Ratchet and Clank is a fantastic new adventure starring the strangest heroes you’ve ever seen, in the strangest solar system ever!Forget about Super Mario Sunshine–this is the real superstar platform action game of the season. Featuring a pair of wacky robots in a quest to save the universe, Ratchet and Clank may offer the same old basic platform scenario–run around, elude or destroy enemies, jump, and negotiate treacherously dynamic environments–but it has a number of things going for it that place it among the best titles ever in this genre.
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
- Get ready for nonstop action as Ratchet and Clank rip the galaxy a new one with their itchy trigger fingers
- Choose from a wild range of 36 weapons and gadgets designed to burn, bomb, explode, or obliterate your enemies
- In this game, it’s not the size of your weapons that count, it’s how many you have and better yet, how you put them to work
List Price: $ 14.99
Price: $ 11.50
My first review on Amazon- be nice,
I myself happen to be a casual gamer who from time to time will buy a game that looks good. I first rented R&C to see if it was worth a look and it turned out to be a really fun game.
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.
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|OMG! Super fun!,
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!
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