Why does Sony so cautious about the Chinese version of "Ratchet & Clank" for PS4, even conducting a closed-door test?

There have been many reports that Uncharted 4 will be released in China, and I believe that many players have started counting the change in their wallets. Of course, for players, Drake's story is definitely a focus. Speaking of storytelling, this may be the forte of Japanese games, but looking at the development in recent years, there is a trend of being caught up and surpassed by European and American style games.

As Sony's first-party studio, Insomniac has also started its storytelling journey. After accompanying us for 12 years, its ACT masterpiece "Ratchet & Clank" has finally ushered in a new work after re-decorating the original game and adding innovative content. Of course, the story this time will not disappoint everyone.

Before the global simultaneous release on April 12, including in China, we received an invitation from Sony to conduct a closed-door test of this blockbuster that will soon be released in China.

Japanese manufacturers are not the only ones who can tell stories

If European and American style games give people the impression that the game is rich in content and highly playable, then "Ratchet & Clank" is somewhat unique. Although the gameplay and style are both biased towards European and American games, in terms of narrative, "Ratchet & Clank" is exactly like a Japanese manufacturer.

Although it is not like "Quantum Break" which "buy the game and get a live-action American TV series", "buy the game and get an animated movie" is not an exaggeration at all. Most games at this stage use rendering and other special effects to produce CG and cutscenes, but "Ratchet & Clank" uses movie content for editing (although the "Ratchet & Clank" movie is nearly half a year away, we can get a taste of it in the game in advance, after all, the content is still the same).

In the process of interweaving the movie and the game, even if you have not played the old version of this game, you can clearly understand what story the game tells after playing it. Although it uses the content of the original PS2 version of the game, it is different from the remake. At least Insomniac has done a good job in connecting the content. Of course, this is also different from the cheating behavior of "The Order 1886" using CG as a chapter.

However, even if you skip the plot, it will not have much impact on the game. Apart from the lack of the annoying dialog boxes in Japanese RPGs, there will be occasional texts inserted in the game process to understand the development of the story. What's more, the mission objectives in the levels are always reminding players to show personal heroism.

Especially with a fluffy creature + a super cute robot as the protagonists, this might be better than watching "Zootopia".

Old wine in a new bottle? No, this is a new game

Although to outsiders, this game is a remake of the original PS2 game and feels quite similar to a remastered version, a discerning person can find that although it claims to be a retelling of the story of the original game, the game content is completely different. The content that portrays the plot from a completely new perspective is completely different from the original game (although the protagonist is the same).

For those European and American style games, the outstanding performance of gameplay is indeed unique, at least like another sci-fi action game "Transformers" released in China, the story plot does not account for a large proportion of the whole process, and the focus is on the combat content. Similarly, although "Ratchet & Clank" runs through a lot of movie plots in the game, it is still not inferior in terms of gameplay.

Of course, this game is not that big. After all, a game like Microsoft's Halo, which is 60G, is a bit too big for Chery & Clank. The game is very straightforward in the main storyline, and the map is also very clear and easy to understand. Even if there are side quests, they are pitifully few, but it does not mean that this game is short.

This game, which is hailed as one of SCE's three major action games, has some minor "flaws" in the latest version. ACT is almost gone. Although close combat with a wrench still exists, most of the content is based on TPS content, shooting, hiding in cover, and shooting again. At the same time, the unique and diverse combat weapons make the sci-fi style of this game more prominent.

Interesting yet powerful enemies, mini-games interspersed throughout the levels, intense space battles, and even car climbing and speed racing all take the richness of this game to a higher level. What's more, the multi-branching weapon upgrade system also gives players the choice of different combat methods (even if they will all be maxed out in the end, the combat styles of different players can be highlighted in the early stages).

Of course, each generation of "Ratchet & Clank" has unique and powerful weapons. These weapons themselves are very creative settings, which also increases the player's emotional level of the game.

Conclusion : The global simultaneous release of "Ratchet & Clank" is definitely exciting news for the Chinese version. From last year's first globally synchronized "Gravity Rush" to today's "Ratchet & Clank", the achievements brought by the Chinese version of PS4 are undoubtedly gratifying.

On the other hand, under the strict review mechanism of the Chinese version, Sony seems to have a more creative way to deal with it. In the past year, although games like "Bloodborne" and "Call of Duty" still cannot pass the review to enter the country, there are still games like "Driveclub", "Ratchet & Clank" and "Journey" that enter the country indirectly. Even if there is still some gap with the international 3A masterpieces, the richness of the variety still arouses the purchasing desire of many players. In contrast, for the Chinese version of Xbox One, I can only express my embarrassment with "haha".

At the same time, for the Chinese version of the PS4 that has undergone two global synchronizations, can we also look forward to the global simultaneous release of "Uncharted 4" on May 10? After all, the exposure of the Chinese version of the PS4's promotional video and related documents also gave players hope worth looking forward to.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.