At this point, I’m basically going backwards on reviews. I’ve completed a couple of games and I’m posting reviews for them in the reverse order I played them in. The last game I completed before Lost and Damned was Insomniac’s 2004 hit: Ratchet & Clank.
I remember when the game came out. I had finished Jak & Daxter not too long before, so I wasn’t terribly interested in another platformer. I also didn’t see the game’s shooter mechanic as that interesting. The game got good reviews, but I didn’t pick it up.
So more than 7 years later, I picked up a copy. The series has been getting quite high marks throughout it’s life, with X-Play referencing it more than a few times as a great series. After hearing the reviews of the latest in the series, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time, I decided to start playing the series to see how much I’d like it. There are eight or nine games in the series, so I’m pretty far behind.
The game was a ton of fun, although Ratchet’s character was a little annoying. I’ve started the next game, Ratchet & Clank Going Commando, and they’ve improved that quite a bit. As a PS2 game, it’s very impressive. It’s held up very well, I wouldn’t complain if it was released on the Wii. It doesn’t feel nearly as stale and outdated as 7 year old games often do, which is probably a testimate to just what a good job Insomniac did. The levels are detailed and well designed. The controls work quite well, although a better method of strafing would be appreciated (they fixed that in the next game).
The thing that the series is really famous for is it’s weapon selection. They weapons all felt quite different, and playing through the game gives you a good chance to use them all. The weapons can be upgraded with gold bolts, which isn’t even explained until you’ve beaten the game. The gold bolts are very well hidden, I only stumbled across a handful. The game also has “skill points” you can earn, but those two aren’t listed out for you until you complete the game.
The only thing I didn’t really like about the game was the best weapon, the RYNO. I spent a few extra hours earning bolts (the currency) to buy it, but was somewhat disappointed afterword. Don’t get me wrong, the gun is very powerful, but it made the end of the game too easy for me, which took some of the fun out.
Actually, that’s not quite true. There were a handful of segments in the game using magnetic boots to walk on metal paths that curved around. These paths looked quite neat and it would have been a nice mechanic, but the controls let you down. As the camera moves around when you’re walking, it’s much too easy to step off the edge of the rail. Normally Ratchet would grab the ledge and you could climb back on, but since you are often sideways or upside-down, it doesn’t kick in. Having an invisible rail on the edges of the track that acted like a lip, making it just a little harder to walk off than a normal platform would have been greatly appreciated.
As a whole package, the game is really compelling. Once it gets going (which can take a little while), it excels at “I know I have stuff to do but I’ll explore just one more area” syndrome. It’s very easy to find yourself having played for an hour more than you intended to. The game took me about 13 hours to complete, not including time I spent just collecting bolts, and I didn’t go after the gold bolts or skill points that I missed. As an extra plus, the game can be played in widescreen. I’m really enjoying Going Commando, and I’m exited to play the rest of the series.
