This week, I play 4 games from 2 different franchises from early last generation. One stands up quite well to the test of time. The other, well, doesn't. Read on!
Ratchet & Clank / Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
- Platform: PS2
- Release Date: 10/14/2002, 11/11/2003 (8 years behind!)
- Playthroughs: 1 each @ 12-14 hours
- I compare it to: Invader Zim possesses Spyro The Dragon
Ratchet & Clank is based on this extremely solid gameplay mechanic, and it's no mistake that the series is still running strong after all these years with only minor tweaks in each iteration. This simple yet excellent mechanic was expertly crafted by developer Insomniac, whose Spyro the Dragon games were also infinitely playable. Add to this formula excellent graphics (that still hold up pretty well), a vibrant pallette & art style, a quirky sense of humor (inspired by in part by Invader Zim, a personal favorite of mine), character progression, and all the guns you could possibly shoot, and you have the formula for a franchise that will go on for YEARS. And it has.
This isn't to say that Ratchet & Clank is perfect, especially in the early games. Platforming in three dimensions is very difficult to get right, and it took a long time for games to figure out exactly how to do it. I still hate falling to my death , just because the camera was awkwardly placed and I ran off the platform in the wrong direction. This and several other frustrations are exacerbated by the truly awful checkpoint spacing. There's nothing that makes me switch a game off faster than having to replay the last ten minutes of a tough level, simply because my character walked off a platform in the wrong direction. (To be fair, Going Commando tries to rectify this, but does so unevenly.)
The thing that kept me going through frustrations like this, though, is the sheer variety in the gameplay. Almost every level has a minigame, or rail segment, or something to mix it up. Some of these are great, others border on godawful. However, it's this willingness to experiment that keeps the series going strong, with each entry combining the old, rock solid core gameplay with new twists.
A quick note for those of you thinking about giving these a shot on a backwards compatible PS3: Don't. The framerate staggers to the point of unplayability, and slowdown occurs at the drop of a hat (or additional enemy). I actually got out my old PS2 to play this, and I recommend you do the same.
It's nice to be able to play a game for the first time almost a decade after its release and still really enjoy it. On the other hand.......
Max Payne / Max Payne 2
- Platform: Xbox
- Release Date: 12/11/2001, 12/1/2003 (9 years behind!)
- Playthroughs: See Below. (aka Let's Talk)
- I compare it to: Film Noir takes a Bullet Time turn for the stupid.
Max Payne was a game that came very highly recommended to me as a breakthrough in gameplay, graphics, and storytelling in video games. I played about 30 minutes of it on a friends laptop, liked what I saw, a didn't play it again until a little while ago. What did I think? Well.....
While many games age well thanks to solid core gameplay, Max Payne's gameplay shows its considerable age quite roughly, and to be honest, it isn't much fun to play nowadays. The camera is awful, I mean really, really bad, requiring constant babysitting, and sometimes even that doesn't help. It's also terribly obvious that the controls were designed for a mouse and keyboard, and not a controller, making the vaunted bullet time combat a very clunky and frustrating experience on a console.
Graphically, let's be fair and realize that this is an early Xbox game, and would have a hard time impressing anyone this generation. I can get past that. However, what I cannot forgive is the story. I was expecting a riveting neo-film noir story, a la Sin City. This game won a BAFTA award for writing, so I was expecting something more than what appears to be an attempt by freshman English majors to mash up Chandler and The Crow, and instead of being a classing video game mind bender, winds up being confusing and pretentious today.
I was having so little fun with Max Payne that I sent it back mid-way through the game, which as longtime readers know, is not something I do often, and never lightly. I was interested enough in the plot to look it up, (and was even disappointed by that) but not to suffer my way through the rest of the game. I sent off for Max Payne 2, just to give it a chance. The sequel, while prettier, suffers from the exact some gameplay and story issues. I quit after about an hour.
Max Payne 3 is coming sometime in the next year or two, and hopefully, with this generation's gameplay and storytelling advances, I may play it through to the end. As far as the first two, yes, I know some of you remember them fondly, but they just didn't age well. I really tried.
Next time! Prequel-icious!
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