Unabashed Knack fan Conrad dives into the sequel. Freed from a PS4 launch deadline, can the franchise rebuild itself the way its protagonist does

Great level design; Clever integration of Knack's character mechanic into the game's design; Updated combat is welcome; Great sound design

Story is contrived and can feel tacked on; Too many bells and whistle crowd out the core gameplay that made the original so popular

Knack was one of the PlayStation 4's flagship first party exclusives for the console when it originally launched in 2013. While this is a game that did have its fair share of fans, reviews for it were less than stellar with reviewers pointing out many flaws across the board on this...

Out of all the many critics of Knack , which rushed out the door in late 2013 as a PlayStation 4 launch title, the harshest may be its sequel. Knack 2 is filled with acknowledgments of where Knack falls short, especially when it comes to combat.

Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro Developer: Clap Hanz Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment MSRP: $39.99 Everybody's Golf (EG) is a name that's not too familiar to people outside of Japan, as in the U.S. this title has typically been called "Hot Shots Golf.

PlayStation 4 launch game Knack was most memorable for its impressive use of particles; it used lots of tiny floating cubes, spheres, and pyramids to make up its main character. But beyond that, it was a throwback to PlayStation 2-era of linear 3D action games.

Looks and sounds excellent; Move set gets more varied and interesting as you go; Clever use of Knack's size makes for enjoyable platforming and puzzle solving

Gets off to a slow start; Some artificial padding leads to repetitive challenges; Heavily coop focused; making puzzles more difficult for a single player

A long time ago, three console generations back, the world was introduced to Hot Shots Golf . Instead of the stuffy and boring style adopted by most golf games at the time, Hot Shots Golf made virtual golfing hip, cool and most importantly…fun.

The first Knack debuted on the PlayStation 4 as a launch title, and the hype was real. Developed by Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PlayStation 4 and developer behind games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, this was going to be the second coming of the mascot platformer.

Combat is fast and fun; Beautiful graphics and sound; Strong plot; plenty of twists

Script is sub-par; A little too long; stretched out

After a disappointingly basic introduction to Knack at the launch of the PS4, the team at Sony Japan headed by Mark Cerny finally deliver on what we saw glimpses of in the first title. 4 years between releases we see a Knack that has grown up just as much as Knack's human buddy Lucas.

Emerging as a launch title for the PS4 in late 2013, for many Knack provided an introduction to the console, an action-platformer with Pixar-like visuals, which provided a stark contrast from the abundance of gritty first-person shooters which populated the market.

Return of the Knack.

Plenty of combat options; Gorgeous level design; Just good fun to play

Lucas is annoying; Story is generic; Can be easy in parts