Hideo Kojima Tries Out PS4 Exclusive Knack, Writes a “Mini Review” With His Opinion

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is one of the most respected developers in Japan, and apparently today he visited Sony Computer Entertainment to try Mark Cerny’s PS4 exclusive Knack.

[NewMonday]

Kojima approves

[Kevlar009]

He thought it was alright (based on the few statements from the article, I mean I can't really confirm what he thought since I'm not him).

[minimur12]

Lmao, you never know with him.

But u think knack is more of a Japan centric game anyway. I'm not defending the fact that it got bad reviews but maybe the eastern audience was in mind when developing this. Marks a clever guy and would obviously know what region prefers what, trying to cater for all regions would be tough, and being as it's made my studio Japan they've probably all added that little bit of Japanese twist to it.

Anyway.... I liked the game, haven't finished it but it's pleasant.
My most played games are AC (50 hours) and also Don't Starve, with about 8 hours lol

[erathaol]

Its really just a mediocre game at best, a overdeveloped tech demo at worse. It has a lot of glaring issues but there is something to Knack that seems like it could of been a more interesting game.

Honestly, I wish someone sat down and redesigned a lot of the game to make it into something special.

Enemies shouldn't be able to kill the player so easily. The story had pretty good idea going for it but execution was a bit off. The voice work was actually good, especially Knack's choice for a voice.

Overall the game has a lot of limitations, as the fun part of Knack is him being huge but when you take that away from the player, the game gets boring. If only they expanded on Knack's abilities and made the level design more challenging, rather the enemies, I'm sure this game would of turned out to be a fun platformer.

As Sony has an unintentional history of releasing one good platformer around launch.

[Prime157]

Eratheol, I agree, it could have been designed differently [for the west]... the "killing the player too easily" was part of its true design in that we should pick an easier difficulty...

A good example is playing the hardest difficulty of spec ops: the line on fubar. I believe knack tried to bridge it in a way.

I honestly think it was designed to be that way to pertain to the platformers the west never truly accepted, while also trying to be the platformers we accepted. We are just now getting into the shoot em up and hard platformers.

Just my opinion.

[NewMonday]

@erathaol

the core of the game is dodging and timing, getting better at it made me enjoy the game, this is old school and the thing that made me love the game.

[abzdine]

Knack is amazing, screw the haters who hate for no reason. big variety in enemies, environment and the game is a 10+ hour not even Crash had that.

As he says the next gen feel is thin but graphically it's impressive!

Go get it stop listening to the media

[badz149]

@erathaol

Mediocre? No, but plain old school and challenging? Yeah it is. Button mashing your way through is not gonna work as you have to strategize. If you want challenge, Knack is gonna give you some just like how Demon Soul punishes players when it's totally their fault.

It's just like playing the retro Megaman games or Battletoads with group of enemies one after the other and reviewers judging it not for what it is, is pretty unfair IMO. It's like reviewing GT or Forza but complaining about no NOS.

[MetaReapre]

I agree with those that say its a mediocre game. And I like it, its not a great game by any means but to me its like a crash bandicoot game with less substance. Knack had the potential though, there were quite a few decesions that I would have saw another way to have it. Either way, Its cool that kojima enjoyed his time with it.

[Boody-Bandit]

I finally got around to playing Knack this past week. I enjoyed it so much I started over to find all the collectibles. It has an old school nostalgic feel to it that makes it extremely entertaining to me. That's what gaming is all about after all, entertainment.

[fenome]

I've been playing this game since I got my PS4, and I've really enjoyed it. Finally just unlocked Diamond Knack!

Now I'm anxiously waiting for the copy of Infamous Second Son Collectors Edition I got for my girlfriend's birthday to arrive at the door on March 21st. This year's gonna be epic!!

[ITPython]

@NewMonday - Exactly, you nailed it perfectly. I really liked Knack, and once I started to learn I couldn't just run into every situation full force and start smacking enemies, but rather had to learn their timing and properly use the dodging methods to attack them when they are most vulnerable, the game got a heck of a lot more fun for me.

Coming from games like R&C, it's easy to misunderstand how to play Knack. With a R&C game you just go in full boar and go nuts (thanks to the very fun and overpowered weapons). With Knack you actually have to plan things out and know when and how the enemy is going to move, shoot, and strike at you. Going running into a herd of enemies throwing your fists willy-nilly just doesn't work in Knack (well, you can pretty much do that when you are massive, but that is the exception). Knack plays more like a Ninja Gaiden game than it does an R&C game.

IMO Knack doesn't deserve the poor ratings it got. And I have a feeling it was rated lower because a lot of people just didn't know how to play it right. One thing I wish it elaborated on more was the mystery of the relics. But perhaps Knack 2 will cover that.

[abstractel]

I personally enjoyed Knack and for me, that's really all that matters. Not because I am selfish, but because some games are just not going to be liked by everyone. I actually even got a platinum, my first ever.

[showtimefolks]

Kojima stop playing games and finish MGS5 lol

but knack is a old school platformer like Crash and jak. Its not easy and you will die a lot, but once you figure it out its not as hard but still the game punished you

[moujahed]

It is done.

[hulk_bash1987]

I enjoyed it, not the best platformer by any means but that doesn't mean it was a bad game. I wouldn't mind a sequel being made to correct some of the originals short comings.

[Ps4Console]

Knack is such a rubbish game it's linear & so old school nothing new about the game it's a rip off stay clear .

[abzdine]

your post is also rubbish..
you don't like oldschool is your own opinion but respect at least those who do.

[cr33ping_death]

Knack make u cry did it?

[GentlemenRUs]

Must be a very late 90's/2000 baby(Not born in 80's-90's).

You don't understand this type of game and you never will ;)

[MysticStrummer]

Ah so old school is bad then? Was the game marketed as something new? The answer to both questions is no.

[3-4-5]

I like that he was fair and mentioned "The next generation feeling is a bit thin, but the art is an interesting attempt."

I'm glad he was honest.

I played it at a Gamestop for a bit and I did enjoy what I played, only for like 10 minutes though.

* It's = to being told you are going to a baseball game, only to be taken to a AA ball game instead of MLB.

It's still good baseball, just not what you expected.

[Ps4Console]

You have to be honest I'am not a follower like the rest on here they remind me of Sheep lol you must give an honest opinion if not your lying to your self & not only that to be a sheep is a bad thing look at all the dictators that we have seen in the world from people not speaking out & preferring to be sheep we must tell it how it is well in my book anyway hehe .

[Jazz4108]

The real question is what Sony payed him to promote this game in Japan? It said it was written to market on the side of the Japanese box. He has more to do with his time then promote a very mediocre game without payment .

[3-4-5]

He didn't have ALL good things to say about it, it's not like he was making stuff up.

[thehitman]

When they make Knack free on PS+ ill probably try it out.

[Abriael]

I may be wrong, but I'm quite sure it'll come soon. Probably for February or March, unless the metacritic score rule gets in the way.

Edit @admiralvic: you're probably right, even if I'm not sure about Driveclub anymore. I'd say we'll see Knack on PS+ soon enough. I doubt they'll wait til october.

[admiralvic]

"Probably for February or March, unless the metacritic score rule gets in the way."

Where in the world did you get that idea?

We already know Outlast is free in February and I sincerely doubt Sony will give us two PS4 games, much less a full retail title like Knack. As for March, Drive Club is said to release in "early 2014", so that would make sense and we already know DC is going to be free (in some capacity) with Plus.

If anything, I would say probably October.

@ Abriael

I only said October because I think Sony will probably continue with the digital titles for a while. We already know Secret Ponchos will be free with Plus (According to Polygon it will be in April http://www.polygon.com/2013... ) and there is still The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, which could be the May game ( "beyond half way" according to IGN http://www.ign.com/articles... ) and that would leave us with June, July, August and September. Out of the four, it might release in June just so they can announce it at E3, but that doesn't mean a more interesting game won't take its place.

[morganfell]

They will not make Knack free in the US the same month the PS4 launches in Japan.

[theshredded]

prepare for a beefy 30+size

[danny818]

Ur right ;( i need to get an external hard drive. Maybe 2 terabytes lol

[bobsmith]

wait couple more months for it to go on sale $20 first

[SkullBlade169]

This game gets more hate than it deserves imo. It's a fun 3D beat em up game.

The only thing that pisses me off about it really is once you start enjoying being a big giant you suddently get reduced back to a small size again for whatever reason lol

[kingrev]

Yeah I fell you right there: "Now I am fucking giant! one hit kill on you bitch!" 10 mins later "Yep back to been a fucking midget"

I had great fun with the game it was challenging enough and the story kept me interested to keep playing, considering the game was made in a year its pretty impressive but obviously the game could of had been improved in so many aspects that's why I hope there is a sequel.

[Studio-YaMi]

"I had great fun with the game"

Me too! :D

"obviously the game could of had been improved in so many aspects that's why I hope there is a sequel"

I really hope so,Knack imo deserved a sequel.

[Inception]

Already tried out Knack on some PS4 kiosk. Personally, i think the game really fun and quiet challenging, even for adult like me. In some event, somehow it has Crash Bandicoot vibe too.

[Auron]

I own knack and I don't hate it. its good but it just feels like there's not enough of something in that game.

[WeAreLegion]

I rather enjoy Knack. I'm on my seventh play through now. There's an active speedrun community for it. I'm in second for Normal mode. ;)

I'm actually going through it right now, punching up the dialogue. Cerny created a fun game, but the man just can't write dialogue.

[SynestheticRoar]

Hideo likes it, he really likes it.

[ziggurcat]

knack is really a much better game than most reviewers have let on. i played through it, i enjoyed it a lot. i'll play through it again, too.

[Cajun Chicken]

Don't mind the game myself. It's kind of like a kids God of War at times. Levels in caves with relics really remind me of precursor technology levels in Jak and Daxter.

Hideo's right though, there isn't much next gen shine except for the particle physics for Knack himself. I would say the PS3 Ratchets look on par with Knack, which is not what you expect for a launch title to show the graphical fidelity of a new console.

It makes a great Vita game with remote play though.

[grassyknoll]

One thing never mentioned about Knack is how hard it is. It's so difficult!

[HighResHero]

I honestly feel that's probably why a lot of reviewers gave it lower scores.

"OMG I died and then I had to start the level ALL OVER AGAIN. There wasn't any health regeneration or anything and I couldn't find a chest-high wall to hide behind. Taking off 35 points for not being nub-friendly enough for me."

[BattleTorn]

I'm nearly platinum'd the game, it can be really hard!

I love the game a lot

[MightyNoX]

I wouldn't mind if he does this sort of thing again.

[CLOUD1983]

Kojima focus on releasing Phantom Pain as soon as possible & stop playing games! :P

[beatled]

knack feels like a half-a$$ed attempt at best, like it was drawn up in a board room to fill that "must have for young kids" spot

a 1080p native ratchet and clank remake of going commando would have been better

hell, another sly cooper remake, anything

knack is not a TERRIBLE game, but it certainly isn't a good game either

fixed camera, clunky controls, last gen visuals, boring plot

a 5.5/10 at best

[imt558]

Quote :

knack is not a TERRIBLE game, but it certainly isn't a good game either

fixed camera, clunky controls, last gen visuals, boring plot

a 5.5/10 at best

Bullshit!

I finished Knack on Normal. 12 hours for SP campaign. On Hard game is really challenging. Who loved Crahsh, definitely will love Knack. Crash doesn't have great story, but is great platformer. When a great story in platformer was important anyway? Controling Knack is pretty fluid and responsive and this video is a proof ( my video ):

https://www.facebook.com/ph...

Too bad for a fixed camera.

[Studio-YaMi]

You should use the "DASH" more often bro,nice gameplay video btw! xD

Also,WELL SAID! :D

[windblowsagain]

You lost me at last gen visuals.

Not sure what games you've been playing.

Or are you trying to compare to BF3,4,CRYSIS.

Yeah totally different art style.

As good as some games look, look at bit closer, textures are so so.

Knacks not perfect. But it's fun.

[jay2]

I like knack makes such a chance from cod 100000 bf 4000000 and kill zone 4000000

[Gamer-40]

Knack terrible design game, it is a ridiculous concept.

Jak and Daxter and Crash Bandicoot cool. Knack g-ay.

[from the beach]

Not exactly a glowing review.. at least he's nice about it.

[TristanPR77]

Interesting that Knack sold more than any other xbone exclusive game. It may not be a triple A game but it is not bad as some reviews wanted to point out.

[andibandit]

They count knack ps4 bundles as sold, so Not really that interesting

[TristanPR77]

That's just a low excuse that doesn't change the fact that Knack sold more than any other xbone exclusive.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

I actually really enjoyed Knack. Fun, challenging platformer. Hoping for a sequel.

[Chrisgamerguy]

dead rising 3 is better

[hazardman]

DR3 is a good game, but who cares right now as we talking Knack here dude!!

[MysticStrummer]

Knack and DR3… what a great couple of games to compare! You make perfect sense!

/s

[hazardman]

Im enjoying knack aswell with my girls. Funny I didnt give it a chance after all the reviews. I bought anyway as it was the only game I didnt try on PS4. So far 3 out of 5 stars.

[sprinterboy]

I enjoyed the game, my only disapointment is with the frame drops during heavy scenes and there has been no updates improving on this

[redcar121]

Knack is not old school sorry to tell you

[mediate-this]

Knack suffers from lack of innovation, altough the atpry is alright the gameplay for me is what set it back. Its not challenging in the least, rinse and repeat enemies, its a bad tech demo. I think if they made it more open, gave knack a few more controls, would be a better game.

[e-p-ayeaH]

Kojima was pretty subtle on his choice of words haha i can tell he wasnt too pleased with the game.

[Mister_Dawg]

Don't care what he says, good or bad, about Knack. It's his personal opinion, of which he is entitled to.

[CrossingEden]

Knack has some of the worst writing i've ever seen in a video game. I know it's supposed to be a kid's game but with shows like adventure time and films like rise of the guardians or brave challenging children and actually making them think and see the underlying plots below the pretty colors it really stands out as a terribly written plot. Like the setup for the katrina boss fight, why would a person in a giant mech be hanging on a rope instead of using the jetpack that's clearly on the back of the mech, which apparently has unlimited fuel because when the rope gets cut, instead of taking the artifact and flying away, she hovers in the air and tries fighting knack. SO not only do we get bland gameplay with an unstable framerate, we also get a terrible plot. Oh but at least it's 1080p right gais? Oh wait, in order to achieve that they sacrificed the framerate and have destructible objects and enemies disappear into thin air ASAP when they hit the ground, like buildings with giant cracks in them, (cause you know, players are too stupid and without the giant cracks in the buildings we would've never figured out how to progress).

[kenshiro100]

In other words, you never played it.

[GUYwhoPLAYSvideoGAME]

AWESOOOOOOMMMEEE!!!!, I'M SO EXCITED TO READ THIS

[-Gespenst-]

Knack is just Crash Bandicoot with the soul ripped out. Half-assed story, lame super broad dreamworks-esque / disney-pixar presentation, terrible art direction for the environments, repetitive uninteresting gameplay. I mean even the guys at Sony didn't think it would be great.

People bought the game because it was one of only a couple of launch titles on the PS4. All the hysterical advertising for next-gen made everyone desperate to experience it (even though it's not really that big a deal), and so mass-purchasing of Knack was a foregone conclusion.

The fact that it did better than Super Mario 3D World has absolutely NOTHING to do with its quality. It's all advertising, corporately obliged previews, and the general over-excitement around next-gen.

[imt558]

Developer Mark Cerny said before Knack came out that this game IS NOT TECHNICAL SHOWCASE for PS4.

Quote :

repetitive uninteresting gameplay

Sure, sure. Did you find all crystals and gadgets?

[-Gespenst-]

It doesn't matter that it wasn't supposed to be a technical showcase for the Ps4, the fact that it was among the first few available Ps4 games was enough - people wanted a taste of next gen asap.

"Finding all the crystals and gadgets?" Hmmm, sounds like repetitive uninteresting gameplay to me. I'm more talking about the linear, bland level design and the boring combat. Yahtzee kind of sums up quite well why it sucks.

People need to forget about all the next-gen rhetoric and just accept that it's a super mediocre game. I'm sure there'll be better game's in the future, but seriously, forget Knack.

[imt558]

Quote :

"Finding all the crystals and gadgets?" Hmmm, sounds like repetitive uninteresting gameplay to me. I'm more talking about the linear, bland level design and the boring combat. Yahtzee kind of sums up quite well why it sucks.

Crash is linear game too. So, what's the problem? Sure, searching secret ways and find all crystals and gadgets is repetitive.

[clouds5]

I would say Wonderful 101 is better in every way except graphics.

[Ozmoses]

I'll pick up Knack when the price drops..

I'm gonna pick and choose carefully with the PS4 games and keep an eye out on the install size.

I don't like messing with my consoles I just purchase them and play them. So I'm sticking to the standard HDD.

39 GB for BF4 and Killzone is rough.. I can only hope developers can find improvements that bring games down to like 25GB

[GrandpaSnake]

haha kojima just took a dump on all these reviewers haha yes

[Tzuno]

ok so a Japanese guy tries to make you buy a product that can bring money to japan in many ways. wow do people fall for this kind of marketing crap? lol

[tweet75]

super mario 3d world blows knack away....nintendo won holiday 2013 game wise the best games that came out during the season even though they werent the best selling

[Gabenbrah]

Knack was pure garbage, easily one of the worst games this year.