roycecooker
2023
Good lord, I was not ready for the sheer amount of kino that would be directly injected into my veins. Nor did I expect the absolute emotional rollercoaster that was the story and the endgame sidequests. Some of them really hit hard. The ending in a way without spoiling was bittersweet.
I thought the gameplay was really fun, even if some Eikons were straight up worse than others and it sometimes got repetitive. It still at least allows you to map it to another Eikon once you master a skill. However, I definitely see the complaints that this is less of an Action RPG and more like a DMC-like with RPG elements.
A lot of things seem to be recycled from previous Final Fantasy games, in fact I noticed the overarching plot was very similar to the last numbered game, 15. While 15's combat was more mind-numbing, I'd argue it had better attention to detail and more RPG elements than it. Where it lacks in those areas, it more than makes up for it with an extremely strong narrative.
Don't let my musings about its "less RPGness" dissuade you from playing though. It's absolutely one of the best FF titles, if not one of the best games of 2023. It's absolutely worth it, and I'm glad I got a PS5 for it because my ass was too impatient for the PC port.
Onwards to the DLCs now!
I thought the gameplay was really fun, even if some Eikons were straight up worse than others and it sometimes got repetitive. It still at least allows you to map it to another Eikon once you master a skill. However, I definitely see the complaints that this is less of an Action RPG and more like a DMC-like with RPG elements.
A lot of things seem to be recycled from previous Final Fantasy games, in fact I noticed the overarching plot was very similar to the last numbered game, 15. While 15's combat was more mind-numbing, I'd argue it had better attention to detail and more RPG elements than it. Where it lacks in those areas, it more than makes up for it with an extremely strong narrative.
Don't let my musings about its "less RPGness" dissuade you from playing though. It's absolutely one of the best FF titles, if not one of the best games of 2023. It's absolutely worth it, and I'm glad I got a PS5 for it because my ass was too impatient for the PC port.
Onwards to the DLCs now!
2020
A surprisingly fun little tech demo chock full of references and very detailed models of Playstation's past consoles and peripherals. Makes me wish the team could make a full-on Astro platformer instead of being relegated to a pre-installed PS5 tech demo that not many will pay attention to. Legit made me glad I purchased a PS5.
Actual peak Ratchet and Clank. The storytelling is at its best here as well as the art direction and gameplay. The space travel is great and overall everything combat wise is much more balanced and fun versus the past Future titles. The space radios are great and full of amazing music. I also love the simplification of gadgets and the new ones presented here with the Hover Boots.
Really my only complaints is that the arsenal doesn't feel as developed as previous titles and that the turret sections are as usual the weakest point. Also a severe lack of Talwyn but I think it was on purpose to have the partner character Azimuth have a deeper connection to both Ratchet and the player.
Really my only complaints is that the arsenal doesn't feel as developed as previous titles and that the turret sections are as usual the weakest point. Also a severe lack of Talwyn but I think it was on purpose to have the partner character Azimuth have a deeper connection to both Ratchet and the player.
Very short but sweet game with an entertaining and well written story as usual. I really like the experimentation here with the dialogue choices for Ratchet (even if most of them will halt your progression), and even the gameplay choices. I was shocked to find out you could actually skip out on certain things such, spoiler warning, as not saving Talwyn in the caves, and it creating direct gameplay impacts. I saved her of course but it was insane to know I could NOT do it.
Very fun and challenging boss at the end with good platforming challenges (though the tight rope walking is a bit lazy imo) and I found it interesting how the final upgrades/modifications for weapons were things you find in the overworld instead of buying in the shop with raritanium. Kinda sad the weapons and some assets were just flipped from Tools but it's to be expected here.
Now onto Crack in Time for my binge of this series.
Very fun and challenging boss at the end with good platforming challenges (though the tight rope walking is a bit lazy imo) and I found it interesting how the final upgrades/modifications for weapons were things you find in the overworld instead of buying in the shop with raritanium. Kinda sad the weapons and some assets were just flipped from Tools but it's to be expected here.
Now onto Crack in Time for my binge of this series.
Absolutely solid first entry R&C made into the HD era. The gameplay is overall pretty good but I got some gripes with it. Some of the checkpoints are really gnarly and it's pretty darn hard at times because the enemies deal lots of damage even on normal and the armor is really stingy at blocking damage and when new sets drop.
Easily by far the worst change is the removal of the i-frames in the dodge moves you perform while strafing. This was primarily how you avoided damage in the PS2 games and was really helpful in avoiding health loss in the occasional really tight space. With that gone, dodging in tight spaces is now useless and you'll get hit mid-dodge. The implementation of sleep gas in the arena is really shit too since instead of just slowly draining your health it actually acts like a regular hit and gives you knockback.
Most of the weapons are pretty good and really fun but the damage is way too low on some of them and at endgame you'll really only be using your power weapons which have fuck all in terms of ammo amount, even with the raritanium upgrades.
Sixaxis integration sucks but thank God you can turn it off and it becomes much more playable. Unfortunately it can't be turned off for the Tornado gun, but that weapon sucks anyways and is a waste of bolts so who cares?
Story is solid with a somber ending but man do you get tonal whiplash at the credits with that funky song. The soft reboot here and changing of certain details like making Ratchet the last of his kind and Lombaxes as this weird advanced messiah race is a bit odd. Also sad that characters like Angela Cross end up getting retconned. Talwyn is cute but man do I miss Angela and Sasha. Cronk and Zephyr are really fun characters. Qwark as usual is a hilarious incompetent goofball.
Visually it's amazing and still holds up really well even for a launch era PS3 game. They really took good advantage of the hardware in this, despite the occasional frame drop from hectic action.
Overall a solid experience. If this site allowed for out of 10 ratings, I'd give it an 8.5, but 4/5 will have to do since I feel 3.5 is too low. Now onto Quest for Booty in my Ratchet and Clank series binge and hopefully getting around to the spinoffs on Vita and PSP.
Easily by far the worst change is the removal of the i-frames in the dodge moves you perform while strafing. This was primarily how you avoided damage in the PS2 games and was really helpful in avoiding health loss in the occasional really tight space. With that gone, dodging in tight spaces is now useless and you'll get hit mid-dodge. The implementation of sleep gas in the arena is really shit too since instead of just slowly draining your health it actually acts like a regular hit and gives you knockback.
Most of the weapons are pretty good and really fun but the damage is way too low on some of them and at endgame you'll really only be using your power weapons which have fuck all in terms of ammo amount, even with the raritanium upgrades.
Sixaxis integration sucks but thank God you can turn it off and it becomes much more playable. Unfortunately it can't be turned off for the Tornado gun, but that weapon sucks anyways and is a waste of bolts so who cares?
Story is solid with a somber ending but man do you get tonal whiplash at the credits with that funky song. The soft reboot here and changing of certain details like making Ratchet the last of his kind and Lombaxes as this weird advanced messiah race is a bit odd. Also sad that characters like Angela Cross end up getting retconned. Talwyn is cute but man do I miss Angela and Sasha. Cronk and Zephyr are really fun characters. Qwark as usual is a hilarious incompetent goofball.
Visually it's amazing and still holds up really well even for a launch era PS3 game. They really took good advantage of the hardware in this, despite the occasional frame drop from hectic action.
Overall a solid experience. If this site allowed for out of 10 ratings, I'd give it an 8.5, but 4/5 will have to do since I feel 3.5 is too low. Now onto Quest for Booty in my Ratchet and Clank series binge and hopefully getting around to the spinoffs on Vita and PSP.
2005
Legitimately the best in my opinion of the PS2 Ratchet games. Unlike Up Your Arsenal, it's not trying to still pretend to be a shooter platformer. It makes itself very clear from the outset that this is a mission based third person shooter and as a result the combat is at its best in this game.
The weapons sandbox is a lot smaller than the previous games but as a result you get a high level of experimentation with the weapons Omega and Alpha Mod systems and weapon level ups take quite longer.
The addition of two NPC friendly combatants you control at the push of the button also greatly enhances the pace of the combat. It gets hectic but it's insanely fun.
Also David Beauregard's soundtrack in this. Holy shit. He's at his absolute best and the songs are all insane bangers, it almost made me lose focus on combat just from bopping to it.
If I did have any complaints, I feel that both the settings are a bit drab and has less impact or variety as the worlds in the previous trilogies. There's also the vehicle combat. The usefulness and fun ranges from being better off on foot to "more please".
But honestly I find those complaints rather small because the main gameplay loop itself of the combat is so good and satisfying. This right here is the peak of Ratchet combat. It makes me want another one of these. Perhaps the next one after Rift Apart, if that ever happens considering what was found out in the Insomniac leaks.
The weapons sandbox is a lot smaller than the previous games but as a result you get a high level of experimentation with the weapons Omega and Alpha Mod systems and weapon level ups take quite longer.
The addition of two NPC friendly combatants you control at the push of the button also greatly enhances the pace of the combat. It gets hectic but it's insanely fun.
Also David Beauregard's soundtrack in this. Holy shit. He's at his absolute best and the songs are all insane bangers, it almost made me lose focus on combat just from bopping to it.
If I did have any complaints, I feel that both the settings are a bit drab and has less impact or variety as the worlds in the previous trilogies. There's also the vehicle combat. The usefulness and fun ranges from being better off on foot to "more please".
But honestly I find those complaints rather small because the main gameplay loop itself of the combat is so good and satisfying. This right here is the peak of Ratchet combat. It makes me want another one of these. Perhaps the next one after Rift Apart, if that ever happens considering what was found out in the Insomniac leaks.
2020
Sincerely one of the best VR experiences, an actual killer app. Great story, solid gameplay loop, and a very excellently crafted world. If you own VR, or have plans to get a headset, get this immediately or add this to the plan. It's well worth it, especially since it has workshop mod support.
My literal only gripe with this is that sometimes my shots would not land or aiming with the gravity glove being kinda iffy. Then again, this may be an issue purely stemming from me using a Quest 2. It's probably better on more high end headsets like the Index, HTC Vive, etc.
My literal only gripe with this is that sometimes my shots would not land or aiming with the gravity glove being kinda iffy. Then again, this may be an issue purely stemming from me using a Quest 2. It's probably better on more high end headsets like the Index, HTC Vive, etc.
The levels are fun if a bit boring, basic, and showing of beginner level design skills (wayyyy too many side step segments).
The story and writing is absolute coal. How do you manage to make something worse than Pontac and Graff? It makes Forces' story look good. Managed to make my GOAT Sonic insufferable.
Only play if curious or wish to see what is admittedly an impressive overhaul. Otherwise, avoid it.
The story and writing is absolute coal. How do you manage to make something worse than Pontac and Graff? It makes Forces' story look good. Managed to make my GOAT Sonic insufferable.
Only play if curious or wish to see what is admittedly an impressive overhaul. Otherwise, avoid it.
2010
Good gameplay with the continuation of the boost formula (too bad it's all mostly 2D) but good God do I hate the fucking story writing. It's so cringe-worthy and you can tell Pontac and Graff really didn't play the games at all because the characterization sucks ass here.
Play DS Colors instead honestly. It's miles better both in terms of writing and gameplay.
Play DS Colors instead honestly. It's miles better both in terms of writing and gameplay.
Playing the original trilogy in my binge, I found this to be my favorite honestly. The combat is much more fun and has the best control scheme ever with strafe-lock. Doing the Galactic Rangers side missions is always a blast and it was cool coming back to old worlds that were in the first game.
The returning Going Commando weapons are infinitely more useful than the returning RnC 1 weapons in 2, and the bonus of 10% discount for having a Ratchet 1 save as a nod to the 2 year employee discount line. Also serves to be insanely useful for getting all the weapons.
The mini-games that help break up the pace of the combat are more varied here as well as enjoyable for me. Cannot tell you how much I disliked the hacking minigames in 2. The weapon upgrade system is more lengthy than Commando but it provides a more satisfying gameplay loop in the end as your weapon progressively gets better until its final evolution.
I also liked the plot here a bit more. Dr. Nefarious is easily the best villain of the franchise. The constant inneundos and references are funny but also do sorta date everything. Especially the Britney Spears stuff with the whole Free Britney thing that went on. Yikes!
I am docking half a star though for that and also because I found the armor to feel much more useless this time around than in 2. It never feels like I can get sufficient damage dampening when the ante keeps going up and I die in 4 hits. It makes me prefer 2's handling of that and health. But overall, I think this is the best of the PS2 trilogy.
The returning Going Commando weapons are infinitely more useful than the returning RnC 1 weapons in 2, and the bonus of 10% discount for having a Ratchet 1 save as a nod to the 2 year employee discount line. Also serves to be insanely useful for getting all the weapons.
The mini-games that help break up the pace of the combat are more varied here as well as enjoyable for me. Cannot tell you how much I disliked the hacking minigames in 2. The weapon upgrade system is more lengthy than Commando but it provides a more satisfying gameplay loop in the end as your weapon progressively gets better until its final evolution.
I also liked the plot here a bit more. Dr. Nefarious is easily the best villain of the franchise. The constant inneundos and references are funny but also do sorta date everything. Especially the Britney Spears stuff with the whole Free Britney thing that went on. Yikes!
I am docking half a star though for that and also because I found the armor to feel much more useless this time around than in 2. It never feels like I can get sufficient damage dampening when the ante keeps going up and I die in 4 hits. It makes me prefer 2's handling of that and health. But overall, I think this is the best of the PS2 trilogy.
2019
Very fun VR experience with an intense campaign that is both more in depth and enjoyable than Bone Lab. Also longer too. Steam reviews weren't kidding when they said this was better.
The only thing it's missing is shotguns and Bone Lab's inclusion of an instant mag release button but I'm willing to bet mods fixed that given how long this game has been out.
The only thing it's missing is shotguns and Bone Lab's inclusion of an instant mag release button but I'm willing to bet mods fixed that given how long this game has been out.
2023
It had so much potential, including how damn well it was tuned for controller play, but the insanely bad optimization on PC, lack of content and overall soul, and repetitive gameplay loop really turned me off. Especially because you HAD to do practice laps, even on tracks you've already done before. Just lemme jump into the race already, jeez!
I ended up refunding it on Steam and used the money to buy games that were actually fun and functional instead.
If I were you, I'd stick with Horizon. If you really want more sim stuff, Gran Turismo 7 is better even with some of its BS, you can also nab Assetto Corza for insanely cheap since it goes on sale practically all the time.
I ended up refunding it on Steam and used the money to buy games that were actually fun and functional instead.
If I were you, I'd stick with Horizon. If you really want more sim stuff, Gran Turismo 7 is better even with some of its BS, you can also nab Assetto Corza for insanely cheap since it goes on sale practically all the time.
A vast improvement over the first game in so many ways, it's so much more fun and enjoyable. Hit points constantly upgrade with the XP system, no longer limited to only 8 hits, you get armor that can decrease damage, and many minigames that award large amounts of bolts are included so it's no longer a necessity to grind via glitches.
Though things like the RYNO 2 and final armor are still massively expensive. I also found the end game to be weaker than Ratchet 1 with a surprisingly abrupt ending after such a huge twist. Space shooting segments were meh too with controls that were just way too twitchy.
Though things like the RYNO 2 and final armor are still massively expensive. I also found the end game to be weaker than Ratchet 1 with a surprisingly abrupt ending after such a huge twist. Space shooting segments were meh too with controls that were just way too twitchy.
2002
Definitely one of the biggest and worst cases of "First Game Syndrome" I've ever seen, even more so than Sonic. It has its moments of fun but there's way too much jank here and I found myself getting frustrated.
Many segments want you to play it as like a platformer no different than Insomniac's PS1 game, Spyro , but then half the time it wants you to engage in gun combat...but with no proper TPS controls. It doesn't help that half the weapon lock ons refuse to work.
It's pretty well written at least. Ratchet's a snarky asshole the majority of it but you can see him mature. Definitely weird to not hear James Arnold Taylor coming out of his mouth tho.
It's a neat start, but I also see it's no wonder why Insomniac tried to remake it for the PS4.
Many segments want you to play it as like a platformer no different than Insomniac's PS1 game, Spyro , but then half the time it wants you to engage in gun combat...but with no proper TPS controls. It doesn't help that half the weapon lock ons refuse to work.
It's pretty well written at least. Ratchet's a snarky asshole the majority of it but you can see him mature. Definitely weird to not hear James Arnold Taylor coming out of his mouth tho.
It's a neat start, but I also see it's no wonder why Insomniac tried to remake it for the PS4.
2022
The game is a ton of fun, though some of the systems and the physics are kind of annoying and/or poorly explained. For a game that's often billed as "the GMod of VR", it's lacking Steam Workshop support which is very odd. Some of the mechanics need ironing out still despite being a sequel to Boneworks.
Listen to the Steam reviews. Boneworks better. Though admittedly I love the inclusion of push-button mag release for the guns like how it works irl and prefer the gachapon system over the Reclamation Bin. The former in particular makes it much easier on you in the middle of tense firefights.
Listen to the Steam reviews. Boneworks better. Though admittedly I love the inclusion of push-button mag release for the guns like how it works irl and prefer the gachapon system over the Reclamation Bin. The former in particular makes it much easier on you in the middle of tense firefights.