Topic: The PlayStation Fan Thread

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Finally managed to nab myself PS5, so thought I'd give some impressions of the console itself, as well as my first full game for the system - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

The PS5
I...have always had mixed feelings about this console. PlayStation has never been my go-to brand for gaming (usually that's Nintendo - though PSone was my first ever console), and in recent years I've been moving towards PC for most things that aren't on Switch (that said, I'm a big fan of some PS exclusives such as Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank - so would pick up a PS5 regardless). With consoles becoming ever-more-similar to both each other and PCs, and with diminishing returns on hardware evolution, I did wonder how the next gen systems could excite me. I managed to pick up an XBox Series S earlier in the year and - although I think it's a neat piece of hardware and I really appreciate the new suspend feature - it as always felt like no more than a hardware upgrade to me and, to be honest, I've barely touched the thing since.

Aesthetically, I did not like the design of the PS5 when it was revealed. We've all seen the memes - it just seemed a bit too outlandish and bulky a design to fit comfortably in my living room. That said, the look has really grown on me - and I can actually say I'm a fan now. Looking back, every PS design since the PS2 has been downright boring, and I appreciate that Sony have gone with something quite different this time around (particularly after a generation in which every company, including Nintendo, just released a black box. I had even more issues with the controller design at reveal. The contrasting white and black (black dungarees on a white shirt) just looked...off. That said, this has also grown on me. I appreciate that Sony have now released alternative colours but...to be honest, I prefer the white and black now.

Speaking of the controller...now that I have my hands on it, it has quite a bit more bulk to it than the Dualshock 4. This was offputting at first - Dualshock 4 was always my preferred controller over the Xbox controller last gen due to the slimmer design, and that was already larger than the Dualshock 3 before it. That said, I've become accustomed to the Dualsense now and will happily use it over the Dualshock 4. I received 2 Dualsenses with my console - and will have to say I'm a little disappointed with the quality control here. One of the controllers seems to have a slightly shallower square button, so it's missing a lot of the tactile feel to it - I'm not sure if this is significant enough a problem to get a refund, but it's something that is really noticeable to me as a gamer. This is disappointing as, in all my gaming history, I've never really had problems with controllers (not even joy-con drift, with Switch being my platform of choice for the past 4 years) - so to have something like this right out of the box came as quite the shock.

However, that said, the controller is the real star of the show here. There's not much to say here that hasn't already been said - but the rumble is insane. I've always kinda appreciated the HD rumble of the Switch but it wouldn't even come up in conversation as a selling point for me...but here, I'm constantly impressed by the rumble effected that the Dualsense is able to produce for a variety of different situations. Moreover, this is accentuated by the adaptive triggers.

UI-wise, things are pretty decent. I've always preferred the much simpler UI of Nintendo Switch to PS's and Xbox's more bloated counterparts. It did take a while to learn to navigate this UI - especially considering the different submenu that you get when pressing the PS button (previously this would just take you to the main menu). That said, everything is snappy and easy enough to find, and the in-game progress tracking / guide feature does seem pretty neat (even if I don't have PSPlus to make use of it). My one disappointment is that we don't have a suspend feature like Xbox - that would make this the definitive next-gen console for me.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with this hardware. Although PC is my go-to system for third-party games (which aren't on Switch), I'm even tempted to consider picking them up on PS5 for the controller support and the snappiness of the console itself. Sony have done a great job of making this console stand out from both Xbox and PC, and I'm quite happy that the legacy of consoles lives on.

Finally, a comment on Astro's Playroom. This is a neat tech demo that takes things a step further by creating a collectathon platformer around the Dualsense's features, peppering a number of PS legacy references around. And it's all free (I'm looking at you, 1-2-Switch...). This was pretty neat to get a feel for how the Dualsense works. That said...I felt like I'd seen everything after the first world, and haven't touched it since. Still a great freebie though.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

I picked this up as my first game - not only because it was the game I was most excited about for the PS5, but because of the timeliness in which I managed to get the console.

I'm quite a fan of Ratchet and Clank. Perhaps not my go-to platformer, but it's probably my most-played Sony franchise outside of Uncharted, and I've previously played the original trilogy, Size Matters, Tools of Destruction, and the PS4 remake/reboot. I find them all to be expertly-crafted and addictive experience, and, although the series has evolved over time, a quite consistently good series of games that doesn't change too much from one entry to another. The new rift mechanic looked pretty cool, but I did not expect this to revolutionise the series.

Based on this - I was a bit sceptical about the asking price of £70. £70 is a lot for any game - but as someone who has never paid more than £30 for a R&C game, and knowing how short they are, I was concerned that I wouldn't be getting my money's worth. As mentioned, I'm a Switch and PC over PS gamer as well, and I tend not to buy my PS games at full price so that was an additional shock for me. That said, I'm sure there are many people unwilling to pay full price for Nintendo releases which I do on a frequent basis...

Rift Apart is very much an evolution of its predecessors - everything good about the previous games is here: the unique worlds, the chaotic gunplay, the platforming. However there are two significant evolutions here: the cinematics, and the controls / general sense of movement. The first is rather simple to explain: this game feels like an interactive movie, and Insomniac have simply knocked it out of the part with respect to presentation and storytelling. Cutscenes are gorgeous and well-directed, and the in-game graphics look just as good. My only criticism here would be that maybe the game is lacking a bit in some of the humour of earlier titles...but it's humorous enough, I think, and I don't mind the game taking itself a bit more seriously at times for the sake of a greater overall story. Cutscenes are greatly enhanced by the Dualsense's enhanced rumble features, convincing me further that this rumble is the future for immersive gaming.

On the second: Ratchet and his new other-dimensional counterpart Rivet feel greater to control than ever. The rifts are much more of a gameplay gimmick than a revolutionary feature, but the ability to boost around and rapidly teleport through rifts during fast-paced combat and platforming adds so much fluidity to the experience - it can be truly breathtaking. The minute-to-minute gameplay is enhanced further by the Dualsense - not only is the weapon selection as diverse and creative as ever, but the adaptive triggers in combination with the control scheme ensure that each weapon feels truly unique.

A note on graphics and performance: absolutely flawless. Years of growing into a gaming enthusiast (particularly with the move to PC gaming), I've become more acutely aware of things like resolution and framerate...probably to my detriment, to be honest. But I must say, this game felt absolutely flawless in terms of graphics and performance. I chose the performance option with raytracing, and honestly never felt the need to experiment with other options. The visuals looked great on my 4k TV - supposedly the resolution falls somewhere in the range of 1080p and 1440p but honestly I thought it looked fantastic at all times. The performance was flawless - not once did I notice the game dropping below 60 fps, even in incredibly intense scenes with Ratchet launching dozens of projectiles at multiple enemies in all directions. Truly amazed by how well this game looks and performs.

Finally, a note on the new setting and characters: I absolutely adore Rivet as a counterpart to Ratchet and really hope that she appears in future entries. Same absolutely goes for Kit and...and even Emperor Nefarious, and Captain Quantum and...well, Insomniac just know how to write new characters. The dimensional rift concept opens up so many opportunities for the series and its setting and I can't wait to see where this series goes moving forward.

Bottom-line: this is a game that could not be done on anything other the PS5, which I'm really happy to see. The performance is remarkable and the controller in particular enhances the experience massively, and the rift mechanic was pretty cool if not mind-blowing. A definite must-have experience for the PS5 IMO.

Was it worth full price? Eh...hard to say. I'm happy I bought the game, but I certainly won't make a habit of buying PS5 games for £70...I simply can't afford it. That said, as my first true PS5 experience, and for such a fantastic game, I'm willing to settle on the price of admission for now.

If you have a PS5, go get this!