Ratchet & Clank Games and Insomniac's Fuse

On 04/11/2013 at 03:41 PM by KnightDriver

So after I collected all the Next Level Games games, I decided to switch my approach to game buying away from my too intellectual plan of buying just whatever appeared on my formulated list to one with more emotional involvement, ie. games I really want to play. I'm still using loose guidelines to come up with a list of games related to the one I'm playing at the moment, but I'm looking at that list and picking ones that I have a real passion for.

This means that since I'm still playing Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and have already played any other games in the series (Luigi's Mansion on GameCube), and checked out the list of its developer's past projects (Captain America, Punch Out!!, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe), I make a list of games in a similar style. This would be 3D Platformers according to allgame.com. I looked at the games on that site and eliminated ones I already owned and picked Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time because I love the series and it's one of the few Ratchet & Clank games I don't already own.

I played the demo for A Crack in Time back in '09 and loved it but never got around to picking it up. My memory of the game is that it was gorgeous to look at and everything about the gameplay, from fighting, to puzzles, to platforming was done to perfection.

I'm hoping to one day soon play through the entire Ratchet & Clank series. I now have all the main series games except Size Matters, which I tried on PS2 and which seemed to have some control issues, and Quest for Booty which I've never tried. I've played bits and pieces of the first three games on PS2 and loved what I've played. I've been a fan of Insomniac for years, but have felt short on actually playing many of their games.

And speaking of Insomniac, I noticed their next title Fuse is out in May and it looks like an attempt to do the Borderlands thing, a four player co-op shooter with a cell-shaded art style. It seems fine, but I'm not too excited seeing as it is so derivative of another series. Still, I'll be keeping close watch on it to see what people think when it comes out. It's just probably not a day-one purchase for me.

transmet2033

04/11/2013 at 04:13 PM

A crack in time is great. I think that I was 2 or 3 trophies away from platinum.

i have moderate hopes for fuse, and will probably get it shortly after release.

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/11/2013 at 08:01 PM

I've only played one R&C game, but I enjoyed it.

GrayHaired

04/11/2013 at 10:13 PM

Crack In Time: I want that game, Tools of Destruction and Booty Quest. Im glad you mentioned about Size matters, I'll probably skip that one.

KnightDriver

04/15/2013 at 01:56 AM

Ya know, if R&C had gone more raunchy within the game instead of just putting it in the titles, they could've been Conker games. Too bad Conker didn't make it into this generation. That would've been fun.

Ranger1

04/12/2013 at 09:34 PM

I love the first three games that came out for the PS2. The fourth (Deadlocked) was too much of a shooter and not enough of a platformer, based on the demo that I tried and word of mouth from friends I trust. Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank were ported from the PSP, and didn't make the translation very well. Quest for Booty is ok. Story is kinda flat and there are no collectibles, no huge arsenal of weapons, and I don't think there were any skill points, either. Plus, it was incredibly short with little replay value. The only reason I can think of that you should play it is that otherwise there may be a gap in the story.

04/15/2013 at 01:48 AM

Yea, Deadlocked was like an arena shooter and I was never interested in it. I waited for the PS2 translations of those PSP games because I used to avoid platformers on handhelds but was disappointed in them anyway. Quest for Booty sounds missable, but I might have to check it out anyway for the story points. All 4 One is a game designed for co-op, so I'm not sure I should play it solo. Full Frontal Assault looks interesting though.

04/15/2013 at 09:28 AM

Quest for Booty wasn't a bad game, it just was just lacking a lot of what makes the R&C games so great.

smartcelt

04/13/2013 at 10:50 AM

I need to go back and get all the Ratchet And Clank games for my PS2. My son had them all and then he traded them. He tends to not be real sentimental about games the way I am. But when R&C went to the PS3 I was hooked on those. Brought the action and vivid imagery to a new level. Not ones to be missed. As far as Fuse goes,I wish they had gone with the original concept. I'll still get it,but it looked so cool and unique before they made the changes. Guess that scares some companies. They like to stick to a proven formula to minimize the risk.

04/15/2013 at 01:52 AM

I think this is Insomniac's first cross platform game. I guess they want in on that four player co-op shooter thing that's been done again and again this generation. I mean, it's a fun genre, but do we really need another one?

Chris Yarger Community Manager

04/15/2013 at 06:51 AM

The only Ratchet and Clank game I've ever played with All 4 One. I heard that A4O wasn't the BEST in the series, but I still liked it a lot! I definitely need to get my hands on the collection at some point and play through them all.

04/15/2013 at 11:18 PM

I'm willing to give A4O a shot.

PixlBit