Graphics of new 'Ratchet & Clank' game rival look of movies

When one thinks of the leaders in computer animation, a few familiar film studios come to mind, namely DreamWorks and Pixar.

Traditional movie companies like Fox and Warner Bros. have also made successful forays into animated fare.

Video games, however, have rarely been known for the artistry of their animation, for two reasons.

First, while they almost inevitably fall short, most video games of any genre try to look realistic - realistic cars, realistic football players, even plausibly "realistic" dragons and aliens.

But what defines great animated characters like Mickey Mouse and Shrek is not any notion of realism, but rather an exaggerated yet unthreatening expressiveness. That is one reason so few of the classic animated characters are human: anthropomorphized animals give the artist much more creative leeway.

Just as important, in those cases when designers have gone for an animated look, technology has simply not allowed games to come anywhere near the fluidity, detail and depth possible in a noninteractive film. Not to mention that game companies often undermine even brilliant graphics with lackluster voice acting.

All that changed this month with the release of Insomniac Games' "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction" for Sony's PlayStation 3 console. The new "Ratchet" is a watershed for gaming because it provides the first interactive entertainment experience that truly feels like inhabiting a world-class animated film.

[MK_Red]

"The biggest problem with “Ratchet” is that at times it is so lushly compelling that you find yourself just staring at the screen, as if it were a movie, rather than actually playing the game.

But that is not a bad problem at all."
Good one. It's a really breath taking game. Both graphics and art direction are mindblowing.

[Danja]

I actually did that a few times..lol...

[gamesR4fun]

words dont do it justice its a breathtaking game.

[gamesR4fun]

still words really dont do it justice its a breathtaking game.

[Bathyj]

There nothing wrong with stopping to smell the roses occasionally. I'm all about details. Every texture or object in a game is a piece of art someone has created and because I recognize that maybe thats why I appreciate details more than some people. Often I'll stop and stare at a door and go WOW thats a really nice wood grain, or look at the moss on that rock.

I suppose alot of people dont notice things like this, but that just means its doing its job. Its when it looks wrong that it stands out and blends in when its right. Like a referee is a game, you dont notice him when he makes good calls.

[JsonHenry]

The game does have a damn good look to it, that is for sure.

[ngg12345]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007...

This is classic.

[snoop_dizzle]

they must of quoted the whole thing because at the beginning of the article on the kansascity.com web site it says its from SETH SCHIESEL
The New York Times.

But yeah im surprised they didn't write their own article.

[snoop_dizzle]

this game looked amazing, i don't think it was exactly pixar graphics, but sure as heck near it.

[Danja]

I agree..I don't think Console games will ever actually reach Pixar quality but this one came pretty close...

[HeartlesskizZ]

I think an R/C movie would be great =)

[WIIIS1]

Sorry, I'm still playing it and it is nowhere near Pixar. Some of the scenes are very well done, but some, like the animations of travelling from planet to planet, look somewhat similar to Metroid Prime - which is most definitely not Pixar-like to any extent. Get a grip on reality - games will never be near the level of big budget movie animations.

[cartman313]

@BS3 - The traveling to other planets is a fraction of the game and it doesn't really need to be amazing. The rest of the game looks like a Pixar film. It may not be exact but it is pretty damn close. And to say games will never reach that level is the most simple minded thing I have ever heard.

[texism]

@cartman

Actually, that is pretty reasonable.

By the time consoles reach Pixar graphics, Pixar graphics would have made another leap

[xplosneer]

I just reported this as a duplicate.... http://www.n4g.com/industry...
A repost of the NY Times preview.

Whatever.....Game's still pretty good.

[solidt12]

This game is very very pretty. Nothing looks this good.

[gamesblow]

Best looking game I've ever seen... Well, Uncharted is another breath taking game. It's colors, man. Gears looks amazing, but it doesn't have the colors. Anything can look highly detailed when you're only using brown and grey... Uncharted and R&C use more colors than a gay pride parade.

[kidrobot]

Reel Talk Homie! LMMFAO mo' ColorzZ Than A Gay Parade XD Bubble 2 U!!!

[allforcalisto]

ok ok ok enough of these ratchet topics; it looks amazing we get the picture.

jeez lol

cannot wait for next gen jak. the direction on ps2 was amazing, it had a very cinematic feel to it; the way the shots were directed and the animations during cutscenes

[Doppy]

I f you watch closely on the second video (Second or thrid) where the guy wlaks around Naughy Dog Studios, he takes you inside one of their offices and you see a lot of Jack posters, and models. Then he blocks the camera and says "We shouldn't be showing you this". If you look closely you can see a CG model of what looks to be Jak. Guess we'll be seeing another Jak in late 2008 or early 2009.

[wh0am1]

It's finally getting the attention it deserves!

[Close_Second]

...but to me even the first Toy Story looks better. In-game graphics on any system are nowhere near the quality of Pixar as yet. The biggest giveaway is still the number of polygons used to create environments and characters.

I think that the next generation of hardware will definitely close the gap considerably. This gen simply does not pack enough graphics RAM to even warrant such comparisons.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

If you look at Crysis or Killzone 2...I mean really LOOK at them...you'll see that it's definitely possible to get fluid animations JUST like a Pixar movie. I mean, look at Uncharted. If any console game gets close to an animated movie, it'll be that.

If Assassin's Creed has a short draw-distance though...I'll be mad! Even R:FOM had an incredible draw-distance...probably longer than any other FPS on consoles. R&C, HS, and Motorstorm ALL had HUGE draw-distances! The PS3 version of Oblivion did too! My rant here is that I REALLY hope draw-distance becomes an important part of gaming...because it's an important part of animation.

[Close_Second]

Good point about draw distances. Lets face it - to excel in one area consoles (and PCs) have to make a sacrifice in another area. If you want huge draw distances then expect lower poly counts or less texture detail or even worse, crappy framerates.

PC games will be the first to rival Pixar as they have a much shorter evolutionary cycle in terms of graphics abilities. It won't be too long before 1GB graphics cards become more mainstream. Consoles won't see this for at least another 4-5 years. The Playstation even longer.

I have taken a look at Killzone 2 and Crysis and although they look fantastic, I'll bet they don't even come close to the level of detail seen in the jungle chase on the Island in the Incredibles. However, as far as games go - they will both set new standards on their respective platforms. My only complaint so far with Killzone 2 is the high number of repeated textures in the game. Obviously due to memory restrictions. If only Sony had released the PS3 with 1GB of video RAM to compliment the inclusion of Blu-Ray.

[gerrard]

@ Close Second

The Ps3 or the P.C has nothing that comes close to Pixar yet. However on the Ps3 case this is only the beginning of what this console is capable of, the reason why I say this is because the RSX has access to both the main memory and the cell 6 core memory that hasn't been utilized yet so we're yet to see how the second or third generation games will turn out on the PS3 ( Naughty Dogs next Jak & Daxter for example)

As for the P.C (As soon as The Vista issues are resolved) we've yet to see what the DX10 and DX11 are capable of especially with more memory available by then. So watch this space.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Let's compare Uncharted to The Road to Eldorado...shall we?

haha...I just want to see side-by-side comparisons.

[snakeater3]

i just bought ratchet and clank and now i downloaded the uncharted demo (on a pal ps3) and its like ....OMFG!! .....its like playing the ps3 for the first time ...the same feeling you get when you see something truly next gen which pushes the boundaries of what u thought would be possible on a console .....im so happy ...i love you sony, i love you ken ...i love you ps3....hell im even gonna say ...i love you too xbox fanboys , i love you the mart and have a nice day mr bill gates ...lets all share the love :D

[Game Crazy]

But CGI-quality it is not. My 7 year old son saw it on the TV while it was paused, I told him it was a Blu-Ray movie, and he still thought it was a game. That being said this game is still very impressive. Games like this are a must have addition to any gaming library regardless of which console you own. I would praise this game just as much if it were on my 360. I think if Sony bundled this game with the PS3 instead of Spiderman 3 it would sell alot more consoles.

[gamesblow]

Of course he thought it was a game... When's the last time you paused a blu-ray movie and saw a map of the planet oyu were on and the options to which the game is linked to? Please, you made this up. You know it and I know it. R&C doesn't use static pause... They have an indicative pause on both settings. One brings up gadgets, the other options. So you're lying.

[SaMiR111]

ajajaja this new its so funy...ratchet its a toy story ...10 years ago

[sevanig]

Give Insomniac the shrek licence...

[tk]

Games will always be behind the latest Pixar graphics. Simply because they can render a scene using a supercomputer taking 5 minutes on a frame to get all the raytracing done.

But as far as games go - R&C - until Uncharted gets released seems to be the closest to a Pixar movie experience. It is all good. Don't nitpick and go into screen comparisons - we know the Pixar movie is higher resolution, deep color and all the goodness that comes with an animation movie. R&C is a game - and a damn good one. It is coming close to the look of movies, and all game fans - XB360, PS3 and Wii owners should rejoice that Insomniac and Naughty Dog is raising the bar.

[HowarthsNJ]

Much longer than five minutes to render a raytraced scene with fur/hair, reflections and refraction. Much much longer.

[Ignorant Fanboy]

But, I dont have a supercomputer.

[Xbox is the BEST]

the PS#3 is a supercomputer.

[clarkdef]

when a game is written properly. Unlike Heavenly Sword which has framerate probs the whole way through, if you would of given that game to Insomniac to finalize it would of been alot better.

But I love the demo the hasnt been released here yet. I cant wait.

[aba]

This game looks good but not as orgasmic as many of you are trying to make it sound. Team Fortress 2 anyone? Its the f**king Incredibles with guns, and it looks damn good. R&C looks great but its not revolutionary, so stop creaming your fanboy pants.

[g4n]

thats right, its at a nearly 20 y/o res of 1280x720.. or XGA... not that impressed with the graphics, or this silly game.. still beats the lolbox, but dam, its not ALL THAT. this is almost as bad as giving gaylo a 10...

[Lionsguard]

next stop, advent children quality graphics! Ah yes... that'll be the day! It's gonna happen sooner or later.

[LONEWOLF231]

Wait till MASS EFFECT get released!
That game looks better graphicwise!

[tk]

To those trying to downplay R&C and Uncharted: Be glad that we have titles like this pushing what we can expect this gen from games. Awesome! Hopefully Insomniac and Naughty Dog will release another bunch of high quality titles. They seem to have gotten their tools right very early on in this gen.

[xg-ei8ht]

I've seen mass effect in hd, in many videos and i'm sorry. I wasn't impressed at all.

[SacT0wnF1n3st]

<img border=0 src= http://www.yourfreeiphone.c... width=400 height=100>

[AIZEN SOZUKE]

ps3 can have a movie/game easily, the cell is what sony makes their movies, did you know that? if so, then movies are going to be old news compared to ps3

[weswedfert]

thats good but hey cod4 in my opinion has waaaay better graphics so shut up and play call of duty!!!

[texism]

hahhahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[IGNFTW]

1.UNCHARTED:DRAKES FORTUNE
2.GRAN TURISMO 5:PROLOGUE
3.RATCHET AND CLANK FUTURE:TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION
4.KILLZONE 2
5.CALL OF DUTY 4
6.UNREAL TOURNAMENT 3
7.METAL GEAR SOLID 4
8.MASS EFFECT
9.GEARS OF WAR
10.MOTORSTORM

HONORABLE MENTIONS: HEAVENLY SWORD,ACE COMBAT 6,LAIR,FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 3,FINAL FANTASY 13,PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 4.

[texism]

So...Mario gets an 11/10 and it's "OMG this is sooo stupid and ridiculous"

Someone says RC graphics rival the look of movies and it's " Yeah...well not really, but it's good enough that I can see why they say that."

How come you haters can't use the same reasoning with Mario?

Hypocritical f*cks