E3 2015 - Ratchet & Clank (PS4) Preview

At Sony's E3 2015 booth, they showcased two separate demos for the upcoming Ratchet & Clank remake for PS4. Based off of the movie adaption of the same name, we managed to spend some time getting a feel for the title, and how the series will play on PS4.

One thing that was noticeable throughout our times in both demos is that the game is definitely a Ratchet & Clank game. It might be silly to say that, but crazy guns, bizarre enemies, and a comedic backdrop are part of both demos, including such actions as climbing up the side of a train car carrying a giant goldfish bowl with killer fish inside it and "testing out" the combat capabilities of the Snagglebeast.

Combat in the game is very, very similar to past games. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the gameplay is practically the same. Many classic weapons such as the Ion Bomb or the Groovitron return, alongside new weapons like the Pixelator. Of course, Ratchet's trusty Wrench returns as well.

Continuing on from the Ratchet & Clank Future series on PS3, this title takes the "pixar-like" graphics to the next level, to the point that it was very hard to tell the differences between some shots of the movie and the game. Much like Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, the title runs at 30 fps instead of the 60 fps that other titles in the franchise have run at in the past. Interestingly enough, it seems that certain cutscenes will be dynamic this time around, as when we detonated the train bomb, it actually detonated in the spot that we reached it, which was a bit later on in the level than the person that had played the demo ahead of us. Adding to that, parts of the level geometry next to the blast seemed to dynamically destruct, really deepening the demo's presentation.

What was noticeable about the graphics presentation is that there were some portions of the second demo (the fight with the Snagglebeast) that seemed to chug along a bit. These framerate drops were especially noticeable when a torrent of smaller enemies appeared halfway through the fight. Dips did occur during the first demo on the train, but they were much less noticeable. Of course, the title is still in a pre-release state, and there is no indication exactly how old the E3 build was, so there's little doubt that these fluctuations will be addressed before the game's launch later this year.

We'll keep you updated on this title as more information becomes available. As for now, it certainly seems to be living up to it's claim of playing a Pixar movie.