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Ratchet and Clank: FFA - "FFA is just not very good in its current state."

K

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
I searched but didn't see a thread. Sorry if old. Destructoid posted impressions from TGS on this game and the impressions aren't very good.

http://www.destructoid.com/tgs-rachet-clank-ffa-is-not-a-return-to-form-235482.phtml

When I read that Ratchet & Clank would gain a traditional third-person entry later this year, I pooped the bed. I literally pooped the bed and you should never poop in the bed. But, after playing the game, I deeply regret this filthy, depraved act of excitement. FFA is just not very good in its current state.

There is room for a series offshoot based around tower defense, but the wide open areas and slow drip of enemies make Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault a lethargic entry that doesn't capture the spirit of the original games. When compared to the very similar Orcs Must Die! 2, FFA just seems lame.

Unlocking chests for new guns and looking for bolts is a hassle. When the enemies do come, they offer no challenge with their dumb-as-rocks AI. While Ratchet still feels great with his jet boots, FFA is a graphical step back for the series -- understandable since it is a downloadable title but not excusable. As a long-time series fan, I'm finding it hard to get excited for this one. Maybe it's time I wash those sheets already.

We'll see if Insomniac turns this ship around when the game arrives later this year for PS Vita and PlayStation 3 (via PlayStation Network).
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I didn't play the beta (is it still going on?) but this may be a later build? I didn't see any other previews from TGS, but this doesn't sound good. As a Ratchet fan, I'm fearful. Especially after All 4 One shat the bed. Yes, I know it was Destructoid, but maybe other sites will offer their views. If they bothered playing it at TGS at all.
 
Well, I guess it's our fault. A Crack in Time didn't sell that great did it? Because it should have done very well, such a great game. I really hope we get another like that soon (with multiplayer).

I hope that by "In its current state" they aren't referring to the beta though. That'd be a pretty shitty move.
 
I played the BETA, wasn't something that kept asking me back go back to play it

It has such a weird set-up

The 3 different stages before the onslaught, it's really whoever gets more assets wins, no matter what

So far I haven't seen amazing strategies put in place that makes me go... Oh that was a good idea

I'd rather R&C "borrow" from Plants vs Zombies than what is FFA in it's state
 
I tried the beta out for a bit, but was disappointed with it as well. I just don't think the idea works all that well with the series.
 
Personally I'm not inclined to take a preview from a guy who claims to have "literally pooped the bed" in response to a game announcement seriously, but still any preview this negative is a really bad sign with enthusiast press.

I'll wait for further impressions because I love tower defense/horde type games and I love R&C and the two sound like they go perfectly together, but I'm a bit more concerned now.
 
Why didn't they make a platinum full game with just Clank time puzzles? People were actually asking, and telling the studio they'd pay for something like that MULTIPLE times, for that one.
 
netguy503 said:
Why didn't they make a platinum full game with just Clank time puzzles? People were actually asking, and telling the studio they'd pay for something like that MULTIPLE times, for that one.
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Real Insomniac is EA Partner bound ala Overstrike FUSE

This is B/C team, the All 4 One/QFB crew by the looks of it

Also I'll be buying it due to the love of the series, and James already mentioned Platinum trophy, with Vita port also, double the pleasure
 
I played the beta once and couldn't get into it. It didn't seem like a Ratchet & Clank game. It seemed more like some entirely different game with R&C guns and characters.

It was pretty bad, and if the full game is anything like it, I'll have to skip it the same way I skipped All 4 One.
 
Going by the beta, it's definitely better than All 4 One due to standard R&C gameplay alone, but both the levels and weapons aren't all that interesting or unique. It'll probably be decent, but nothing to write home about.

Hopefully we can get another mainline R&C game sometime after this. One that hopefully more like A Crack in Time and less like these spinoffs that the North Carolina team has been making.
 
GraveRobberX said:
I played the BETA, wasn't something that kept asking me back go back to play it

It has such a weird set-up

The 3 different stages before the onslaught, it's really whoever gets more assets wins, no matter what

So far I haven't seen amazing strategies put in place that makes me go... Oh that was a good idea

I'd rather R&C "borrow" from Plants vs Zombies than what is FFA in it's state
Click to expand...

not really true, good players can hold their base against someone with greater forces. seen it happen quite a few times.

and how your organize your waves, whether you attack or defend, use of your panic button, and also how you go after nodes, all play a huge role.
 
As a defense game geek and a ratchet fan I found the beta to be maximum fun. I'm also pleased that it puts me at odds with destructoid, which I find to just be an awful website.
 
jstevenson said:
not really true, good players can hold their base against someone with greater forces. seen it happen quite a few times.

and how your organize your waves, whether you attack or defend, use of your panic button, and also how you go after nodes, all play a huge role.
Click to expand...

James please get the team to do some funny videos like the vendor videos and use them as tutorials

Seriously, most people I tried to play with were playing it like a goddamn platformer asking were all the crates/bolts were....

Also creating your army to invade the other base, feels to archaic, it took me a minute or two to realize I could create more troops, for a moment I was like that's it 1 wave, then the blue pads made me go oh shit I can create more

I know others hate hand-holding, this game can use some more, the tutorial alone doesn't help that much
Hell when loading screens come on, leave hints/tips, etc...

Most are really thinking this is All 4 One+, need to fix that ASAP
 
Is there no footage of this game in action?

I'm still looking forward to it as the concept sounds like it could be a blast. I do hope in the future that insomniac include a standard multiplayer portion to the next mainline game:
 
I had to think then what you meant since I only know the game as Q-Force, but this has me concerned. I can tolerate All 4 One with more than one person (which is a rarity) but I find it otherwise unplayable. If people are finding Q-Force to be bad, then I may be skipping it. I believe it is at Eurogamer Expo, so I will give it a go there and see what comes of it.
 
I couldn't play the beta since it was online only and no bots, I never found anyone to play against. The tutorial wasn't all that helpful either, you actually leave half your base undefended if you follow it.
 
Can someone recommend me a game like Ratchet and Clank since the series sucks now?

My favorites were Going Commando and A Crack in Time.
 
Byronic Hero said:
I played the beta once and couldn't get into it. It didn't seem like a Ratchet & Clank game. It seemed more like some entirely different game with R&C guns and characters.

It was pretty bad, and if the full game is anything like it, I'll have to skip it the same way I skipped All 4 One.
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I felt the same way. Also, it had none of the charm that I love from R&C games.
 
Is it too much to ask for another fully-fledged Ratchet & Clank platformer a la A Crack in Time? None of this short campaign, multiplayer bullshit that the series has succumbed to instead.
 
Goldrusher said:
Insomniac Games

1994-2012
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Damn Gold, that is too real, holy hell

I give Insomniac the benefit still, I always want them to be great, but the take to many missteps and wait till things have been made/done, then follow

Never the leader, always the follower (hey if it works financially, more power to them)
 
A negative preview!? Awesome.


When the enemies do come, they offer no challenge with their dumb-as-rocks AI.
Click to expand...
To be fair, that criticism could apply to 95% of tower defence games in general, but eh.
 
Yes, it is another spin off and not the massive classic R&C game that we all want. (My bet is on a PS4 near launch massive classic R&C game)

As with A4O and Q4B, I think looking at it as a typical R&C game, no matter how much they tell us it is, is not the way to go. Best to look at FFS as a 3rd person tower defence game with a R&C skin.

I've played the beta and 1 vs 1 isn't much fun unless you are matched equally. 2 vs 2 is good, you don't have to worry about everything (So long as you can talk or communicate with your team mate) and it becomes more fun, again being equally matched helps a lot. Since the groups are so small being equally matched is very important to balance.

Whether the single player will be fun or not is still up for debate, in about a month we should have reviews that will give us a good idea what to expect.

I'm hoping this game shows that the NC studio can do a good job on a more classic R&C game. This is Insomniac though, we can be sure that it will have fun weapons (Even if they are mostly recycled weapons from past games), funny well animated cut scenes, lovely graphics, polish and a good story.


People are really writing off Insomniac as 'dead'? Least wait till Fuse comes out, Jesus.
 
At this point I'm beginning to wonder when Sony will pull Insomniac off of Ratchet, and give it to High Impact. That may even be an improvement.
 
I played the beta a lot (50+ matches overall) and I completely disagree. Yes, it isn't traditional R&C gameplay but I personally found it to be very fun and strategic.

Seriously, enough with the doom and gloom guys.
 
Takao said:
At this point I'm beginning to wonder when Sony will pull Insomniac off of Ratchet, and give it to High Impact. That may even be an improvement.
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I haven't been keeping up with High Impact's latest games, but if they're anything like their PSP games (Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank, J&D: The Lost Frontier) then no thanks. Sanzaru Games, the company making Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, would be a better choice.

Or better yet, just have Insomniac's main team make them instead of their new studio.
 
Takao said:
At this point I'm beginning to wonder when Sony will pull Insomniac off of Ratchet, and give it to High Impact. That may even be an improvement.
Click to expand...
Insomniac's (proper) Ratchet and Clank games are so full of character. I do not want that to happen. :(

I really, really want more stuff like A Crack in Time and Resistance 1. Insomniac needs to learn to focus on what their fans love about their games and have fun with that, instead of trying to play around with whatever is 'in' at that exact moment.

I see the same thing happening to Overstrike-Fuse that happened to Resistance. Someone (or maybe it was EA this time?) probably got too caught up in looking at trends instead of just sticking to what they do best.
 
Isn't a different team working on this game? I know that it's Insomniac but they have multiple teams, and the guys who made four player co-op game and is making this game are not the guys who made the other R&C's, right? I think they're working on something different. It seems weird for a top-notch developer to go from A Crack In Time to... this...

I pooped the bed. I literally pooped the bed and you should never poop in the bed. But, after playing the game, I deeply regret this filthy, depraved act of excitement.
Click to expand...

If he's joking then he's terrible unfunny, and if he's serious then he's terribly disgusting.
 
LonelyGreyWolf said:
Isn't a different team working on this game? I know that it's Insomniac but they have multiple teams, and the guys who made four player co-op game and is making this game are not the guys who made the other R&C's, right?
Click to expand...

Yes, their new-ish North Carolina studio is making it instead of their original team(s).
 
Fancy Corndog said:
Insomniac's (proper) Ratchet and Clank games are so full of character. I do not want that to happen. :(

I really, really want more stuff like A Crack in Time and Resistance 1.
Click to expand...

Sanzaru seems to be doing a great job with Sly. Maybe they can make a full fledged Ratchet and Clank game. I really wish Insomniac would do it but it seems their priorities have changed. I don't think they are too interested in making a full fledged retail ratchet platformer again. I dont know if Sanzaru are fans of Ratchet as much as Sly to take over the series though.
 
LonelyGreyWolf said:
Isn't a different team working on this game? I know that it's Insomniac but they have multiple teams, and the guys who made four player co-op game and is making this game are not the guys who made the other R&C's, right? I think they're working on something different. It seems weird for a top-notch developer to go from A Crack In Time to... this...



If he's joking then he's terrible unfunny, and if he's serious then he's terribly disgusting.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Destructoid.com. They have some of the most terrible journo's out there. Absolutely unprofessional in their coverage of games. They sound like fanboys most of the time.
 
SykoTech said:
Yes, their new-ish North Carolina studio is making it instead of their original team(s).
Click to expand...

Really strange decision. It's especially strange since FFA is supposed to be the "10th Year Anniversary" game and why would a new studio that has barely even worked with R&C be working on such a game? This should have been their biggest and best game, not some PSN game made by a new team.
 
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