Second Runner Up: Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and Clank was one of those games that everyone was sure would be just “okay.” Remasters can be found a dime a dozen ever since the dawning of the current generation, with developers looking to the past to keep fans in the present, content. We’ve seen so many older games get new textures, remastered music, and maybe a special feature here and there, but they’ve generally been exactly as we remembered them, only slightly prettier. Insomniac had no plans to follow the status quo, and instead gave us not only one of the best do-overs we’ve ever seen, but what is easily among the best games of the year.
Ratchet and Clank brought fans the same adventure of the heroic duo’s first outing, but redid everything to give it a Pixar-esque look that was just magical to look at. Seeing the fur of everyone’s favorite Lombax shift with the wind on the PS4, watching beautifully colored explosions, and witnessing tons of nuts and bolts whiz around the air as you collect them all without the PS4 breaking a sweat was truly breathtaking. Plus, the game was fun as heck and able to be enjoyed by players of any age.
While many of the other large titles on Sony’s home console were focused on huge set-pieces and more mature themes, it was nice to see one of their exclusives stand out so much from the crowd. It’s a colorful, chaotic adventure that hits all the nostalgia feels while still being something very new. If you haven’t checked it out just yet, you owe it to yourself to play Ratchet and Clank.
