For less than $10 you can get Ratchet & Clank Going Commando from Amazon. The game is easily worth that.
This game is rather different from it’s predecessor in a couple of way. Not only is there widescreen support, but also 480p support, which makes the game look great. The first thing I noticed when I started playing was what was already there: all the moves from the previous game. You start out knowing how to use Clank to jump high and float. This game really drops you into things, without much of a tutorial. The first time you need to do somethings (like the high jump) it’s explained, but only as a quick little text box. You have both methods of moving Clank from the first game (the jetpack and the helicopter), and you are told both exist, but not really why you should use either one. This game is designed as a sequel.
But it’s an improvement. The ability to strafe without having to hover is very nice. The leveling system for weapons is nice (for the most part). Having the action pause while you use the weapon quick-select is a BIG improvement, meaning you don’t have to try to run off into a corner to switch weapons (or bring up the pause menu) during tight firefights. The few space flying sections can be very fun. Being able to increase your maximum health through experience (as well as pickups) is also a nice change. You’ll need it though, because the game gets much tougher than the previous.
The story is good, and the characters are better than last time. Ratchet is a nice guy, and not a flat “I’m a dude” stereotype. Mr. Fizwidget is an interesting character, substituting the wrong words during all his sentences. In a few bits you’ll see characters from the first game. Like the last game, this game can be really hard to put down.
The weapons in this game are, for the most part, very good. If you have a save file from the first Ratchet & Clank you can load some of the weapons from it, but they are all very weak, so you’ll never really use them. The new game has various weapons that you’ll end up using a lot. There is a very powerful shotgun like gun, but it only works well up close. There is a lava gun that isn’t especially powerful but shoots a continuous stream of lava, great for beating back enemies. And then there is the bouncing bomb. You shoot it and a bomb flies out. When it hits a target (or after a second or two) it blasts into a bunch of little bombs that bounce around for a few seconds, seeking towards enemies. Shooting this, especially in confined areas, is brutal against enemies. You can only fire once a second or so, but it’s quite possible to have 3 or 4 going at once, which just shreds anyone trying to kill you in the area. While the screen can get quite crowded from the little bombs and their explosions, the game never really slows down. You may notice the frame rate drop, but it’s completely playable the whole time, which is a very impressive achievement.
The game isn’t perfect. You never get enough bolts to be able to buy all the weapons, or possibly even enough kills to upgrade them all. The ultra-expensive weapons (like the RYNO2) are just off limits to you unless you buy almost nothing else. You are pretty clearly expected to play through the game again if you want to get everything, which annoys me. Most of the weapons get much more powerful with their upgrades, but a few don’t. The aforementioned lava gun turns into the “meteor gun” which just shoots little meteors like bombs. It may be more powerful, but it’s much less useful since you can’t use it to clear out crowds of enemies like you could before. There are two large open field areas in the game where you have to go collect things. The first time I had a blast and went the extra mile to collect every one and had quite a bit of fun. The second time I saw it, it seemed more like it was being used to extend the game, especially since the enemies were so much stronger than your character. The few space sections reminded me of X-Wing and Wing Command, which are two of my all time favorite games. Unfortunately, the radar that’s provided is nearly useless, and the control doesn’t feel right. The joystick is just too sensitive (mostly when turning fast) making following and getting beads on targets much harder than it needs to be. You could do that on a PC because people had full sized joysticks, making it easy to put the stick at 25% left, and then move to 35% left. On a PS2 controller, the difference between 25% and 35% is very tiny and hard to move reliably. Once I got used to this issue (for the most part) these became some of my favorite sections, because you rarely get to do this in games today. I’m not sure I’ve played a game that lets you do this since the Cube’s Rogue Squadron (which was severely hampered by the on-foot sections).
On the whole, this game is an improvement over it’s predecessor, which is rather remarkable. I would happily play this game if it came out today, like the first Ratchet and Clank it doesn’t feel 4 or 5 years old. I’m thrilled I bought this.
I’ve started play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, which I’m enjoying so far (only an hour or so in). After that, I’ll probably play the third Ratchet & Clank game. I started trying them with the intention of playing the whole series, and that looks like it will be a blast to do.
