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Knack |OT| Playin' Knack in my Tub!

vilmer_

Member
Just grabbed this off of the PS store. Was watching THIS stream and it just looks like a fun little quirky game to play. If only non-partnered Twitch streamers could stream at that quality :(
 

low-G

Member
So far I'm loving it. I'm about 3-5 hours in(?)
After the goblin village, what's his face was 'kidnapped' and Knack threw the big relic to escape.

I don't know if things will change and I'll get tired of it but to me it's somewhere in the 9/10 range. I have quirky tastes though.

So far my #2 GOTY under Pikmin 3.
 

Prologue

Member
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.

Thats really great to hear, I enjoyed Kameo.
 

viveks86

Member
I don't know if things will change and I'll get tired of it but to me it's somewhere in the 9/10 range. I have quirky tastes though.

So far my #2 GOTY under Pikmin 3.

Sssshhhh! Don't say that out loud!

Looking forward to this one! Glad I didn't return it
 
Really enjoying Knack, I'm at the end of the goblin village now. The gameplay is great and I like how you're able to build up sunstones even after death, it helps get past some difficult mobs.

Really glad I decided to hold onto this and not return it.
 

Everdred

Member
Gonna attempt to platinum this. How tough do y'all think it is?
Could be pretty tough, you have to beat the game once, then beat it again on Very Hard. You also have to collect all the items, which takes multiple playthroughs. Not sure if the first and very hard playthrough will be enough yet. I'm going to attempt a plat as well.
 

Eusis

Member
I LIKE the game and I think I'd probably die of boredom playing it more than once.
Yeah, it's probably the biggest reason I'd rush to trade it in. I'm kind of iffy on Killzone too, but that has MP that might hook me so it's worth keeping at least for awhile longer to be sure, but once I clear Knack once I won't want to play it again until maybe years down the road, and by then if it's not a free PS+ game it will have gone on sale much cheaper.
 
Finally beat the game on Hard after streaming it. I was surprised to that there was a very hard, lol. I think I'm gonna go for the platinum if I can find a gadget/relic guide.
 

Timu

Member
Knack's AA is some of the best on consoles, hard to find jaggies:

066ec05b_MediaCaptureGame1X2013-11-1520-12-49-943.png


771ea848_MediaCaptureGame1X2013-11-1520-15-15-076.png


586452c9_MediaCaptureGame1X2013-11-1614-01-50-040.png


7999f846_MediaCaptureGame1X2013-11-1614-02-24-455.png


b0162bf9_MediaCaptureGame1X2013-11-1614-23-29-986.png


Funny since the demo had a lot of jaggies.
 

Kurod

Banned
Just finished hard and am really pleased with this game. I only unlocked two gadgets though. I need more friends playing the game to share parts with.

Dancing Knack was adorable. I need to get some gifs of that or something.
 

Beant

Member
I just started very hard difficulty. The platforming/traversal is noticeably harder. The lasers on the walls in chapter 1-1 are faster, the electricity follows on the floor faster, and the elevators move up and down faster, requiring more precise jumps. I have not done much combat besdies little robots you can kill in one shot, so ill let you guys know how that goes.

edit: holy fuck this is hard
 
Didn't know about that extra difficulty setting. I was going to go for a platinum but I'm missing way too many relics despite thinking I'd found just about all of the hiding spots. Just gonna return it monday to gamefly and hope for NFS.
 

Eusis

Member
I would suggest starting on hard, though even that isn't very tough since the combat is so simple. Still fun though
It's mainly tough because it's so easy to be one shotted or close enough. If you were simply twice as durable even Hard would be a cake walk I think.
 
I hope a sequel is in the works. It sort of reminds me of the first Ratchet & Clank. The level design and the game itself was pretty repetitive but the core mechanics was solid. There is a lot of potential here going forward.
 
the textures in the game are inconsistent. i also wonder if cerny even bothered to check the sluggish performance when knack is in full form. it slows down. it's all that polygon on his body and then you got enemies and explosion going on as well. i guess taht's why it's unlocked framerate?


BZUgNEvCUAA6ste.jpg:large
 
This is my favorite launch title so far. I don't have any delusions that this is the best game ever made or anything, but it is really fun and addicting.
 

Beant

Member
the textures in the game are inconsistent. i also wonder if cerny even bothered to check the sluggish performance when knack is in full form. it slows down. it's all that polygon on his body and then you got enemies and explosion going on as well. i guess taht's why it's unlocked framerate?

I agree completely. There was one cut scene where knacks face looked terrible. Really jaggy and low res, but it was only for about 2 seconds in the whole game.
 

Chamber

love on your sleeve
Is this game really fun or is it launch game fun?

It's the quintessential 7 out of 10 game. Solid but not spectacular, worth playing if you have a PS4 but probably not something you'll play more than once unless you're that type of completist. I think Mark Cerny was spot on when he described it as a complementary game.
 

NateDrake

Member
I enjoy the game for what it is - a simple linear action/platform title. It has some cool enemy types and boss encounters. It is fun & I certainly don't regret getting it or playing it. I wouldn't buy a PS4 for this game, but I'd buy this game cuz I have a PS4.
 
i rented this from gamefly and i have to say i'm pretty impressed. honestly the game looked fucking stupid when i watched a few youtube vids of it but i subscribed to gamefly and just put all the ps4 games i wasn't buying on my list and this is one that happened to ship. and i have to say that the game is pretty awesome. here are the things i like about it:

1. graphics aren't mind blowing but they are pretty smooth and there is SOME impressive stuff going on. the environments look nice and there are quite a few enemy types. a mixed bag but better than average

2. i love the "secrets" system. there are tons of hidden areas and when you open the chests you can even see what the people on your friends list got and choose THOSE rewards. all the items have a rarity factor or whatever so if the one you get is a 1 star and one of your pals got a 5 star rare you can choose to get that one. conversely, even if you found a rare one but one of your friends found a piece of crap one but that piece of crap one completes a set then that is pretty nice

3. game really feels almost like crash bandicoot from an alternate reality. its not exactly identical but the fixed camera and there is also a lot of jumping to the combat, coupled with the secret areas. maybe i already had the seed planted for this comparison because of cernys involvement but it really does share similarites

4. i love the combat. really like that every battle is exactly that. the videos i initially saw looked stupid because it was like alright theres a guy there, dodge and just get a hit on him. thats fine for early but the later you get it really is somewhat of a chess match because if you are against a few people you have to know what their hit animation is. there are guys where you jump in and they dart back, leaving you open for their next hit. or you've got a guy up top shooting and two melee guys so you really have to time your jump or double jump or blanka ball or else you'll be dead

5. difficulty is delicious as noted above. this looks like a kids game and maybe it is.... an SNES/Genesis kids game! ive died numerous times. i'm playing on normal and even though it is a somewhat difficult game i feel like its fair. i call it difficult but i wonder if my 12 year old self would call it that or if we've just been fed so many hand holding games that this just SEEMS more difficult

6. can't comment too much on the story... to be honest i started skipping the story early thinking i wouldn't even like the game and just wanted to put a LITTLE time into it to see. i don't like knacks voice much but whatever

well i have played this game more than battlefield, killzone and nba 2k. i would say this is a really good game. i'm not sure how this gets a 4 or 5 from anyone but i don't know what their scales say about that. to me, a 4 score is borderline unplayable crap and something someone would basically have to pay you to see to the end. i can see people getting tired of the game or it not being their style but the controls are nice and tight, graphics are pretty good and there seems to be a good level of polish. i feel like those things alone really should garner a 6+ score but opinions are opinions i suppose. a real shame that some people will probably dismiss the game after seeing some of those scores.... i know i was almost guilty of it :/

good work japan studio or whoever made this game!
 

Everdred

Member
It's really interesting if you look at the press reviews and then you read the user reviews in this thread. Most people agree that it's a pretty solid title.

4. i love the combat. really like that every battle is exactly that. the videos i initially saw looked stupid because it was like alright theres a guy there, dodge and just get a hit on him. thats fine for early but the later you get it really is somewhat of a chess match because if you are against a few people you have to know what their hit animation is. there are guys where you jump in and they dart back, leaving you open for their next hit. or you've got a guy up top shooting and two melee guys so you really have to time your jump or double jump or blanka ball or else you'll be dead
This is my favorite part about the game. I'm playing on hard and you really have to pick and choose your battles and think about how to approach them.
 

STA_DMAmul

Neo Member
just started the game, based on my time with it so far I cannot understand how this game got such bad scores!

It's simple yes, but there is something about the simplicity, the controls, the slow motion hits and stuff like that. It just feels relaxing and satisfying in a strange way. It's hard to explain...

It's definitely not the greatest game ever, but I think a 7-8 is a more respectable score for this one (so far). Hopefully the game keeps up!

One problem though - I have no friends playing the game so does that mean I cannot unlock the secrets? Also Kotaku's review mentioned unlocking something which activates a combo system? What's that all about?
 
just started the game, based on my time with it so far I cannot understand how this game got such bad scores!

It's simple yes, but there is something about the simplicity, the controls, the slow motion hits and stuff like that. It just feels relaxing and satisfying in a strange way. It's hard to explain...

It's definitely not the greatest game ever, but I think a 7-8 is a more respectable score for this one (so far). Hopefully the game keeps up!

One problem though - I have no friends playing the game so does that mean I cannot unlock the secrets? Also Kotaku's review mentioned unlocking something which activates a combo system? What's that all about?

you can still unlock secrets. it's just if you have friends that have played it you get the OPTION to get those items instead of the one you found
 

Gamespawn

Member
This game is a solid 7. It would be higher if the co-op mode wasn't so bad. So, why can't robo-knack absorb stuff or grab items or move to the next area? It's not really fun playing as him when you're just getting stuff for the first player.
 
the textures in the game are inconsistent. i also wonder if cerny even bothered to check the sluggish performance when knack is in full form. it slows down. it's all that polygon on his body and then you got enemies and explosion going on as well. i guess taht's why it's unlocked framerate?


BZUgNEvCUAA6ste.jpg:large

Knack's face it the corner made this pic funnier than it should have been.
 

Estival

Member
Is Vita able to replace a second DS4 for co-op? I thought it could, but I haven't figured out how.

Yes, but it's kind of tricky, I had to do it this way because I only own one dualshock.
Log in with a dualshock as the person you want to play on the vita. On their account, register the vita for remote play. Then use the dualshock to log into the other person's account (who will be using the controller to play). Then once you're in the game, the person with vita will be the second player.
 

daveo42

Banned
Finished my first play-through of the game.

First, the game looks really really good throughout and you can see how much of the game's assets are tied directly to Knack. The fact that the game is simulating all those relics at once is pretty impressive. The rest of the game looked fantastic as well, and remained pretty detailed. Most of the environments are levels are solid and varied enough and the animation, voice acting, and story (while really simple) are all fantastic.

Combat, even if it was only tied to a few buttons and the right thumbstick, was a good bit of fun on hard. It did remind me a bit like Crash in the fact that there were an assortment of characters to mow down and you had maybe 1-2 hits you could take before going down. While not overly deep, there was some strategy to approaching different enemies and learning their attack patterns to take them down efficiently. There was some platforming too, but not to the extent that I think Sony was looking for. It was fun to have a bit of variation and having those sequences thrown in with combat.

There were some detractors I did see.

I think, while it fits thematically, there were too many "similar" segments in the game that looked too similar to previous levels. A bit more variety would have been nice for a few of them, including the "cave" levels sprinkled throughout the game.

The framerate was good at best and seems to tip far too often during gameplay. There were some areas and bits that were silky smooth while others (biggest I saw was during the goblin fortress) dipped pretty low and felt a bit jarring. This was probably one thing I think they should have had steady at launch, but it is a launch title.

Overall, I did enjoy the title, but I probably won't be going back to it any time soon. I think the draw of getting all the extras and goodies might make me hold on to the game, but at this point I'm not sure. It is still a pretty solid title outside of a few glaring issues. I still say pick it up and give Knack a shot.

It's mainly tough because it's so easy to be one shotted or close enough. If you were simply twice as durable even Hard would be a cake walk I think.

I agree with you on this. Some of the hits you get even early on are one-shots and made me think "oh shit". I did die a good amount on Hard, mostly on user error, though I did get frustrated in some areas and had to stop for a moment.
 

balohna

Member
I tried this game at a Sony Store today and really enjoyed the demo! I like using the right stick to dodge, and dash in for attacks. The movement and "feel" of it is satisfying, and I didn't find it all that difficult (though definitely not a walk in the park either).

I probably won't get a PS4 for a few months still, so I'll probably wait until this is on PS+. But still, I'll download it and put some time into it.

Side note: the rubber on the DS4's left stick was starting to give. I've never seen a DS3 with that problem. Hopefully the Sony Store crowd is just extra rough and this won't be an issue down the road.
 

Eusis

Member
Right, backed out quickly for receiving from the app, figuring I'd just pop back where the checkpoint was, but it ended up kicking me to the start of the chapter (not start START, just the start of the current section, 9-3 in this case.) Both this and Killzone Shadow Fall do this, it goes agains what most games with checkpoints actually do and is another reason for me to hate them. Not that it bugs me as much in linear games like this, but I HATE that lack of control especially when things happen differently than you expect them to. Hope this isn't a growing trend I've been ignorant of and will get worse as the generation goes on, but the backlash to games like Shadowrun Returns going pure checkpoint leaves me optimistic there'll be enough resistance that in the games that can be hit worst it won't be there.

... Incidentally, I realized both have main characters named Lucas.

EDIT: Also doesn't refill opened chests. So it'll boot me back to the start yet not give me this much while clearly showing it knows I progressed past that point in the stage, NICE JOB.
 
Didn't know about that extra difficulty setting. I was going to go for a platinum but I'm missing way too many relics despite thinking I'd found just about all of the hiding spots. Just gonna return it monday to gamefly and hope for NFS.
Play it with co-op, that's the only way you can get enough relics.
 

Everdred

Member
Didn't know about that extra difficulty setting. I was going to go for a platinum but I'm missing way too many relics despite thinking I'd found just about all of the hiding spots. Just gonna return it monday to gamefly and hope for NFS.
I thought I read that this was on purpose, that all of them couldn't be found ont he first playthrough, which is why very hard was made as an unlock.
 
Ooh, I'd not seen this area before. Very nice, love the castle off in the background.

when i got there i was like. feels somewhat like MGS. and you'll see a bit why.

also the whole city level (chapter 7) hated it until close to the end. lol. feels like a snoozefest sonic level

also anyone played very hard mode yet? i assume the AI has a different pattern or it's just a one hit kill for ALL enemy? xD
i know Easy mode they have less movement.
 
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