Sony Announces New Ratchet, Jak, Sly Cooper

Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting a press release revealing third versions of the Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank series for PlayStation 2 are due out Fall 2004. The press release notes the "upcoming sequels will continue to push the boundaries as both teams incorporate revolutionary gameplay elements", although with only 12 months between iterations, either fast work or simultaneous development teams seem needed to really push the envelope. Elsewhere, a sneak peek at the next Official PlayStation Magazine reveals a follow-up to another Sony-published title, in the form of Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, the sequel to the underselling, but critically acclaimed late 2002 PS2 platformer.

Comments

2 part expect, 1 part X factor

[MMaestro]

Jak and Daxter as well as Ratchet and Clank were both expect to recieve sequels. They already had one before and they were both expect, so why not try it again? Expected.

But Sly Cooper? Never sold well, didn't have much marketing, and was certainly not noticed in the mainstream. Where did the idea for a sequel for this come from?

Well..

[hookedup]

One can only hope the commercials for this will be as creative and memorable as the ratchet and clank commercials.

What do you mean, don't get me started on FF?

[Inoshiro]

With the except of X and X-2, no Final Fantasy game has ever had a sequal. Each game that SquareEnix (and previously Squaresoft) put out under the name was a completely different RPG sharing only some character elements (moogles and chocobos, a character named Cid, etc).

To put it in perspective, Suikoden has more sequels than Final Fantasy as of Suikoden 3. Square just happened to label their projects worked on by their lead designers as "Final Fantasy" sort of like a label for a particular kind of RPG that Square's people felt were representitive of their best work.

So how, how in a talk about sequels, can you bag on FF, which has only 1 sequel to its name? At least go, "and don't get me started on X" in a series that is nothing but direct sequels, like the Mario games, or Madden football.

Re:Another Sequel

[CashCarSTAR]

On the other hand, why reinvent the wheel?

Game design is not about completly redoing everything each time out. It's about making small twists, little innovations that make a game more fun. At the same time, some point of reference is a good thing to make a game easier to get in to and learn how to play.

In the case of Ratchet and Clank:Going Commando, they added a ton of new weapons, a few extra game modes (a cool race mode and an even cooler space sim like Wing Commander). The story is NOT just a rehash either. Some of the cutscenes are downright hilarious.

The truth is that there's just not that many simple rehashes in the video game market, outside of expansion packs, of course. As technology has improved, the ability to innovate has gone up, and designers have chosen to make use of that ability, which is a very good thing.

Jak II was a disappointment

[Xian97]

compared to the original. I for one didn't like the darker theme and the addition of GTA style carjackings. I hope they bring back the style of Jak and Daxter for the next sequel. I completed the original 2 times, but got bored about halfway through Jak II.

On the other hand, Ratchet and Clank Going Commando was improved in almost every way - different puzzle types, the ability to import weapons from R&C, and more Giant Clank missions to name a few of the many improvements. I just completed it two weekends ago and I am ready and waiting for R&C3.

Apparently, publishers listen to the critics

[WebGangsta]

I was really glad that Sly Cooper made it to the "Greatest Hits" collection. I'm thrilled that a sequel is coming, as Sly was not only a reasonably well-done game (with a beautifully rendered graphic look), but it was different from the typical platformer in that you weren't trying to kill everything in sight. Plus, there was the speed mode. It really is a game deserving of all the critics praise, and I'm glad to see that game sales weren't a deciding factor in making a sequel. (Besides, we're all waiting for Kingdom Hearts 2 as well...)

Jak1 was great. I thought Jak2 was the sell-out and unnecessary sequel. While J2 was a better game technology-wise and play-wise (read "longer"), it didn't really server any purpose in advancing the title.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to seeing what R&C3 would do, after seeing the huge improvements made in the Commando title. I don't see a need for a 4th title in either series on the PS2 platform... although I would guess that if #3 is wildly successful that they'll try and sell #4 with the rollout of the PS3.

If Sony is handing out sequels...

[superultra]

...why not toss one ICO's way?