Malik
(11/17/09)
I'm still caught up in
my Ratchet and Clank marathon of gaming greatness. I never played a
R&C title until I bought Tools of Destruction (the first PS3 R&C
game) a couple weeks ago (ironically, on the day A Crack In Time,
the sequel, was released). I then moved on to Quest For Booty (the
download only mini-sequel that bridges ToD and ACiT). Finally, I had
to get A Crack In Time to round out the R&C Future story arc. After
finishing A Crack In Time, I then decided to move backwards to where
R&C all began.
Over the weekend,
I finished the original R&C. It was a bit hard to do. On one hand,
it's a more difficult game than any of the PS3 titles have been.
Then there's the visuals and some archaic control and camera issues.
I mean the PS3 R&C titles had a lot of opportunities to fine tune
various issues and become the awesome gems that they are. There is
also the pain, for me, of playing the PS2 after being with the PS3
and 360 for so long. I mean I have to play with a short controller
cord (on a 52" TV, this can be a bit hard on the old eyes) and using
SD visuals. Still, it was a not-quite-nostalgic journey worth
taking.
Currently I am
playing R&C: Going Commando. That would be R&C2 in some countries,
or R&C: Locked and Loaded in others. I guess the double meaning of
"Going Commando" doesn't fly too much in some European countries
(and maybe Australia). This game definitely starts the path of fine
tuning that made the PS3 R&C games so damned good. Weapons upgrade,
you can obtain armor, and you start to get some major mini-games.
The only thing that will be a better leap in quality for me is when
I finish R&C2 and move on to Up Your Arsenal (the third game in the
original PS2 series). UYA is when you get multiple levels to your
weapons, as they upgrade, and have some of the other familiar
changes that are definitely R&C staples.
It's also fun
going through these games in order since you get bonuses for having
saves from the previous game(s) on your memory card. In R&C2 you get
some free (weak) weapons from the previous game. In R&C3 (or "UYA")
you get discounts on weapons prices and some free weapons. It's like
how in R&CF (the PS3 series) games you get some discounts and bonus
costumes in A Crack In Time if you've played and beaten the previous
two games.
I do have to say,
however, that I'll probably end with UYA. I may try to move on to
the PS2 port of Size Matters (originally a PSP title), but that's
not a guarantee. However, after being a part of the beta test for
Deadlocked (sometimes known as R&C4), I will not play that one.
Let's just say, if not for the Deadlocked beta test, I may have
started playing R&C games far earlier in my gaming life.
One thing I do
have to say that I hate about R&C games is that there are just too
long of titles and too many confusing abbreviations for writing
about the whole franchise (or most of it...not much to say on the
PSP titles since I ditched my PSP long ago) in a single post. It's
like I'm trying to talk some weird alternate language. Plus, typing
the entire name for something like "Ratchet and Clank Future: A
Crack In Time" would just be too damned annoying to do more than
necessary.
On a different
note...sort of...I've been trying to think of what I should play
once I finish Up Your Arsenal. While it's the craziest time of the
year for new games, I've not felt the usual interest. I'm not a FPS
fan, so a major title like CoD:MW2 is not my thing. Although I do
enjoy watching some of the game being played, so I get a few fixes
for crazy violence watching my friend Bastich play. I'm also not
much for the current crop of Wii games (I haven't even touched my
Wii, except for Final Fantasy IV: The After Years since Smash
Brawl...and that didn't last long). In fact, there is only one game
that's new to the market that's interesting me any.
That would be
Dragon Age Origins. However, I'm stuck with a few issues with the
thought of play DAO. The main one being the fact that Bioware has
not done me any favors lately.
Jade Empire was
complete crap compared to what was promised. I mean it was a game
that failed to go into any depth in the plot, and the fighting
system, that was supposed to be beyond epic, was nothing more than a
button masher with visual flair (leap behind an enemy and pummel
them). The game failed on being an action game, an RPG, or the
amazing cinematic marvel that Bioware promised.
Then there was
Neverwinter Nights 2. It just didn't do much versus the glory that
was the original NWN. It added so little that was good, but instead
turned into a glitch and bug filled bastard offspring that just kept
demanding more and more from a computer without much to show for it
versus NWN.
Lastly, and this
will not be something a lot of people want to hear, but Mass Effect
was a steaming pile of shit. No...that's wrong. "Steaming" implies
there was something hot about it. The game was cold and stale on
delivery. You have a combat system that was fun for a FPS/TPS, but
too shallow for an RPG that is supposed to be based on amazing
character customizations. Team AI was pathetic (which is not cool in
a squad based shooter). The game was short and offered way too many
obvious plot twists. The only thing that could have helped make the
game awesome was the abundance of side quests, but then you were
left with the same repeated exploring of the same empty and deserted
planets with the same exact bases to explore, just with a different
paint job on a few of them. These side quests never added to the
plot, never gave amazing bonus equipment (it was all random loot
throughout the entire game) except for ONE of them granting prestige
classes, and involved way too much driving of the MAKO tank (which
had it's steering based on the controls of a shopping cart that's
been overly abused at a Target store). While many people would love
to praise Mass Effect for what was promised, the game delivered far
less compared to the hype than any Peter Molyneaux game ever could.
My other
reservation on looking into DAO is the DLC issue. For those who are
not aware, the game practically demands DLC to be played to it's
full intended value. I mean many games feel less than complete
without all of the DLC if the developers came into making the game
with DLC in mind. After playing GTA4, and all of Lost and Damned and
most of The Ballad of Gay Tony, I feel like GTA4 is not a complete
game without the DLC. However, DAO actually has dialogue that tells
you to buy DLC to select certain dialogue choices that begin quests.
This is like saying, to the player, that the game is not complete
and your wallet is being claimed by Bioware. It's almost like
Bioware is just trying to insult you and will refuse to stop the
insults until you pay them.
So, while I like
the thought of having a new RPG to devote my time and affection on,
I cannot get over the insult. Horse armor in Oblivion was an
insult...but you didn't need to spend too damned much on a useless
item unless you chose. If you skipped the horse armor, you could
play and never notice it being absent from your game. DAO, however,
actually tells you that your game is gimped and will not let you
escape the fact unless you cough up a pretty big chunk of cash. Add
in how Bioware has let me down too many times with their recent
releases, and I just can't give them the benefit of the doubt...or
the money in my bank account.
Malik |