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[MrPliskin]

Not surprised this is getting lower reviews than usual for the series. Not only is it spinoff-y, but it's the first game from their new studio rather than from their veteran groups.

Still expecting to enjoy this title, but I'm not anticipating it being as excellent as most R&C games. Honestly, the main reason I'm buying Day 1 is to support the franchise.

New studio has a ton of their veteran mbers. Dunno why people are thinking IG picked up entirely new staff for the new studio...

Anyway, the reviews surprise me since so many folks have been asking for something "fresh" in the series. Then when they get it, they just complain that it isn't what a "real" Ratchet game should be.

smh

 

[Carbonox]

New studio has a ton of their veteran mbers. Dunno why people are thinking IG picked up entirely new staff for the new studio...

Anyway, the reviews surprise me since so many folks have been asking for something "fresh" in the series. Then when they get it, they just complain that it isn't what a "real" Ratchet game should be.

smh

It's all well and good incorporating fresh ideas. It's not all well and good when you do it by sacrificing all that was already good and welcome in the series. The game is overpriced, linear and aimed primarily as a family multiplayer game. I think the co-op/multiplayer works for the series as a whole but not for representing a game in its entirety. The main things I want from an R&C game is an engaging and hilarious plot, massive amounts of exploration and variety, and longevity, all whilst remaining fun yet challenging. A Crack in Time and Up Your Arsenal were the perfect R&C games, IMO.

A Side bonus on top of a fully-fledged single player mode like A Crack in Time is how I would have preferred bringing back multiplayer. Competitive and co-op on top of single player? Ultimate package, that.

Like I said earlier in this topic, my expectations have always been high for R&C games, so I'm partly to blame for being extremely disappointed by this game because I expect a lot every time. Nonetheless, Insomniac set these high standards so I kind of expect them to be consistent.

I will be buying it. No two ways about it. Not for max price though. No way in hell is it worth full price. I agree with the above idea that this should have been a PSN game, perhaps.

 

[Carl]

Well i went ahead and ordered it anyway, based on the fact that i have loved every single Ratchet and Clank game (even Gladiator and the PSP ones). I'm sure i'll like this one too.

 

[thetrin]

I'm so disappointed no one is talking about this game. I understand that some people aren't interested because of the 4 player, but this can be played in single player. I'm definitely picking this up with Batman today at Toysrus.

Funnily enough, the 4 player is the ONLY reason I'm interested in the game. I haven't had much interest in the Ratchet universe, but the minute someone says "4 PLAYER CO-OP" my pants get tight.

 

[Callibretto]

wait, why is it overpriced? does it have less content than the usual Ratchet games? in term of planets/weapons/etc I mean.

 

[MrPliskin]

wait, why is it overpriced? does it have less content than the usual Ratchet games? in term of planets/weapons/etc I mean.

It has plenty of content, levels are long (9 areas I believe). Ignore the self proclaimed purists, this is a Ratchet game, and it's very enjoyable.

 

[krae_man]

Played it for a couple of hours today. Couple of thoughts

-Feels Slower
-I hate how the the weapon wheel is on the right stick. I keep on using the right stick to try and change which enemy I'm attacking and instead I change my weapon.
-why are corkscrew bolts only giving me 1 bolt when they are supposed to be worth 100?

I still like the game so far, but co-op should have been a seperate story where co-op is required to complete levels/defeat bosses instead of step on switch crap. At least a decent chunk of that stuff happens automatically in single player.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Holy crap the RYNO. I pressed R1 and the only thing I remember was heavy metal playing followed by a brilliant flash of light.

 

[Carl]

Have to admit i'm having way more fun with it than i thought i would do reading the reviews. It's not as fun or exploration based as previous iterations, but it still has the feel of Ratchet and Clank (despite a few weird choices - does it really need a sprint button?) and all that great humour.

Glad i ignored the reviews and went on my own judgement on this one. Here's an idea: if you enjoyed previous games, you'll probably enjoy this one too, though maybe not to the same extent.

 

[paperheart]

Just finished this game for the first time, and I have to say I really enjoyed this. It was good when no one was playing with me, but then when people dropped in it became insanely fun. I found it best to play with 1-2 other people, though, because 4 players on the screen was too hectic, imo. Negatives would be choosing weapons being a real pain at times, and the drop in coop would knock me out of the game sometimes. Besides that I loved it, and now Dr. Nefarious is at Level 10. Will definitely keep replaying this in between the new games I buy in the future. Gotta think about which character to use next. So, with that said, thank you Insomniac for making an awesome game!

 

[Thunderbear]

Subjective opinions ahead, I don't mean to be a hater. I'm just disappointed.

I should have paid more attention to the videos showing this game. I am very, very disappointed. I've loved all Ratchet games but this doesn't feel like the past ones at all in my opinion. The 3D implementation seems really poor compared to games like Batman which looks amazing (I also noticed this in Resistance 3, so I decided not to play R3 with 3D). Playing with strangers is really not fun. If I was a lot younger and had a few friends to play with I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. In the end I feel it's my own fault but a lot of the set pieces just looked so great and it did seem to still have that Ratchet feel. Playing it SP wasn't fun, and playing with strangers haven't been fun either .

I defended and loved Resistance 3, and I've loved all the Ratchet games (except the downloadable one) but this one was for me a huge let-down. A part of me feels that something must have happened at Insomniac. Some big structural changes and shift in focus. Just a gut feeling.

I can write out more specifics if anyone cares but these are my general impressions.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

will co-op this with the gf then!

glad it's not as bad as i feared

 

[krae_man]

Man I really don't like the lack of exploration. The fixed camera makes it very difficult to do and you cannot backtrack.

At one point I saw some small platforms that would crumble after jumping on them going off to the left of the main path. I thought they would take me to a Hero bolt or whatever they are called or something else cool, nope when I got to the last one I had nowhere to go but wait for death. Why the hell were they even there in the first place?

Completely ignoring the bolt value convention is also really, really annoying me. It's a stupid little detail but it's a stupid little detail that should not have been done right.

 

[AAK]

Just had 3 friends over and played until we beat that wig worm. I'm 100% satisfied. The game is blissful fun.

I <3 you Insomniac. Great Humor, Great Weapons, and Absolute mastery of the hardware. I've never seen such a spectacle of thing happening on screen in a local co op campaign with not a single noticeable dip in performance in my history of gaming.

Can't wait till next weekend to continue this session

 

[krae_man]

Okay the penalty for falling in co-op is nothing and the penalty for falling in single player is restart from the latest checkpoint. Why couldn't it have just taken one hit of health?

I just had the game glitch on me. I completed a chapter and immidiately after the next one started clank was suddenly stuck in a wall and the camera was trying to focus on him and I couldn't do anything.

A cutscene starting mid jump causing me to die is also really, really annoying.

 

[wouwie]

Had the game in my hands in the shop yesterday but didn't buy yet. It doesn't help that the game seems priced higher than most titles (was 62 euro, which was considerably higher than most of the other new titles, like Batman, Rage,...). Felt quite bad about it really since Ratchet is my favourite franchise.

Will buy for sure when it drops a little in price. Somehow, i have a feeling that i will get some fun out of it.

With Insomniac going multiplatform (and the Rachet IP being Sony owned), i seriously hope this isn't the last Ratchet game ever...

 

[StealthGoblin]

With Insomniac going multiplatform (and the Rachet IP being Sony owned), i seriously hope this isn't the last Ratchet game ever...

I think it would be incredibly silly for Insomniac to completely abandon Ratchet or making other Sony exclusives for at least a few years. They have three teams and Overstrike is a one game deal with EA. They'll need to be working on something with someone they know draws cash until they have their own successful IP out there making money.

Although most companies play up the 'we don't know what we'll work on after we finish (Insert Game)', the smart ones, especially those with multiple teams, have a road map in place and contingency plans.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Insomniac said A Crack in Time was the last Ratchet game. 2 years later we have this one. The series isn't going anywhere unless it doesn't make money.

 

[Carl]

Finished this last night. Enjoyed it a lot more than i thought i would do based on reviews, but i still really don't like the co-op focus. The lack of camera control is FRUSTRATING as hell. Often the camera moves and you have to run to keep up with it or you disappear off the side of the screen and have to try and find your way back on it again. Also the partner AI randomly decides to just stand there and let itself be killed. Annoying.

But yeah. Far better than i thought it would be. Still feels like Ratchet and Clank, still has great humour. But now it also has a turd camera, and has no exploration.

 

[wouwie]

Insomniac said A Crack in Time was the last Ratchet game. 2 years later we have this one. The series isn't going anywhere unless it doesn't make money.

I don't know where you got that information but afaik, Crack in Time was never intended as the last Ratchet game, but as the last game in the story that started in Tools Of Destruction.

And the "The series isn't going anywhere unless it doesn't make money" is just what worries me. Can't see this ending up as a huge seller but hopefully i'm wrong.

 

[krae_man]

I don't know where you got that information but afaik, Crack in Time was never intended as the last Ratchet game, but as the last game in the story that started in Tools Of Destruction.

And the "The series isn't going anywhere unless it doesn't make money" is just what worries me. Can't see this ending up as a huge seller but hopefully i'm wrong.

Except they never really explained "What happened to the Lombaxes?"

It felt like there should have been a third game where at some point you find the rest of them(besides Angela and Alister).

Edit: I just realised the weapons don't level. What the hell don't the weapons level? What's the incentive to use other weapons when they don't level? just max out the upgrades on a weapon you like and stick with it the entire game. That's what I'm doing with the blaster.

 

[Carl]

Except they never really explained "What happened to the Lombaxes?"

It felt like there should have been a third game where at some point you find the rest of them(besides Angela and Alister).

Edit: I just realised the weapons don't level. What the hell don't the weapons level? What's the incentive to use other weapons when they don't level? just max out the upgrades on a weapon you like and stick with it the entire game. That's what I'm doing with the blaster.

it's funny - they added weapon levelling to Resistance and took it out of Ratchet

 

[krae_man]

Okay the penalty for falling in single player is more messed up then I first thought.

If you fall with Clank on your back you start at the latest checkpoint with no penalty other then time. If you happen to fall when Clank is off your back doing his own thing, you respawn right next to him and get a couple hundred bolt penalty.

I'm assuming the bolt penalty is from the multiplayer and it makes sense in that capacity since there is a bolt collecting contest. However what is it doing in the single player?

The Critters seem to respawn as well. If you catch a couple before the stage ends they will be back when the next stage starts. If you catch a couple before you go into the critter maze area, they will be back when you return. They are also not really hard to find, why are they even there?

 

[Massa]

So this is not up on the Store like Sony said it would? WTH?

 

[krae_man]

I encountered another glitch. You had to use the gravity goop to expose a switch you were supposed to combat strike(R2+ []), but my wrench would not strike the switch no matter what I did. I had to jump up and hyper strike them.

Also this story, man is it bad. The entire game is Cronk & Zephyr telling you "go here", you ride a couple rails, kill some stuff, then get told "now go here next" and that's it. Occasionally you get a cut scene with forgettable banter between the characters that serves no purpose.

Susie guilts you into coming out of retirement and the story progression ends. It's like Insomniac didn't write anything after that point.

 

[Square Triangle]

Sony just put this up on their RLS, just ordered it for $10 =)

 

[BlueSummers]

Quick question: Me and some friends are stuck on the last boss. The final part where the orb sits in the middle. It says use the tether but for some reason nothing is affecting that orb. Please help!

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Quick question: Me and some friends are stuck on the last boss. The final part where the orb sits in the middle. It says use the tether but for some reason nothing is affecting that orb. Please help!

If your past the part where

Spoiler

you have to coop jump to tie his arms up then all you have to do is vacuum suck out his ghost form with circle. Then just blast him.

 

[MrPliskin]

Sony just put this up on their RLS, just ordered it for $10 =)

Nice! I'll have to pick up a second copy for a gift!

 

[BoilersFan23]

I think this game is underrated. While it changes the R&C formula up a bit, still loads of fun to play. Just don't go into it expecting A Crack in Time's sequel, more like spin-off. Pretty much how Deadlocked and Size Matters was, but I feel its better than Deadlocked for sure. Co-op is tons of fun too.

 

[Himself]

Sony just put this up on their RLS, just ordered it for $10 =)

Sony RLS? $10? Can I do this too?

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Sony RLS? $10? Can I do this too?

If you work at a Best Buy, Walmart, or Gamestop. Sure.

 

[krae_man]

Another thing this game is missing: Traveling to planets. Who's idea was it to stay on one planet? Also the pausing before you encounter a new enemy type gets more annoying as you play. Especially considering it doesn't show an attack pattern or anything anything useful in kissing it so its' entirely pointless.

 

[Carl]

Platinumed it last night. Overall very enjoyable, as with all Ratchet games. Sure there are many things i don't like about it, but it definitely isn't terrible, and is still great fun. If you liked previous Ratchet games you'll probably like this

 

[wouwie]

Played through the demo (up on EU PSN store) twice and i have mixed feelings.

I think it looks beautiful, in a typical R&C way. Technically, it seems slightly blurrier/with more jaggies than Tools Of Destruction. Maybe a slightly lower resolution? However, the art style, beautiful colors, lightning and neat little touches scattered throughout the world make up for that. Visually, i love the R&C world and franchise. It feels alive, with little robots, planes and other stuff constantly flying around. It's fun, colorful and light hearted. Enemies look great too. I'm missing the free camera control a lot though. I want the freedom to look at and stare at this beautifully crafted and original game world.

Music, sound and voice work is typical R&C quality.

However, the gameplay is the part i'm not sure about. I have been playing the demo alone and it doesn't feel as fun and compelling as the previous single player games. The weapon wheel on right stick needs getting used to but i understand why they decided to put it in there (quicker selection of weapons for the co-op gameplay i presume). However, it seems that the challenge of most enemies is the amount of them being thrown at the player. Generally, i'm pressing the shoot button as fast as possible and just "going through the motions" without any real feeling of fun or challenge.

I realise that playing this alone is not the main purpose Insomiac had in mind for this game though.

In short, i didn't feel the same excitement when playing this as i did when playing the previous R&C games. I'm going to go through the demo one more time before deciding if i should buy it now or wait for a price drop. Definately still buying it at some point though.

 

[semiconscious]

I realise that playing this alone is not the main purpose Insomiac had in mind for this game though...

all 4 one is the crystal chronicles of this generation - it's a game that only really hits its stride when played co-op (unlike, say, littlebigplanet, a game that works well solo or co-op), is very accessible to just about anyone, gamer or not, & succeeds extremely well in providing everything necessary for some mutual dumb/chaotic fun...

so, yeah, grab your gf, mother, uncle, nephew, or mailman, give'm a controller, & enjoying this the way it was intended to be enjoyed - everything you might feel is 'missing' from the game will suddenly be there ...

 

[krae_man]

Just finished the game last night. Very, very disappointed Insomniac. You know how to make games way better then this.

Also I missed 2 Ryno parts. How the hell could I miss two when you can't even explore in this game?

 

[MrPliskin]

Just finished the game last night. Very, very disappointed Insomniac. You know how to make games way better then this.

Also I missed 2 Ryno parts. How the hell could I miss two when you can't even explore in this game?

Don't be crass. It's not the Ratchet and Clank you wanted, but it's far from a bad game.

Also, there are multiple times where additional paths are available to get bolts or the Ryno challenges...they are missable.

 

[daycru]

Played a couple of hours of local co-op with a friend, lots of fun. Would have preferred a real R&C and won't buy this, but it's not bad.

 

[krae_man]

Don't be crass. It's not the Ratchet and Clank you wanted, but it's far from a bad game.

Also, there are multiple times where additional paths are available to get bolts or the Ryno challenges...they are missable.

I probably missed them because I took a step in the wrong direction and the camera moved into a place preventing me from being able to backtrack and I didn't notice.

This is way different then Deadlocked. Deadlocked was a different type of game, but it was done well with an Insomniac level of quality. This game is not even close to that, It's average at best and Insomniac can do better.

There are just so many things wrong with it.

-Glitches, oh god the glitches. I had to replay one of the hookshot sequences 6 times because at one of the "spin the right stick" ones, spinning the right stick would unhook me and open up my weapon wheel for some stupid reason. I had another where you had to use the gravity goop to expose a R2+[] prompt that would not work. One stage started with Clank stuck in a wall unable to progress.

-Terrible co-op. 90% of the co-op is a gap in the path you have to suck cannon then tether to get across. They should have did what Portal 2 did and had a separate co-op campaign.

-No weapon leveling. Seriously, Why am I buying the Elite upgrade?

-Ignoring the bolt convention. How annoying would Scott Pilgrim have been if every time you picked up a loonie or toonie your wallet only went up by a penny?

-Bad story. Suzie talks you into saving the world, then it's 6 hours of nothing until you get to the final boss.

-The co-op death mechanic is still in the single player game sometimes. Sometimes when you die you start back at the last checkpoint with no penalty, other times you respawn right away with a bolt penalty.

I could go on.

 

[MrPliskin]

I probably missed them because I took a step in the wrong direction and the camera moved into a place preventing me from being able to backtrack and I didn't notice.

This is way different then Deadlocked. Deadlocked was a different type of game, but it was done well with an Insomniac level of quality. This game is not even close to that, It's average at best and Insomniac can do better.

There are just so many things wrong with it.

-Glitches, oh god the glitches. I had to replay one of the hookshot sequences 6 times because at one of the "spin the right stick" ones, spinning the right stick would unhook me and open up my weapon wheel for some stupid reason. I had another where you had to use the gravity goop to expose a R2+[] prompt that would not work. One stage started with Clank stuck in a wall unable to progress.

-Terrible co-op. 90% of the co-op is a gap in the path you have to suck cannon then tether to get across. They should have did what Portal 2 did and had a separate co-op campaign.

-No weapon leveling. Seriously, Why am I buying the Elite upgrade?

-Ignoring the bolt convention. How annoying would Scott Pilgrim have been if every time you picked up a loonie or toonie your wallet only went up by a penny?

-Bad story. Suzie talks you into saving the world, then it's 6 hours of nothing until you get to the final boss.

-The co-op death mechanic is still in the single player game sometimes. Sometimes when you die you start back at the last checkpoint with no penalty, other times you respawn right away with a bolt penalty.

I could go on.

Again, you may not like it, but it's not a bad game. Weapon leveling is gone because the different functions were moved from upgrades to co-op fire. I could probably post a rebuttal to a lot of the problems you have with it, but that's a waste of time. You didn't like it, that's cool, but it's not a bad game.

Also, there ARE areas you can miss, and a few split paths. You can't just write it off to the camera because you missed some things.

 

[Famassu]

-Glitches, oh god the glitches. I had to replay one of the hookshot sequences 6 times because at one of the "spin the right stick" ones, spinning the right stick would unhook me and open up my weapon wheel for some stupid reason.

You could use the left analog stick...

 

[krae_man]

Most of the times I tried to find a branching path I got punished for it by dying. I probably just gave up without even realizing it. I'm 99% sure the two I missed were the last 2(I think I was only missing the feet).

You could use the left analog stick...

When I ended up doing is quickly pressing triangle again to latch on before I got out of range.

 

[Square Triangle]

Got this in the mail yesterday, hard to steer away from UC3 at the moment but really excited to get into this!

 

[Ken Masters]

worst OP ever or did the thread starter not give a shit anymore

 

[MrPliskin]

worst OP ever or did the thread starter not give a shit anymore

Hardly the case. It's just been a VERY hectic month. Between work, college, and my Army Reserve commitments, I've been swamped. I do have quite a few images and updates, I'll try to post them tomorrow afternoon. Sorry everyone!

 

[Square Triangle]

worst OP ever or did the thread starter not give a shit anymore

If you're that worried that you needed to make a comment on it, just go to the official site if you needed information on it. Jfc.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Gonna have to buy this now dammit

Been playing the demo (congrats on releasing one Insomniac) with my 8 year old and we love it!

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Finally got a new PS3 and R&C A4O along with it. Haven't played it yet, but...why is the manual in black and white? Every other Insom developed Ratchet has a color manual. Why, Insomniac, why?

 

[Brazil]

Finally got a new PS3 and R&C A4O along with it. Haven't played it yet, but...why is the manual in black and white? Every other Insom developed Ratchet has a color manual. Why, Insomniac, why?

Even Nintendo has shitty manuals now, man. The golden age of quality manuals is over.