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[Opinion] Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Remains the Best Showcase of the PlayStation 5's Power

Lunatic_Gamer

Gold Member
Ratchet-and-Clank-Rift-Apart.jpg



There were not many games for early adopters of the PS5, but anyone who picked up Ratchet & Clank was able to instantly feel justified in their purchase. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is not only one of the best PS5 games since its launch, but it is also one of the few games to really show the power of the PS5. On the PS5, load times are practically nonexistent for most games, and graphically speaking, most games look absolutely stellar with added power and advanced ray tracing. However, there are few games that feel like they would only work on a PS5. Ratchet & Clank is still one of the best examples of a PS5 game that take advantage of the power and features of the PS5 in a way that would make it impossible to run on other systems.


Ratchet-and-Clank-Rift-Apart-Scarstu-Gold-Bolt-2.jpg



Naturally, Ratchet & Clank looks amazing and runs super smooth on the PS5. All the movement and combat sections run flawlessly and retain an impressive amount of detail for the number of enemies and effects on screen. However, it is with the rift mechanic that the game really shows what the PS5 is capable of. At certain points, players will enter a rift that will instantly take them to a new dimension without any perceived load screen. This doesn't just occur when changing levels or during set pieces. There are rifts scattered all across each level, and players will be jumping in and out of them dozens of times each level. Hopping from dimension to dimension is already really impressive, but the rifts can be used in combat as well.


Blackhole-Storm-Ratchet-And-Clank-Rift-Apart-Cropped.jpg



Consoles will frequently launch with features and accessories that will not be used by every studio. That is not the case with Insomniac and the PS5. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart makes full use of the PS5's power, but it also takes advantage of the new DualSense controller features. The haptic triggers add a lot of physical feedback to the game, which allows it to become more immersive. While the haptic feedback is not going to be for everyone, it does work well to show off the differences in each weapon in Rift Apart.

All of this is in addition to the obvious ways that Rift Apart demonstrates the true power of the PS5. It has impressively deep levels rich with collectibles, it runs consistently smooth, and all the environments and characters look the best they ever have in the series. The Rift Tether and the haptic feedback from the guns build on top of an already technically impressive game to make it one of the few games to really push the PS5. There are certainly other games that have released with great load times, amazing graphics, and impressive worlds, but none of them have baked the power of the PS5 into their mechanics like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

 

Crayon

Member
I think it a little harder for most to get an impression because it's cartoony, but if you know what you're looking for it's top of the heap on a technical level.

I'm not one to talk because I haven't seen it run right in front of me, which is what I typically want to judge graphics. I did spend a lot of time oggling big screenshots tho and it looks awesome.
 

Mr.Phoenix

Member
The 60fps RT mode with those visuals Insomniac managed to pull out of that AMD mid-range gpu is absolutely insane. I hope they share their secret sauce with more first party studios.
No secret sauce, that's just what happens when a competent dev focuses on just one platform.

Another great example of this was Demon's Souls. Which was only held back because it was a launch title.

This gen doesn't truly start until we start seeing what the A-tier first-party devs can do with the machine. Without the weight of this blasted cross-gen nonsense.

HZW though looks really good. But it lacks RT so it's always going to be a grade below in my book. Oh, and it came in hot too. Not saying it's bad cause it doesn't have RT, but saying that on a technical level, what Insomniac was able to do is more impressive. And kudos has to go to Insomniac for pushing the Fideity+ (40fps) needle.
 
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Horizon: Burning Shores.

Same fidelity, if not better, and an open world.
Yeah, I love the art and Raytacing features of Rachet and Clank, but i think Burning Shores is is a step above due to its cloud tech, photo realistic art style and detailed character models. They would be the perfect studio to make a real Transformers game.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
it does look very good.
Im hoping for an actual open world ratchet clank game in the future.
 

CLW

Member
I agree it’s the most impressive game to date this gen. Between all the remakes and remasters this Gen is nearly 1/2 way over and it’s been pretty disappointing
 

Neolombax

Member
I think Horizon Forbidden West (haven't tried Burning Shores) is better, though I much prefer the art style of Rift Apart.
 

SeraphJan

Member
Doesn't matter if its Rift Apart or Forbidden West, they are incredible for a 6700 equivalent
 
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Gamerguy84

Member
Its really one of those games you have to see it in person. It looks better than any video of it that I've seen.
 
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ChiefDada

Gold Member
Burning Shores has done enough to surpass Ratchet in my personal ranking but I wouldn't fault anyone for picking one over the other. They have vastly different styles which makes it even more susceptible to preference.
 
Yeah, no other game comes close to this for me. It's easily the most impressive game I've seen, and one of very few next-gen titles so far - and not just a PS4 game with higher resolution and better textures.
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
The ssd shit is insane and way better than whatever horizon did with the horus boss fight. The problem is that it doesn’t maintain the quality of its linear levels in the open world levels where horizon outclasses it.

A last Gen granted outclassing a next Gen only game shouldn’t happen so You kinda wonder if it’sa next Gen showcase art all beyond the ssd stuff.
 

mrmustard

Banned
It looks very good, but to me a game has to look more realistic and not too cartoony to impress me. Cartoony seems to be easier to obtain. I prefer games like The Last of Us Part II, FS2020, AC Valhallah, FH5, RDR2, Cyberpunk etc.
 
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Nico_D

Member
I have to agree with this, both visually and it used one of the most marketed features: nonexistent loading times. The game itself... I didn't like it nearly as much as previous R&C games.

It's kinda sad how a two years old game is still the best showcase of PS5's power. Spiderman 2 is probably next.
 

Hunnybun

Member
When you see that game on YouTube you'd laugh at the idea.

When you see it natively on an HDR Oled or nice 4K TV ... you realize it's absolutely true.

Hmm, I think it looks insanely good on Youtube.

That SOP they had where they showed Nefarious City was genuinely one of the most impressive graphical demos I've ever seen. I was astonished.
 

Hunnybun

Member
The ssd shit is insane and way better than whatever horizon did with the horus boss fight. The problem is that it doesn’t maintain the quality of its linear levels in the open world levels where horizon outclasses it.

A last Gen granted outclassing a next Gen only game shouldn’t happen so You kinda wonder if it’sa next Gen showcase art all beyond the ssd stuff.

Even if I conceded that (I don't) the opposite is true of HFW: it looks basically shit in its indoor areas. It's not a case of some shortcuts or whatever made by Insomniac to focus on easy wins, it's just that each game is built around different types of environments.

But anyway, HBS at its best looks amazingly good, just as Ratchet at its best does. It's quite hard to pick a winner.
 

SABRE220

Member
Its a very sad state of affairs when the ps5 launch games are the most impressive tech showcases on the console almost midway through next gen....Demons souls remains for me the most impressive linear experience and ratchet and clank has done the most in terms of utilizing the hardware with their tech built around the new console. They didnt push their tech completely which is obvious considering its a launch title but when you look at the cross gen safe showcases sent out by even sonys own elite studios it dosent exactly fill one with confidence about the gens ability to deliver actual tech advancements.

Even on ps4 gen with very limited cpus and hdds there was serious progression over the launch titles...compare batllefield 4 with battlefield one/5 on the same console and its a massive upgrade....meanwhile this gen developers have been hiding behind excuses after excuses(Covid!, developments too expensive!, entitled gamers!) basically developers have understood they are immune from criticism and they can release the safest, most cost effective product thus having zero incentive to innovate and push tech.
 

EverydayBeast

ChatGPT 0.1
Fun game, like the back and forth between ratchet and rivet. It’s about the guns though first for ratchet and clank yes I like the graphics.
 
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