Platformers

[Spark Of Spirit]

I beat Dr. Nefarious with almost 15 hours on the play clock. I maxed out my health, got all the sewer crystals, and beat all of the arenas and death courses. I started with challenge mode and got all my guns and upgrades carried over so maybe I'll be able to buy the last two guns I'm missing. What else changes in challenge mode?

Anyway, that was a great experience. Far better than the original game (as I said before) and the game managed to stay fun the whole way through. As I said before, Going Commando is now on my radar as the next game to get.

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I beat Dr. Nefarious with almost 15 hours on the play clock. I maxed out my health, got all the sewer crystals, and beat all of the arenas and death courses. I started with challenge mode and got all my guns and upgrades carried over so maybe I'll be able to buy the last two guns I'm missing. What else changes in challenge mode?

I, uh... don't really remember. Been a long time since I played challenge mode. Maybe five years or so.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I beat Dr. Nefarious with almost 15 hours on the play clock. I maxed out my health, got all the sewer crystals, and beat all of the arenas and death courses. I started with challenge mode and got all my guns and upgrades carried over so maybe I'll be able to buy the last two guns I'm missing. What else changes in challenge mode?

I, uh... don't really remember. Been a long time since I played challenge mode. Maybe five years or so.

Well, the health cap increases, weapon caps are moved to level 10 (after purchasing the new weapon), you seem to take more damage, and there's a bolt multiplier that encourages not getting hit in order to get more rewards. But the bosses definitely aren't any harder, I beat the first boss in two hits.

Otherwise it seems more like a New Game+ than any sort of difficulty increase.

But I still really like it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Going Commando is awesome. I really enjoy all the variety in levels and ideas. What I don't enjoy are the mandatory flying levels where enemies that take forever to kill heal themselves over and over.

I can see why people can prefer either the second or third game. Going Commando has a bigger scope, throws more at you, and has a lot more platforming. But Up Your Arsenal is a lot tighter, fluid, has the least confusing interface and mission structure of the game, and gets rid of redundant weapon switching to gadgets that really aren't necessary. So far they were at neck and neck with me until I had those racing and flying levels thrown at me, UYA gets bump up because those were all optional in that one. Also, so far the story is way better in UYA, there's too much dead space in GC where nothing happens so far.

Still, I enjoy both miles more than the original.

[Foggle]

Yeah, the story and structure are way better in UYA. I don't really mind GC's flying or racing levels since they were pretty easy for me, and there aren't too many that are actually mandatory. Like I said earlier, most people like UYA more, and it's an objectively better game, but GC is still my favorite.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yeah, the story and structure are way better in UYA. I don't really mind GC's flying or racing levels since they were pretty easy for me, and there aren't too many that are actually mandatory. Like I said earlier, most people like UYA more, and it's an objectively better game, but GC is still my favorite.

Yeah, it's sort of like how BioShock 2 is better than 1, yet most people prefer 1. Sort of the same here, I guess, but I find the two mostly equal just with different strengths. I don't really mind the flying, but that one level with the recharging satellites was annoying.

But the arena was actually better (and MUCH harder) than UYA. The whole gravity sections and bosses were much trickier. The game definitely manages to have its own strengths that UYA doesn't really focus on as much. Like, the sewers crystal hunt was more closed in but harder because of it, and the desert hunt was easy but more wide open making it much more expansive. I liked them both a lot, but in different ways.

So how are the PS3 games different from the PS2 ones? More content/ less content, harder/ easier, different style? I notice they have 'Future' in the title, what's up with that?

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So how are the PS3 games different from the PS2 ones? More content/ less content, harder/ easier, different style? I notice they have 'Future' in the title, what's up with that?

Roughly the same amount of content, but some of it is less appealing (the arena isn't so good in ToD and the spaceship stages in ACiT are boring). A lot of people say that they're easier, though I found the difficulty level to be almost exactly the same. The style is basically the same, though the controls don't feel as tight, and A Crack In Time lacks a certain integral element for much of the game... though telling you what that is would be a spoiler. The "Future" in the title just refers to the PS3 games' story arc.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So how are the PS3 games different from the PS2 ones? More content/ less content, harder/ easier, different style? I notice they have 'Future' in the title, what's up with that?

Roughly the same amount of content, but some of it is less appealing (the arena isn't so good in ToD and the spaceship stages in ACiT are boring). A lot of people say that they're easier, though I found the difficulty level to be almost exactly the same. The style is basically the same, though the controls don't feel as tight, and A Crack In Time lacks a certain integral element for much of the game... though telling you what that is would be a spoiler. The "Future" in the title just refers to the PS3 games' story arc.

Sounds cool to me. Is there a new game in the "Future" series coming, or are ToD and ACiT the whole thing?

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The Future series was originally going to be a trilogy (and it technically is, when you consider Quest For Booty), but Insomniac wanted to do other things (All 4 One and/or Overstrike, I'd assume), so it was cut down to two full games and one short downloadable game. A Crack In Time completes the story arc.

If they ever make more, I doubt there will be another "true" Ratchet game until the PS4. The PS2 has the original trilogy and a different style spinoff (Deadlocked), while the PS3 has the Future trilogy and another different style spinoff (All 4 One).

I'm planning on replaying QFB soon to see if I was just in a bad mood on my first runthrough or something, since it's actually considered to be quite good by most fans and critics. I'll let you know if I change my opinion of it, though either way I can assure you that you miss absolutely nothing story-related by skipping it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Thanks for that, I actually saw QFB in store when I picked up GC (it was in Japanese which was weird) but it was for the same price as it and also ToD and ACiT but there was no way I was going to pick it up before the others.

[Foggle]

Thanks for that, I actually saw QFB in store when I picked up GC (it was in Japanese which was weird)

Much like Siren: Blood Curse, they never released a disc-based copy of QFB in the US or Canada (it's PSN only). I'm not sure about this so don't quote me on it, but I believe the Japanese version is in English with Japanese subtitles only. I know the "Asian" version (China/Korea/Vietnam/etc.) doesn't even have subtitles in other languages, it's just the English version with a Chinese box and manual.

While I'm definitely pro-digital distribution on PC, I vastly prefer owning the physical media for console games. Luckily, thanks to Play-Asia and eBay, I was able to get copies of both Siren and QFB on disc for cheaper than their PSN counterparts.

Fun fact: Ratchet & Clank is one of Sony's biggest and most beloved properties in Japan. I'm pretty sure it's actually more popular there than it is in the west.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Looks like I'll have to pick that up then. I also prefer physical media (for various reasons) when it comes to games, so if I have the opportunity, I'll take it.

Fun fact: Ratchet & Clank is one of Sony's biggest and most beloved properties in Japan. I'm pretty sure it's actually more popular there than it is in the west.

Wow, I didn't know that! That would definitely explain why R&C have more games than Jak or Sly. It also helps that it managed to keep its quality for so long and improve on it.

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Well, that's what happens when you don't divide your fanbase with changed direction sequels or forget what made your first two games good.

I really wish Insomniac would make non-Ratchet games that aren't shooters. Resistance is great for what it is and Overstrike looks cool, but if they expanded their horizons a bit, they could easily become the new Rare. The new "old" Rare, that is.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Well now that they're officially third party maybe they can get to work on a Banjo Kazooie or something new with Nintendo or Microsoft like they did with Sony and R&C? They certainly have the pedigree to attract the attention.

Either way, I'm eager to see what they'll do next!

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I think they were always third party. I remember reading about how Sony wanted exclusive rights to Ratchet & Clank because Spyro did so well on the PS1, and then they wanted exclusive rights to Resistance because of how successful R&C was/is. All of their games since the PS1 have been Sony funded, though I guess they didn't care enough to pony up the cash for Overstrike (or maybe EA offered them more). Sony owns the rights to R&C and Resistance, but I'm pretty sure they've never owned Insomniac.

An Insomniac-made Banjo-Kazooie would make me the happiest person alive.