review: ratchet and clank

Game: Ratchet and Clank
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Platform/Action Adventure
Players: 1
Release: Aug 22, 2003 (Platinum)
Rating: G (8+)

(8) Awesome

Ratchet and Clank is a funny and unusually refreshing platformer. The game starts off with Ratchet, a big-eared lombax fixing spaceships on his home-planet. When a mysterious robot (Clank) crash lands, they both set off on a high-speed adventure across the galaxy to stop the evil Chairman Drek from destroying their galaxy. From the team behind the Spyro the Dragon series, Insomniac Games presents a polished and very entertaining action experience.

Like most platform games, Ratchet and Clank has you jumping, falling and collecting (nuts and bolts in this case). But what makes Ratchet and Clank stand out from the rest is the large array of weaponry and gadgets at your disposal. Ranging from the Blaster, Pyrociter (flamethrower), to the Glove of Doom (releases tiny robots that attack the nearest enemy) and Magneboots (These help you walk upside down!). These 35 weapons and gadgets will help you immensely with your quest across multiple planets and space stations.

A key feature to this game, is the humour, most prominently featured in the cutscenes. The voices behind the characters are of high quality, Captain Qwark with his zany lust for fame, Chariman Drek's business-type voice, and Ratchet and Clank provide distinct and loveable tones.

The environments of the worlds in Ratchet and Clank are very pretty. From flying spaceship cities, to green fields, to snow-capped mountains, each world has a distinct flavour. They all share a theme with new technology and nature.

All in all, Ratchet and Clank is a great, innovative game that revitalizes the platformer genre.


Pros:
- The cutscenes are humorous, and the story blends nicely with the gameplay
- Delicious environments and amazing animation

Cons:
- The quick select wheel is too small to accommodate the amount of weapons and gadgets (which meant I had to pause the game quite often to select the weapon/gadget from the menu).


By Michael Gray
Friday 19 October 2007

(Screenshots coming soon, when I figure out how!)