Ratchet and Clank
Score: 98% ESRB: Teen Publisher: SCEA Developer: Insomniac Games Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: Well, another year is about to close and with the Christmas rush comes the annual selection of our distinguished 'Game of the Year' award. I have to tell you guys, this is most likely going to be the hardest year ever when it comes to picking just one game that stands out as THE game of 2002. In the last few months alone, nearly five games have been released that deserve to be considered for the top spot. Among these titles is Ratchet and Clank. When it comes to looks, Ratchet and Clank stands out as one of the more impressive titles available on the PS2. Much like The Two Towers, this is one of those games you can pull out to show your friends when they doubt the PS2's graphical muscle. In fact, this is such a well-polished title, it is extremely hard to decide where to begin. I could start with the bright and vibrant colors and character designs - but then I might run out of room for talking about the massively detailed (and just plain massive) levels. Or I could start talking about all the great little effects thrown in, but then I might forget to talk about the fantastic animation and seamless cut scenes. It's one of those things you just have to see to believe. Platform games are usually known for their upbeat level theme songs, and Ratchet and Clank is no exception. For the most part, the music is good - but I wouldn't buy the soundtrack if it were available. In fact, now that I think of it there are really no memorable songs on the soundtrack, or at least nothing comes to mind. The voices are good and really match the characters. Ratchet is your 'typical' laid back surfer guy, Clank is your analytical, robot type, Captain Quark is your over-the-top, Saturday morning superhero and so on. For the adventurous, the game also offers five different languages to choose the dubbing from - some of which can get very interesting.
Gameplay: First of all, don't write and ask just what Ratchet is because I haven't a clue. He's a furry animal-looking thing that has a knack for fixing all things mechanical. Meanwhile Clank is a defective, Gary Coleman-sized warrior robot. After crashing his escape pod on Ratchet's home planet, the duo sets out to find Captain Quark, a slick Saturday morning superhero who is out to save the world no matter how many commercials he needs to make or products he has to sell. Of course, you know how those super-heroes are, so its up to Ratchet and Clank to save the galaxy from Drek and his corporate alien cronies who are out to rebuild their home-world by literally tearing up choice real estate from other planets. Ratchet and Clank's adventure is a free roaming, go anywhere adventure, but only to an extent. Scattered throughout each of the planets the duo visits are Infobots, who are intergalactic 'message pigeons'. Finding these bots shows them where their adventure will take them next. Ratchet, being the type who is always out for adventure, jumps at every opportunity to explore while Clank is focused on finding Quark. Its this fun mixing of personalities that helps make the game enjoyable. Each world has its own main mission (usually the one given to you by the Infobot) as well as a few missions that help you reach your overall goal. There is so much to do in each world that simply walking around and collecting bolts (the game's form of currency) is fun. The level design is especially well done since they are laid out in such a way that there is no need to backtrack though levels. While it loses some of the 'free' feeling found in Jakk and Daxter, the size of the levels more than makes up for it. World exploration is very easy and there's always a new path to find somewhere, as long as you have the right tools. In addition to mission clues, Infobots also contain commercials that tell you about cool new gadgets that are available at the gadget store. To me, this was the best part about Ratchet and Clank. As much fun as I had running through the game, most of that time was spent using all of the different gadgets available such as the standard flame-thrower, blaster, missile launchers and grappling hook. As great as these weapons may sound, they don't even compare to some of the game's more exotic weapons like the Morph Ray, Suck Cannon and my personal favorite - the Glove of Doom. I'm sure I could elaborate a little more on all of the gadgets, but discovering them for yourself is half of the fun. There are even upgrades you can buy for Clank, like the helicopter pack.
Difficulty: If the game has one vice, it's that it can get a little too easy, an unfortunate side effect of the level design. Also, the game's puzzles tend to lean towards obvious answers and require little thought - especially for platform veterans. There are a few areas in each level where the path isn't obvious, but paying careful attention to your surroundings will usually give you a tip on where to go next. Ratchet and Clank does have its fair share of difficult puzzles, which come in the form of locks where you have to reflect beams of light into their corresponding hole.
Game Mechanics: Anyone familiar with typical platform controls should feel right at home with Ratchet and Clank. The analog stick moves Ratchet around and the face buttons allow him to jump and use his primary weapon, the wrench. Not only can Ratchet swing his wrench to clobber nearby enemies, but he can also throw it like a boomerang in order to attract bolts and hit enemies from a distance. Weapons can also be used in a nifty first-person mode to make aiming even easier. Accessing and managing your gadgets is easy thanks to the game's intuitive menu system. Simply map out your favorite weapons into one of the eight slots and you're good to go. Making a good platformer isn't as easy as it looks, and I can point you to a library of them sitting in my front room. Beyond the typical camera issues and sloppy controls, there are so many factors that can go wrong that you sometimes have to wonder why some developers even bother. That's part of what makes Ratchet and Clank so great, in fact I'd be willing to say it's one of the best non-Nintendo made platform games ever made. If you remember back to our E3 coverage, this was one of the games that Sony was pushing hard, in fact it was the first game shown at their press conference. However, in all the hoopla surrounding the release of GTA: Vice City, Ratchet and Clank seems to have become lost in the shuffle. I don't know if you could pin this on anyone as being their fault, but this is one of those games that should no be forgotten and deserves to be on everyone's shelf.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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