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Ratchet and Clank Review
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Ratchet and Clank Review

Review by BlackMagic
  Ratchet and Clank should not be called a Racing game
Ratchet and Clank should not be called a Shoot `em Up
Ratchet and Clank should not be called a Beat `em Up
Ratchet and Clank should not be called an RPG
In fact, Ratchet and Clank should not even be called a Platformer

Because, this game simply begins as a Platformer. From there, it branches off into many other styles. As I said in the one line overview, above all this games good points originality is what stands out.

It has a simple plot, yet its one that draws in the player. Chairman Drek, the games villain, is the ruler of a dying world which has become hugely overpopulated. And so, he has decided to build a new planet, composed of materials ripped from a choice group of planets. Of course, taking these materials will mean certain doom for said planets, so he constructs an army of robots to deal with any resistance he may run into.

During the course of the production of these robots, a strange miniature version of a line of giant robots is churned out. Tossed off the production line, the little robot explores and finds an ''Infobot'' (Which is something you'll learn about in the game) which contains a video of Chairman Dreks plans. The robot decides to escape and flees to look for the famous Captain Quark, an interplanetary superhero, to stop Drek. But while escaping his ship is shot down and crashes onto Planet Veildin.

On this planet, Ratchet is building a spaceship in hopes of travelling to other worlds. However, a spaceship cannot be complete without a Robotic Ignition System. When the robot crash lands onto Veildin, Ratchet takes him and names him Clank. Clank agrees to provide the Ignition for the ship in exchange for Ratchets help in finding Captain Quark.

And to find out the rest, you'll have to play the game.....

The game provides rock solid graphics. They are traditional platform style i.e not designed to look particularly realistic, because not much else in the game is. However everything looks very neat and theres nothing odd like half of Ratchets body passing through a rock or other similar little bugs that plague many games. Theres not a lot else to say, the whole game is pretty well built and easy on the eye.

The audio is not particularly catchy. However, its great because its definitely not what you expect from a platformer. Theres the ordinary levels with their expected hawaiian happy go lucky tunes, but they are few and far between. Many levels have tense, exciting music that sets the mood perfectly, in particular some of the darker metropolitan areas. None of it is going to stick in your head, but you'll love it while you're listening to it.

This game provides outstanding gameplay. Where do I begin? Theres so much to say. Rather than give Ratchet set attacks that you'll quickly tire of, the developers decided to provide him with a HUGE array of gadgets and weapons. From Swingshots to Magneboots to Suck Cannons, the many different tools at your disposal make combat constantly new and fresh. It also provides that incentive to collect ''bolts'', the in-game currency, to buy them.

There are many different enemies and some of them can only be defeated with a certain weapon. But not all gadgets are weapons are gadgets, some are there just to access new areas, jump higher or just make life a little easier. For example, the Grind Boots which let you skate along pipes and rails or the Metal Detector, allowing you to search for buried bolts. The worlds are massive, and often free-roam, allowing you to choose from a variety of paths. One might not help the story progress, but could lead you to a cool new gadget. Certain levels give Clank a chance to explore on his own, and solve special puzzles exclusive to him.

Theres just so much to do in this game. From hoverboarding to leading feeble Gadgebots across fields of bombs, it never falls into a pit of repetitiveness, making you follow the same routine. Theres always something around the corner that you haven't done yet, and the game will undoubtedly leave you wanting more.

Breakdown:
<u>Graphics</u> - 10
<u>Audio</u> - 9
<u>Plot</u> - 9
<u>Gameplay</u> - 10

Pros:
+ Excellent graphics and audio
+ Good plot and characters
+ Gadgets keep game original
+ Many different levels with new challenges
+ Help system informative without being intrusive or too long

Cons:
- Umm....
- Errr....
- No matter how much it has, you will undoubtedly want more
- Will that do?

Final Score: A perfect 10
 
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10
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Review by Ezekial Rage
  Grr... I thought EVERY game would have something wrong with it.. Even Metal Gear Solid 2 couldn't pull a 10 in my perspective, but this.. this is just one of those one in a million games that seems to be perfect. The game's character is appealing, he's not childish, and he's got a somewhat evil smirk, plus, he's packing some serious heat, just look at that thing! In any case, it's a game that will catch your eye and just drag you farther and farther in. Just remember to grease yourself thoroughly and it MIGHT let you go and have a few minutes of sleep.

GRAPHICS 10/10
I've yet to find a flaw in these awesome graphics. Everything looks beautiful in perspective, sure it doesn't look real, but I haven't seen one of those Ratchet creatures around lately either. These are NOT Metal Gear Solid 2 graphics, which are the best I've EVER seen in a game.. These are a completely different style. Instead of MGS2's tension building scary/exciting graphics, these set the mood for a happy-go lucky, but still somewhat challenging adventure. There aren't any flaws I've come across here.. and I'm picky. I forgot to mention.. these environments are *-HUGE-*

SOUNDS 10/10
The sound of your wrench clanking up side the head, or what you'd think is the head of a robot is humorous, and all the sounds are in the right place. It's difficult to hear the music between clubbing robots, but it helps the graphics set the mood, the comfortable, HUGE environments. The sound doesn't feel out of place anyway, it seems to be perfect... I hate that word.. (Perfect)

GAMEPLAY 10/10
This is a slap in the face from all of those recent potential games.. Sure Klonoa 2 was ok, and sly Cooper was good, but this is the iceberg that sunk those platformer boats. This is a whole new ball game. The gameplay is... perfect.. There's that word again. I hate using it, it's too vague, but it's the only word to describe this kind of thing!! the money system, based around Nuts and bolts (You know, those tools.. you sick people you..) Which you use yo buy new and handy weapons. There are a load of them, and just to see what the next one does you'll have the urge to get more and more nuts & bolts. It's really a game that puts you in the spin cycle of goals, and at the same time you need to accomplish certain things in each level... then there's always that new weapon in the shop.. and the golden bolts... and... and... it's too much!! AHHH! *-splat-*

CONTROLS 10/10
Yeesh.. it seems like it has to end somewhere... but it DOESN'T!! The controls are perfect. It seems like you don't even have to know what your doing and you accidently, just by instinct do EXACTLY what you wanted to. You'll confuse yourself sometimes, and you can feel your ego grow just thinking ''Man I'm good, I just beat that guy without even thinking about it!'' But in reality, through your infernal laughter your being attacked again. Still... just means more bolts, which means more weapons, which means more FUN!!!

STORY 9/10
It's... cute. I hate to use that word, but it just doesn't have the seriousness of MGS2. Sorry I keep making references to that game, but it's the only other game I can think of that's nearly this good. You'll feel for Clank right away, poor little guy, he's got a sense of humor too. But it all weaves into the bigger plot, where you, as Ratchet need to help Clank (You guessed it, I know you did) Save the solar system from the evil Drek, who is taking parts of planets to build his own.*Spasm* Bolts... give me bolts...

OVERALL 10/10
Ok, I thought of something REALLY annoying about this game. With the game they send you a really cool poster, and a nice detailed set of instructions.. unfortunatley they put the instructions on the back of the poster! It's so annoying! You can't put the poster up just in case you need the directions, and they're a pain to read comfortabley, since you need to fold it out so much.. but even something like that can't take away from this awesome game, don't let it pass you by.

RENT OR BUY BUY
You might as well buy it, if you need to you can trade it in afterwords. If you HATE platformers WITH A PASSION, rent it, then buy it, just so someome can say ''I TOLD YOU YOU'D LIKE IT''. It's well worth the NEW PRICE OF $40.00! I don't know why it's that cheap, but it makes it all the more worth it.

Bolts... More bolts... Ohh! A pretty gun... was that supposed to explode..? WEEEEE!!!
 
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10
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Review by GuinnessGamer
  This game is often criticized because it is semi-unoriginal, the interface and gameplay is reminiscent of games like Super Mario 64, and a little bit of Jak and Daxter. But those complaints are unfounded, the main similarity of J&D, and R&C is that there are two protagonists. R&C, instead of just copying elements of former platformers, it uses its best points and exploits them for a truly superb game. So what if it's unoriginal, it plays, looks, sounds great, and it lasts almost too long.

Control 9/10 This game doesn't actually control very similar to Jak and Daxter. In J&D, you could stop on a dime, but Ratchet slides a bit when he stops, which take getting used to. But the controls are very responsive. Ratchet has a glide pack and heli pack and they work very well, also you fly a combat plane (which is as fun as it sounds)and they are very accessible. Pretty much, if you've played any platformer of the 3-D ilk, the controls should be a breeze.

Story 9/10 The basic premise, is that Ratchet is some thing... its an animal, and kind of a cat. Anyway, he is working on a space ship, and needs a robot ignition system to get it to work. Meanwhile, Commander Drek, is mass producing robots to help his conquest. His conquest is to take apart several planets in the solar system to build their own perfect planet because theirs is environmentally destroyed. While building robots a malfunction spits out a much smaller, more sophisticated, and free willed robot. He escapes, and flies onto ratchets planet. Ratchet finds him and they make a deal. If the robot helps ratchet out of the boring planet, then he will help him find Drek and Thwart him. The rest of the story is up to you to observe, but, it is entertaining and keeps the game moving. Good voice acting etc.

Gameplay 10/10 So varied, so fun. There are a bunch of different planets you can visit, with several missions, some you can't do until you find a new upgrade or gadget. There are very few boss fights, but they aren't missed. The thing about this game is that you are constantly picking up bolts, which is the currency of the universe which the game takes place (see story section). And you can use these bolts to buy new weapons and gadgets. And some of the weapons are really fun, some aren't as much, but I think it depends on the taste of the individual. The difficulty is a little to easy at first but there is so much to explore you dont realize it was easy until it gets hard. There is a huge variety of things to do as well. At one point you have to disguise yourself as a robot at one point to infiltrate a guarded robot base. At times, you control Clank when Ratchet cant breathe on the certain planet. It is varied and even. This is one of those games, where once you start you'll do anything to proceed.

Graphics 10/10--I dont what to say about the graphics, except they are beautiful, authentic and go as far as the eye can see. If you were to see a screen shot from far away, you would know it was r & c has a very separate style, which does a good job of not looking like a J&D clone. And the distance you can see is insane. You'll know when you play, it just goes forever, and you will probably end up there sometime during the game.

Sound 9/10-THe music is appropriate, catchy and just a tad generic. The music, as is common in most games,accompanies the gameplay and atmosphere. It never overshadows the game which is good. There are some very good songs, and some are not necessarily bad, but they just dont stick out as much. Very good incorporation of music.

Lasting Appeal 10/10-If there was a higher score for this I would give it. One long game which, with all of its extras, makes you play over and over. To buy all the weapons, to ear all the skill points, and find all the gold bolts. Plus this game is soo fun you will want to play it again.

All in all this game is one of the best to come out in 2002, and I desperatley hope it won't be overlooked, like it's predecessor, Jak and Daxter.

 
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10
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Review by IamTheWhiteGuy
  It should be said that this game is very, very, very good. And while it lasts (which is longer than most other platforms these days) it is a blast. If you blindly rush through the game the first time through, you might get 10 hours out of it (but you'll still get your moneys worth). If you spend 20 hours searching for every little secret, you'll definitely get your moneys worth. And if you collect all the skill points and secret weapons, you'll be very glad you got this game. The game follows Ratchet (some sort of space bandicoot/kangaroo/rabbit) and Clank (a very cool little robot) on a fast paced hard hitting adventure to save the galaxy, which would be cliched if not for the games fantastic sense of humor and imaginative levels.
Sound 10/10
When you start up the game, you'll be reminded of all the production values of a 1930s movie. There is no voice acting for the first five to ten minutes of play. Then Ratchet talks for the first time and the game picks right up and never lets off till the end. The voice acting is top notch, and you'll be made very aware of that in the games many brief cutscenes (which do not break up the action in any way, but add hilarious and compelling narrative touches). The battlefield comes to life, all the weapons have their own suitably scientific sound, and the cool voice of your help gadget sounds great (and lets you know something new is afoot).

Gameplay 10/10
The control is fantastically tight and the easy but function control set up let you hop right in the action and blow things up (using one of your wrench's multiple attacks or one of the games 15+ weapons). You collect 'bolts', the games currency, by defeating enemies, which you use to purchase ammo and new weapons. For those of you who are not so fond of RPGs, don't worry, you generally always have enough cash on hand to buy the newest gadget. You'll unlock and purchase various new gadgets, such as magneboots and O2 masks which allow you to go all sorts of new places. One thing I admired was that the game catered to those of us who like challenges, but don't like frustration. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, everyone will like this game!

Replayability 8/10
Ratchet and Clank has a lot to do, some of which no doubt will bore more casual gamers but will appeal to the more hard core. By collecting secret golden bolts you can assemble the ''Golden weapons'', which are essentially advanced versions of your basic weapons and the second time through more of these become available. But then, this is not the type of game that will last you a year.

Graphics 9/10
Its no Final Fantasy, but Ratchet and Clank has a lot of aesthetic appeal. The two main characters look great and anything that animates, animates splendidly. Heck, you might even stop to admire some of the foes you will face before you destroy them in a barrage of rocket fire (which you will doubtless stop to admire the pyrotechnics of before moving on).

Overall 10/10
So, in short, this is a game that you should at least rent and is without a doubt the best platformer on the Playstation 2. What ever you do, don't miss out!
 
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10
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Review by lovefist29
  I recently bought Ratchet & Clank, thinking, ''Oh, wow, a pretty platform game with a cat and a robot.'' But, to put it simply, this is more than just a platformer with a cat and robot. Just playing the game for 3 minutes told me this was one heck of a game. I was right.

STORY- 10/10< This game follows the story of a Lombax(don't worry, I don't know what it is either)mechanic named Ratchet, who dreams of venturing beyond his planet. he gets his wish when a hiccup at a robotics factory creates a puny but caring robot. He escapes from the guards and crash-lands on Ratchet's world. Ratchet witnesses the crash and heads out to investigate. The two meet up and the robot helps Ratchet escape. Ratchet then nicknames the robot ''Clank''. thus the two set off on an epic adventure...

GRAPHICS- 10/10< The graphics engine is a real piece of work. It completely amazes me that the game can run at such a high resolution. I wouldn't be surprised if it ran at 30 frames per secund and under. It is a true beauty to behold. All the caracters are beautifully animated, though not at the level of Jak and Daxter. Everything is hi-res and insanely detailed. Take the first metrropolis level for example. Not only does it have more details than you canb shake a stick at, but it also has flying cars zooming all over the place.

SOUND- 9/10< The music is fine, but it could have used more imagination. All you get half of the time is droning techno with exceptions few and far between. However, the sound effects are very much improved. nothing is more amusing than listening to the Blargs grunt when they die or the satis fying sound of a huge chain explosion. It is also amusing to walk onto those twisting roller coaster-esque pathways you have to use the magne-boots on and then stopping and trying to jump. Try it and enjoy.

CONTROLS- 9.5/10< The controls are something to marvel at, but at times there seem to be too many of them, such as riding over rails in a certain downtown district with your grind-boots, then making it to the very end where you have to do a jump and you throw your wrench because a wrong button press. That stinks very much. Also the camera doesn't play nice sometimes, causing you to adjust it during a heated firefight. Not good.

OVERALL- 10/10< This is one of the best games I've EVER played, on par with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Metal Gear Solid too. Buy it and watch your free time disappear.
 
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10