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Knack |OT| Playin' Knack in my Tub!

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Is it wrong if I'm enjoying Knack more than Killzone?

Currently remote playing it while watching hockey :p
 

Mairu

Member
Setting up the PS4 now - I've played some Knack's Quest on iPhone, how can I redeem the collectables on the PS4? I've signed in on the App.

edit: Figured it out - once I could start playing there's a Receive Item menu option in the start menu.
 
My son (7) has been playing through on easy and loving it. I just started on normal - seems solid so far. Nothing mind blowing, but fun nonetheless.
 

Gartooth

Member
Glad to hear you guys like it! The comments that say it harkens back to classic Playstation games have swayed me from exchanging it for Lego Marvel which I was planning to do this weekend.
 
Currently on Chapter 2-4 and I'm having fun playing it. The camera at times can be annoying but it's not that bad and is challenging on Normal, so far. The music is pretty decent and I love how colorful this area is, glad I bought the game.
 

e_i

Member
Played this game for two hours today. I have to agree, the game is no where as bad as the reviewers say it is. The only fault I can find right now the story starts too fast. It's basically
Goblins attack someplace. Humans go to kick the goblin's butts
. I guess the story will unfold the more I play. Seeing how pretty this game is, it makes me want a Rachet & Clank game for the system.
 

JoeFenix

Member
Pretty fun so far on Hard mode, it's a very simple pattern recognition game where you get thoroughly punished for messing up. Checkpoints are longer than most modern games and the enemy combinations are keeping things interesting. The game is trying to mix up encounters by introducing environmental hazards and it's doing a decent job at it so far, just don't expect any exploration or much platforming, this is a straight up action game.

I could see it overstaying its welcome if they don't do a good job with enemy variety and encounter design though, we'll see. The game could have benefited from being a bit less linear and having some more platforming and the secrets are very baby mode, breakable walls and that's it. It's a really simple game but It's definitely fun to play and requires a thoughtful approach, threat prioritization plays a big part during encounters. You DEFINITELY can't mash your way through this, if you don't enjoy straight up action and combat stay FAR FAR away from Knack. That's really all there is to it. Oh and the music is surprisingly nice at times although it can also go a bit too far into "movie" soundtrack territory. Some of the forest and cliffside music was pretty good though, game definitely has a certain vibe/charm to it!

I need some Knack buddies so I can get more Gadget parts from the chest. PSN is JoeFenix, send me a FR, we have room now!
 

Krisprolls

Banned
Looks like this game gets the "Most Underrated Launch Game" award.

59 / 100 (its metacritic ranking) usually means it's a broken or awful game, not just a bit shallow like Knack...
 

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Looks like this game gets the "Most Underrated Launch Game" award.

59 / 100 (its metacritic ranking) usually means it's a broken or awful game, not just a bit shallow like Knack...

I agree. It's a 7/10 in my books. At worst a 6.5/10.
 

viveks86

Member
Good stuff! What the hell happened to the reviewers? Giving the game 4 or 5 is equivalent to asking people to not even bother giving it a shot. I doubt so many people on this thread would enjoy it if that were truly the case. I don't get it!
 
Good stuff! What the hell happened to the reviewers? Giving the game 4 or 5 is equivalent to asking people to not even bother giving it a shot. I doubt so many people on this thread would enjoy it if that were truly the case. I don't get it!

Reviewers were looking to get wowed, but they don't realize that such a thing won't happen for a very long time. Launch software rarely wows. It's more of a stop gap than anything.
 
Wow I'm happy to see so many people actually like it. I was trying to sell my copy for $40 but now I think I'm going to keep it and try to get rid of Killzone instead.
 

Yuterald

Member
I was really harsh on this game ever since it was announced. Been a fan of Sony's "mascot" platformers since the PSone days. Love Crash/Spyro/Racthet/Jak/Ape Escape, etc. I've gotta admit that I'll be grilling some crow tomorrow because now that I've got the game and had a chance to play it I'm really digging it. Game's a lot of fun and I noticed the Crash Bandicoot influences from the very first tutorial level. The linearity of the level design makes sense to me now. Even the enemy placement feels very Crash-like. There's so many little things I'm noticing already having played the Crash games to death back in the day. The quick/sudden deaths and fast reloads instantly gave me those Crash-vibes too.

If only I could have gotten a From Software Evergrace/Eternal Ring equivalent launch game for the PS4 I would be golden right now. Hope we get to see more games like this! Japan Studio better bring that Ape Escape 4 next, at least!
 
I think for the most part sites love shitting on games just because. Knack had hate since the 30 sec trailer in Feb. No one took it seriously except for the fact it had Cerny's name on it. If the game isn't for you that's understandable but like everyones been saying this is FAR from a broken game. Great graphics, sound, cutscenes, no glitches, coop with Vita is fluid etc. Just a solid launch title from head to toe. *shrug*
The user metric is hitting 70's which should make yosp happy!

Also i love when you get collectables you can select the ones your friends picked up. No loading or anything either. Very cool.
 

ascii42

Member
Also don't like Knack's characterization. He's so cute when he's just a little guy! But he still has the voice of a generic adult tough guy male. Jarring and kind of creepy.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. On the other hand, it'd be kind of cheesy if they gave him a cute voice when he's small.
 

Slime

Banned
Yeah, I was thinking about that. On the other hand, it'd be kind of cheesy if they gave him a cute voice when he's small.

Agree with that. I dunno, maybe they just should have made him mute. Current voice just seems so out of place to me.
 

Grimsen

Member
I'm liking the impressions, can't wait to play this thoroughly tomorrow. It's also the only game I can show my son.

I played a bit pre-release, and enjoyed it. The GB quicklook looked good to me also.
 

Xenon

Member
I'm about an hour in and the game has alleviated most of my concerns.

Controls: Sure they are simplistic, but I think it works well for 3D fighting. There is weight to your punches. Having the dodge mapped to the right stick feels so natural, LOVE IT!

Small number of enemies: Each area is setup to present a challenge. I got my ass kick a few times, but them would go back and try a better strategy an whiz through it. I think that's another thing cool about this game, you learn through your mistakes. Then you build on it without the hand holding that plagues modern games. It's very rewarding in an old-school way. Less is more in this case.

Graphics: They are not blowing me away but I appreciate all the little details and work that was obviously put into this game.

I am very happy I chose to download this game.
 
The game feels a little plain, but it's still fun. Playing on hard, it's extremely satisfying when you finally overcome a section you've been struggling with for a few tries.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
So pleased to hear all the great impressions here. I figured the reviews would be pretty harsh, what with everyone expecting some kind of spiritual revelation from each game in the launch lineup, but 59/100 seems kinda brutal.

Can't wait for the Aus launch.
 
Really enjoying the game! No way it deserves some of the reviews it got. Its not perfect and is a bit simple but it is a solid game.

Plus Hard mode is freaking hard... I sort of wish it had more forgiving checkpoints.
 

Yuterald

Member
Yeah, the Crash Bandicoot influence is all over the place in this game, especially the enemy types. Corridor-like areas with stationary enemies in the distance tossing shit at you, it's as old school/Crash-like as you can get. Totally get what they were going for with this game now.

LOVE all the small little, baby-game ideas. Mud pits that slow you down, gusts of wind blowing you off platforms and such. It's REALLY old school stuff. Game's hitting the spot, hard.
 

Chamber

love on your sleeve
I'm early in the game but so far so good. It's basically a mid 90s action platformer with a shiny 2013 coat of paint. Nice game to relax with which is why I thought it would be a worthwhile purchase.
 
Played this game for two hours today. I have to agree, the game is no where as bad as the reviewers say it is. The only fault I can find right now the story starts too fast. It's basically
Goblins attack someplace. Humans go to kick the goblin's butts
. I guess the story will unfold the more I play. Seeing how pretty this game is, it makes me want a Rachet & Clank game for the system.

Pretty much this, quite enjoying it so far, it really is like an old 3D action-platformer and on hard it's got a nice challenge so far.

I agree the story starts a bit too fast, I know some people would have complained about not getting to the gameplay faster but I would have been happy to have a slightly longer opening since I'm digging the simple cutscenes and the nice voices.

It looks quite nice on an HDTV and the forest area right after the tutorial area is rather pretty. Also noticed now that you can even see the fabric on everyone's clothes in the cutscenes.

Edit: Yeah e_i, we need a Rachet, it would be stunning.
 
It makes me happy that a lot of people here are enjoying this game! My computer is a piece of crap that doesn't play sound, so I can only SEE others play it on Twitch. I saw Dans Gaming stream it earlier as well as another gamer and I thought Knack looked very fun.

For me personally, Knack was my most anticipated launch title for the PS4. Because of this, I had slightly higher expectations than normal neglecting the fact that not only is it a launch title, but it was intended to be a second purchase to a Killzone or AC or whatever. So I did agree with some of the criticisms towards Knack which deflated some of my hype.

The negative reviews worried me a tad, but I shun them for the most part and see what everyday gamers think of it. I have no intent on buying a PS4 this year but I will definitely be picking this up and preserving it when I get one next year!

Happy gaming!
 

Empty

Member
i love how hard the game looks on the streams i've seen. that's why i'm a bit sceptical about the reviews, if you're rushing through the game to quickly get out a review before launch i could see you being frustrated that a cutesy, not immediately enticing family game takes skill and thought, instead of giving the game a fair shake.
 
From the 10 minutes of the demo in Target, it put my nerves to rest. It's a fun quirky game, I can see why children would like it. But as a 21 year old Child I'm eager to play it, I can see this being the first game I play on my PS4 if PSN is anything like what happened in the US.
 
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