a smaller mission to mission scale.  I liked the idea of progression in the game involving upgrading a part of your ship to pass an obstacle, but the game ruins that by making you still complete the story.

And bring back multiplayer, preferably co-op.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 06, 2009, 08:48:53 PM
Why was this called the last Ratchet game? The ending is a set-up if I've ever seen one.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 06, 2009, 08:50:36 PM
 :lol I was just about to post something about that. Definitive conclusion my ass, it's a new adventure set up right there.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: Junpei the Tracer! on November 06, 2009, 10:20:13 PM
The bosses were really dull, and the a lot of the game felt like it was less than previous games (planets, arena, weapons, etc) but I still think it is probably the best one because I don't have anything I really dislike about it.

I thought bosses were fine but that Nefarious one stood out.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 07, 2009, 09:53:36 AM
is there really no way to warp to ship? Why does this game have way fewer taxi cabs and warps than any other Ratchet? Why is this stupid planet I'm on the only one that seems to have a checkpoint that persists when you reset the game? Why is it also the only planet where all the enemies and puzzles are reactivated and is turning a quick romp for a holo plan into a half hour ordeal? And now I can't just press start and just go back to space, I have to finish the whole fucking second half of it? Fuck this game.

Also why doesn't the game pause when you hit the home button.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 07, 2009, 10:44:21 AM
Yeah well, at least you didn't run into a corrupt save, forcing you to replay the planet cleaning chapter, with puzzles, and the first valkyrie fight.

Honestly though, I think my disappointment has more to do with Uncharted 2 than it does with the game itself. Looking at what Naughty Dog managed to churn in the same time frame, I want to see Insomniac do the same. I know the studios aren't in the exact same position; Naughty Dog is first party proper and only has one franchise to deal with, but it's still disappointing.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 07, 2009, 10:48:26 AM
Yes it is.

I did manage to crawl through that stage and get my last couple of Zoni and RYNO parts. So I go to Vorselon's ship and apparently I have to just fight the exact same room of the exact same enemies, twice, with no extra ammo in order to continue. So fuck that.

I thought this was among the best Ratchet games int he first half but then they run out of planets and just turn to pathetic repetition.



Also my PS3 battery died and for some reason you can't recharge from 0 using a laptop's USB port. So I plugged it into the PS3 for a like 10 minutes, but when I unplug it it still just keeps blinking. How do people use this as their go-to console?
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: Third on November 07, 2009, 10:55:25 AM
My copy stil hastn't arrived. Fuck, I wanted to play this today since I'm not going out this weekend.  :-\
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 07, 2009, 11:00:39 AM
Also my PS3 battery died and for some reason you can't recharge from 0 using a laptop's USB port. So I plugged it into the PS3 for a like 10 minutes, but when I unplug it it still just keeps blinking. How do people use this as their go-to console?

Batteries last a long time in the BD remote.
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: AdmiralViscen on November 07, 2009, 11:16:17 AM
Also my PS3 battery died and for some reason you can't recharge from 0 using a laptop's USB port. So I plugged it into the PS3 for a like 10 minutes, but when I unplug it it still just keeps blinking. How do people use this as their go-to console?

Batteries last a long time in the BD remote.

:lol true
Title: Re: The Ratchet review and EB impressions thread
Post by: duckman2000 on November 07, 2009, 11:32:26 AM
As for the repetition, I think that's just inevitable at this point. TOD was definitely the better game in that regard, but in fairness to this game, each environments seem to have a lot more paths. Not sure if that's what I want from a Ratchet, though. New sci-fi franchise, please.