Ratchet and Clank Future is like having a GPU cumming directly into your ass

[TVC15]

HOLY FUCK.  If there's one game to knock me out of the malaise of having paid 250 bucks for a Wii, it's this.  It might (*might*) just be the best looking next gen game so far.  It looks like the fucking CG from the first games.

I'm aware that some reviews have mentioned the graphics as being uneven, so I am expecting an eventual hit once I get past the early "finish these areas up good for screenshots" places, but even still, it will look pretty damned phenomenal.

Gameplay impressions. . .it's uh, Ratchet and Clank.  The series hasn't changed in half a decade, why should it now?  And why the fuck is there no camera recenter button.  I will echo the sentiments I read in one review that mentioned the camera feels off compared to previous entries.

And I won't swear on a stack of bibles, but they appear to have mostly cleared up the wildly fluctuating framerate.  It's not perfect, but it's not the rollercoaster of the demo.

[Smooth Groove]

So it's even better than the demo?  I hope you're not exaggerating. 

[MrAngryFace]

I dunno, with as many entries in the past few years, id like to think the developers can change a bit. Ill nod to good graphics, but thats seriously half a game.

[Bloodwake]

Good deal.

So, this or the Orange Box if you had to pick between them?

[Himu]

Waiting for them to switch it up the next time I play a new Ratchet.

[Smooth Groove]

Ratchet & Clank November 7, 2002
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando November 11, 2003
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal November 2, 2004
Ratchet: Deadlocked (Gladiator) October 25, 2005
Resistance: Fall of Man November 14, 2006
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction October 23, 2007

[MCD]

bububububu 704p!

i have seen better graphically but then again, this is running at 60 fps, so gotta give it credit for that.

[MrAngryFace]

Smooth: Whaat about the PSP game? lol

[TVC15]

So it's even better than the demo?  I hope you're not exaggerating. 

Like I said, I won't swear because I didn't put that much time into the demo.  The demo did make me a little woozy, and this doesn't.  There are drops, but not as insanely frequently as the demo.  I think whether or not you will notice depends entirely on how sensitive you are, physically, to getting sick from framerate fluctuations.

I dunno, with as many entries in the past few years, id like to think the developers can change a bit. Ill nod to good graphics, but thats seriously half a game.

This is why I think the 7.5 review was totally fair, despite the Sfans crying at GAF.  It's a very pretty game, but it is ultimately the same game as before.  I can live with that, but it does leave me a bit disappointed.

Good deal.

So, this or the Orange Box if you had to pick between them?

Oh, Orange Box by far.  Deals that great don't come along like. . .ever.

bububububu 704p!

i have seen better graphically but then again, this is running at 60 fps, so gotta give it credit for that.

What would you say is better?  Not arguing, just wondering.  Gears might win in stills, but the world in that was very stationary, wehreas everything is fucking moving in this, and bright and colorful goes a long way towards making a game dazzling.

[Smooth Groove]

Smooth: Whaat about the PSP game? lol

I didn't notice it wasn't on that list.  I just copied and pasted from some dude at GAF 'cause it was funny.  Even a hardcore Sony fan like Bebpo said that the PS3 game played almost exactly like the PSP game. 

[MCD]

I'd pick Assassin's Creed or Blue Dragon.

but still, they both suffer from framedrops/tearings, so Ratchet can easily win this (assuming the framedrops ain't as bad as these two + 60 fps).

another one is Viva Pinata, but since everything is happening at one place, i don't think it is as impressive as Ratchet or other titles.



 

[TVC15]

I still think Assassin's Creed is gonna suck.  I'd like to be wrong, but no hype just a few weeks before release is really suspicious.

[Smooth Groove]

My Blue Dragon is still unopened but from what I've seen of the demos, there's a lot more going on in R&C.  The major shortcoming that I saw in the R&C demo is that they sometimes zoomed out really far away to keep the framerate steady.  I hate it when games do that because it diminishes the sense of excitement. 

[MCD]

I still think Assassin's Creed is gonna suck.  I'd like to be wrong, but no hype just a few weeks before release is really suspicious.

hype might kill games for some folk.

see Bioshock, it was way over hyped and scored a lot of perfect scores which it didn't deserve in my own opinion.

it's a great game but it certainly didn't deserve all that attention.

and oh, what do you think of COD4? looks great for a 60 fps game.

[Smooth Groove]

Bioshock is probably the best looking console game I"ve seen all year.  I played it on the PC but the 360 demo looked fantastic too. 

[TVC15]

I still think Assassin's Creed is gonna suck.  I'd like to be wrong, but no hype just a few weeks before release is really suspicious.

hype might kill games for some folk.

see Bioshock, it was way over hyped and scored a lot of perfect scores which it didn't deserve in my own opinion.

it's a great game but it certainly didn't deserve all that attention.

and oh, what do you think of COD4? looks great for a 60 fps game.

Yes, but the media hyping Bioshock indicated it was a good game. . .which it was.  The media has been largely silent on Assassin's Creed, aside from a typically kiss ass GI article last month.  That doesn't indicate promising things.

And I will be getting CoD4, but I am only really interested in multi.

[MCD]

Bioshock is probably the best looking console game I"ve seen all year.  I played it on the PC but the 360 demo looked fantastic too. 

It does look great though not better than Gears (comparing the two which are based on the same engine), and it probably have the best looking water in any video game to date.

[TVC15]

Bioshock was a great looking game, and although it definitely had some technical merit in visuals, I think it owed a lot to great, consistent visual design.  Also, a lot of the character models in the game look kinda poopy.

[MCD]

Yes, the character models were poor and repetitive in Bioshock.

as for assassin's creed, only thing i can say regarding the gameplay is to watch these two videos:
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_5309_en.html

if you don't like what you see so far, then this game is probably not for you.

and be warned of the heavy tearing.

[Valcrist]

On the topic of change...does it ever seem like the game has to give some illusion that there's a certain fresh feeling to a game.  When you play through Bioshock, at which points did you say to yourself, I've never done this before?  I love bioshock myself, but after going through it the second time, I kept thinking to myself, its something about the presentation that makes the game feel different, and thus gives everything the illusion of being almost completely new.  I'm not sure exactly what it was though.  Maybe the story? The environment?  

This will be my first ratchet game, so I will probably overrate as I haven't burned myself out on the old ones.  
Honestly, the fact that they've made so many ratchet games, I think its time to retire the ip for a while if thats one of the hugest cons.  A game that feels "exactly" like the last one definately means over saturation.

EDIT: Can someone explain the gameplay mechanics that Assassin's Creed has that are exciting?  Because I get bored watching the gameplay videos and honestly think theres something I can't see or something.  It feels like the unholy child of Prince of Persia and Crackdown.

[Eel O'Brian]

I picked up the R&C demo disc at Gamestop tonight, I'll try it out here in a sec.

[TVC15]

On the topic of change...does it ever seem like the game has to give some illusion that there's a certain fresh feeling to a game.  When you play through Bioshock, at which points did you say to yourself, I've never done this before?  I love bioshock myself, but after going through it the second time, I kept thinking to myself, its something about the presentation that makes the game feel different, and thus gives everything the illusion of being almost completely new.  I'm not sure exactly what it was though.  Maybe the story? The environment?  

This will be my first ratchet game, so I will probably overrate as I haven't burned myself out on the old ones.  
Honestly, the fact that they've made so many ratchet games, I think its time to retire the ip for a while if thats one of the hugest cons.  A game that feels "exactly" like the last one definately means over saturation.

I don't need every game to give me something new.  The problem with R&C is that it hasn't given me anything new (other than visuals) since its inception.  I guarantee you will probably dig the game quite a bit.  I never thought R&C was a 9 out of 10 series, but it's always been a solid, fun series.  What's kind of disappointing is that there have always been areas in the game that needed improving, namely in regards to targeting and level design, but the devs have always seemed to be cool with "good enough."  After a half dozen sequels, they should have made some fundamental improvements.

[MCD]

EDIT: Can someone explain the gameplay mechanics that Assassin's Creed has that are exciting?  Because I get bored watching the gameplay videos and honestly think theres something I can't see or something.  It feels like the unholy child of Prince of Persia and Crackdown.

Well, one thing i liked about it is that you can jump, climb, run and walk with the left analog stick only, and the stealth parts look good.

overall, i am not sure about the whole game, need to see more impressions, TVC quality impression would be great.

[Smooth Groove]

TVC, have you noticed the controller dropping out even more than usual in R&C?  Quite a few guys are experiencing that apparently.  I'll have to get a longer USB cable if it's a common glitch. 

[TVC15]

TVC, have you noticed the controller dropping out even more than usual in R&C?  Quite a few guys are experiencing that apparently.  I'll have to get a longer USB cable if it's a common glitch. 

Nope.  I have been playing wirelessly, too.  I did experience that problem with Folklore, though.

I think Sony just made junky controllers with a ghetto bluetooth implementation.

[Eel O'Brian]

I played the demo for a few minutes.  I'd never played a R&C game before.  It's really pretty, and has some great effects, but I sort of got tired of it after those few minutes of play.  It reminded me of any number of platformer/gathering games I'd played before.  No knock on anyone who likes that type of game, but it's just not my bag.

It is very, very pretty, though - although there was a lot of noticeable screen-tearing in the demo.

[TVC15]

I haven't noticed any tearing in the full game.  The framerate is almost solid, too.

And while I'm not trying to convince you to give this, or any of the other games in the series a try, the greatest virtue of each game is the variety they offer.  You are never on the same planet/area for too long, and there are tons and tons of neat gadgets and items.  Although it has more of a level by level structure, it is almost Metroidy in how it gives you new gadgets that allow you to access new areas or proceed differently.

I consider myself a big fan of the series, moreso than those people on GAF that just started caring about this game when they realized it was one of three interesting PS3 games coming out this season, and even I wouldn't rate any individual game in it too highly.  They are all good at what they do, but they are all easy, and "superficial."  What you see is what you get.  The games all have great presentation and they are all pretty funny for games, but there's no depth, really.  It's all about having a pretty visceral experience with hot visuals and a lot of variety.

[Eel O'Brian]

Well, to be fair, I am pretty tired, so that may have played into my lack of enthusiasm.  I was a little annoyed in that I wanted to look around and absorb all the pretty scenery, but the game zips along so fast I couldn't take it all in.  I'll pop it in tomorrow and try it again.

[demi]

The PSN demo is supposed to be different, in the sense that screen tearing is fixed, and such

[TVC15]

The PSN demo is supposed to be different, in the sense that screen tearing is fixed, and such

I forget whether the PSN demo had screen tearing, but it still had a framerate that fluctuated frequently between 60 and 30, whereas in the final game it is mostly stable.

[Smooth Groove]

Maybe they locked it at 30?  A lot of people like to act like they're framerate experts but seriously framerate's kinda hard to detect in a 3rd person game, without the help of Fraps.  Still, R&C is pretty amazing technically, even if it were just 30fps.  I'm more disappointed that every level headed gamer is saying that it's just more of the same.  I don't really know why some consider Insomniac a AAA developer when they seem to have a really hard time with innovation.  Even when they try to make a different type of game, like Resistance, they still seem to go by the books. 

[TVC15]

I'd have to compare to the demo to be sure, but I am pretty positive it is at 60.

I dunno. . .I think Insomniac is a really good developer, but like you said, they are not innovators.  They are refiners. 

They started by taking pages from Crash and Mario to make Spyro, and then from Jak and Daxter to make Ratchet, and then from, well, Call of Duty and Halo to make Resistance. . .but the thing is, their games are generally so good that you don't give a fuck that you are playing something that's been done before.  It helps that they are technical whizzes, too, and that their games are all easy to play for just about everyone.

I think this is a sequel to far for them, really.  The Ratchet and Clank formula is starting to show its seams.  And I mean, it is a good formula.  This is my 6th R&C game, and only now am I *really* caring that it's kinda long in the tooth.  Fuck, it's a great formula!  Apparently the end has a sequel call,t oo, which is :-/

I'd like to see them do a Resistance sequel.  Resistance, no matter what you think of the game's objective quality, was a fucking phenomenal launch game.  Aside from a slow start, it was legitimately good through and through, and not just launch game good.  It was polished, with tight, lagless multiplayer that supported a ton of players.  It even had a few good multiplayer maps.  The single player campaign was pretty long.  Most of the game was pretty great looking (again,e arly levels are kinda eh).  It had the weapon variety of R&C.  Imagine if they had the time to produce a sequel that they could do to their own standards, rather than working from Sony's release schedule.

I really think Sony must have asked them to do a new R&C game.  Resistance notoriously undersold, and Sony probably wanted an entry in a franchise they knew they could take to the bank.  Previously, Insomniac ditched Spyro at the end of the PS1 generation, and I think they intended to do the same with R&C at the end of the PS2 gen.

[drohne]

i've only played one ratchet game to completion, so i won't have to worry about that not-so-fresh feeling. the demo's ok. i'll probably pick it up tomorrow along with castlevania...i need my 60fps fix, and after bioshock, halo 3, and orange box, i'd prefer to get it in the third person

[Smooth Groove]

Maybe I just sucked but I thought that Resistance was actually a pretty hard game.  Resistance's enemies reminded me of the ones in MOH:AA.  They seemed to have perfect aim even from 1000 ft away. 

If we go by history, there's probably a greater chance of another R&C for the PS3 next year than Resistance 2.   lol

[TVC15]

Another thing that sort of makes me suspect that this wasn't their first choice for next game:  I am about 5 "levels" in, and there's been little of the trademark humor.  That bit you get at the beginning of the demo, and the bit at the end of that planet was everything of signifigance, really.  All the other games (except the PSP one) basically had nice little skits at the end of every area.  Here, they are really brief, and serve more to move the story along than to be silly.

Maybe it picks up.

[drohne]

i don't really keep up with these things, but this is the first i've heard that resistance undersold -- it passed a million worldwide ages ago, and i doubt any other ps3 game is close. i doubt ratchet will get there, for that matter. resistance 2 is in development -- game journos have referred to it unofficially

[TVC15]

i don't really keep up with these things, but this is the first i've heard that resistance undersold -- it passed a million worldwide ages ago, and i doubt any other ps3 game is close. i doubt ratchet will get there, for that matter. resistance 2 is in development -- game journos have referred to it unofficially

I'm probably wrong on that.  I'm just remembering the infamous sent to die comment concerning Resistance.

[Smooth Groove]

Have you seen that inside joke about the Zephyr that people were alluding to?  Also, please remember to use spoiler tags. 

[drohne]

the 'sent to die' comment was always pretty stupid -- being the only good game at launch is a luxury -- but the phrasing and the audacity of it were funny

[Smooth Groove]

Resistance is doing pretty well in Europe now that the PS3's price cut is allowing more Sony fans to pick it up.  I think it even outsold Halo 3 slightly in Ireland.  Resistance is probably the game that people would pick up with a PS3.  There simply aren't that many must-haves on the PS3 right now.  It was what I recommended to a kid at Best Buy when he said that he only had enough money for 1 game. 

[bluemax]

Smooth: Whaat about the PSP game? lol

That was made by Ready at Dawn not Insomniac.

[drohne]

nein. RAD did daxter. i forget the name of the developer who did size matters

[MCD]

My problem with Resistance is the designs, Gears locust and area designs were better in my eyes.

Insomniac are great when it comes to technical shit and programing, but not with designs in my own opinion.

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm on the third planet (

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Lombax homeworld

[close]

) right now, and it's really pretty. I'm not a huge graphics whore, though, I'm easy to please.

[Mupepe]

I've seen a friend playing the R&C demo and besides the framerate problems, it's probably the best looking game I've seen on a console, possibly edged out by Bioshock.  I'll have to see.

[MrAngryFace]

Folklore is also really pretty in parts

[bluemax]

nein. RAD did daxter. i forget the name of the developer who did size matters

Shit, I always get the two confused. Size Matters was by a studio called High Impact Games. They're apparently handling Secret Agent Clank as well.

[y2kev]

nein. RAD did daxter. i forget the name of the developer who did size matters

high impact games.

high impact is not nearly as good as rad looking at GOWPSP, but Ratchet on PSP was pretty good. Like, the controls suck, but it's a PSP game, so you deal with it.

btw play R&C in fps mode.