Here are a bunch of screenshots for Insomniac Games’ upcoming Resistance 3. The game is looking great and I was treated to some multifaceted gameplay yesterday. I’ll have more thoughts on…
Here are a bunch of screenshots for Insomniac Games’ upcoming Resistance 3. The game is looking great and I was treated to some multifaceted gameplay yesterday. I’ll have more thoughts on that later, but please enjoy these screens for now.
[nggallery id=55]
Yesterday I caught a demo and got some hands-on time with Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. As a fan of the Ratchet & Clank series and cooperative gaming, I was really looking forward to this title. I definitely enjoyed my time with the game, but there were some elements that surprised me (in a good way). Let’s take a look!
All 4 One is a four-player cooperative affair starring Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious. You can play alone, accompanied by character AI, but it’s much more fun playing with another player or three. Multiplayer can be done on the same console or online through PlayStation Network. Players are free to drop in and drop out of the game.
As expected, there are traditional platform elements that require players to work together to solve puzzles. I was pleasantly surprised to see driving and shooting portions that played up the cooperative aspect of the game. I wasn’t expecting that kind of diversity.
Another surprise was the amount of storytelling involved. I was expecting the game to focus entirely on multiplayer gameplay, with no storytelling at all. Honestly, I should have expected more from Insomniac — of course there’s story in the game! The events pick up after Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Ratchet and Clank are tired and want to retire. Qwark has become president (though he’s still a lovable idiot). Nefarious is plotting evil schemes. Naturally, they end up involved in a larger plot that requires the four of them to work together in order to survive and — wait for it — save the world! Sony showed off a bunch of cutscenes that revealed a bit of the game’s plot. They were full of the humor and charm you’d expect from Insomniac.
While the game requires cooperation, it also has competitive aspects. For example, there are boxes that can only be opened by two players. I had fun frantically racing to boxes in order to get a higher score than my companions. Some cooperative actions result in players getting a score multiplier. Not only will you be racing to get more collectibles, but you’ll be racing to work together too. The mix of cooperative and competitive gameplay was way fun in the brief time I had with the game.
My companions and I had to tackle environmental puzzles that required us to work together to advance. For example, some ledges or objects are too far to reach by jumping. To reach these areas, one player has to power up a vacuum gun and another has to jump into it. Once the player is shot over the chasm, the rest of us could swing over to him via tether lines. Of course there are the typical (and fun) Ratchet & Clank activities of running, jumping, and beating/shooting the crap out of enemies.
I got to play the game in stereoscopic 3D and “normal” 2D. I definitely preferred playing in 2D. 3D was novel for a minute or two, but after that it added more eyestrain than enjoyment. While the eyestrain was mildly annoying while I was playing, it felt like someone was jamming toothpicks into my eyes when I took the 3D glasses off. For me, 3D didn’t add enough to the experience to make the discomfort worthwhile. The game looked great in 2D…and didn’t leave me with the toothpick-jammed-in-they-eyes sensation. I think I’ll stick with that.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One looks like the super-fun game I imagined it to be when it was announced, but with more diversity and storytelling than I expected. I’m definitely going to pick it up when it’s released later this year. I hope some of you grab it as well. It would be awesome to play with you in an RPad.tv Invitational. If you have any questions about the game, please ask away in the comments section.
[nggallery id=54]
Here are a bunch of screenshots from the upcoming cooperative game Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. I got to play it for a bit yesterday and really enjoyed it. A preview is coming soon. For now…
Here are a bunch of screenshots from the upcoming cooperative game Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. I got to play it for a bit yesterday and really enjoyed it. A preview is coming soon. For now, please eat up these screens!
[nggallery id=54]
Have you ever played games at an unusual place or an odd time? I’m talking about something that others might find inappropriate. Look at the picture above, for example. Three of my friends whipped out their…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the wrath of Xenu, your NBA playoff predictions, or your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Have you ever played games at an unusual place or an odd time? I’m talking about something that others might find inappropriate. Look at the picture above, for example. Three of my friends whipped out their Nintendo DS systems during a wedding. Some people would consider that rude. (To be fair, there was no alcohol at this wedding.) We honestly didn’t think anything of it, but the picture makes it seem a bit strange.
So how about it? Ever play games at a hopping bar or during a…I don’t know…a funeral? Perhaps you’ve interrupted a job interview to make a Scrabble move on your phone. Share your unusual gaming stories today (please)!
The first episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is here! This gritty live-action series stars Jeri Ryan, Michael Jai White, Jolene Tran (cute!), and Sam Tjhia (also cute!). The project got a lot of Internet buzz last June thanks to this trailer. I’m so jazzed that it ended up panning out!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on episode one of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Check it out and share your feelings like a Care Bear (please)!
While it’s not quite as bone dry as last week, there aren’t a ton of interesting games out this week. I’m curious to see how Michael Jackson: The Experience sells. The King of Pop is gone (rest in peace), but his family is still around to exploit his name. I wonder if Michael’s millions of fans will pick this game up. PSP gamers have a nice sequel (that’s free of Jesus juice) to gobble up this week in Patapon 3.
Any of you guys and gals buying new games this week?
I used to play a ton of sports games. Somewhere along the line, my sports gaming tapered off. These days, it’s such a small percentage of my yearly gaming.
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Yankees sucking at Fenway, my favorite American Idol 2011 contestant sleeping with Nikki Reed, or Liam Neeson getting cut from The Hangover 2, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I used to play a ton of sports games. In grade school, my friends and I devoured pretty much every NES, SNES, and Genesis sports game. My brother and I have a longtime rivalry in NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. My friend Justin and I played entire baseball seasons against each other in World Series Baseball and Frank Thomas’ Big Hurt Baseball for Saturn. Somewhere along the line, my sports gaming tapered off. These days, it’s such a tiny percentage of my yearly gaming.
So what caused such a drastic change in my gaming habits? Part of it was that I started writing about games for a living. While I enjoyed sports games, I always worked with someone that was way more into them than I was. Part of it was that as sports games became more realistic, they became less fun for me. Lastly, the vast majority of people I clicked with in the videogame journalist world were not sports gamers, so we never played together.
For some reason, this change in my gaming habits popped into my head over the weekend. I never really thought about it before. How have you changed as a gamer over the years? Are your gaming tastes the same as they were 10 or 15 years ago? Or are they drastically different? Kindly share your ch-ch-ch-changes as a gamer as you watch the David Bowie video below.
My pals at Area 5 have launched a new iPad magazine called Atomix. I saw a bit of it during GDC 2011 and was really impressed. Of course I’m biased because they’re my friends, but they do awesome work and I expect Atomix to be very popular. If you have an iPad, I’m sure those guys would appreciate your support. It’s only 99 cents an issue. I’m going to try to buy it thrice….
RPadholic camikitten sent me this (naughty?) screenshot of Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. Based off of the screen and the text, what do you think is happening in the game?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, those winless Red Sox, Pia Toscano being voted off American Idol, or predicting the Barry Bonds trial, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
RPadholic camikitten sent me this screenshot of Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. She also explained the context to me (though it’s still weird). I’m guessing that most of you aren’t familiar with the Ar tonelico series, so I wanted to have some fun with this screenshot’s earth shattering unintentional comedy.
Based off of the screen and the text, what do you think is happening in the game? Let’s try to keep it as clean as possible (please).
This weekend is all about iPad 2 gaming for me. I’m going to play the hell out of Civilization Revolution, Infinity Blade, and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. That should keep me busy enough, but there’s a chance that I’ll add some Scrabble and Rage HD to the mix.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
