Ratchet & Clank

The feature that will strike you first is the terrific art direction. Set in a science fiction future, the game has a beautifully executed retro cartoon look (think old Warner Bros.). The attention lavished on every detail, from architecture to character design, makes for a world that feels complete and real. This extends to the cutscenes, which feature a variety of colorful characters given vivid life with excellent voice acting. Then there is the sheer size and level of interactivity of the environments. For me, a particularly stunning moment was when my character was knocked off a skyscraper, but instead of perishing, landed on a ledge and was able to seamlessly navigate to a whole separate section of the game. Another moment of truth came when I aimed my blaster at one of the vehicles whizzing by in the sky. These vehicles were just pretty wallpaper, I thought, but no, the thing blew up. In fact, nearly everything you see is destructible or responsive in some way: you can jump up trees, scuttle over walkways, smash boxes, and climb up ledges. And the control scheme is just complex enough to keep things interesting with multiple weapons and the like, without being bogged down by too many features.

While the routine of finding and destroying enemy robots may get tedious after a while, Ratchet and Clank keeps things interesting with the many metamorphoses of Clank (who takes on forms that surprise even himself), cool weapons like the Glove of Doom (which unleashes armies of tiny Clanks), and shifting first-robot, third-robot points of view.

If this game doesn't become the bestselling platform action game of the year, it will prove that nostalgia for old characters, marketing hype, and brand loyalty really are more important than quality. --David Stoesz

Ratchet and Clank is essentially just another platformer, but it's a truly exceptional platformer. Ratchet is a fun character to use, he can whack enemies and various objects with his wrench or use a nice diverse amount of weapons that you obtain along the way. Gameplay for the most part ramps up from easy to difficult keeping that frustration in check, not to mention that you have infinite lives. The gameplay itself is fun with paths branching into different areas on each planet you explore. Environments and graphics are well rendered and creative and the varied enemies will ensure that you'll test out the best possibilities for each weapon.

All of this could describe several platformers but R&C one-ups them all by having some of the best voice-over work I've heard on a video game. From Ratchet's cocky attitude to Drek's villainous banter, it gives the proceedings a true cartoonish feel. The animation is nice and fluid with some truly hilarious cutscenes in between missions. Even the story, with its take on another villain trying to be ruler, has a different spin than normal. Drek's homeworld is dying so he's having other planets mined and destroyed to compensate.

Of course it would be remiss to omit the faults in the game. The one thing I really wish they could have fixed was the awkward switching of weapons. 80% of the time it won't really be a problem. But then when you need to bring out the swingshot or metal detector, for example, you need to go to a subscreen and choose it. Also a problem is when you're under fire, you can't pause and switch weapons. Really annoying! There are some control issues too. Narrow platforms can be hard to traverse sometimes. It's especially noticable when you're using the magnetic boots. Although I am surprised the camera isn't a major problem. Just hit the L1 button and it lines up behind you. There's no problems with getting disoriented either since you can access the map to see where you are and where you need to go.

For the avid gamer, there's also hidden golden bolts to find in each level. I've only been able to find a few on my own (such is the curse of the casual gamer), but it gives anyone looking for more challenges even more to do.

I highly recommend Ratchet and Clank for anyone looking for a fun platformer. It may not be the most innovative game out there, but it's a highly polished and stylish one.


OMG! Super fun!   December 13, 2002
Jill Issacs (Atlanta, GA)
41 out of 42 found this review helpful

So this game looks like a cutesy cartoon game right?

WRONG!

This is one of the most sophisticated platform games I have ever seen, and I have been a gamer for a long time. It is a true testament to the power of the Playstation 2 that this game was created!

You play Ratchet, an interstellar grease monkey (fox-cat-furry thing) who meets the lovable and uptight robot, Clank. Clank enlists his help to save the solar system in exchange for starting up Ratchet's spaceship (which is quickly demolished). I guess Ratchet was really bored with his provincial life, because he and Clank head off throughout the galaxy in various ships collecting one of the widest assortment of weapons and gadgets I have ever seen (over 35!). They blast robots and monsters into oblivion and fight valiantly against the imperialist evildoers of the universe. The story itself is really great with fun characters, high quality animation and good solid performances!

Then there is the gameplay! Can you say PERFECT? There is this amazing learning curve that you go through when playing the game. You start off with just two weapons and simple controls. As time wears on, you get more and more gadgets and more and more movement possibilities. The world starts to blossom open, with new areas becoming available that you never would have thought of. It is so much fun.

Three words: Chicken Morphing Gun. Nuff Said.

The game is a masterful execution of what a Playstation 2 game should be. This is one you are going to want to spend some time with. It will quickly become like an old friend!

HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!


Great Story, Awesome graphics, what more could you ask for?   November 10, 2002
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

Full Story:

Set in a futuristic world filled with spaceships, robots and high-tech gadgets, Ratchet and Clank moves from planet to planet across a vast solar system. Ratchet lives on an abandoned backwater planet and dreams of someday striking out on a magnificent space adventure. Closer to the center of the galaxy, Chairman Drek rules a polluted planet, Orxon, inhabited by an ugly race called the Blarg. He too has dreams, but his concern is conquest and domination. Tired of his polluted world, Chairman Drek comes up with the ultimate solution – to build a new planet using the best parts from many of the other worlds in the galaxy. If he can’t convince the inhabitants to part with a few thousand hectares of their worlds, the army of robots and Blarg warriors can eliminate any resistance.

In one of the factories creating Chairman Drek’s evil armies, a computer glitch creates a small but smart robot – Clank. Learning about the Chairman Drek’s plans, Clank flees the factory seeking help, but his ship is shot down over Ratchet’s homeworld. Forced together by circumstance, Ratchet and Clank blast off from planet to planet through an extraordinary sci-fi universe. The unlikely pals encounter imaginative characters, acquire a plethora of weapons and gadgets, and blow up everything in their path, as they uncover more of the Chairman Drek’s plan.

Features:

* Developed and created by Insomniac Games, this is an all-new action-adventure platformer, available exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. This superstar development team includes Mark Cerny of Cerny Games who has been heavily involved with Ratchet and Clank from the beginning of the project.

* The player can acquire over 35 different weapons and gadgets in the game. Each has a unique function and the game is structured so that the acquisition of these items is spread out evenly over the player's entire experience.

* Ratchet has one of the most comprehensive sets of moves of any character on any platform. Ratchet can perform more than 20 standard moves and as the player begins to acquire the many gadgets in the game, the number of moves Ratchet can perform will grow astronomically.

* Weapons, weapons and more weapons! The game offers more than 35 weapons and gadgets that the player can acquire and equip. Each ultra-destructive weapon, while easy to use, has a different function and allows players to devise their own strategies when taking on hordes of enemies.

* The game's economic system requires gamers to frequently purchase gadgets infobots (clues to new levels) , weapons and their respective ammunition Players have the option to spend their time collecting money to build up their inventory of weapons to eliminate the tougher enemies, or they can plow ahead with a minimal weapon selection, facing a more difficult time as they advance to later levels. Players can earn money by destroying enemies, searching their surroundings and solving puzzles.

* Gamers can accessorize all of the weapons and gadgets obtained throughout the game by accessing the inventory screen to build up Ratchet with hand, head and foot gadgets.

* A "quick select" menu allows players to select weapons quickly or view their ammo counts without having to go back to the inventory screen.

* The combat system is easy to comprehend - there are a lot of enemies to shoot, most of them are fairly easy to destroy with the right weapon, and most importantly all of the weapons are fun to use. Because of the variety of weapons available, there is an immense depth to the enemy gameplay within the levels.

* The science fiction theming that permeates the game sets it apart from all other action-adventures. Travel from planet to planet in Ratchet's space ship, exploring a huge variety of environments, challenges, and alien atmospheres. Use futuristic, high-tech devices, battle intelligent robots and blow up everything with your ultra-modern weapons.

* A variety of fun, action-filled minigames provide players with immense gameplay variety - not only can the player play as Clank, but Ratchet can use vehicles that he finds throughout the game

*Breathtakingly enormous environments unlike anything else on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Each planet is filled with life, movement, energy and full interaction that will keep players mesmerized for hours.


Rip the galaxy a new one - indeed!!!   December 22, 2002
S. Gera (Queens, NY)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

These guys put other characters such as Mario, Sonic, Spyro, Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Crash Bandicoot to shame! I don't usually play role-playing games with these kinds of characters, because they are geared towards a younger audience. However Ratchet & Clank seems to be geared towards all audiences!

The graphics are superb! Just click on the Ratchet & Clank PS2 box up top to see some screenshots, and you'll know what I'm talking about. There are so many details with the characters, and background traffic for each planet. In addition, the storyline is fantastic and funny! It knocked my socks off! The enemy robots are quite amazing, such as a robot dog that barks and starts chasing you.

There are so many weapons and gadgets that you aqcuire during the gameplay. These guys at Insomniac have some imagination! The weapons and gadgets are so much fun! Here are a few weapons that I have aqcuired so far (and I'm sure there's still many more):

1) Bomb Glove: Toss bombs at enemies at close or medium range with this glove.
2) Pyrocitter: A flamethrower.
3) Blaster: A gun that fires rapidly.
4) Glove of doom: (This is by far my favorite weapon!) The glove throws doom eggs which hatch into four agents of doom. These guys track down and destroy nearby enemies. You literally see these little guys running around sniffing the ground and searching for enemies. Once they see an enemy, they start running towards it with an evil grin and laugh! Then they devour the enemy up!
5) Suck canon: (Another great weapon!) Suck small enemies and convert them into explosive projectiles!

There are cool gadgets too, such as a heli-pak which allows you to jump higher, and glide. It looks really great, when you see Clank's hands turn into two little propellers, while the main propeller extends from his head!

As with other role-playing games, you collect stuff as you are running around the planets. This is also another aspect of the game that seems ingenious. You're running around collecting nuts and bolts. When you destroy an enemy, you collect a couple of extra nuts and bolts. Hit lamp posts as you are running down a street and collect nuts and bolts from them too! You use these nuts and bolts to buy the cool weapons and gadgets, and ammo!

Finally, Ratchet is equipped with a default weapon, which is a wrench. This is a magnetic wrench which attracts the nuts and bolts that you collect. You can also toss this wrench and have it return to you, such as a boomerang! When Ratchet's health gets low, his ears fold down and we can see a tired look on his face. Another great example of the detailed graphics in this game! Definitely spend your money on this one! It's not some game for kids alone!


The best game to hit the PS2, ever.   November 6, 2002
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

After a day playing, this is easily the best game I've played on PS2. Fun platform action, incredible graphics and lots of shooting. I've not had this much fun since Spyro on the Playstation.

The controls are great and have been tuned to perfection - Ratchet can jump and somersault with ease as he takes out the bad guys.

The story is well written and the dialogue between the characters is a hoot - Look out for captain Qwark!

Ratchet kicks Jak & Daxter and Sly where it hurts and laughs as he does it. The insomniac folk (of Spyro fame) have done it again. If this isn't game of the year, I'll eat my hat. If you buy just one PS2 game this year (or ever!) make it this one.