Hands-on: Ratchet & Clank Future
As innovative and new as the graphics may appear, the gameplay feels identical to previous iterations of the Ratchet series. Of course, that's not a bad thing -- the franchise has rightfully earned its legions of fans. However, we couldn't help but feel as though we've played Tools of Destruction before. It feels more cinematic than before, but we were running, gunning, and swinging our wrench as though nothing had changed. Some may point to the new Groove-a-tron weapon, a colorful new weapon in Ratchet's arsenal. But, there are no significant gameplay ramifications: enemies will simply dance, instead of attack Ratchet. There's also a free-fall sequence, where the player must tilt the Sixaxis controller to navigate Ratchet past flying cars. But, these tilt controls do little to add a feeling of innovation to the series.
The polish of the game's presentation is certainly commendable, but we were puzzled by the lack of an adequate targeting system. The on-rails platforming, a series trademark, had us bored. Jumping left or right to avoid oncoming trains was tedious, at best. The utter simplicity of the sequence had us feeling like we were simply going through the motions. We're also disappointed to know that Insomniac has opted to remove a crucial component of the franchise in this latest rendition: multiplayer is gone.
Tools of Destruction might not end up being a bad game, but it did very little to convince us otherwise. We're sure that hardcore Ratchet fans will love it for its story, which will focus on the mysterious origins of its star. Although playing it safe might work for Insomniac and its fans, it's pretty obvious to us that team spent a lot more time focused on its graphics technology than what really matters: gameplay. As it is now, Tools of Destruction is an uninspired experience, one that feels like a backwards step for the series.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MisterTwoTurbo @ Jul 16th 2007 2:44AM
Wow, for once I don't agree with PS3fanboy's opinion. Personally I think they should stick to the same type of gameplay, cause other games when they try too hard to add in new additions, it loses sight of what made the original games good to begin with..
Lp47 @ Jul 16th 2007 2:48AM
If its not one thing its the other. If they focused on gameplay you guys would be bitching about how 360 games look better. pff.
Naruto_sensei @ Jul 16th 2007 2:54AM
I was worried about this..
ndoerr @ Jul 16th 2007 3:08AM
I've never played a Ratchet game, so it'll be new to me. This hands-on sounds a bit unnecessarily harsh. It's like saying "all RPGs have hit points, boo!" or "all FPS titles have first-person shooting, boo!" If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'll be looking forward to this one.
Consolcwby @ Jul 16th 2007 3:45AM
=o
This hands on sounds like a review for a finished game... I agree that some elements probably feel like same ol same ol - but isn't that the point for a sequel? It's not as if Insomniac heralded it as the greatest achievement in the history of mankind. It's R&C! i feel as if Andy may be a hater for the furries this time... o=
ck @ Jul 16th 2007 3:47AM
OTOH, GT5 is also going to suck because it has CARS! When are they going to drop that tired old gameplay that consists of having to drive(!) everywhere and evolve it into something with a more bionic-ninja-puzzle slant? With teleporters so you don't need to drive!
Sony sure are in trouble if all their devs are stagnating this much.
Mishi @ Jul 16th 2007 4:15AM
dude of all the other sites, even 1up!, had really positive things to say about this game, ps3fanboy was the only one who had anything negative to say, i mean come on even g4 had something positive to say
ymmv @ Jul 16th 2007 4:33AM
What's wrong with a standard platformer? There aren't any whatsoever on the PS3 and when the first of its kind is as incredibly polished as Ratchet & Clank Future, I can only be thrilled. Another thing, Andrew Yoon has only seen one level. He should have known that the R&C series has a lot of variation so there'll be plenty of other things to do. It seems to me that Andrew just doesn't like action-platformers that much.
moneyforjam @ Jul 16th 2007 4:42AM
I highly favor the focus on single player. I hardly played the multi. Not every game should do multi just because it can. The last couple of Ratchet and Clank games it was obvious the single player suffered because of the need to allocate resources to multi.
I much prefer single player Ratchet and Clank and for everyone else, there's Resistance as well as a host of other games coming out.
And I'm sorry, but as a huge Ratchet and Clank fan, the fact that the gameplay seems about identical to past efforts is a huge plus to me. You get it right, you keep it right.
kra @ Jul 16th 2007 4:54AM
i would love to play it even or rather because it's ratchet ok you jump and shoot but what would you want to do in plantform game >? as someone wrote in every GT you drive a car lol at that :) and i agree with someone else that there is so little platformers and sudennly you whine about game that it's platform game great looking but platform. i think that ratchet fans will love it. and people how doesn't know it will love it too because gameplay will be new. so what's the problem ?
vickers @ Jul 16th 2007 5:01AM
This isnt ps3faboy's guys, its joystiq's hands on impressions, ps3fanboy just copied and pasted their article onto their own site. Take a look here. http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/16/joystiq-impressions-ratchet-and-clank-future-ps3/
Luke @ Jul 16th 2007 5:07AM
Andrew, your usually so happy go lucky and optimistic. Can it really be this bad, say it aint so…
But I have to agree with a lot of these comments that this Ratchet and Clank is not a game where innovation is completely necessary, as long as it maintains the core gameplay that made the original such a classic it will be great! If the next one or the one after that doesn’t innovate at all, then I would begin to be concerned.
motorer @ Jul 16th 2007 5:20AM
Holy lord! the amount of detail in the cityscapes is astounding! I downloaded some HD footage on IGN, and my jaw was gaping the whole time!
I've never played any R&C games, so this will be a treat for me!
Jakob @ Jul 16th 2007 5:48AM
The Scandinavian game site Gamereactor, says that it was a very good game, and I think/hope the same, and hope you're wrong! :)
Colin @ Jul 16th 2007 7:04AM
Damn... Why does every game have to revolutionize the genre. Halo has had the exact same gameplay for three games now. No one, and I mean no one, is complaining about that. It is a great thing that they're going back to the series roots. How can that be bad?
humpty @ Jul 16th 2007 7:46AM
I've never played a RC game.. so, im looking forward to this.. and, its an RC game... why are you surprised that its an RC game? Its like turning Zelda into an FPS just to revolutionise it.. WHY?
Aysir @ Jul 16th 2007 8:16AM
I don't mind if plays same old, but i would like some really difficult bits thrown it. Something like the handgliding from R+C2 or most of Jak2.
Naaiif @ Jul 16th 2007 8:44AM
Errr what a suck ass review, if it isn't innovative it's not a good game? Then about 99% of all games are bad.
I don't understand, you liked NG:Sigma, and gameplay wise it does anything new over the original.
I bet when you play Killzone 2, it'll look good but it won't do anything new. So what's the big deal.
wonway01 @ Jul 16th 2007 9:12AM
I never played any of the Ratchet & Clank series on anything so this should be a great first look for me. h
ouj @ Jul 16th 2007 2:17PM
"The polish of the game's presentation is certainly commendable, but we were puzzled by the lack of an adequate targeting system."
Was there a targeting system in the previous incarnations? I mean *before* obtaining the Lock-On Mod for your weapons?
ManaKnight @ Jul 16th 2007 3:11PM
What's so bad about the gameplay not changing much?? The gameplay in Ratchet & Clank is near perfect and shouldn't be changed much. By the way Andrew sounds in this review, seems like he's losing interests in PS3.
never$$hort @ Jul 16th 2007 3:51PM
I disagree with Andy... If the gameplay was good in the previous titles, then why change them?? For me, I have never played any of the other titles, so this will be a new experience for myself and from what I've heard everywhere else... this game WILL BE GREAT.
sami @ Oct 8th 2007 4:00PM
like everybody else here is saying... ratchet and clank on the PS2 was wonderful (at least the first two iterations, with going commando being near perfect!)
it's wonderful that they don't have multiplayer... this way the single player will be a lot longer and better than it would otherwise be, like it was in the first two games.
you can have your opinion, but personally i think that all the points you mentioned are good things, not bad things. and also insomniac hasn't spent too much time on the graphics... they were already in place through their work on resistance (believe it or not, it's just an upgraded version of the same engine), and if you know the way insomniac works (i do by listening to their podcasts :P) you'd know that all the graphical polish is put into the game in the last two months of development... AKA the polish hasn't even begun yet, making it an amaaazingly jawdropping experience when it comes out, since it already looks frickin amazing now.