PS3 Backlog: Ratchet & Clank

[Dreamliner330]

I have a gigantic backlog of titles and I am finally starting to work through them. I have about a dozen unplayed PS3 games, a small handful of PS4 games and 2 PS5 games. My PS4 Pro broke so I got rid of it and am waiting for a PS5 Pro, in the mean time, I want to clear out my PS3 backlog.

I've never played a full Ratchet & Clank game. I own the 2016 PS4 Ratchet & Clank but it is unplayed. I bought it because I do like platformers (big soft spot for Mario). With rare exception, I am not an overly huge fan of RPG elements in games. I hardly do multiplayer and I mainly like campaigns FPS like COD, Killzone, Halo and also games like Uncharted, Infamous, Crash Bandicoot, etc. I also highly enjoy the uplifting nature of first-party Nintendo games so I have a lot them, like Mario, Kirby, Captain Toad, Yoshi, etc. I do have a lot of Zelda games but haven't gotten though one completely yet (again, the RPG elements and I got stuck somewhere).

I borrowed an Xbox 360 & One X to play Halo but every other game I like is on PlayStation or Nintendo (and PC of course).


I was going through the downloaded demos saved on my PS3 and noticed I had a demo for Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (Krell Canyon). I played this demo and like it but didn't love it. I tried playing it a few times and had trouble with the weapons mechanics, this could be a learning curve but I'm a bit concerned that if I didn't LOVE the demo then I may not like the series. I know after playing a demo of Pikman on the Wii U, I was 100% certain I wanted nothing to do with that game, for example. I also tried the demo for LittleBigPlanet on the PS3 and had a hard time with those controls too but I want to give that another try.

After watching some videos, I see that the 2016 PS4 Ratchet & Clank is a cut down "reimagining/remaster" of the original with 'questionable' changes. It seems like most OG fans of the series do not like it but it looks pretty good from my perspective and tend to be a fan of HD remasters, in general.

I was thinking about picking up some of the PS3 versions and came to the conclusion that a good set would be: HD Remaster Collection, Tools of Destruction, A Crack in Time and Into the Nexus.

I'm also wondering if these will get remade for the PS5, so perhaps I'm better off just waiting? Rift Apart looks amazing, so I'm sure I'll pick that up eventually.

As the PS3 gets older, I am concerned about not being able to get good condition copies of games at reasonable prices, but I also don't want to buy them if they will get PS5 remasters or if I will not like them, obviously. I also don't know if I'd want to replay the original if I play though the 2016 one (vice versa of course, but the graphics are so much better on the 2016 one).

I can usually tell within a few seconds if I will like a game, the 2016 one looks great from videos which is why I bought it. The PS3 ones look good too, but I struggle a bit with the controls.




TLDR: I'm working through unplaced PS3 games and don't know if I will like Ratchet & Clank games. I liked but was frustrated with the controls of the Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (Krell Canyon) PS3 demo and own the 2016 PS4 Ratchet & Clank (but no PS4). Should I buy Ratchet & Clank PS3 games while prices seem reasonable or hold off until I play the PS4 version I own?