• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Knack |OT| Playin' Knack in my Tub!

E

Eusis

Member
DMPrince said:
reviewers must have just played easy just to get it over with probably.
Click to expand...
Game IS frustrating at times at hard, but I simply can't imagine it being anything but monotony on Easy. Granted, it's not a GREAT game, I kinda want to semi-rush through to trade it in for SM3DW at the highest value I possibly can get, and I do feel the game would probably be a lot better just be trimming off some of the fat, but to me it seems no worse than 6, maybe 5 at an extreme (I'd put it at 7 personally, that's a score for games that are either good but not exceptional or something that could be exceptional if it weren't flawed in significant ways.) Scores like 4 seem crazy, I understand not liking it but it's reasonably well made and not unusually offensive in content, while to me those under 5 are fundamentally broken in some way and to some extreme.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
I'm happy to see people that stuck with this game are enjoying it. I held off based on reviews but you guys are seriously making me consider buying it - may go the digital route!
 
A

Anticitizen One

Banned
Eusis said:
Game IS frustrating at times at hard, but I simply can't imagine it being anything but monotony on Easy. Granted, it's not a GREAT game, I kinda want to semi-rush through to trade it in for SM3DW at the highest value I possibly can get, and I do feel the game would probably be a lot better just be trimming off some of the fat, but to me it seems no worse than 6, maybe 5 at an extreme. Scores like 4 seem crazy, I understand not liking it but it's reasonably well made and not unusually offensive in content, while to me those under 5 are fundamentally broken in some way and to some extreme.
Click to expand...

But its not as good as similar games like Kameo correct? Kameo was able to easily score in the 8s but that looked good right from its debut. Knack looked very iffy since February and they did nothing to try and improve it based on everyones feedback of it looking bland and repetitive.
 
J

- J - D -

Member
kurbaan said:
Posted this in the review thread thought I'd post it here:

Played this game till somewhere in chapter 5. Its not bad, once again gonna say rev3 review was pretty spot on.

I think I know why this game turned off so many people and just seemed lame, its because of the music. The music sucks, its so boring, it sounds like it wants to put you to sleep. On top of that its missing that wit and good / funny characters these games need. Like crash and the brain villain from those games. Or daxter. Knack didn't get a proper personality and all the supporting characters a just lame, even the villain is not interesting. That's what really hurts the game. It seems like it takes it self seriously for some reason.

I also have an issue with the enemy encounters. They are (so far) set up in a very predictable and repetitive way. Its fun to fight all the different types of enemies and there is actual challenge but the pacing is very monotonous.

there is a really great game in here somewhere, maybe for a sequel but this first try is an ok game
Click to expand...

Oh god, yes, you're absolutely right. I played through to chapter 4 in one go today, but halfway through that I started nodding off. I liked the game, the combat is fun and the visuals are nice, but the music puts you to sleep! I mean, it's all innoffensive and serviceable enough, but I found myself putting on my own music quickly enough.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Anticitizen One said:
But its not as good as similar games like Kameo correct? Kameo was able to easily score in the 8s but that looked good right from its debut. Knack looked very iffy since February and they did nothing to try and improve it based on everyones feedback of it looking bland and repetitive.
Click to expand...
I didn't get too far in Kameo, only finally got it as a $5 deal from XBL. If we were to compare based on the gameplay in the opening segment of Kameo I think Knack would be roughly equal, better in some ways and worse in others, but it seemed to me Kameo would open up after that point and be more open so I'd probably give that the nod. Although, something like Knack probably COULD benefit from being short-yet-sweet instead like I sorta said earlier, people would have a bad knee jerk reaction to it being sold as under 10 hours (or at an extreme 5) but I don't really think this is gameplay that can carry 10+ hours, not when it's starting to feel more like a slog at around 6.
 
K

kurbaan

Banned
WonkersTHEWatilla said:
Oh god, yes, you're absolutely right. I played through to chapter 4 in one go today, but halfway through that I started nodding off. I liked the game, the combat is fun and the visuals are nice, but the music puts you to sleep! I mean, it's all innoffensive and serviceable enough, but I found myself putting on my own music quickly enough.
Click to expand...

OMG totally forgot about that. Thats one reason I cant play this game for more than like 30-40 mins at once. Gonna put that music unlimited trial to use.
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Beat the game today, I'd give it a 6.5. It was really fun at the beginning, but then started getting tedious as the game went on, mainly because every level was pretty much the same. It's pretty clear they made this for the younger and/or casual gamer audience(the parents/grandparents kind).

The bosses were really fun though, and the final boss really gave you a good sense of scale as to how big you get.
 
T

Toki767

Member
Credits are rolling now.
The credits may be more enjoyable than the entire game with dancing Knack.

Definitely a 6/10 for me. It felt needlessly long and really repetitive after a while.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
Toki767 said:
Credits are rolling now.
The credits may be more enjoyable than the entire game with dancing Knack.

Definitely a 6/10 for me. It felt needlessly long and really repetitive after a while.
Click to expand...

Yeah, trying to power through the game in one or two sittings makes the game feel like its obnoxiously long. A lot of the chapters could have been shortened very easily. I think that combined with
the end boss
are the reasons for the bad scores.

The boss was a bit frustrating with how easy it was to die combined with its length. I'm usually fine with hard bosses, the end of Metal Gear Rising was so damn satisfying. This boss was just frustrating. Especially with how the timing is with dodging the linear projectiles, seems like everything in this game requires you to wait a second before you try dodging and if you're just slightly early will punish you for it.

Right now I feel like this is a 7/10, probably a 7.5/10 tomorrow morning when I reflect on the entire experience. It was a pretty solid character action game.
 
O

Oneself

Member
Honestly, I feel great vibes from the PSone / early PS2 era when playing Knack. It's pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. And it can look quite impressive at times. It's definitely a 7-8 out of 10 for me so far.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Aucool said:
wow, this game is a lot more challenging than I tought it would be
Click to expand...
Honestly, this seems to be one of the things that is really killing the game for most reviewers. Listening to various podcasts the general theme is that the game is really difficult and checkpoints are too far requiring them to replay sections over and over and over. With the game being fairly straightforward and simple this kind of difficulty could definitely lead reviewers to become frustrated especially with a deadline.
 
T

TheHater

Member
I have Killzone, NBA 2K14, CoD, and Knack.
Knack has been my most played game on the PS4. So much fun with a nephew.

dark10x said:
Honestly, this seems to be one of the things that is really killing the game for most reviewers. Listening to various podcasts the general theme is that the game is really difficult and checkpoints are too far requiring them to replay sections over and over and over. With the game being fairly straightforward and simple this kind of difficulty could definitely lead reviewers to become frustrated especially with a deadline.
Click to expand...
Then they should play on easy.
 
K

Killing_Joke

Member
FUCK this game on hard. I'm on the final boss with no special moves. One hit kills are the fucking worst. One slight fuck up and have to start the section all over. Game went from enjoyable to me wanting to toss it out the window!
 
G

Gaston

Member
I've been having a lot of fun coop-ing my way through this game. It is absolutely beautiful. It has its flaws, but I've been enjoying the difficulty of gameplay on hard. Also the bejeweled-like mobile app to get relics entertains my girlfriend while also getting me some sweet upgrades.
 
R

Rafterman

Banned
This game is a perfect example of why I don't read or listen to game reviews anymore. It got absolutely thrashed and everyone got disappointed about what a shit game it was because someone they never met told them as much. Well I played a few hours last night and some today and it's a much better game than it has been given credit for. It's not the best game I've ever played, or even the best game I have for the PS4, but it's an absolutely solid launch title. Yeah, it's repetitive...so is Super Mario Bros. It's gorgeous, it runs great, it's actually challenging in parts, and it's a nice little platformer/beat 'em up for a console launch.
 
S

Shadow2222

Member
I might stream some of the later chapters later today. I'll be playing on Easy, mostly to highlight the difficulty difference, since I noticed most people are streaming Normal or Hard.
 
K

Killing_Joke

Member
Haha beat the boss in 2-3 tries. lol finally!

11:28 on hard. Not bad. Probably hour or 2 worth of retries! Game is brutal sometimes. I honestly hope for a sequel. Tons of potential imo.
 
L

Lady Gaia

Member
Anticitizen One said:
But its not as good as similar games like Kameo correct? Kameo was able to easily score in the 8s but that looked good right from its debut. Knack looked very iffy since February and they did nothing to try and improve it based on everyones feedback of it looking bland and repetitive.
Click to expand...

I'd easily rank it with Kameo, which I enjoyed at launch on the 360. Both are relatively simple titles that could have benefited from a longer development cycle, but they're easily worthwhile experiences. I've played any number of more highly rated games that I didn't enjoy half as much. The original Devil May Cry, for instance, which would be regarded as junk if it weren't for being "edgy" IMHO.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I'd rate it a solid 7-8/10 so far by the usual launch title standards. I fully expect to enjoy it more than KZ:SF when I'm done with both.
 
S

Shadow2222

Member
About to stream in a couple minutes. Remember, I'll be playing on Easy (mostly because everyone else is streaming on Hard and Normal and I'd like to show people that don't necessarily want a challenge what they can expect on the lowest difficulty).

Heavy spoilers should be expected, as I'll be streaming the last few chapters.

http://www.twitch.tv/shadowmaster2345/
 
FUNKNOWN iXi

FUNKNOWN iXi

Member
Lady Gaia said:
I'd easily rank it with Kameo, which I enjoyed at launch on the 360. Both are relatively simple titles that could have benefited from a longer development cycle, but they're easily worthwhile experiences. I've played any number of more highly rated games that I didn't enjoy half as much. The original Devil May Cry, for instance, which would be regarded as junk if it weren't for being "edgy" IMHO.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I'd rate it a solid 7-8/10 so far by the usual launch title standards. I fully expect to enjoy it more than KZ:SF when I'm done with both.
Click to expand...

Kameo is far and away a much better game than Knack IMO. That game was criminally underappreciated and should've received way more love.
 
S

Shadow2222

Member
Thanks to the three viewers that tuned into my stream lol. Credits are just about to roll if anyone wants to see them. They are quite funny :)
 
L

Lady Gaia

Member
FUNKNOWN iXi said:
Kameo is far and away a much better game than Knack IMO. That game was criminally underappreciated and should've received way more love.
Click to expand...

Based on your post history, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you haven't actually played through Knack. Or just the demo, which is far from representative of the game. I really enjoyed Kameo and agree that it was woefully under appreciated and deserved the sequel it never got. Mind you, if it got one it would almost certainly have gotten the "mature" treatment that set Perfect Dark Zero on a path to failure.

Knack has been a truly memorable experience, and on hard it's actually fairly challenging. The reviews have done a huge disservice to anyone with youngsters at home (along with those of us who are just young at heart.) It's hard to shake the feeling you're playing through an Incredibles-inspired epic movie.
 
L

lordy88

Member
Hey guys!

My friend and I are streaming Knack on PS4 right now as we go through Chapter 4-3.

Feel free to tune in! twitch.tv/iguss
 
E

EMT0

Banned
My only complaint with Knack is that there aren't enough changes in gameplay to keep it fresh. The story works just fine for me, I like the visuals, and the foundation is awesome. But the gameplay starts getting a bit stale at the four hour mark. What I wish they had done is added artifact customization, letting you obtain and then swap out artifacts that give you abilities. Say, giving Knack the ability to spit out a fireball, or create a wall of ice, give you an HP boost, or slowly regenerate power. Really, anything to just change up the pace a little bit. The actual combat worked great, IMO.


But to sum it up, this game doesn't deserve anything less than a seven, but nothing higher than an eight. It does what it set out do, and it does it well, which was to be reminiscent of a 90s era platformer that's more brawling-centric.
 
SEGAvangelist

SEGAvangelist

Member
Well after about 12 hours or so I'm done. Final boss was a bit of a doozy but I felt really good once I beat him. I just can't for the life of me score this game in the 5-6 range, though. It's at least a 7 or an 8. My only gripe is the lack of abilities, but the gameplay felt pretty fresh throughout for me even with the repetitive nature of the combat. I hope a sequel happens as I really like Knack a lot.
 
O

Oyashrio-Sama

Member
FINALLY! HARD MODE BEAT!!!!!!!


Good lord I was about to pull out my hair on the last boss... I banned some people from my chat becaus they made me mad and said I sucked... YOU TRY PLAYING THIS ON HARD!!! :mad:
 
O

onlyindreams

Banned
sigh as much as I liked this game i just got to chapter 6 and its starting to feel like such a slog especially if theres really 13 chapters. I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to finish it

this shouldve been half the length and $39.99

It really is a fun game its just too fucking long and samey. I think I've gotten my fill
 
Infinite Xero

Infinite Xero

Member
http://www.twitch.tv/infinitexero

Streaming Chapter 9-2 and beyond on Hard. I might finish the game today.

onlyindreams said:
sigh as much as I liked this game i just got to chapter 6 and its starting to feel like such a slog especially if theres really 13 chapters. I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to finish it

this shouldve been half the length and $39.99

It really is a fun game its just too fucking long and samey. I think I've gotten my fill
Click to expand...

When I went to Target for the B2G1 sale, Knack was listed as $39.99 so I picked it up in addition to the other 3 games.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Infinite Xero said:
When I went to Target for the B2G1 sale, Knack was listed as $39.99 so I picked it up in addition to the other 3 games.
Click to expand...
Full price here, but I think it got me into the B1G1 deal so I guess it's the same as the Target promo effectively, nevermind that I fully plan to offer up Knack at the alter of Mario.
 
D

Dead Prince

Banned
Easy is too easy. My niece just played and got to 3-2 in under an hour.
Easy they do less damage and ai doesn't really react to you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The First Descendant | Review Thread
Analysis Review
32
3K
Farawayfromhell replied
Frostpunk 2 | Review Thread
Review
11
899
geary replied
Foamstars | Review Thread
44
3K
havoc00 replied
Star Wars Outlaws | Review Thread
Analysis Review 8 9 10 11 12
571
39K
Gamer_By_Proxy replied
Thank Goodness You're Here | Review Thread
Analysis Review
5
699
TheAssist replied
Top Bottom