When comparing Outlast vs Ratchet and Clank (2016), the Slant community recommends Outlast for most people. In the question“What are the best PS4 (PlayStation 4) games?” Outlast is ranked 82nd while Ratchet and Clank (2016) is ranked 127th. The most important reason people chose Outlast is:
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Really scary
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Pro Unpredictable inpatients make exploration more tense
Outlast proves that people can be much scarier than ghosts. As you explore the dark hallways of the insane asylum, you’ll encounter many inpatients. Some of them good, some of them bad, but all of them crazy. So it’s sometimes really hard to tell which one will attack you. While some of them make it very obvious by holding knives or looking especially atrocious, sometimes they will attack unexpectedly. This uncertainty will creep inside your head, making exploration a lot more tense.
Pro Your character is really agile
Unlike most horror games where your character is clumsy and slow, in Outlast your character can actually move really well. Not only is your character fast enough to be able to outrun most enemies in the game, he also knows how to parkour. You can jump, grab ledges and climb them, and even slide over a table during a chase. This makes it a really refreshing horror experience.
Pro Tons of humorous weapons
One things this series is known for is the amount of weapons and their humorous powers. Of course this title does no disappoint as there are many many weapons to be found to use, with each having some crazy mechanic as to what and how they shoot.
Pro Rewarding level up mechanic for weapons
Each weapon will level up as you use it, meaning the game will levels to your own play style. This is also a good system as it rewards experimentation, as each weapon levels up it gains new powers, so to see what each weapon will grow into it has to be used.
Pro Amazing graphics
The graphics are quite impressive, giving a feeling of Pixar like animation, but in a videogame. While a bold claim, the graphics are some if not the best on the PS4 to date.
Pro Unlocks are all part of the game, no DLC
There are many unlockables in the game including new costumes. Frankly it is refreshing to see a title include this with the core game instead of locking it behind a paywall.
Pro Expands on the original story
While the game is pretty much a remake, there are added elements tot he game that expand on the story and character development. Overall this is a way more fleshed out title than the original.
Pro Great mix of gameplay elements
While the game does focus on third person shooting, there is also many platforming elements along with dogfights in space, chase scenes, hoverboard racing, etc. This makes for a good mix so the player never gets too board of doing the same thing over and over again.
Cons
Con A little too reliant on jump scares
In some parts of exploring the insane asylum there are too many jump scares one after another. After a while it loses its scare factor and instead becomes somewhat annoying. This feels like a missed opportunity to build on the dark and gritty atmosphere of the insane asylum.
Con No substance, unrealized potential and utterly disappointing
Once you get past the jump scares, gore and shock value you might find that there's very little to keep you invested and going back for more. Boredom may sink in nearing the end, with a sense of longing for the game to just be over. However, the night vision mechanic was fresh and unique at the time and introduced a sense of suspense, which other developers have lent from Outlast since. If you're a fan of traditional western horror games you will not disappointed, but if you're looking for something more to your horror games besides learning paths and jump scares, you might want to steer clear of Outlast.
Con Cliche story
The typical horror story protagonist goes to investigate a location that simply oozes danger. As if the abandoned SWAT trucks, locked doors, and boarded up windows were not telling enough, the protagonist realizes his terrible mistake right when there's no way back already.
Con Remake or original
Original has a better story, and overall is a more fun game, this remake swapped 60 fps for better quality, and don't even bring up the motion blur!! But still, it is really fun.
Con Narration used during gameplay
While not always a bad thing when done well (such as Bastion), a lot of the gameplay in the game is narrated in a sens of humor told through Captain Qwark. Telling the player if a certain box has ammo and such things. Not only does the humor not always match with the cut-scenes of the game and the character overall, but it becomes tiring to hear over and over again.
Con Is a remake
While the graphics are all new as well as many elements of play the game itself is a remake of the first title. So for those that have played the first game, this will be mostly a rehash with a few new things.
Con Somewhat short
The game can be beaten easily in under 10 hours, though there is a fair share of replayability thanks to all the collection aspects of the game.