NY Times sings praises for Ratchet & Clank
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Oct 31st 2007 at 1:30PM }
This is important for Sony. The New York Times notes that this can be exactly what Sony needs to convince consumers about the true power of the PS3. "Ratchet, however, will surely become a showcase game for Sony because, given current technology, it seems unlikely that any game for either the 360 or the Wii will be able to match Ratchet's overall visual quality." Such praise from a mainstream news source will go a long way to alleviate Sony's ailing public image.
"The biggest problem with Ratchet is that at times it is so lushly compelling that you find yourself just staring at the screen, as if it were a movie, rather than actually playing the game. And that, of course, is not a bad problem at all."
[Thanks, Will!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dru @ Oct 31st 2007 1:41PM
I totally agree with the Times. I can't stop playing this game and, ironically, as I was reading this I just saw the first R&C commercial on ESPN2. WOW! Very nice and, in HD, pretty much incredible looking. That's exactly what Sony needs (besides killer apps): MORE ADS! Get the message out already.
JL @ Oct 31st 2007 1:42PM
This is one of the best games Ive ever played. I cant stop playing it. Insomniac rocks!
Gambit07 @ Oct 31st 2007 1:49PM
Rented it, I like.
Paul @ Oct 31st 2007 1:58PM
The game is great...just what I hoped it would be. I have to say it again...
Sony....Pixar....R&C? Could make a good movie...
Popfrogs @ Oct 31st 2007 1:58PM
@1: Have you noticed the 40GB mention at the end of the commercial with the $399 price tag? Sony has been waiting for some killer games to match up with the cheaper console. This holiday season stands to help alot.
FallenCow @ Oct 31st 2007 2:16PM
I love R & C, but to say that and xbox 360 game won't match it graphically is a bit of a stretch. I guess they haven't seen Gears or Dirt or even Blue Dragon if they're want to compare more similar styles.
shase @ Oct 31st 2007 2:19PM
This game is great!! I hope people go out and buy it... the last thing we need is to have Insomniac turn to 360 because of low sales for their titles since they are not "1st party".
ComicShaman @ Oct 31st 2007 2:24PM
Good timing for Insomniac. Right now the PS3 field is not very crowded and people are hot for a stand-out title. I know that I overlooked the previous Ratchet games on the PS2 just because I had other games that interested me more, and only a limited amount of time to play. But now, I'm pretty psyched to get into this game, especially after playing the demo.
Good to see it getting props in the mainstream.
JGcondezo @ Oct 31st 2007 2:25PM
@6 you already heard it from the media, no point fighting ^^
Nate @ Oct 31st 2007 2:27PM
Finally. Let's hope we see a lot more of these! Give these same guys Uncharted and see what they think, probably another stellar review.
Solace @ Oct 31st 2007 2:42PM
@6 FallenCow
since when have R&C, Gears, DiRT, and BlueDragon had similar styles?
maybe R&C and BD because they're both cartoonish, but other than that, you're smoking crack if you think those games have similar styles like you said they did...
Vic Mackey @ Oct 31st 2007 2:43PM
@6
Gears is a great looking game, but it is also dark, silverand blue. R & C is full of vibrant color. Dirt looked a little better on the PS3 IMO. (I own both)
Akamaru @ Oct 31st 2007 4:32PM
Awesome article! Sony is really setting themselves apart from the competition with games like these, and Folklore where the story is the star and the awesome graphics really pull you into the world. As soon as I beat Folklore, I'm buying this game!
KingMe @ Oct 31st 2007 3:03PM
@6
The thing is with Gears, it's only uses one or two color palletes. It's like either a mix of dark blue or brown for EVERYTHING. And that's why it was easy to make you think it had great graphics, which is does. But I guarantee that if Gears had the lush mixture of colors that R&C or even Uncharted has, it wouldn't be anywhere near the level of graphical intensity you know it as. Ratchet and Uncharted so far are testaments to how powerful the PS3 is, and that it does achieve graphics better than the 360, because for example, when the people for 360 tried to use various vibrant colors and what not *cough Halo 3 cough*, it ended up having a non HD native resolution.
organic_shadow @ Oct 31st 2007 3:48PM
***YAY FOR BLOGSMITH THING NOT WORKING RIGHT. Tells me a confirmation email has been sent even though that new user area is blank and my current user area is filled in correctly. Love when my comments go into a black hole...
-I agree with them that it's just mind blowing as far as visuals are concerned, and the gameplay compliments that excellently.
-I disagree with the statement that the 360 couldn't match this game, seeing as that seems to suggest any future title ever. PS3 hasn't even been out for a year, so of course it's going to surpass this game with something else. Compare R&C1 with God of War 2. Exactly.
KingMe @ Oct 31st 2007 3:08PM
If you have a sense of humor.......
This is the perfect example of what Gears did, to make many think it was the epitome of graphics.....
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=224
A bunch of brown, and then LOTS of bloom aka plastic shine
blk_ballard @ Oct 31st 2007 3:22PM
I just finished the game and I have to say this is one of the best games of the year hands down! As soon as I picked up the controller I couldn't put it down. To me, this is the most graphically impressive game I've ever seen. If you don't believe me just watch one of the space fighting sequences. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!!! I really hope this game moves some PS3's because right now it definitely needs it! Oh, and @6, Blue Dragon is not as pretty as Ratchet and Clank FTOD. Ratchet and Clank not only has a better overall look, but there is also just so much going on at one time with no slowdown that it really does have a much more cinematic look and feel to it. Also, you can't compare Gears to Ratchet. The two are polar opposites, and have two completely different art styles.
Time @ Oct 31st 2007 3:47PM
Is it me or does it seem as if ps3fanboy.com are the only ones to report positive news about the ps3?
In All seriousness, (at the time of me writing this post) I have not seen any other "gaming Website" report this or any other good news about the ps3 in the recent weeks......But, No one had any problems reporting the MGS4 delay
I guess what I am trying to say here is that lately the ps3 has been shaping up to be a good console and people seem to be having a hard time or reluctant to say it...I mean when Lair was a totally flop you heard about it on day one, but here an actually game that is so damn good that it has actually caught the attention of the mainstream media, yet only the most dedicated ps3 sites will report it...
.while I am scanning joystiq,kotaku, etc, I can't find the Ny Times/R&C article
Like the time, the ps3 sales spiked in Europe, thanks to the price cut...Everyone reported that it momentarily, jumped passed the 360 but the only ones not to report is Joysiq.....yes they did report the sales spike but the left out the detail stating that it passed the 360 "momentarily" while every other site posted it
Its stuff like what I just said above got me really thinking, is the gaming media really bias against the ps3?
Again. I just got done reading The article, "GameStop halts 360 replacement plan sales" and if you notice all the anti-gamestop comments get a full highest ranked hearts grade....WTF?....is it GameStop fault that Microsoft developed a half-ass console? should they be responsible for Microsoft problems?
My point, it seems that people are willing to go the extra mile, go above and beyond and twist things around just to bash sony and the ps3.....yet everyone,the media and fanboys wants to blame everyone else for the rrod (sony fanboys are making stories up, you leave your 360 in the fireplace that's way it died) but no one wants to blame microsoft?...what kind of shit is that?..you can work extra hard to bash sony, but when microsoft is ass-raping you, you people don't even notice it?
You think I don't want a 360?.....you think I am just some kind of anti-360 fanboy? .......that couldn't be furthest from the truth....but what am I suppose to do?..a Whole Month can't pass without hearing about the RROD, so Why would I buy a console that has a high rate of failure?...is it because I can get most of their "exclusive" games cheaper and better on my Alienware PC?...is it because I have to pay for online?. is it because its accessories are overpriced?
and yet the lack of rumble is what makes the ps3 suck........right
don't even get me started on the wii, eye of judgment and little big planet seem really innovative and original, yet we hear very little about it.....Nintendo on the other hand, holy shit you never hear end of how they are th Gods of the Gaming World and innovative for giving us ten more fucking Mario Games with waggle control...yeah innovation at its finest.....
Sorry for the long rant, I'm really am, its just that I rarely blog, and when I do, I can't get one word out before I get labeled a "sony lover" so I just crammed months worth of aggravation into one post...and I didn't even say everything I wanted to
Dru @ Oct 31st 2007 3:43PM
@5
They didn't mention the 40GB at the end of the commercial. I believe it went to the standard PLAYSTATION 3 logo. The commercial is not in-game, more like the Heavenly Sword ones, but it captures the look and humor of the game perfectly. This game is sooo good, I'm about to finish for the second time!
leiwei @ Oct 31st 2007 4:14PM
What I like is that Insomniac probably didn't even touch the full potential of the system. Given that Uncharted looks pretty up to par w/ R&C in terms of detail (not visual style) and Naughty Dog saying they only really used 1/3 to 1/2 of the SPUs at one time. This is pretty much the same scenario as the PS2 with God of War looking pretty good, up to the point with God of War 2 making the PS2 do things thought impossible. God of War 2 was literally graphically impressive being on par with Xbox games as some sites have stated.
jordan @ Oct 31st 2007 10:22PM
So, I got the game and was happy until something happened where I am stuck in Lombax City in front of the door (raritarium mine). The button on the floor does not work and the 3 little "robots" appear asleep.
It sucks you can't restart the mission and I'm thinking I may have to restart my game. If someone has a clue on another way to open the door, please let me know. I'm stuck in the level, 1 "part" short of being able to get the ship working.
Akamaru @ Oct 31st 2007 4:32PM
@ Time: *Starts slow clap*
Seriously. I feel exactly the same way you do. When i saw this article I scanned Joystiq to see if it made it on there. Of course it didn't. Now I don't normally say stuff like "Joystiq is toibiaSTIQ!!!" but deep down it does feel like the media trying to make sure the PS3 fails. I don't know if they are trying to teach Sony a lesson or if patriotism plays in (but Nintendo is a japanese company) but it certainly doesn't feel fair.
LW @ Oct 31st 2007 5:31PM
I bought Ratchet & Clank and Guitar Hero 3 on the same day and I'm honestly having more fun playing R&C. The game is killer, the variety to the levels and what you can do is huge, the pace never slows, it's consistently funny, the weapons are clever, and of course the graphics are amazing. It seems like they used HDD cacheing pretty aggressively, much like Oblivion did on the 360, but unlike Oblivion, I've noticed almost no dropped frames and the detail in the distance is great. This game is the best game for the PS3 yet, and better than everything I've played on the 360 in every respect except for Bioshock, but that's a completely different genre game.
john @ Oct 31st 2007 6:12PM
ps3 censorship at full force. they don't even let me post my goddamn comment. i wrote a big response to Time's post but can't post it here.
f-k this site.
john @ Nov 1st 2007 3:53PM
Well Time, you made me write this. Your post has some important points but I’ll only write in response to your complain toward the Blog-sphere.
It is very unfortunate but what you wrote is true. I’ve already prepared a long entry for my own Blog regarding this issue so I don’t want to post the same thing here however the sheer in media, their desire to hide the facts for whatever reason and their amazing hatred toward Sony is something that has gone too far.
Blogs are considered a part of media; a powerful toy that can be considered a propaganda tool or an interesting source of information. History lessons a side, many gaming Blogs across the net tend to consider themselves as journalists. What they utterly fail to consider is that their half-ss attempt to shovel rubbish down your throat is anything but journalism. You can’t say I’m reporting the news yet at the same time print what suites your agenda; you can’t criticize one company based on the facts that you yourself created to support your unjust criticism and constantly parsing the others. That is not what journalism is all about. You are as much of a journalist as those yellow newspapers in Britain when they report on the celebrities and royal family. They look for trash, they print trash and they themselves are trash; as are the gaming Blogs.
To me it seems they hold a grudge against Sony and are keen to see them fail. What I don’t understand is why? Are Blogs only there to satisfy their schizophrenia and mental disorder and make fun of Sony or are they adjusting their policies based on what public want? Those imbeciles don’t even realize that the main force behind this “public interest” is their moronic articles. What do they even know about fair and just reporting? Where is this hatred toward PS3 coming from?
I can go on for much longer but as I said my article is being uploaded on my own website. Sometimes I want to see these bloggers face to face and ask them some of those questions, just to see their true intention with my own eyes. In the end my impression of gaming Blogs so far has been entirely negative. Most of them don’t even deserve to take bandwidth online but well, it’s their right to say what they want regardless of how stupid, untrue and childish they sound.
Popfrogs @ Oct 31st 2007 7:26PM
@23: The moderators here are wise and fair, if you got clipped, you probably deserved it.
@Time: Wow dude. Your single post kinda deserves a blog entry all to itself. *golf clap*
john @ Oct 31st 2007 7:39PM
24
such an insightful post. ever used that empty head of yours to ask why my short post can appear here while the big ones cannot even with a different IP and name?
Consolcwby @ Oct 31st 2007 9:19PM
@Organic Shadow: =/ happens to me at least 2-4 times daily... wondered why my posting #s were dropping off?... now you know!
@john & @Popfrogs: see What O. Shadow and I experience... It's now the mods, nor the site per se - it's the Bloggonator 9000 the site uses. Tends to eat blogs randomly now and then... =S
Consolcwby @ Oct 31st 2007 9:22PM
Okay, I'm trying to respond to Time, but after 11 tries, the bloggonator keeps stopping me. I'm finished for the night... ='(
Consolcwby @ Oct 31st 2007 9:26PM
Bloggonator: 10 Consolcwby: 4
"Second verse, same as the first..."