Knack
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Sony is shutting down Knack and 'The Last Guardian' developer Japan Studio
It looks like Sony is shuttering its oldest in-house developer.
Killzone, Knack and other PS4 game deals at Best Buy
A $60 game is an expensive proposition, but you knock $20 off the price and things get tempting. Best Buy is looking to do just that with a PS4 launch game sale and is offering up Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall for $40, with free shipping on all orders over $25. Best Buy is also knocking some ducats off Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 (both the Standard and Limited editions) and Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition. All of these games are available for $50 with free shipping. While we'd have a hard time suggesting Knack for any price, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a tempting deal. In our review, we said Killzone: Shadow Fall has some interesting sci-fi moments but is ultimately a game residing on "the border between good and great."
Sony president undaunted by 'mixed' PS4 reviews
The past few days have delivered a flood of PlayStation 4 launch game reviews, many of which have been less than flattering. Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida remains unfazed. "Yeah, it's disappointing to see some of the low scores," Yoshida admitted in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. "I haven't spent enough time reading reviews, but I would characterize them as mixed," he added optimistically. In an attempt to partially explain away the lower-than-expected review scores, Yoshida cites an overworked games media. "[W]ith this launch there are lots of games coming out, so the media must be very busy going through the games quickly, and especially since the online functionality wasn't ready until in the last couple days. So we have to look at how much time they spend on what aspect of the games and how that may be contributing to some of the lower scores." "It's disappointing but I don't think it's worrisome for the launch of the system," he added. Finally, Yoshida offers a personal defense of his company's offerings. "I've played through all of our games, Killzone, Knack and Resogun, and I totally enjoyed playing through these games. I'm now on my second run of Knack and Resogun at a higher difficulty - these games really grow on you when you play more," Yoshida said. "I'm very confident that once you purchase these games and play, you'll be happy that you've done so."
48 hours with the PlayStation 4: gaming and first impressions
The PlayStation 4 is fast. The DualShock 4 is the best gamepad Sony's ever created. In 48 hours spent using the PS4 without its extremely comprehensive Day One patch, there are only so many feelings to feel about Sony's latest game console. We are in such a position this morning, having spent the past two days locked away in Engadget's Brooklyn office kicking The Playroom's AR bots around and shooting Helghast with the new DualShock 4. For reviewers, the 1.50 PS4 firmware patch went live last night around 7PM ET (at least for us in NYC). As such, we're planning a comprehensive review of the post-update console ahead of this Friday's launch. Stay tuned! What you'll find below, however, are our impressions of the PlayStation 4's most important feature: its ability to play games.
Knack review: 32-bit hero
We're rolling out PlayStation 4 review coverage all the way through the launch on Nov. 15. Check out more coverage here! Knack is a sentient golem magically drawn together from shiny bits, baubles and two thick eyebrows. Each part of Knack's body, whether it's a hand, leg or his bell-shaped head, is made out of mined relics, which in his world are also used to power cartoonish cars, airplanes and generators. A real-world equivalent to Knack and his physical composition, then, would be a creature made entirely of some other combustible, unearthed fuel – like coal. This should give you some idea as to what kind of message this PS4 game will send as a Christmas gift. Knack's pleasant wrapping is deceptive, and sadly indicative of how far its good intentions diverge from the execution. It shines in the opening, in which Knack walks through a series of test rooms, demonstrating his pugilistic prowess against adorable, antagonistic Roombas. His inventor, Dr. Vargas, narrates as you play, explaining how Knack can increase his size if he gathers more relics, or blast his parts out in a destructive whirlwind. Sure, the laboratory is utterly sterile, nothing more than a series of squares, cordoned off until you smash a handful of enemies and move on. But it works as an introduction, and you sense greater possibilities waiting just outside the bare walls of this tutorial.
PS4 disc install trials: Knack playable in seconds, Killzone under 3 minutes
At a New York event yesterday, Sony demonstrated install speeds - the time from the point the disc is inserted, install is initiated and play can begin - for retail versions of two PS4 launch games: Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall Knack, the action-adventure game from PS4 architect Mark Cerny, will take only tens of seconds before play can begin after priming the installation, Kotaku reports. Killzone: Shadow Fall will take a bit longer to reach play, Polygon reports, because there is an unskippable introduction movie and mandatory profile set-up. Guerrilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst told Polygon it takes under three minutes total to get into gameplay. Sony outlined the launch limitations of its PS4 console last month. All retail PS4 games will have to install data to the console's 500GB hard drive, which can be manually swapped out should the need for more space arise. The PS4 won't let users store data on an external hard drive or memory stick.
Here's how Knack's two-player co-op works
PS4 launch title Knack will feature local co-op support, allowing another player to jump in and control titular hero Knack's companion and helper, Robo Knack. Using a DualShock 4 controller or Remote Play through a PS Vita, this second player can use Robo Knack to pummel baddies or support Knack by hooking him up with spare parts - basically health - when he's running low. Knack, which is developed by Sony's Japan Studio and directed by PS4 architect Mark Cerny, will be available at the PS4's launch on November 15. The action-platformer centers around a Katamari-like creature known as Knack, who grows in size as he gathers objects known as Relics.
Unlock Knack items (eventually) in free iOS match-3 game, out now
It'd be a stretch to say Knack's Quest gives you a taste of PS4 launch game Knack, but the iOS companion game is free and out now on the App Store. I played it briefly this morning on my iPhone 5, and it looked to be an inoffensive Bejeweled-like. So what's the kicker? Well, as you progress through the iOS game you unlock various parts of items, just as you do in the PS4 game. Find all the constituent parts and you unlock that item, which you'll then be able to "send" to Knack in the PS4 game itself. That functionality isn't built into the iOS game yet, not that it'd be much use without the console or its game. As for the PS4 game, I enjoyed my time at E3 with Mark Cerny's action-adventure. Much like its iOS sibling, I found it pretty easy to get the knack of Knack, and it should be one of the more accessible PS4 launch games, albeit on the lower difficulties. Knack is one of 17 games confirmed for to be available when the PS4 launches next week on November 15, with the console priced at $400.
PS4 games can now be pre-ordered from your PS3
Sony has begun rolling out next-gen software pre-orders on the PSN and SEN stores, beginning with PS4 launch titles Knack and Warframe. This allows the current-gen PS3 to help pave the way for the upcoming PS4, kind of like an older sibling putting up wallpaper in a nursery to prepare for their new baby brother. D'aww. Users who log onto the PS3's version of the PlayStation Store can find the games by scrolling down to the "PS4 Preview" menu. Knack is listed at $59.99, while Warframe is free. Pre-odering a free-to-play game might seem strange, but doing so will net you in-game money and an exclusive weapon skin. These downloads will be ready to install on launch day for the PS4.
Sony now lets you pre-order PS4 games from your PlayStation 3
Sony wants to make it easier for US PlayStation 3 owners to get themselves ready for the launch of its next-gen console next month. Earlier today, the company rolled out an update for the aging console that makes PlayStation 4 games available to pre-order through the PlayStation Store. The first two digital titles available are SCE Japan Studio's Knack, which comes in at $60, and the free-to-play multiplayer shooter Warframe. Although we'd question the need to pre-anything free titles, gamers can simply power on their new PlayStation 4 on November 15th and find them ready to play. There's no word on whether Sony will add more titles but we hope those "significantly discounted" upgrades for PlayStation 4 games are made available ahead of launch day.
Ueda: Puppeteer and Knack 'taking priority' over The Last Guardian
In the "nothing has changed" category of news, The Last Guardian is still in development. In fact, it's "under earnest development," Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda told Famitsu. To help explain the game's constant absence from industry events, Ueda noted that SCE Japan Studio has other projects like Puppeteer and Knack that are "taking priority right now." The Last Guardian was first announced at E3 2009 during Sony's keynote, then received a "holiday 2011" release window before it was unceremoniously delayed and Team Ico was shuffled in with SCE Japan Studio. Sony confirmed Ueda's departure from the company in December 2011, though Ueda reaffirmed that The Last Guardian was under his creative supervision as of February, as he remained committed to finishing the game as part of his contract. Sony CEO Jack Tretton said the game was "on hiatus" in June.
Knack features local co-op built with younger players in mind
Knack includes a local co-op mode that should, according to game creator and system architect Mark Cerny, help kids around 5 to 7 years old play the PS4 launch game. At Gamescom, Cerny showed us a brief demonstration of the same-screen mode, in which a second player controls a robot version of Knack who provides support for the first player. Like Knack himself, the silver robo-Knack can combat and defeat enemies to grab their parts and grow bigger. The difference is that when Knack gets hurt and becomes smaller and weaker, robot Knack can donate his parts to the damaged Knack. Cerny noted that the two-player mode allows a parent to jump in and help his seven-year old child playing as the main Knack, and for a younger player like a five-year old to play as robot Knack without harming the overall experience. "Progress is gated by what Knack does," said Cerny, indicating the second player won't hinder the first player as he or she progresses through the campaign. Cerny wants Knack to be an inclusive, family-orientated game; he previously showed how developer Japan Studio built a giant DualShock to help its developers see how it would be to be an 8-year-old holding the controller. Knack will be one of the games available on the PS4's launch day, November 15 in North America and November 29 in Europe.
Gamescom trailers and screenshots giga-post
Psst, hey kid. You want some ... trailers? How about some Gamescom trailers? C'mere for a second. Yeah that's right, we got all kinds of trailers. Murasaki Baby, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Resogun, Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, pretty much any kind of trailer you wanna put in your eyeballs, we can hook it up. Hey, and you know what? Since you seem like a nice kid, we're gonna throw in some screenshots too. Oh no, put your wallet away – the first one's free.
Giant DualShock helped make Knack accessible to kids, taught design lessons
Sony made the PS4 launch game Knack more accessible to children by creating a super-sized DualShock to playtest, with the core concept being to make developers feel like an 8-year old holding the controller. In a keynote speech at the UK's Develop conference today, PS4 system architect Mark Cerny touched again on how he wanted the colorful platformer-brawler to appeal to both experienced and younger, newer players. Cerny described his aim for Knack is as an "on-ramp to the world of console gaming," but found through playtests that similar games with mascot-like heroes were often inaccessible to their target audiences. Cerny said Sony's research showed 8-year-olds had difficulty with those games' control schemes, but not because of their complexity. Instead, the size of the controller was the problem. "So as part of our design process we ended up making a giant controller, 50 percent larger than usual, so that we could directly experience what it feels like to be a child playing a game," Cerny said. "And we immediately understood that the shoulder buttons are simply out of reach for the typical 8-year old, but that all the face buttons can be used by an 8-year-old." Playing Knack at E3, we found the control scheme limited to a few face buttons, sometimes in combination, and the two analog sticks. We can't speak for 8-year-olds, but the limited controls made it easy for us to pick up and enjoy the game. While we didn't check out the harder difficulty, Cerny said he feels Knack has appeal there for old-school players too. [Image Source: @yosp]
Knack influenced by God of War, says PS4 architect Mark Cerny
PlayStation 4 system architect Mark Cerny discusses the console's upcoming launch title Knack in a recent interview at PlayStation Blog, revealing that the project aims for international appeal among both the casual and hardcore crowds. Continuing a decade-spanning career in which he designed games ranging from Marble Madness to Ratchet and Clank, Cerny currently serves as Knack's director and lead designer. He notes that Knack will feature multiple difficulty settings, in an effort to court veteran game players. "We are definitely speaking to the nostalgia that people feel for the play experiences of the past," Cerny said. "If you play this game on the hard difficulty setting it will definitely challenge you. And the control scheme is on the simpler side but you'll need really think about how best to use it." Cerny cites numerous influences for Knack's gameplay, hinting that Crash Bandicoot and God of War fans may find a lot to like in the finished product. "The way I look at it – there's a bit of Crash Bandicoot in there, a bit of Katamari Damacy, which is a game I love and must have bought three or four times over the years," he explains. "And there's a bit of God of War too. You can see that game's influence on Knack – especially in the control set, where the right stick is the dodge." While Knack is developed by Sony's Japan Studio, Cerny mentions that the game was specifically designed for worldwide audiences. "The original concept was 'let's make an international title,'" he recalls. "The problem is that if you have a mascot, that mascot is going to be immediately identifiable as a Japanese mascot, or a US mascot, or whatever. "Our way to get around that was to make the character an effect, so the first question was 'what sort of effect should he be?' We came up with the idea that he would pick up things in the environment and get bigger, and a year or so later Knack was born." Knack will be available when the PlayStation 4 launches later this year.
Getting the Knack of the PS4's family-friendly launch game
There's been a lot of talk about the unique advantage Knack has because its director is Mark Cerny, the PS4's lead architect. When the launch game was first shown at the console's reveal, the focus was on the many moving parts of Knack himself. At E3, producer Yusuke Watanabe told me Knack can be made up of anything between 70 and 5000 parts, and can grow to as much as 30 ft tall. It was impressive to see the power of the hardware, but what grabbed my attention with Knack is how easy it was to pick up and enjoy the game, at least for the brief time I had with it. The controls were simple: a jump button, one major attack button for brawling the goblin enemies, another button for bonus attack moves, and finally dodging with the right stick. There were some combinations, like dodging then attacking, jump attacks, and three two-button combos involving the bonus attack button, but I didn't see anything more complicated than that. The attacks themselves looked great, with Knack's parts flying around he swiped, rolled, and most pleasingly blew up. The game's environments were similarly welcoming. I played through four levels, two set in a city, one in an ice cavern, and another in what looked like a palace. Each one was lit with a warmth and depth reminiscent of a Pixar movie - and Watanabe noted Pixar as one of the inspirations for Knack. %Gallery-191361%
PS4 media blowout: Driveclub, Knack, Infamous Second Son and more
Sony's lengthy E3 press conference was riddled with lots of game trailers - so many that we have to pile some of them into this little post for your viewing pleasure. While you take a quick break from your freak-out session over the PlayStation 4's $399 price tag, check out this trailer for Infamous: Second Son. Additionally, you'll find the likes of Driveclub, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Knack, Watch Dogs, Transistor and Batman: Arkham Origins after the break, each in trailer form. Grab some popcorn, you have plenty of footage to soak in.
Mark Cerny really has a Knack for making PS4 game trailers
Mark Cerny, AIAS Hall of Famer and lead on the PlayStation 4's hardware, is directing Knack for Sony's new console, and so far it looks a little something like this. Cerny also showed off Knack running on the Vita via remote play.
Mark Cerny directing Knack for PS4
Mark Cerny isn't just the lead on PS4 hardware. The Marble Madness creator is also directing the first announced game for the hardware, Knack, about a robot made of an assemblage of junk, fighting goblins.It's cartoony and features some combat, some stealth, and big junkbot punches. Knack shows the ability to drop all the seemingly magnetized parts that make up his body, in order to shrink down to tiny size. We're guessing the use of all those parts is meant to show off the PS4's ability to deal with a bunch of particles.Developing...
Samsung launches simple Knack flip on Verizon
Move over, Wireless Coupe, there's a new sheriff in town -- and he's got a pretty strange sense of style. Samsung and Verizon have hooked up to release the Knack, an ultra-simple flip that follows in the Coupe's footsteps by offering dedicated 911 and ICE (In Case of Emergency) keys, a large, contoured keypad, and biggie-sized text on a 220 x 176 display. Where things start to take a turn for the weird, though, is when you take a glance at the phone's side, revealing a rather patriotic red, white, and blue combo of keys and port covers. On most phones, that kind of action is what you'd call a designer special edition, but with the Knack, it's just about ease of use. The colorful little sucker can be ordered up today (or found in stores starting October 14) for $39.99 on a two-year contract.
