Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (11th June 2021)

[Julius]

12 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

@Julius the topic of the game’s length vs price has popped up in quite a few other places. What’s weird to me about this markup in price is that the 2016 game is longer than Rift Apart AND also launched at a budget price. Still, it doesn’t seem to have hurt the initial sales of the game here in the UK but for me the £70 price is hard to justify when the game can be finished in around 10-12 hours.

Yeah, I think it's totally fair. I really enjoyed it, but I went in expecting it to be a bit longer than the 2016 game based on the price (somewhere between 15 and 20 hours?), so was a bit surprised by its length in the end.

I was actually ready to dive into Challenge Mode, thinking I'd need to get through it for the Platinum like I think you did with the 2016 game and with Miles Morales and NG+, but turns out you only need to play through the first 10 minutes of it after cleaning up the collectibles in your first save  so unless you really crave a second playthrough, it doesn't do as much to keep you hooked either if the main draw for that return was seeking out that Plat! 

[Mandalore]

Finished it yesterday, very impressed with it overall. The visuals looked spectacular, especially when there was so much going on at once. Quite often I had a full set of Mr Fungi and agents of doom out and even when there were loads of enemies, the game still ran perfectly smooth.

I was actually surprised how long the game was, I was expecting it to be a lot shorter after seeing a few comments online. It seemed like a good length for this type of game, there was a decent amount of levels and it never felt like it was being dragged out. Maybe it was a bit of a waste not tying some trophies to challenge mode, the platinum was very easy to obtain.

[Julius]

8 minutes ago, Mandalore said:

Quite often I had a full set of Mr Fungi and agents of doom out and even when there were loads of enemies

Yes, this combination was the best for clearing a room when combined with the Topiary Sprinkler! Love the chaos that would ensue and a small army of Agents of Doom just following you around 

9 minutes ago, Mandalore said:

Maybe it was a bit of a waste not tying some trophies to challenge mode, the platinum was very easy to obtain.

Completely agree. I was prepared to play more but once that Platinum popped it was like the game was telling me to put it down. 

[Ronnie]

£57 on base.com if anyone's interested.

https://www.base.com/buy/product/ratchet-and-clank-rift-apart-ps5/dgc-ratchetps5.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5auGBhDEARIsAFyNm9GyrS1K0sXUapbVPPLrQ4XjybSy17Y5giV_p5AjzE_kUPD0PJUZp5gaAq1PEALw_wcB

[Aneres11]

I had notifications on for a Twitter account who posts about stock of consoles when they hit certain websites to try and help my friend get one. 

He ended up getting one himself through the same method, a few weeks ago (after weeks of us both trying), but I never unfollowed and kept getting the notifications push through.  

I ignored most of them, but during a boring work call last week one came through saying Studio had stock. I clicked the link, and ended up managing to bag a Disc Edition. TBH, it was pretty amazing service as I managed to order it on the Tuesday and was told stock would arrive in 10-15 days from the supplier, but on Thursday afternoon there was knock at the door and it was delivered by DPD. Strange that I had no DPD tracking via the app, but was a nice surprise. 

I picked up R&C and played the first 30 mins or so just now. Obviously not enough to give an opinion but wanted to post to just say how absolutely incredible the game looks whilst playing. It's literally like playing an animated movie. 

I was going to wait until Christmas for a console, but I think I got caught up actually being able to potentially get one after so many failed attempts for my friend.  Fully expected it to boot me out once I fumbled about putting my card details in, but it was a success. 

I picked up Ratchet after trading some games in at GAME and intend to trade it straight back in once I am done with it. 

Can't wait to play more as its one of my favourite series! 

 

[Sheikah]

So I started playing the remake of the first Ratchet and Clank (the one they recently upgraded to 60 FPS for PS5). Honestly I don't think this series is for me. Everything about the game that I played in the first hour or so just felt so unremarkable. The combat is easy and imprecise, the plot and tone childish (like a Saturday morning cartoon), and the levels look cluttered (with obscene amounts of drops). I can imagine children would like this game but it felt to me like a complete load of nothing, the sort of game you'd play and forget in no time.

[Magnus]

5 hours ago, Sheikah said:

So I started playing the remake of the first Ratchet and Clank (the one they recently upgraded to 60 FPS for PS5). Honestly I don't think this series is for me. Everything about the game that I played in the first hour or so just felt so unremarkable. The combat is easy and imprecise, the plot and tone childish (like a Saturday morning cartoon), and the levels look cluttered (with obscene amounts of drops). I can imagine children would like this game but it felt to me like a complete load of nothing, the sort of game you'd play and forget in no time.

The remake is one of the worst (non-spin-off) games in the series, to be fair.

Which was basically what I told Julius a few weeks ago when I said that he should play the PS3 games instead, but then you felt the need to correct me and tell him that no, he'd be better off playing the remake actually - even though you apparently hadn't even played it yourself?

[Sheikah]

The remake is one of the worst (non-spin-off) games in the series, to be fair.

Which was basically what I told Julius a few weeks ago when I said that he should play the PS3 games instead, but then you felt the need to correct me and tell him that no, he'd be better off playing the remake actually - even though you apparently hadn't even played it yourself?

"The remake is one of the worst games in the series". You realise the irony of saying this and then telling me off for not having played the game and making comments about it, when clearly you didn't play the 2016 remake (as you didn't even know it was a remake of the original game). [emoji14]

Based on Metacritic score the 2016 remake seems to be around the same mark as the other PS3 games, and to be honest I'd be surprised if the other games played so differently as to change my mind about the series. I'd have thought the gameplay and shooting will still be fairly similar between titles, which is something I took issue with.

[Ronnie]

I thought the PS4 remake was basically the equivalent of a summer blockbuster with amazing visuals, where you enjoy it at the time but it doesn't really leave a lasting impression. Hopefully Rift Apart is a step up.

[Mandalore]

My initial impressions of the remake weren't that great, I played the first level and didn't see what all the fuss was about. I gave it another go about a year later and it was definitely worth persevering. Once you've got a big selection of weapons unlocked, the game really shines. 

I've only played the remake and Rift Apart so can't compare with the earlier games.

[Julius]

@Sheikah just to weigh in, I played the 2016 remake and thought it was good, but not great, and like you I thought it was a bit unremarkable, and had a lot of issues (it being caught between being a remake of a PS2 game and being developed alongside a movie certainly didn't help). 

I took a risk playing Rift Apart - based more on what we'd seen of it and the Spider-Man games Insomniac has put under its belt since - but I genuinely think it's better in pretty much every way than the 2016 remake. Like @Mandalore I don't have experience with the earlier games in the series, so can't compare, but it might be worth checking out if/when it goes on sale at some point in the far-flung future?

Edited June 21, 2021 by Julius

[Sheikah]

6 minutes ago, Julius said:

@Sheikah just to weigh in, I played the 2016 remake and thought it was good, but not great, and like you I thought it was a bit unremarkable, and had a lot of issues (it being caught between being a remake of a PS2 game and being developed alongside a movie certainly didn't help). 

I took a risk playing Rift Apart - based more on what we'd seen of it and the Spider-Man games Insomniac has put under its belt since - but I genuinely think it's better in pretty much every way than the 2016 remake. Like @Mandalore I don't have experience with the earlier games in the series, so can't compare, but it might be worth checking out if/when it goes on sale at some point in the far-flung future?

Oh yeah, I'd be interested in playing Rift Apart purely because it's supposed to be an amazing showcase for the PS5. Just not at 70 quid, mind.

[Aneres11]

I’m not sure what people expect from a colourful, fun, animated movie style game though? 
I love the series as this type of game is what I started gaming with. So adventure platformers are always right up my ally, even if they are often tuned to a younger market. 
 

As others have said, R&C shines when you have a full weapon set that is highly upgraded. The fun you can have with some of the weapons and enemies is just brilliant. And the humour is always pretty top notch in these games, even if it’s (again) aimed at a younger market. 
 

Playstation needs this type of franchise I think. Ratchet has become so well known and a pretty loved series that Microsoft could only dream of having. I mean, they have Banjo, but choose to do absolutely nothing with him. Once I’m done with this I may even play the remake again as I have a few weeks off coming up! 😁

 

[Map]

Like others have said the 2016 remake isn’t the best example of the series, it was a bit of a rush job to tie in with the movie  but served a purpose at the time.

As for Rift Apart I thought it was incredible, it’s just a really great feel good game which you need every now and then and you can’t help playing through it with a big smile on your face. The visuals are some of best I’ve seen up till now, excellent dual sense features and audio and SSD stuff is kind of mind blowing with whole worlds loading in a blink of an eye. To have a showcase for the PS5 this early on has me really excited for the future of the system.

Highly recommend a challenge mode play through as well, I just finished my first challenge run through and it was even more fun than the first. Having a full Arsenal of weapons and a levelled up RYNO you never know what might come through a rift!

Also give me some post game Rivet content please.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Map

[Aneres11]

Honestly this game. 
Every single time I load it I’m just in awe of how it looks. 
Literally the best looking game I think I’ve ever seen by some margin. I know it’s “cartoony” so maybe easier to achieve? But regardless, if this is what they can do with a PS5 so soon into its life then I can’t wait to see how this gen goes. 
 

I wonder how it runs on a PS4 Pro and if there are any obvious downgrades. I can’t imagine it being this good. I’m playing in fidelity mode which locks at 30fps, but the full 4K is quite something. 

[Ronnie]

Dear lord this game is beautiful  

[Aneres11]

And that’s a wrap! 
What a game! Loved it. 
 

Super impressive visuals, great story and a joy to play for the most part. 
I do have some gripes: 

No Mr Zurkon weapon. 
No Disco Ball weapon. 
What the hell were they thinking removing them?! (Unless you can unlock later). 
 

I HATED the Glitch sections. Not only did she have the most annoying voice in gaming, I just found them boring to play. 
Similar to the Clank sections. They just always came at the wrong time. 
It felt like the developers were trying to break away from the action to give you a breather, but the layer ones could take up to 10 minutes plus to get through, which just stalls the enjoyment of the story for me. 
Appreciated the idea, and they were clever little sub levels, but not for me. 
 

Some of the platforming was quite ropey. Particularly the sections when running on the side plates. The game didn’t do a good job of letting you know where the character was going to land, so often I plunged to me death by missing a double jump, or not gliding after jumping. I had more deaths on platforming than I did with enemies I think in the end. 
 

The games length was pretty much spot on. Towards the end I felt it beginning to outstay it’s welcome somewhat, but the final 30-45 mins really threw you into the action and gave it a great finish. 
Overall, really enjoyed it. From a technical standing it’s one of the best games I’ve ever seen. Could even be the best? 
Fell short in some areas, but nothing major so an all around triumph I’d say! 

[Ronnie]

14 minutes ago, Aneres11 said:

Not only did she have the most annoying voice in gaming

Not sure which was worse, the glitch voice or the weapon tutorial voice. Both murderously annoying. What the hell were they thinking!

Glad you really enjoyed it. I'm only 2-3 hours in, just got the ship unlocked.

[Aneres11]

To add to my rest mode woes, I’ve had this game crash on me three times this evening. Not once has it crashed on me throughout my whole play through (gotta be around 12 hours) yet tonight it’s going into overdrive with it. 
Each time, it’s been when loading a planet, it just stays on a black or purple screen. I can press the PS button and go home, but once home the controller stops responding and then I have to pull the power cord. Never had a game crash on me so far. 
I think I may send this off to Sony. Or, I may do a factory reset first just to see, but users on Reddit with similar issues have reported no joy from that. I’ve had a pretty terrible experience with this console from day one tbh. 
 

Trying to nab the platinum before I trade it in but it’s just making it a painful experience. 

[Aneres11]

I have one trophy left to get and it’s a horror. 
Using the Void Reactor weapon to soak up bullets and fire them back. 
Not only have I had to start a new game to level up the weapon to lv 5, I now can’t seem to do what I need to actually do. 
The weapon runs out of ammo very quickly so I’m only really getting to kill one enemy at a time. 
 

Watched some YT vids and others have said it’s a tricky one too. Last one I need too!! 

[Julius]

1 minute ago, Aneres11 said:

I have one trophy left to get and it’s a horror. 
Using the Void Reactor weapon to soak up bullets and fire them back. 
Not only have I had to start a new game to level up the weapon to lv 5, I now can’t seem to do what I need to actually do. 
The weapon runs out of ammo very quickly so I’m only really getting to kill one enemy at a time. 
 

Watched some YT vids and others have said it’s a tricky one too. Last one I need too!! 

The best place I found to do this was in the first Bronze Battleplex Challenge, clear the first wave and then just keep your distance from the pirates, soak up their shots, and then fire them back (remember to keep them in the middle of your screen). Clear this stage a couple of times and you should have it in no time. 

Only difficulty you might have is if you've upgraded the Void Reactor, your shield blast radius will be increased, so you might need to absorb their projectiles and then make sure you're far enough away (such as standing in a corner with them at least halfway across the arena) and then firing their shots back. 

[Ronnie]

It's incredibly impressive walking into and out of Pocket Dimensions seamlessly with no loading screens. They're also a lot of fun, they remind me of the mini challenge rooms in 3D Mario games.

[Aneres11]

17 minutes ago, Julius said:

The best place I found to do this was in the first Bronze Battleplex Challenge, clear the first wave and then just keep your distance from the pirates, soak up their shots, and then fire them back (remember to keep them in the middle of your screen). Clear this stage a couple of times and you should have it in no time. 

Only difficulty you might have is if you've upgraded the Void Reactor, your shield blast radius will be increased, so you might need to absorb their projectiles and then make sure you're far enough away (such as standing in a corner with them at least halfway across the arena) and then firing their shots back. 

Haha sounds like a copy and paste from the trophy guide I followed 😛. 
That’s exactly what I’m doing (battleplex) and I haven’t upgraded the weapon either. It’s just incredibly fiddly. 
The other trophies have been ok so far, this one is a howler. 

[Mandalore]

1 hour ago, Aneres11 said:

Haha sounds like a copy and paste from the trophy guide I followed 😛. 
That’s exactly what I’m doing (battleplex) and I haven’t upgraded the weapon either. It’s just incredibly fiddly. 
The other trophies have been ok so far, this one is a howler. 

One of the golden bolts gives you the option to turn on infinite ammo. I also saw a great tip about using the Topiary Sprinkler, you can adsorb the little bits of topiary and fire them instead of enemy projectiles.

[Aneres11]

2 minutes ago, Mandalore said:

One of the golden bolts gives you the option to turn on infinite ammo. I also saw a great tip about using the Topiary Sprinkler, you can adsorb the little bits of topiary and fire them instead of enemy projectiles.

Yeah read that. Think you need all of the golden bolts to do so. 
I only have 10/25 and don’t really want to collect the rest. I may just grind it out with it only being one more trophy to go! 
Ooo will have a look at topiary sprinkler! 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Aneres11