Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the shops,
The games fought for shelf space so they’d sell to the tots...
It’s always a struggle for a game to get noticed around this time of year unless it’s one of those that have had a multi-million dollar budget splashed on it. Triple-A titles fill the stores to the detriment of others, so it’s little wonder that smaller games are taking the jump to being available primarily through download. The new Ratchet & Clank game, QForce, is doing precisely that (though there is a small retail run being made available too). Which version will sell best is up in the air, but of course the main question is whether the game is any good or not.
On firing it up, I couldn’t quite believe that the R&C series has been going for ten years. A quick Google turned up eleven separate titles, so someone out there must be buying them. Having never been a massive fan of the series (I’ve played a couple of the early ones) it’d be interesting to see how far the games have come since those early days at the height of the PS2’s reign… And in all honesty, it’s not really changed that much. While it’s obviously prettier, the gameplay feels very much the same – but is that necessarily a bad thing?
It’s the usual 3D platforming affair with plenty of running about either beating up or shooting enemies, albeit with an additional tower defence element thrown in to add more of a challenge. The story goes that a mysterious entity has declared war on Captain Qwark (a playable character in the game along with our two eponymous heroes) and it’s down to you to smash up everything in site, collect bolts, buy better and better weapons and eventually save the planets that are under threat
It’s all pretty standard, but at least it plays well. Whether you’ve got previous experience with the series or this is the first time you’ve picked one up, QForce is accessible from the off. Hints appear throughout and the entire thing is incredibly linear, meaning that that it may well be a little too simplistic for some, but as a quick blast it’s actually rather fun.
Oh yes: the emphasis really should be on ‘quick’. You will blow through this in a matter of hours as there are only five (admittedly decent-sized) levels to progress through. The game was originally announced as a tenth anniversary surprise and was never meant to be a 30+ hour extravaganza, but even though it’s being released as a budget title (you should expect to pay around £15) you may well feel a little short-changed. A co-op mode is available both online and offline which adds a bit of extra value, and you’ll also get the game for free on your Vita should you happen to own one. All told, it’s a decent price for what is essentially a palate-cleanser of a game.
Admittedly it’s a very pretty game, an explosion of shiny cartoon gloriousness that doesn’t have any major graphical issues, but it doesn’t really offer anything new. Then again, does it really need to? Fans of the series will lap it up, appreciating the fact that they get a new fix of their favourite characters and it’s a very canny way to get younger players who haven’t tried out a Ratchet & Clank release before into the games. However, for someone like me who can either take it or leave it, it was a pleasant but ultimately forgettable experience. A nice way to pass a few hours, but I’d sooner have something else sitting on my hard drive.
Pros:
+ Easy to get into and fun in co-op
+ Looks very shiny and lovely indeed
+ Dirt cheap price makes it a perfect stocking filler
Cons:
- Same old same old, not doing anything new
- Experienced gamers will race through it
- Play it once and you’ll soon forget about it
SPOnG Score: 6/10
The games fought for shelf space so they’d sell to the tots...
On firing it up, I couldn’t quite believe that the R&C series has been going for ten years. A quick Google turned up eleven separate titles, so someone out there must be buying them. Having never been a massive fan of the series (I’ve played a couple of the early ones) it’d be interesting to see how far the games have come since those early days at the height of the PS2’s reign… And in all honesty, it’s not really changed that much. While it’s obviously prettier, the gameplay feels very much the same – but is that necessarily a bad thing?
Oh yes: the emphasis really should be on ‘quick’. You will blow through this in a matter of hours as there are only five (admittedly decent-sized) levels to progress through. The game was originally announced as a tenth anniversary surprise and was never meant to be a 30+ hour extravaganza, but even though it’s being released as a budget title (you should expect to pay around £15) you may well feel a little short-changed. A co-op mode is available both online and offline which adds a bit of extra value, and you’ll also get the game for free on your Vita should you happen to own one. All told, it’s a decent price for what is essentially a palate-cleanser of a game.
Gamescom 2012
+ Easy to get into and fun in co-op
+ Looks very shiny and lovely indeed
+ Dirt cheap price makes it a perfect stocking filler
Cons:
- Same old same old, not doing anything new
- Experienced gamers will race through it
- Play it once and you’ll soon forget about it
SPOnG Score: 6/10