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[LiK]

When i saw this during the press conference i wasn't really impressed (probably because i was biting my nails in anticipation of seeing the next Killzone)... but after a second look, i am pretty hyped. Looks as though this should appeal to the Mario crowd, offer amazing visuals, and creative gameplay.

Is it a launch title?

Most likely

 

[Boss Man]

I can't wait to see some extended gameplay of this.

 

[Callibretto]

I am aware of his contributions. That doesn't change my assessment of the game. Like I said it could be a good game, it most likely will be because Cerny (and that stomp gif looks really cool), but the driving force behind its creation is to be a showpiece for the PS4.

it's always like that, Sonic is created as speedy character because Sega want to show that Sega Genesis is faster than Nintendo system.

besides, the driving force behind it's creation have nothing to do with how good or bad a game is, a simple concept like "make a game that is very fast" or "make a game with tons of object physics" is too vague to show whether a game is quality title or not.

 

[Forsete]

This game me Ratchet and Jak and Daxter 1 vibes. One game I am very interested in. It has been a long time since I played a good puzzle/platform/action game.

 

[mckmas8808]

It is created by Mark which you may thank for:

- Sonic (he literaly rehired lead developer after Sega fired him and brought him to US and was directly involved with how Sonic was created)
- Crash
- Spyro
- Rachet&Clank
- Jack and Dexter

Now you say "developer game" but next year your kids will make you buy Knack plush character.

He was actually involved in making Sonic back in the 90s?

 

[slider]

Knack shouldn't speak. Knack should only grunt. I think it'll make him more appealing.

I only say this because during the conference I thought he sort of growled as he walked behind the glass screen. Sort of displaying an angry determination. And I liked it.

On checking again he didn't and I thought worse for it.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

He was actually involved in making Sonic back in the 90s?

He's credited as a producer on Sonic 2. Dude's actually pretty legendary.

 

[Callibretto]

He was actually involved in making Sonic back in the 90s?

in this q&a he talk a bit about his time in japan with sega and sonic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiboVZsXYXY

not sure if he's involved in game design process, but he's responsible for hiring Yuji Naka to Sega US branch after Naka got fired as soon as Sonic 1 ships because development trouble and over budgets.

Yuji Naka then continue making Sonic 2, 3 etc

edit: Sega stuff start at 37:50

 

[BloodMoney]

He's credited as a producer on Sonic 2. Dude's actually pretty legendary.

Marble Madness... that shit was awesome.

Mad props to Sony for putting him on stage, he's a creative genius, and certainly an asset. It was fun listening to him talk about the system specs, you could tell he was genuinely excited.

 

[Loudninja]

That part where Knack was fighting around the city does look like the level from Ratchet and Clank when he was a big robot.

 

[padopodo]

I'm hoping to pick up Knack alongside Infamous at launch. This game looks so fun.

 

[Takao]

I kept thinking there would be some twist and he'd turn into Crash.

(disclaimer: I know nothing about the Crash series)

Well, I hope you know Crash is owned by Activision so that's impossible.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Pretty ace that Mark is back to mascot platformers... but directing a Japan Studio game, wow, must be fluent in Japanese or he's working with a good translator, interesting match up.

Knack could be more characteristic, I see he's like a puppet of sorts, but I don't know, it's an odd choice of design coming off of Crash, Spyro, and the Sony trinity.

 

[ZaCH3000]

lol what??

Thank you for posting this GIF.

How this game looks generic to anybody is beyond me. In the current day, we can anticipate Destiny, Planet Side 2, Shadow Fall, BattleField4, A new Call of Duty, obviously a shooter from Microsoft, and I'm sure one or two others that I can't remember off the top of my head all first-person shooters that are in the launch window.

Here comes along a little game called Knack with a legendary game developer taking the reins yet some posters have the audacity to call Knack generic? Generic? We talking about generic, man! I'm not going to single anyone out, but if you call this game generic without giving longer than a two paragraph response as to why its generic, you need to get a grip.

Generic maybe fifteen years ago, but today Knack is a breath of fresh air from art style, to the small glimpse of gameplay, and furthermore, its gameplay concept, and lastly an original story with an original main character.

So I challenge y'all who claim Knack is generic to put together a strong argument as why its generic. Otherwise, claiming its generic when it clearly isn't without a clearly stated opinion as to why its generic (even if wrong, maybe your misstating the word) should result in a ban, in my opinion because I believe NeoGAF members should hold ourselves to a higher standard than IGN members.

 

[meta4]

Thank you for posting this GIF.

How this game looks generic to anybody is beyond me. In the current day, we can anticipate Destiny, Planet Side 2, Shadow Fall, BattleField4, A new Call of Duty, obviously a shooter from Microsoft, and I'm sure one or two others that I can't remember off the top of my head all first-person shooters that are in the launch window.

Here comes along a little game called Knack with a legendary game developer taking the reins yet some posters have the audacity to call Knack generic? Generic? We talking about generic, man! I'm not going to single anyone out, but if you call this game generic without giving longer than a two paragraph response as to why its generic, you need to get a grip.

Generic maybe fifteen years ago, but today Knack is a breath of fresh air from art style, to the small glimpse of gameplay, and furthermore, its gameplay concept, and lastly an original story with an original main character.

I so I challenge y'all whom claim Knack is generic to put together a strong argument as why its generic. Otherwise, claiming its generic when it clearly isn't without a clearly stated opinion as to why its generic (even if wrong, maybe your misstating the word) should result in a ban, in my opinion because I believe NeoGAF members should hold ourselves to a higher standard than IGN members.

Well it should have been Nintendo who published it. Then it would be called charming by the very same person who called it generic.

 

[Boss Man]

How this game looks generic to anybody is beyond me.

Did someone actually say this? If so, we need to start acknowledging that 'generic' is an actual word with meaning instead of just tossing it out there to downplay something.

 

[Gahiggidy]

No, CGI. There's only one short gameplay part in the trailer and I'm not impressed.

Are you sure?

I was under the impression that the whole trailer was in real-time off of PS4. After all, this game reveal was the very first footage of PS4 games.

 

[prwxv3]

Did someone actually say this? If so, we need to start acknowledging that 'generic' is an actual word with meaning instead of just tossing it out there to express that you don't like something.

That word has been misused like half this generation. Same with "dudebro"

 

[DBT85]

Pretty ace that Mark is back to mascot platformers... but directing a Japan Studio game, wow, must be fluent in Japanese or he's working with a good translator, interesting match up.

Knack could be more characteristic, I see he's like a puppet of sorts, but I don't know, it's an odd choice of design coming off of Crash, Spyro, and the Sony trinity.

From a GameIndustry interview after he got a lifetime achievement award at GDC

http://www.gameindustry.com/interview/item.asp?id=3

GiN: You worked for a number of years in Japan with Sega. With the “Lost in Translation” movie being so popular, people are curious about the cultural differences, especially in the game industry where so much comes from Japan. What was it like working in Japan?

Cerny: Well, the cultural differences were extreme, to say the least. Our desks were lined up in a perfect grid, facing the desk of the manager, who would give a speech each morning that outlined the team orders for the day. It was a very stratified structure, too; we had five different ranks of management in one room!

Despite which, it was pretty disorganized and chaotic, usually because of the extremely tight schedules we were working under. Typically, a game was created by three people in three months.

GiN: Did you have any problems or funny stories working on games in Japan?

Cerny: I once had a project where my designer was Japanese and spoke no English; I was the programmer, and at that point spoke essentially no Japanese. We communicated by pointing to words in our dictionaries!

 

[ZaCH3000]

Did someone actually say this? If so, we need to start acknowledging that 'generic' is an actual word with meaning instead of just tossing it out there to downplay something.

Yeah, I've seen a generic comment posted at least once in every page of this entire thread. Its starting to piss me off for a few reasons. 1) The misuse of the word "generic" 2) Because Knack is anything but "generic" (although they don't even know what the word means so this takes the #2 slot) 3) The same people who bitch about this game being generic are probably the same people who bitch about every FPS being generic.

It wouldn't even be an issue if people would stop using the word generic without explaining themselves. The word "generic" just spawns the shittiest discussions when its used without an explanation and its ruining my enjoyment of this forum.

/rant

P.S

Knack looks awesome if any developers on the development team are reading this thread!

 

[Mifune]

I am aware of his contributions. That doesn't change my assessment of the game. Like I said it could be a good game, it most likely will be because Cerny (and that stomp gif looks really cool), but the driving force behind its creation is to be a showpiece for the PS4.

You mean like how Mario 64 was a showpiece for the N64? Shouldn't all games be showpieces for the systems they appear on? I don't see the problem with developing a game around the capabilities of the console. And how do we even know when he came up with the idea for this game?

 

[superbank]

it's always like that, Sonic is created as speedy character because Sega want to show that Sega Genesis is faster than Nintendo system.

besides, the driving force behind it's creation have nothing to do with how good or bad a game is, a simple concept like "make a game that is very fast" or "make a game with tons of object physics" is too vague to show whether a game is quality title or not.

I never said it is good or bad because of it's concept, just assessing why it was conceived. I'm not sure exactly what I'm getting at, just posting my impressions of what we've seen so far.

I like when a game creator has a deep inspired vision for his/her game. They've always wanted to make this particular game, it's been their dream to see it created and they've finally done it. When I look at Knack I don't really see that. It looks like a showpiece created only to show off the PS4s abilities. I may be greatly overstepping my bounds here, there must be tons of passionate artists working on Knack. That is how it looks to me though.

You mean like how Mario 64 was a showpiece for the N64? Shouldn't all games be showpieces for the systems they appear on? I don't see the problem with developing a game around the capabilities of the console. And how do we even know when he came up with the idea for this game?

It was a showpiece but it's different. Mario 64 was a brand new genre, a platforming playground in a fully 3D world. Nintendo is famous for creating their hardware around the games they want to make and I believe Miyamoto and co. had the workings of their 3D fantasy land knocking around in their heads for a long time. Knack is a different kind of showpiece. Like "Next Gen! More floating pieces on screen!"

It's also possible this is Cerny's vision he always wanted to create. I definitely don't know his thought process. I'm making massive assumptions for sure.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

I wasn't really impressed with this during the conf. but the 1080p video allowed me to see a lot of detail that was immediately recognizable. The game has a lot of charm and there is definite passion behind it. Really excited to get more information.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

People asking for PS4 Ratchet from Insomniac: here it is. Just named differently.

 

[MrCookiepants]

What are you arguing, that the first R&C moved 6 million? I got that from Game Trailers, who I assume is better than to use VGJankzz.

I'm not even gonna look at those receipts because they're wrong. Those are Mario Sunshine numbers. Sorry, Gametrailers has been misinformed.

 

[Violater]

lol what??

My only problem is the foliage has no physics reaction to the blast.

 

[Takao]

I'm not even gonna look at those receipts because they're wrong. Those are Mario Sunshine numbers. Sorry, Gametrailers has been misinformed.

You realize the Gamecube sold 22 million units, and the PS2 did 150 million, right?

 

[charsace]

Sonic 2, the best Sonic game, was made by Sega of America and Sega Technical Institute. Because it was a great game, and turned out to be a classic, Sonic Team made sure they got royally fucked for it.

To this day I think its one of the reasons Sonic extreme was fucked. Sonic Team Japan didn't like what was happening in the US with Sonic for whatever reason.

 

[NeoUltima]

I'm just not feeling the design of Knack himself. I like the design of everything else. But something is just off with Knack. I think it's his color scheme.

 

[op_ivy]

gameplay seems very kameo-ish

 

[IHaveCandy]

I'm just not feeling the design of Knack himself. I like the design of everything else. But something is just off with Knack. I think it's his color scheme.

Racist.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Man, Sony really didn't show enough of their games. KZ got a stage demo, but its what we expected - great graphical shooter for launch.

But Knack looks interesting, yet we know nothing about it.

InFamous second son had no gameplay either.

 

[Dead Prince]

Man, Sony really didn't show enough of their games. KZ got a stage demo, but its what we expected - great graphical shooter for launch.

But Knack looks interesting, yet we know nothing about it.

InFamous second son had no gameplay either.

I think them showing this was just to get talks to and maybe get microsoft to do the same. but we will see in the coming months.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I think them showing this was just to get talks to and maybe get microsoft to do the same. but we will see in the coming months.

I know, I just think something like Knack would probably garner more excitement if they had actually showed gameplay.

As a trailer, it just seems sort of bizarre, but as a game it could be quite brilliant.

 

[BoboBrazil]

This game is going to flop. Really no audience for it on a launch Sony system. Also really does nothing that impressive to show off the system from a technical standpoint, although maybe some other levels are more impressive.

 

[famousmortimer]

Shit's a long way off. Getting a playable KZ was surprising to me.

 

[VanWinkle]

You know, I never usually say stuff like this, but I really do think that if this were announced as a new Nintendo IP, and it looked exactly like it does now, we'd hear a LOT more positivity and hype.

 

[Canadian Psycho]

That art style is absolutely atrocious.

Yeah... I don't see the "charm" at all. (Superficial, yes, but that name doesn't help either...)

 

[Suzzopher]

I think this looks great personally. I thought that the action platformer might be left behind going into next gen, but to see one as the first game on PS4 made me happy. Plus Cerny's track record means there is a good chance that this good be special.

 

[ShroudOfFate]

This game is going to flop. Really no audience for it on a launch Sony system. Also really does nothing that impressive to show off the system from a technical standpoint, although maybe some other levels are more impressive.

You saw a 2 minute trailer, and maybe a minute of gameplay and that's enough to call it a flop? It's more aimed at children, if anything it will be a draw to younger gamers to get a ps4, and it's being made by one of the most influential people in the industry.

Also: inb4 avatar quote.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Mario 64 was a brand new genre, a platforming playground in a fully 3D world.

 

[IHaveCandy]

You know, I never usually say stuff like this, but I really do think that if this were announced as a new Nintendo IP, and it looked exactly like it does now, we'd hear a LOT more positivity and hype.

I've been saying this. If when Nintendo first showed off the Wii U, they showed that trailer and said it was a new platformer they were working on, people would lose their shit.

 

[BoboBrazil]

You know, I never usually say stuff like this, but I really do think that if this were announced as a new Nintendo IP, and it looked exactly like it does now, we'd hear a LOT more positivity and hype.

I'd think people would be more shocked that Nintendo released a game that didn't have Mario in it, but realistically this is a better fit for a Nintendo console. It's going to be a flop when it comes out at launch for a new Sony system. I understand them wanting a game out that appeals to young kids, but this doesn't make much sense as a launch window game.

 

[TEH-CJ]

Am I the only one that thinks this looks fun?

 

[KillerTravis]

This is one of the few things that got me excited on that conference, and is the one getting the most hate This is why we can't have good things.

 

[davepoobond]

Comment from Mark Cerny



What you said would be cool indeed.

i definitely got a katamari vibe from the "pieces of stuff" floating around the character. I think that can be a cool part of the game if you have to destroy a bunch of stuff to get bigger to fight something large or an army of guys or something like that.

Am I the only one that thinks this looks fun?

No, it just proves you have a soul.

The art direction can be a turn-off, and I think that's what isn't letting people get interested as much as they can be.

 

[Canadian Psycho]

I'd think people would be more shocked that Nintendo released a game that didn't have Mario in it, but realistically this is a better fit for a Nintendo console. It's going to be a flop when it comes out at launch for a new Sony system. I understand them wanting a game out that appeals to young kids, but this doesn't make much sense as a launch window game.

It would possibly flop on a Nintendo console as well. Remember Billy Hatcher? It was a neat platformer with fun/interesting mechanics, but few cared, even if it was on the GameCube (personally, I really enjoyed it).

 

[BoboBrazil]

By the way, I'm not saying the game will be bad. I'm sure it will be fun and hopefully there are a great variety of different levels. I'm just saying it won't be a sales success on a launch Sony system.

 

[VanWinkle]

Am I the only one that thinks this looks fun?

No, the game looks like it could be really fun.

 

[JoeFenix]

I'm really glad to see people coming around on this game!

I was immediately impressed by this when it was first shown, it just gives off that old Sony vibe that I really love.

It was pretty depressing to see everyone shit on this, this is exactly the kind of game that we need more of.