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[Goldrusher]

"You stupid GAFfers don't know what you want! That's why you post on GAF! Cuz you're stupid!"

:lol

 

[Baha]

funny shit

:lol :lol :lol

 

[Mike Works]

change your name to Mike Action

from now on release all games using that label ala American McGee

MIKE ACTION presents Resistance 3: Man Stumbles But Regains Composure

 

[Liabe Brave]

What do you think we could do to make our stuff an even better experience for you, personally. What have you liked? Where do you think we got it right? And yes, where do you think we got it wrong? I'm a little biased - I'd like to mostly talk tech and art - but I'm sure I won't be the only one watching this thread with interest.

Tech - Very good. I like the polygon-heavy good-modeling approach your games take. It helps differentiate them visually from the bad-models-with-normal-maps approaches on the market. I really, really like the solid image quality: no tearing, always some form of AA, and pretty decent framerates. Probably the weakest point would be your lighting engine, which I make a point about in the Art section. Technically I think your games are all superb, though I believe it could be deployed differently to support a different design scheme (see that section).

Art - Excellent craftsmanship, but sometimes not enough mood. Resistance 2 looks solid and pretty throughout, but only intermittently interesting. Chimeran architectural design is a real achievement, a unique combination of sterile and threatening (served well by the high-polygon tech). The spooky parts of Twin Falls are also good with their contrast of 50s idealism and 50s saucer scare. However, I think sometimes the emotional impact fails to register. Even a realistic game like this should feel free to be more melodramatic, more extreme in its juxtapositions and themes. Narrative and dialogue can remain firmly grounded even within an over-the-top environment. The shredded, dripping, impossible leviathan is a good example of this sort of thing.

Because it's allowed to be more cartoony, R&C Future does capture "emotional settings" more effectively. For example, I love the "birefringent" textures used on some rocky pieces, where they appear as if simultaneously lit by several multicolored lights. In general a more vigorous and dramatic lighting design throughout--a combination of a more robust engine and such clever baked-in effects--could really drive home the atmosphere in all your games. This is important in genres like FPS and platformer, where the mechanics aren't going to deviate too strongly from established tropes.

Design - The core gameplay of all your HD games is very solid. However, in efforts to provide more content for greedy gamers I think you sometimes lose the identity of the franchises. Ratchet is about fighting with unique weapons while exploring. The flight sections of ToD allow no exploration so lose that connection (though the shooting is still fun). The Clank-only parts are even worse, since you have no weapons and there's no exploration, just a single path through the area. The arena--which at least allows weapon experimentation--and other side activities from previous games held onto the core ideas better.

In Resistance 2, you removed the strongest idiosyncratic feature of the original, the plethora of varied weapons. I don't much mind the change from slow tactical progress to quicker run-and-gun, but some might. And while I like the addition of changed-up gameplay sequences, I don't like that they generally replaced fighting altogether (chameleon creeping, scene-sequence bosses, etc.)

Finally, I think your games could benefit from a greater continuity of progress. In Ratchet & Clank, the staccato nature of the levels at least seems justified by the separation of planets. In the Resistance games, it ruptures the narrative flow and makes identification hard. I don't feel like I'm following/playing Nathan Hale from place to place; I feel like I'm dropped into unconnected game levels. Differing segments of gameplay can still be built, based on color maps, pacing curves, and so on, but the joins between them should feel smoother. I don't know how technically feasible it is with your engine as evolved, but a game without apparent loading--with transitions of time or place covered by cutscenes or altered traversal gameplay--gives me much more of a sense of place and presence.

I've never regretted buying one of your games, but I believe you have greater things in reach. Thanks for being interested in our opinions, and good luck!

 

[Grayman]

I am not a player or owner of your games but Rachet and Clank looks beautiful. So consider keeping that vibrant, high image quality, and 60fps for any new game the company makes.

Oh and because Insomniac makes good games so quickly they should really consider making me a PSP game or two :]

 

[jump_button]

more ads im in uk and i didt see one ad for any of your games

other then that keep up the good work

 

[nestea]

Maybe a backhoe racing game. Keep the guns in though.

 

[Wollan]

• You need to tune your FPS games to be more involving through animation and various effects. Learn from your colleagues at Guerrilla in regards to this specific area, something which they excel at above the rest of the industry. There's design decisions and areas of execution they could learn from Insomniac as well but that's not of interest in this thread. I think Insomniac needs to focus hard on having the player feel as they're controlling an actual soldier with weight and heft to them, enemy bullet impacts also need to be revised.

• Passive entertainment option - Let me record and view both Replays and Photos from within your games. Also the whole web 2.0 thing, not necessary in regards to creating stuff LBP style but let me share the aforementioned Media easily (like Halo 3).

• More open areas in your FPS games, they're too narrow in their current condition (I believed the Gorge in R1 held great promises for R2 but they didn't fulfill). Obviously the A.I would need to be capable to take use of a larger space.

• Graphically: Locked framerate and picture quality (I believed R2 lost some pq (AA) compared to R1) is a must. Lighting as well needs to be quite more dynamic, R2 can look surprisingly stale in many locations.

R2's three greatest problems:
- Movement and aiming feels static
- Enemy bullet impact/damage is unsatisfactory
- Stale environment lighting & shadowing

R2's three greatest strengths:
- Well designed UI and Menu layout
- Co-op mode and dynamic
- Netcode

Here's my (edited) R2 review from the official thread:

Finished the game earlier today. My thoughts right now:

The Good:
+ Long, just right amount, singleplayer (11-13 hours on Normal)
+ Battle scenes are the biggest I've seen in a shooter in terms of number of enemies
+ Plenty of enemy variety and very often mixed on the field
+ Good bosses, two excellent ones in

Spoiler

Swarm (my favorite)

and

Spoiler

Queen Spinner

+ Character animations (not actual controls or Nathan/weapon however) upped quite a bit from first game
(my cousin, she was kinda disappointed Insomniac went for a more realistic style in R2, the first was pretty much the only fps she's played and digged) but I'm fine either way)
+ A lot of variety in environments and pace
+ Music was surprisingly good, I wasn't sure about Boris after some podcast teasers but the whole soundtrack was pretty engrossing though mostly classical
+ That was an interesting ending...

Spoiler

I remember reading at surfer girl that the game ended in Mexico and that was correct. I didn't read all though and I would hate to know that Nate died before hand, I'm not sure if that detail was given however. The ending itself is so out of norm I wasn't immediately sure if I should expect R3 on the PS3

+ All the weapons had a place in the arsenal, doing a two gun system was a sensible balancing choice
+ Graphics can be really detailed in various assets, character models in particular look stunning
+ Henry Stillman was pretty cool (well done Insomniac dev voice man)
+ Gore was actually very well done despite (what seemed to me from following the production) being a late addition. I love how guts run slowly down the wall, excellent gibbing actually
+ Horror segments was excellent, ecspecially the

Spoiler

indoor renaissance buildings in Chicago and the tunnel in a earlier level

+ The UI, menu flow, speed and all interface aspects are really smooth, well thought out and executed
+ Co-op is the very prototype for MMO-FPS raiding (I'm not sure if we are allowed to say revolutionizing). I say Insomniac should make themselves a new franchise, an actual MMO-FPS and build upon these gameplay aspects with more variety and diverse content. You're definitely ahead of the competition in this department so now run with it!
+ Net code performance, Insomniac still delivering the best running online modes of a game I have ever seen, continuing the tradition from Resistance 1. Give the network programmers a raise!

The Bad:
- Graphical/Art inconsistency, can't really remember seeing bad textures (though you can definitely see it's not a consistent quality) but there is something unconvincing about furniture and vehicles. Maybe shadowing, scale, texture complexity..etc. It's a relative common problem, doesn't seem to fit in. Some areas looked really beautiful

Spoiler

horror segments, Utah, Chicago excluding furniture/vehicles, Alien/high tech environments and Iceland and Suburban backyards

while some like

Spoiler

swamp area/wet area was unattractive in R&C and same with Louisiana in R2

, anti-alias problems in surfaces with a lot of specularity something it shares with Gears1&2.
- Enemy impact leaves something to be desired still. The gibbing is actually really good but just normal bullet impacts (especially with scoped-marksman) isn't convincing. We need hard, impactful sprays precisely where it hits and not just standard blood droplets outside the body frame.
- Competitive is so-so, hides too much of the battle (could just as well be a 24-30man game), R1 game modes actually felt a bit more epic with base upgrades and nodes
- Rachel Park, where is she, I liked her narration
- Singleplayer was lacking a bit in more

Spoiler

open areas, fields (R1 had a huge double canyon level, I was hoping something like that or better)

- No photo mode, no save replay functionality
- EU manual & cover innards

The Ugly:
-- The competitive avatars, so bad and ugly and hard to study
-- No Documentaries on the actual game disc, no local option for EU folks

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the Future:

Insomniac needs to start working on a MMO-FPS game.

Reasons why:

#1 The Co-op component of Resistance 2 was a breath of fresh air. You're already a step ahead of the pack in this regard. It's the prototype for MMO-FPS raiding.

#2 Insomniacs netcode is the absolute best I've witnessed on the market.

#3 There's a great lack of MMO's in the Console space.


What needs to happen:

The Co-op component of Resistance 2 isn't complex and diverse enough to sustain a full blown MMO game. A lot more variety in combat situations with the obvious great amount of content, expansive worlds and diverse classes needed for a MMO to keep folks interested. But the base mechanics and technology is present right now in Resistance 2. Obviously you would have to go beyond your normal two year project schedule. This may be way premature (only devs close to Sony would know) but maybe it could be destined as a next-generation launch title (a recent experience for Insomniac with R1).


I would also like to see Insomniac venture into the RPG genre.

Resistance team ---> MMOFPS Project

Ratchet team --> Singleplayer RPG with support for Online Co-op play

I would personally prefer if both projects were new ip's.

 

[Azrael]

This just in: Insomniac games suddenly become horrible after listening to forum goers.

This. Insomniac's games, while good, feel too focus tested. Making a great game requires having a vision and being willing to make creative risks. Nothing good will come from a thread like this.

 

[Dibbz]

Havn't fully read that thread but I need to post this. It's really important!!

Fully dynamic shadows. Your engine/games whatever need to support this feature. Seriously it annoys me the hell out of me when a game doesn't have dynamic shadows in this day and age.

Seriously wtf is going on?!

Insomiac are great but do not cheat on lighting. It makes everything look shit if you don't bake textures or use awesome lightmaps.

tl;dr

Fully dynamic shadows.
Fully dynamic shadows.
Fully dynamic shadows.
Fully dynamic shadows.
Fully dynamic shadows.
Fully dynamic shadows.

 

[ChryZ]

Hi!

My name is Mike Acton and I'm the Engine Director at Insomniac Games. I haven't posted here much on GAF, but I'm an avid lurker (Don't hold that against me!)

I hope that by now you've seen what we've been doing on the PS3 and have enjoyed at some of our PS3 games (maybe all?) - Resistance, Ratchet and Clank Future, Quest for Booty, and Resistance 2.

Then you know where we've been. What I'd like to talk about in this thread is where we're going. On our engine team (which we call "Tech" internally), we definitely know where *we* want to go, but hopefully you all know by now that Insomniac is all about making games that people want to play. And listening to our community.

So I want to hear from you too. What do you think we could do to make our stuff an even better experience for you, personally. What have you liked? Where do you think we got it right? And yes, where do you think we got it wrong? I'm a little biased - I'd like to mostly talk tech and art - but I'm sure I won't be the only one watching this thread with interest.

You and I both know we can't be all things to all people - so no promises. But your opinion counts and I want to hear it.

So let 'er rip. And ask questions - I'll do my best to answer whatever I can.

Mike.

This will end well:

... but since you've asked:

I want more unscripted, dynamic, physics based gameplay. I want unpredictable chaos, I want to replay a level and it's never the same twice.

 

[TalonsOfJustice]

I say you guys should work on games that involve even more with your great work in platforming games. Make a FPS or Third-Person shooter that gives you the satisfying feeling of shooting people in the head, but at the sametime make the player think with puzzles and objectives, more use of a weapons secondary fire, etc. I just want my space marine to put his space marine brain to good use instead of having the enemies thrown at them without having to think about it.

That boss fight with the Swarm was great. Involved somewhat movement, and the use of your weapon. I'd like that at a more advanced level, and occuring much more of the time during gameplay than in just boss fights.

I'm just starting to get sick of the old FPS that throws you on a level and your only objective is to shoot stuff or blow up stuff. I want crazy things going on while im doing that! And i think you guys could make the perfect game with what i have in mind :]

 

[monchi-kun]

You know what would be cool?, if R3 had some sort of map maker,something simple like the tony hawk map maker's. And we would be able to share em online, And host them online for us to play in.

map makers are fine and dandy but for the most part only a small percentage of players dabble in it and within that small percentage only a few could make things interesting.

is there a way to procedurally generate custom maps based on player actions in a meaningful way? the game would literally crunch so many variables at the same time to either adjust the map layout for difficulty or move objectives to different locations. heck even create areas that players could exploit on purpose. when the team finds a map that they like it gets saved and distributed to the community.

in a sense its not just one person creating content it's a whole team's collective experience. it's like writing a song with your band, sometimes you start with a riff and others pick up on it, the focus is more on playing and through play something gets created

 

[subrock]

Can't speak to insomniac games specifically because I can't justify the price of a ps3 yet but I have some observations about games that might spark some conversation.
One trend I see a particularly interesting in gaming aesthetics is a focus on flat simple clean designs. I was extremely impressed by the look of the recently released mirrors edge proof of concept video. I'd like to see something like that in a finished game, almost a "tron" like feel. Wipeout HD is another beautiful example of the effectiveness of this look. (see also, rez, lumines, portal)
On a side note, I'm getting less and less "wow" from ultra realistic worlds because of clunky body captures and facial textures. What really makes a world fun to me is not the grit and the gore, it's the physics and interactivity of that world. Crackdown is a good example of the stripped down aesthetics with fun physics making a fun game.
Simple yet beautiful is a magical combo when done right. I'd love to see a big well-oiled developer try something along those lines.

 

[Fenderputty]

-Don't make it a pride issue to release average games every year, because there's none to be had. It's better to work some more and harder and release something that stands out than something plain and uninspired, like R&C Future for example. I'd rather wait for and buy something like Killzone 2 than not buy the dozens of average games coming out every year.
-Hire some decent writers who are funny. Pirates saying arrrrrr and booty...aren't funny.

You have zero sense of humor. It's lighthearted fun. And the pirates were funny.

 

[Beatbox]

#2 Insomniacs netcode is the absolute best I've witnessed on the market.

true indeed.

 

[HocusPocus]

Best thing you could do is go multiplatform with the 360. That's my feedback.

 

[careksims]

This is for R2

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have the option to have co-op in your single player games. It really really really turns the fun factor waaay up. Especially when the grims show up in small dark corridors.

I hate how it feels like you're always alone, even if there are others are around,. You just didn't care enough for them.

Make a seperate game involving the 8-player co-op. That right there is one of your winners. Keep making more classes and levels. It feels like a fps mmorpg :}




For Ratchet and Clank

I just want bigger worlds, no more hubs, and 60fps

 

[ChryZ]

Please do not completely change the feel of a game for a sequel unless of course the first one was not well received. I'm talking about Resistance and more specifically the multiplayer. Evolution is fine but a drastic change can alienate a faithful hardcore user base. Out of 30+ people that I played RFOM MP with regularly, I can only think of 3 or 4 that enjoy and play MP in the sequel.

Some even refused to buy/play R2, after the private and public beta.

 

[Kaako]

I would love to play a Resistance/FPS-MMO game btw. If there is one company that can deliver on this it's you guys for sure. The closest thing to this is the MAG game, but don't know much details about that.

 

[Y2Kev]

Hrm..I wonder why they got rid of the commentary part..Oh, yeah. They listened to gaf, reviewers, dogs, cat, y2, etc.:lol

Hey! I liked the narrator!

 

[Awntawn]

I think lighting should be a key focus. I believe this time you guys did something in terms of partially dynamic and partially pre-baked? This works well when tweaked to perfection, but there are several parts in the game where even we the gamers can tell did not receive as much attention as others, and that's where the illusion falls apart. This is what resulted in the feedback of "it looks inconsistent." In San Fransisco for example, when out of a perfectly normal looking scene a stack of sandbags doesn't have a shadow to it, that type of stuff really stands out. I think it's things like this which is why people all felt that the game could have "used some more polish." It seems that so many little visual details like this could have been ironed out if addressed. In this day and age when people zoom into walls just to see the textures of walls, you can't miss these things, because screenshots will be taken and posted on forums all over the place.

From an art standpoint, all of the locations with chimeran architecture look too similar, and I think the bottom line is that some people just don't like the look. Most importantly, the character designs simply do not stand out. Games have it tougher than movies because actors have defined faces that can easily be recognized. Games have to compensate for stuff like that with other visual cues such as costume design. Capelli is wearing a beanie and a T-shirt. That's not enough. That's not even up to "generic military uniform" level, that could literally be any punk on the street.

Now given there are other ways to make characters stand out besides visual appearance, the writing in the game does not take advantage of it, nor does the scenario. Capelli barely qualifies as a recurring character, the rest of the Sentinels may as well be wearing masks and be different people the whole time. Absolutely nothing is lost. No jokes, no complications, no ties. No reason why those people have to be the same people you saw before. So now you have "buddies" who don't look like anything special, who you have no emotional attachment for whatsoever, and you can see where the "generic characters" criticism comes in.

 

[wouwie]

By the way, talking tech and art, i'd love to see IG's games having a more "organic, natural" look to them. At times when playing R&C, that was one thought that came up in me (mind you, i loved the graphics). It all looked a bit too sterile and flat. I loved Planet Fastoon for having a more organic natural look. Hard to explain really. Better lightning and textures perhaps. It all looked a bit too clean. Don't know if that made sense though

 

[Jiguryo]

change your name to Mike Action

from now on release all games using that label ala American McGee

MIKE ACTION presents Resistance 3: Man Stumbles But Regains Composure

:lol :lol :lol

/thread

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

"Okay GAF. Who wants Insomniac to keep doing the same thing?"

"RATCHET AND RESISTANCE RULE, GO PS3"

"Now who wants to see Insomniac do something totally different?"

"GO MULTIPLATFORM AND ONLY MAKE NEW IP"

"So... you want us to do something totally different, but also the same?"

"Yeah." "Yup." "Yes." "Pretty much."

"Also, you should win free stuff by playing!"

"You stupid GAFfers don't know what you want! That's why you post on GAF! Cuz you're stupid!"

"Just tell us what'll get ya to buy our freaking games!"

I'm f'n dying here!!

:lol

 

[Darkpen]

I'd really like to see a brand new IP that focuses on something other than guns, to be honest. I don't really know what to say regarding the art and tech side of things, but there's a certain fatigue that both franchises give me, like dragging an old tire across a rusty old road. I think its because Insomniac just isn't known for innovation, but in quality. While that isn't a bad thing, I think that with 4 solid games under their belt, and mastery over the hardware, its time to go to the drawing board, and really draw out something different, that no one has yet to do.

As I say this, Stephen Totilo's Miyamoto interview comes to mind, with what Miyamoto had to say on games being made these days, and Totilo's fascination with Mirror's Edge.

 

[Haunted]

:lol @ Simpsons

change your name to Mike Action

from now on release all games using that label ala American McGee

MIKE ACTION presents Resistance 3: Man Stumbles But Regains Composure

brilliant!

 

[Doc Evils]

This is for R2

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have the option to have co-op in your single player games. It really really really turns the fun factor waaay up. Especially when the grims show up in small dark corridors.

agreed.

 

[SpacLock]

Why no love for the 360? Honestly?

 

[Y2Kev]

I don't understand how "go multiplatform" is feedback on Insomniac's games.

 

[TrAcEr_x90]

Played both R&C:ToD and Resistance 2. Liked them both very much and are some of my favorite games ever made. But since you asked, here are some thoughts.

For Ratchet and Clank:

-I was astounded with the first couple levels, but after a few hours of gameplay it seemed like everything was getting reused. I was still basically running around constantly blowing things up in the later levels, with a quick break of rail grinding. I love those things about the game, but it just really needs to be switched up a bit more with something else new and interesting.

For Resistance 2:

-People complained about the story in the first one and in this one. I seem to lilke the direction you guys took with resistance 2, but the story was still lacking. I felt the cutscenes were very abrupt and they were the only times when the story was progressing. I dont feel like I got to know the squad mates all that well except maybe for capelli and the doctor.

-The graphics are great, but they dont seem consistant throughout the game. At times I am amazed, and at other times the textures just don't seem too good to the eye. Mostly it seems in closed in areas like houses.

-I dont want to compare but seriously, a resistance game with a engine similar to the killzone 2 one would be absolutly amazing!!!!

 

[UntoldDreams]

Mike-

Your engine (Tech) is obviously great though I would think by next year its going to be a bit more crowded at the top with the likes of Killzone2 and Uncharted2 standing side by side.

I think the most interesting thing Insomniac has done recently is come up with the FPS Cooperative Gameplay Mechanic and bundled it into Resistance 2 for all to play.

That was a gutsy move considering you could have dedicated all that time solely to polishing single player and traditional multiplayer.

I hope you expand upon this Cooperative concept as it does indeed differentiate you and reminds me a bit of World of Warcraft with the leveling up teamplay.

Maybe? Perhaps make an open world City with choke points where a team of people will have to coordinate together to take the "map"? The chimera can move as a hive mind from point to point trying to take the map as well. As they take checkpoints in the city they can infect residents turning them into Zombies so they don't have to guard each checkpoint with lots of soldiers. Just a thought.

Killzone2 is going to raise the bar on the amount of time spent on effects and just immersion in general. This is probably something which you are already aware. It wouldn't look good to appear "left behind" in a (fair or not) comparison.

I hope Ratchet & Clank can get a reboot. I know this is a crazy request but have you considered allowing cooperative gameplay? The shooter mechanics inside ratchet seem like its something which could work.

Right now... I have more fun with LittleBigPlanet platforming due to team play and a constant barrage of new artistic designs. Its also a given that I will continue to play this as I have friends offline/online to go through the platform levels with. When I discover some fun level I make a note and will play it later with friends.

I hope Insomniac considers making some LittleBigPlanet DLC.

 

[Nizz]

• You need to tune your FPS games to be more involving through animation and various effects. Learn from your colleagues at Guerrilla in regards to this specific area, something which they excel at above the rest of the industry. There's design decisions and areas of execution they could learn from Insomniac as well but that's not of interest in this thread. I think Insomniac needs to focus hard on having the player feel as they're controlling an actual soldier with weight and heft to them, enemy bullet impacts also need to be revised.

I'm not too sure I agree with this. To me, this is what makes Killzone 2 different from other fps games, gives it its unique feel. It seems, going by some impressions, some R1 fans felt alienated by the different control scheme in R2, and to change that even more drastically by making it more Killzone-like, Insomniac runs the risk of alienating even more of the hardcore fans imo. I can agree that probably some more in-depth animations/ first person interactions within the world, could help greatly. But the Resistance franchise has always been a more fast paced fps, different than the slightly slower paced Killzone 2 (I was in the beta, so speaking from experience)

 

[Cesar]

Work on your lighting. Most indoor scenes were very dark, even though there were windows, while it was daytime with a clear sky outside. The lighing was really inconsistent.

 

[greendublin]

Personally, as someone who loved Resistance Fall of Man, I was disappointed with the aesthetics of Resistance 2. The weird color schemes of the levels put me off.

The biggest mistake of Resistance 2 was switching from carry-all weaponry to 2-at-a-time. Throughout the first title I had opportunities to switch off from the sniper rifle to the auger to the carbine or the bullseye or the sapper as I saw fit for the situation... taking that ability away (saying 'here, you need this weapon for this part') was a bit of hand holding that I could do without, and so I didn't finish the campaign.

I also strongly prefer the multiplayer level design on the first Resistance (Somerset, Manchester, etc.) and I miss capture the flag.

The loadouts and berserks were a pretty cool addition to the multiplayer and co-op is fun so kudos there.

Much love to Ratchet, more platforming than shooting is my suggestion there. Keep up the good work, you guys are a standout dev in the industry.

 

[James-Ape]

I've not really paid much attention to Insomniac games up until I got my PS3. I enjoyed Resistance enough for me to look into what else you guys made and ended up playing my first R&C game (FTOD)

Anyway here are some thoughts on your games.

Resistance:

Resistance 2 is a very uneven experience. In terms of both gameplay and graphics.

the really bad is:

-One hit kill enemies, that spring out of nowhere. They reminded me a lot of those snipers from Halo 2, which were just as annoying.

-Why can't I kill the enemies in the water? is it just so that you can make water seem like a more dangerous place to me? Surely you can do better than that! It's a bit inconsistent to have the land based Chimera be killed quite easily and not the water ones. Why don't they just make the land based guys out of the same stuff!?

-The graphics were all over the place, you have some really nice scenes and graphical effects throughout the game, but it is very jarring to turn around and see some modeling/textures that just look very poorly done and out of place. it's a shame because it really takes you out of the experience when the inconsistency in the graphics is as large as it is. I'm sure your Tech is great, but you need you assets to match it. Need better lighting too (it was ok in some of the early sections)

-The A.I. why are they all making a bee-line for me? This really took the enjoyment out of the game for me, I ended up switching it to easy half way through because I was getting so annoyed with it.

- the bosses weren't very good. i can't say exactly why, but they were just a bit unsatisfying,maybe because it felt too scripted? i'm not sure

There is a lot of other small problems I have with the game (like the inconsistencies in the storytelling, what are the chimera doing in boiling hot rooms when they can't stand the heat?), but that is generally it. I did end up enjoying it a lot on my second play through on hard mode.

What I liked about the game was:

-the pistol

-killing lots of enemies at once, though it would be nice to have a more of a variety between a small group of smart enemies and a large group of cannon fodder.

-it had some great set pieces.

-the story and characters, while a bit confusing where generally well done and likeable.

R&C: FTOD

I'm new to R&C, so i have no reference of how it compares to the old ones but...

-It could be more challenging. It would have been nice for the challenge mode to be unlocked from the start (maybe).

-The platforming was weak, though i didn't really see this as a platforming game it felt very sluggish when performing certain moves (the wall jump springs to mind) and it seemed a bit buggy in places.

-Swimming controls were awful.

-The shooting and destruction in general were awesome, the variety in the weapons and locations was great too.

-a bit more variety in your missions would be nice, rather than just collect and destroy (was there any missions where you had to defend anything? i can't remember)

I did really enjoy this game too, I think like R2 it did lack that final layer of polish.

edit- one last thing, a 2 player co-op through the main campaign would be much better for me and my friends than a set of random campaign levels. I loved R1 in campaign co^op

 

[-Rogue5-]

Yeah, 60fps is nice, but I don't think it's necessary. Even 30fps looks amazing when you add depth of field and motion blur.

My biggest gripe with Resistance 2 is actually the co-op; I mean it was cool, but it felt tacked on... more like team deathmatch, with the other team composed of chimeran bots. If possible, I'd make the co-op game directly related and complimentary to the single player game but still be a narrative all its own. Best example I can think of is Half-Life 1 for PS2; there was the standard single player game that was on PC and then the co-op game where you played as those two female scientists and every once and a while you'd cross paths with Gordon Freeman (or see him off in the distance, etc.)

Also get some professional writers in there to sit down with the designer/director in order to make the story and gameplay intertwine -- e.g. don't rely on a cutscene to tell you why you have to go to chicago simply because you want to blow shit up in the streets of chicago. The link/drive/motivation has to be more substantial than that. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but HL1 took place entirely in one facility, had no cutscenes, and was amazing throughout the entire experience.

I'm using Resistance/FPSes as an example, but the above really applies to all (narrative/singleplayer) games.

...as for tech; well that's just a whole different beast and much easier to address -- faster, better, more more more. Just talk to Naughty Dog about their tech... I think if you combined ND's, Insomniac's, and Guerilla Games's tech, you'd have a undisputed winner. OH and make the camera have movement (look at Killzone 2 as an example)... It's gotta move organically... and I'm not just talking about bobbing back and forth as you walk.

 

[SovanJedi]

I fully admit to not owning a PS3 or playing any of your games Mr. Insomniac, sir, but LittleBigPlanet aside all the games that have heavily tempted me to buy a PS3 have been from your studio, and I recall at one point posting that Resistance 2's multiplayer co-op features would eventually get me to buying a PS3 someday soon (not now since I am not financially stable.)

You lot clearly know the machine better than nearly everyone else and have produced some fantastic-looking games using it - I think if you used all that technology in a different game genre, something that inspired creativity and freedom and experimentation with a wildly colourful setting that would be utterly amazing - something along the lines of 5th Cell's recently-announced Scribblenauts on DS with huge colourful busy worlds or even something insane like an RPG where you play as ants in an ant colony and there are thousands of ants crawling about you both underground and above utilizing all your in-practice technology that would be pretty outstanding.

...I know this isn't very helpful feedback on the tech side of things, but I feel you are pretty up to scratch on it from what I have seen so far and would like to see some creative ways to showcase it in different games.

 

[RockmanWhore]

As much as I love Resistance 2 there's definitely something wrong with the visuals in this game, the tech sounds amazing on paper (true 720p with AA, rock solid 30fps with a crazy amount of madness, some nice effects like the water or the glasses, etc...), but it still look bad. I'm not sure if it's the lighting, the choice of colors, the art direction, etc... But I don't understand why the Ratchet games and Resistance 1 looks better than R2. And when compared to stuff like Killzone 2 or Gears of War, R2 looks ridiculous.

Anyway, I really liked the solid framerate and the physic engine. It's not that the game do anything amazing about the physics, but I love how the chimera fly all around the place when I've just blown them away

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Try not to end up like Free Radical. Thats pretty much it.....

also I would just call it a day with resistance and start a new IP from scratch. That series just isn't clicking with the mass audience.

 

[AAK]

Make new IP's. Enough sequels.

 

[Huggy]

Keyboard/Mouse support for first person shmups.

Sony is the only console manufacturer who allows for it, and not one game developer is making use of this freedom.

You could even take the Nunchuk/Wiimote approach by having the left stick, left shoulder buttons and waggle for the left hand and having a mouse in the right hand. Flip for lefties.
Just don't let me precision aim with a stick. It's like shooting fish in a barrel with a mounted nerf gun.

 

[Brak]

Make a game with no guns whatsoever.

Agreed 100%.

 

[Fatalah]

Woah woah, GAF can't be spoken to as adults. Just ask Denis Dyack.

 

[Fenderputty]

I don't understand how "go multiplatform" is feedback on Insomniac's games.

It isn't feedback. I"m trying to picture reactions of the reverse. Bungi dev makes thread about this and everyone says ... "make game for PS3".

I guess on the positive, it's a compliment, but it doesn't really do much for the thread.


Another thing about Resistance. I, as well as others, thought the story was actually conveyed better in the first game than the second. I like that you guys tried to do something without a narrator, but something with the flow need to change in the story for three.

 

[DrPirate]

I would spray buckets of cum for R1 and Ratchet and Clank trophies.

Other than that. I loved the direction you guys went with in R2 except I found everything was always way too dark.

WAY to dark.

If you have to patch R2, make it brighter because it looks like it's dark outside in broad daylight.

Other than that: I'd like to see vehicles return in R3. That is all. You guys are phenomenal and keep it up.

Edit: Additionally: Resistance 2 was a great step in the right direction in terms of music production. Keep it up and invest more effort into music and soundtrack. It pays off heavily.

 

[Waluvil]

a new Disruptor game

Man would I ever love that, Disruptor is still my favorite Insomniac game. I can't imagine the IP would cost much to buy these days? Oh well... not that it would really make sense to resurrect that franchise when Resistance is here now.

 

[NullPointer]

Woah woah, GAF can't be spoken to as adults. Just ask Denis Dyack.

Bad example.

NeoGaf is its own teeming horde, but at least we mostly use complete sentences here.

 

[Salazar]

Woah woah, GAF can't be spoken to as adults. Just ask Denis Dyack.

And Denis / Silicon Knights feedback thread is where ?

 

[RazzleDazzleRB]

Go multiplat?

no.