Board 8 > So Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has not really been blowing me away

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like most of the reviewers that were raving on and on about how this is the best PlayStation exclusive since Bloodborne.

So far I just finished Blizar Prime as Rivet and am feeling a little underwhelmed.

While every aspect of the game is good nothing feels exceptional except of course for the gorgeous graphics and amazing sound effects. The story is ok so far. The dialogue is also ok but not as good as the GC, UYA and ACiT. Rivet is literally a palette swap of Ratchet gameplay-wise which feels a bit lazy on the developers' part. The weapons and gunplay doesn't feel as great as UYA but is good enough to be enjoyable. Everything just feels good rather than something truly great like I expected.

Just a little disappointed so far because I went in with pretty high expectations. It feels like it is trying to achieve its status as a stellar showcase for the PS5's technology rather than being the mind blowing game that critics made it out to be.

I feel like most of the critics liked it for the reason you said: it being just about the only game to actually showcase the PS5 stuff

I had a generally fun time playing it, but I also feel like the game isn't really for me. The only reason I played the game is because it came with my Gamestop PS5 bundle. The graphics are pretty amazing though. I also think Rivet being the same gameplay-wise is a good choice.

I feel like it played well, but I don't play a lot of 3D platformers. I don't have any affinity for the characters/series having never played the earlier ones.

Best PS exclusive since Bloodborne is crazy though. They're not on the same level for sure

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I replayed the original PS2 trilogy before playing this and I have to say I disagree strongly on the gunplay being worse. Don't get me wrong, UYA still holds up pretty well for the most part, but Rift Apart is just a tier above. The controls are smoother and I think the gun balance is much better too. Aside from the pistol I don't think any of the guns are trash and most of them feel strong (except maybe the Ricochet which is just ok). Nothing totally busted though which I can see people missing because the PS2 games tended to have weapons that just completely trashed enemies. And I think Ratchet and Rivet having identical gameplay is actually a good call, because when the core is so strong I don't really want each character to have some gimmick that gets in the way of it.

I do agree that the writing and story is just okay. Certainly nothing approaching UYA on that front, and the series has definitely lost its edge in favor of something more family-friendly. I do like some of the themes they went for but it does feel smoothed over, and unlike the past games I think the plot tends to get in the way of having fun character dynamics. At some points I feel like the game doesn't even know what to do with Ratchet, as most of his old personality has been offloaded onto Rivet.

I don't think it was good as the near-perfect critical consensus made it out to be but it was pretty damn good just off the merits of being a blast to play, which I think contributed a lot to the scores. It's just fun as hell.

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Thought Rift Apart was really good. Though not ACiT good.

Partially because the Clank sequences were a little dull and very glitchy(had an orb vanish from existence pretty much every time).

The combat is worse here than UYA because yeah in that game you did get some ridiculously overpowered weapons that shred enemies but it at least felt satisfying even if it was easy. This game's gunplay is more DOOM Eternal lite than an R&C game with all the ammo management because of how spongey the enemies are. Except DOOM Eternal's ammo management was fun because of the fucking chainsaw and all the mechanics in play and Rift Apart's is just redundant with the waves and waves of enemies posing nearly zero challenge but just being tanky.

The bosses have been so forgettable too. I'm already 50% through the game now and I don't remember a single one of them other than the mini-boss that was a T-Rex type creature and the rest just being generic robo bosses.

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

most of the reviewers that were raving on and on about how this is the best PlayStation exclusive since Bloodborne.

What? This definitely didn't review as well as Last of Us 2 or God of War.

I thought it was great in general. Could've been better but I was almost always having fun
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I also don't know if it was just me being young when playing the original trilogy but the humour in the series always managed to get a chuckle out of me now and then but this one's been very lacking in that department.

Mac Arrowny posted...

What? This definitely didn't review as well as Last of Us 2 or God of War.

I thought it was great in general. Could've been better but I was almost always having fun

I forgot which website it was but I saw an article about this game being the best exclusive since Bloodborne which really caught my eye.

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I forgot which website it was but I saw an article about this game being the best exclusive since Bloodborne which really caught my eye.

Yeah that's literally one reviewer's opinion (I think the site was WaPo) and it's not really a hot take when you actually look at the PS exclusives released between then and now. It's like God of War, TLOU2, Returnal, and a bunch of open world games. That stuff may be more critically acclaimed but putting R&C above it due to personal taste is totally respectable.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdfNdilGFE

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did dunkey actually fool anyone with trying to pass off the PS4 R&C as the PS5 one

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HeroDelTiempo17 posted...

did dunkey actually fool anyone with trying to pass off the PS4 R&C as the PS5 one

people who didn't play either but heard about how good the new one's graphics were

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Game beated.

Good game with amazing production values especially the impressive framerate for how much goes on in the screen. I would say this is tied with A Crack in Time but I'm someone who is not as high on that game as most fans of the series are but would still call that the second best game in the series, now tied with this one. Up Your Arsenal remains undisputed in my books with how everything resonated with me during the time I played it.

The story was ok but the humour was quite lacking in this one. And I really don't like the direction they have taken with Ratchet's personality. I even went through cutscenes from Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal and those games have much wittier humour and still managed a few laughs from me. Captain Qwark especially added a lot to the charming goofiness of original trilogy along with Ratchet's edgy smarky personality clashing with Clank being uptight and nerdy.

The main flaw of the game is how the gunplay is structured. It does get better halfway through the game because you have a lot more weapons and options but it never quite gets out of the shadows of being DOOM Eternal lite.

Nowhere near GotY material but a solid game with nothing exceptional going for it, that I'll probably forget in a few months and probably never play again.

Recommendation: Will probably be worth it for true fans of the series but not essential by any means.

NFUN posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdfNdilGFE

Wow. Dunkey and my thoughts on this game are frighteningly similar (He literally calls it G rated version of DOOM Eternal) and I usually don't agree with most of his takes.

Doom Eternal without the strong arena and enemy design, maybe

It's a fun game, but the platforming is lightweight and the combat doesn't hold a candle to the boomer shooters people compare it to. If you want to play a PS5 exclusive shooter with some teeth get Returnal