Or: The Three Amicos.
After over a month of not recording, the Nerds Without Pants are back with a new episode! Unfortunately, this episode was cursed, and there are a lot of technical issues that we tried our best to fix in post. Also, this one goes off the rails and stays that way the entire time thanks to Friend Of The Show and Podcast Saboteur Mike Fallek. Strap in, because...dang.
Mr. Zurkon found a lady-friend and got busy!
As of late it seems that Ratchet & Clank has been something of a test bed for Insomniac Games. With All 4 One, the team shoehorned New Super Mario Bros Wii-style cooperative gameplay into the Ratchet & Clank formula, while Full Frontal Assault saw the duo attempting Tower Defense. Although these experiments were certainly interesting, they’re no substitute for the tried-and-true gameplay of the franchise. Thankfully, the newest entry in the series, Into the Nexus proves that Insomniac is still devoted to producing new entries in the series’ classic style. Though on the shorter side, this highly engaging romp is a great send-off for the now last gen PlayStation 3.
...wait, what? Someone surely misspelled PS4.
Over the past few days, Sony has been teasing a big announcement via a series of tweeted images and cryptic messages. “When Worlds Collide, Heroes Will Return” we were told in the last cryptic message – a message that I may add, also linked Insomniac Games with whatever was to be announced. Worlds colliding…could fans finally be treated to that long clamored for Jak and Ratchet crossover game? Nope, but what was finally revealed wasn’t too shabby either, as Ratchet and Clank will be returning in Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus on Sony’s PlayStation 3 later this fall.
Cross play may have just gotten a bit more relevant.
During today's Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, Sony released information about a brand new initiative that will start this fall with the release of its flagship titles. The "Cross Buy" program will allow players who purchase the PlayStation 3 version of a game to also take the same title on the go at no extra cost. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will lead the initiative, netting owners of the PlayStation 3 title a free digital copy for their portable Vita.
Insomniac celebrates the duo's 10th Anniversary with a new downloadable only game.
We all knew that the folks at Insomniac Games were preparing something for Ratchet and Clank’s 10th anniversary this fall, but there weren’t many who were expecting a brand new entry in the popular series. Well, that’s exactly what we’ll be getting this fall with Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault.
The posting also mentions a May 16 release date.
Eurogamer is reporting that a listing has gone up on Amazon France for Ratchet & Clank HD Collection - one of the few series left that Sony has yet to modernize in high resolution on the PlayStation 3. The listing has since been removed for reasons unknown. Before coming down, the collection was listed for release on May 16 with no details on the included games.
It's alright when controls are tight.
I’ve gotten further than I ever had in Ratchet & Clank. I’m on Planet Oltanis and I made my way through the various light guards, sentry robots, and machine gun turrets. It hasn’t been easy, with Clank not available for this level. I lack a lot of the various platforming upgrades I’ve acquired through my playthrough. However, I’m here, and the shiny bright aura surrounding my prize is in my sights. All that remains are some floating platforms with slingshot orbs above them. I grapple onto the first one. No problem. The next one is easy to reach as well after waiting for it to be in line. I grapple onto the third and final orb. It pulls me in. I drop down. I land on the floating platform. Something’s wrong. I’m stuck in the falling animation.
All 4 One, and one for dull.
It's been a long nine days since we started running our Ratchet & Clank recap feature, but it has served as a great refresher on all of the games in the series. Having played them all individually over a number of years, it was easy to miss many of the trends the series has exhibited over time. For one, roughly half of the games in the series are actually side quests that only exhibit some of the traits of the core titles. Two, Insomniac is and has always been willing to utilize the series as a testing ground for all sorts of different ideas. All 4 One, being a co-operative four player title, is their latest test. The title sacrifices much of what makes the core series great in an effort to appeal to those looking for a co-op experience with friends. Like Ratchet: Deadlocked (Insomniac's other testing ground), All 4 One both succeeds and fails in different ways, but doesn't even begin to approach the bar set by A Crack in Time.
