Ratchet & Clank

[Spark Of Spirit]

I bet it'll be about the same length as Deadlocked (5-7 hours).

That seems like a good length for the price. Especially with typical Challenge Mode shenanigans.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I managed a PSN card today to get Deadlocked because of this news. I was also unaware Shattered Soldier was on PSN so I got that too.

So there, I've got all the good Ratchet games on one system!

[Foggle]

So there, I've got all the good Ratchet games on one system!

The ports aren't that good though, from what I've heard and seen.

Also, I tried playing All 4 One again, and geez is it dull. Feels like an inexperienced developer's bland attempt at emulating the Ratchet & Clank series. It's not really bad... it's just boring and rarely fun.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So there, I've got all the good Ratchet games on one system!

The ports aren't that good though, from what I've heard and seen.

Also, I tried playing All 4 One again, and geez is it dull. Feels like an inexperienced developer's bland attempt at emulating the Ratchet & Clank series. It's not really bad... it's just boring and rarely fun.

The gameplay is 100% identical. It's usually minor graphical and cinematic bugs that sometimes pop up. Otherwise they're pretty much the same! 

Deadlocked is still a great spin off.

[Foggle]

I dunno, the UYA multiplayer was broken and piss-awful when I tried to play it with John. Also, there are some weird game-breaking bugs that didn't exist in the PS2 versions, including ones that corrupt your save file and/or make progress impossible. I think I'll just stick with my original copies.

I don't like Deadlocked as much as I used to (would probably put it below ToD, my least favorite of the main six), but it's still a damn good game. Definitely better than the PS3 or PSP spin-offs. Co-op is amazing.

[Foggle]

Apparently, in ITN, there is no lock-on, meaning you actually have to aim.

I don't like that at all. I know I'm in the minority, but I've played every single R&C up to this point with the third-person platforming controls, holding L2 to strafe and shooting with O. The fact that you can't do that in the new game makes me very sad.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Can't they just leave the formula classic? Experiment with newer games if you want, but leave the classic controls alone.

I got Deadlocked HD and it was automatically defaulted on lock-strafe. Even though it's not really a platformer I still changed it to third person because it simply doesn't feel right. Probably because those controls are awful for platforming... which is at least half the game for the non-Deadlocked entries.

I hope they'll at least put this one at 60fps. At least give it to us one last time, Insomniac.

[Foggle]

I think you can still use the third-person control scheme and strafe with L2, you just can't shoot with O using lock-on anymore. At least, I hope so. Lock-strafe mode makes me cry blood.

I hope they'll at least put this one at 60fps. At least give it to us one last time, Insomniac.

An admin on the IG forums said it's going to be 30 FPS, but they also claim that the only Ratchet game to actually run at 60 is ACIT, so I'm not sure he's a reliable source of information. That, or Insomniac's 30 FPS actually feels like 60 somehow. I guess it could still appear to be that smooth as long as the frame-rate doesn't drop at all, which it never does in R&C (outside of A4O and FFA).

[Spark Of Spirit]

I don't even know how people can play with lock-strafe. It makes dodging while platforming and shooting enemies at the same time extremely clunky. That it feels so smooth to do with third person controls is what always made the games so impressive.

I hope they'll at least put this one at 60fps. At least give it to us one last time, Insomniac.

An admin on the IG forums said it's going to be 30 FPS, but they also claim that the only Ratchet game to actually run at 60 is ACIT, so I'm not sure he's a reliable source of information. That, or Insomniac's 30 FPS actually feels like 60 somehow. I guess it could still appear to be that smooth as long as the frame-rate doesn't drop at all, which it never does in R&C (outside of A4O and FFA).

I'm really hoping they don't slack on this one, then. I want this to feel like no time at all has passed between ACiT and ITN since it is an epilogue and all.

I know confidence about Insomniac is at a low after the whole Fuse controversy, the messy Ratchet spin-offs, Resistance, and the online shooter they're making for Microsoft, but I still have confidence they can pull this off since they've never done wrong with their proper platformers.

I still wish instead of Sunset Overdrive they would have collaborated with Nintendo instead on a brand new platformer franchise. It's what they do best and limiting themselves to something so boring that is a dime a dozen is kind of lame.

[Foggle]

I think the brief gameplay footage in the trailer showcased the third-person control scheme being used, so I doubt we have anything to worry about there.

Resistance is actually pretty good and Sunset Overdrive looks cool to me, but yeah, it's hard to give them the benefit of the doubt at this point. They messed up bad with the Ratchet spin-offs (though I do kind of like FFA). Personally, I blame EA for what happened to FUSE/Overstrike (which isn't really terrible, just generic).

It's annoying. Insomniac has always been the best developer of 3D platformers IMO, but now they're just making shooters and multiplayer shovelware games. Hopefully ITN will redeem their recent failures (and I think it will).

[Spark Of Spirit]

Developer Walkthrough

It looks a lot like ACiT so far. Should be fun!

[Foggle]

Developer Walkthrough

It looks a lot like ACiT so far. Should be fun!

Looks fantastic. The Clank levels seem really cool!

[Foggle]

Couldn't sleep, so I watched an Insomniac livestream of Into The Nexus where they answered some questions. Game looks fantastic - a return to form for sure. A few key points:

- Worlds are bigger and have multiple paths like in the PS2 games. One of them is apparently "very open".
- Guns work more like a third-person shooter in this game (hold L1/L2 to bring up a reticle and activate strafing, press R1/R2 to fire). Control scheme is classic platforming movement by default, though you can also use the lock-strafe mode. Circle is now a dedicated gadget button.
- The developers apparently went back and played every main series entry beginning with R&C1 to find and implement their favorite features from each game.
- There will be arena battles, and other unspecified side-missions/mini-games.
- Bigger focus on puzzles like in the PS2 games.
- Clank gets new upgrades, though only the heli-pack returns from previous titles.
- No space exploration like in ACIT, or spaceship combat levels at all it seems.
- Game is "much longer than QFB".
- Clank levels look a lot like Metal Storm for the NES, but without the combat.
- Weapon upgrade system from TOD returns.
- It has a RYNO, Challenge Mode, and multiple difficulty levels.
- There will be a pre-order bonus. (Probably something small, like extra skins.)

Overall, it sounds absolutely amazing to me.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Hopefully by "inspired by earlier installments" they mean GC, UYA, and ACiT.

I know it won't be a long game, but I'm fine without stuff like space battles, leviathan souls, extra planets, and NPC missions, if it's a pure R&C experience. All killer, no filler.

[Foggle]

They said that it's actually fairly lengthy, just not ACIT long.

The demo level reminds me a lot of GC. Equal focus on platforming and action. Which is perfect.