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[RK128]

Hello everyone.

Ratchet's Retrospective has been a bit bumpy, as a lot has prevented them from being as common as my Sonic Retrospective sadly .

But I am going to be having Friday every week dedicated for this Ratchet Retrospective and it will work like this:
4/15: Ratchet 3
4/22: Ratchet Dreadlock/Gladiator
4/29: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
5/6: Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
5/13: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

After the Future series gets covered, will cover the PSP Games afterwards.

 

[HanzSnubSnub]

Looking forward to it!

 

[RK128]

This game is one of my 3 games of all time, right behind Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask and Sonic Generations. Have to say this right away, as this will be a baisied thread with me just gushing over how amazing this game is, so if you are not a big fan, I'm sorry if I might gloss over issues you may have with the game.

Okay, so now that little preface is out of the way, this game is part of the Ratchet and Clank Retrospective and man, this is THE best game in the series for me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Like Ratchet 2, development on this title started not long after Ratchet 2 went gold and most of Insomniac moved on to the next project, Ratchet 3. I remember reading the Game Informer issue covering this and Jak 3 when I was little; ah, the days of reading good ol' gaming magazines......such great times.

Anyway, Insomniac commented on wanting the weapons to have more RPG like elements (citing the Infector weapons, with it being able to poison foes and have them attack others) and make things more streamlined from Ratchet 2.

More weapon wheels, more weapons, small little things (like full-ammo refills at weapon vendors) and ensuring that the new elements they wanted to bring into the series fit.

They also wanted to bring some of the tension between Ratchet & Clank back that was in the first game, with them citing making Clank the 'star' of his own show being something Ratchet was annoyed by. Not to mention bring in a new villain for the duo to fight. The last addition was online and local multiplayer, with that being a big thing they highlighted on. With the amount of weapons in the series, an online shooter was a good move I feel.....and this gets further expanded upon with a game after Ratchet 3.

Insomniac were saying all the right things and when the game finally hit in Fall 2004 and.......it was perfect. Very few critics gave it under a 9 and many called this one of the greatest platformers of all time. Critics even commented on Ratchet Dreadlock/Gladiator, where they said 'How can they top perfection?' when reviewing the game.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The story in this game.....where do I even begin!

It starts out with Clank and Ratchet playing halo-chess and Clank sees his own TV show going on, 'Secret Agent Clank'. He is a James Bond-like hero in the show and Ratchet is his butler. Ratchet turns the TV off after a bit, annoyed with the show, as Clank is a bit puzzled.

Then they hear a distress call from Ratchet's homeworld; Velden. Ratchet is ready to go and Clank soon follows, with both fighting off a new force, aliens called the Teranoids. Ratchet and Clank soon learn that a old super villain from the past is back and wants to turn all 'Squishes' into Robots.

Ratchet and Clank planet hop across the galaxy with members of Starship Phenox providing support along the way.

This story.....is amazing. Love the dynamic between Ratchet & Clank as they are really close buddies now; they bounce off each other perfectly and are in-sync with each other. Ratchet shows a lot of concern over Clank with a later scene showing how sorry he is for not realizing something sooner or how Clank cracks more jokes this time out.

Both shine here and I love how great the voice acting both offer is spot on. This extends to everybody, and I love how Quark sounds in this game. The VA really got him this time and its great seeing his character grow a lot. In past games, he was just a 'hero'....but here, he honestly tries to be a hero.

One thing I love is the humor here, as its the best in the entire series. From the nods to reality outside the game, the video previews before you head into new planets, Dr. Nefarious himself, the entire game is a trip. I laughed my head off at almost every scene in the game and I played through it well over 20+ times.

Overall, fantastic story and one that really makes the game shine.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, with the gameplay, how do you top Ratchet 2? I mean, that game established new ground rules for the series and it was very close to perfect. Well, this game IS perfect. Literally every single element from Ratchet 2 that was either a bit annoying or just a small problem, is gone.

You have multiple weapon wheels, so you can equip your entire line up of guns without ever going into the main menu (you can even set up control options with the weapon wheel). You have an ammo refill option for all your guns at the weapons vendors. The x2 ability that you have in Challenge Mode is now a crate you can smash early in the game to get double the bolts for a limited amount of time. Weapon upgrades are more streamlined with no upgrade mods; they just get better the more you use them.

And the more annoying issues people had with the extra gameplay styles like flying and racing? They are gone now, replaced with really great 2D platforming levels with Quark that really should be their own game with how fun they are, pushing the gunplay more with base missions, and giving Clank a more advanced AI partner to work within him during his sections of the game.

This entire game feels like Insomniac knew they had gold with Ratchet 2 and said "That's good.....but what else can we do here?" and that shows in spades. Gameplay wise, this is perfect to me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

But instead of saying "Its Perfect" and "I love this game" and closing the thread now, lets talk about three things; the base missions, the weapons and the 2D Quark levels.

The Base missions take the platformer that Ratchet 2 was, and turns it into more of a shooter. What I mean, is that the game is still a platformer at heart, but during these portions of the game, it turns into what I call a shooting game with platforming elements.

You still run and jump, but the focus is smart combat and completing specific missions in each area. Defend X amount of troops, blow up X amount of bases, turn X amount of Bolt Cranks, ect. These are so fun thanks to the great gun play controls, having the ability to control the game as a FPS or as a TPS and even having the ability to hop into three things (buggy, powerful flying carrier, and turret). Love these stages and these are further expanded upon with Dreadlock/Gladiator in the future.

The weapons here though, are my favorite line up in the series. Just going to list the different guns you can get and then I will move on:
-Lava gun that shots hot magma and when fully upgraded, can freeze people
-Suck Cannon that can pull in boxes and smaller foes, and shoot them back. When upgraded fully, it can shoot flaming versions of foes/creates you pick up
-Black Hole gun that can pull in a lot of foes at once
-Gun that launches a bomb that explodes into smaller bombs
-A gun that turns you foes into flying ducks. When fully upgraded, it can create an army of flaming ducks that home-in into your foes when flying over them.
-Infector weapon that poisons your foes and makes them attack other foes when infected.
-Lava Whip that when upgraded can shoot a stream of energy at people
-RYNO III that shoots PASMA blasts that kills everything it touches

..........Amazing stuff, isn't it? Greatest weapon selection in any game and while future games have great line ups of weapons, love this line-up a lot personally.

And the last gameplay bit is Quark himself; he gets five (six if you count the secret one) 2D platforming stages that are a mix of running, gunning and platforming. They play with mechanics in the main game (wall jumping, jumping, shooting various weapons) but are a blast. The level designs are really well done and I love how great Quark controls here. Great set of levels and a fun way to mix up long shooting sessions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If Ratchet 1 was a more moody take on Spyro but in Space & Ratchet 2 was a mixture of more serious alien locations but with a light touch at points, Ratchet 3 is the action movie to the series.

You have more serious locations with torn up planets but you still get a lot of color. The world is amazing looking and really pushed the engine the PS2 games ran on. Particularly love the animation, as the cut-scenes and gameplay really show how lively the characters are animated.

The music though, one of my favorite soundtracks in the series. Again, pushing for that action movie tone that the visuals try to do but man is it effective.

Veldin - Kyzil Plateau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNFDql4lCc8&index=2&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Florana - Nabla Forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yGeefWI4I&index=5&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Starship Phoenix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXFsaOCKbr8&index=8&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Marcadia - Capital City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK5MtJr36L8&index=10&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Station Q9 - Deathcourse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySozLCXatdg&index=16&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Station Q9 - Arena Combat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Oaw-fVPnA&index=17&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Aquatos - Underwater Complex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_CJOzMIsQ&index=20&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Zygan System - Obani Gemini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3zP2GTY1_Y&index=33&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False

One of my favorite gaming soundtracks honestly and I remember every planet just from listening to this OST.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

What else is there to say? Insomniac stuck gold with Ratchet 2 and made it perfect. This game is one I have literally no problems with and that really impresses me. Very few games I feel are perfect, only a very select few are as every thing has problems.

But Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal has no issues to me and is one game I can say until I'm blue in the face is one of gaming's best action/platformers of all time. Please, if you never played this before, run to your nearest store and get the PS3 HD Collection. It runs great on the PS3!

It is also part of the Vita Ratchet Collection but it has frame rate issues toward two sections in the game (one of the second to last final planets and the sewers you can explore).

Give this game a shot and have a blast!

 

[RK128]

This game is one of my 3 games of all time, right behind Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask and Sonic Generations. Have to say this right away, as this will be a biased thread with me just gushing over how amazing this game is, so if you are not a big fan, I'm sorry if I might gloss over issues you may have with the game.

Okay, so now that little preface is out of the way, this game is part of the Ratchet and Clank Retrospective and man, this is THE best game in the series for me.

Like Ratchet 2, development on this title started not long after Ratchet 2 went gold and most of Insomniac moved on to the next project, Ratchet 3. I remember reading the Game Informer issue covering this and Jak 3 when I was little; ah, the days of reading good ol' gaming magazines......such great times.

Anyway, Insomniac commented on wanting the weapons to have more RPG like elements (citing the Infector weapons, with it being able to poison foes and have them attack others) and make things more streamlined from Ratchet 2.

More weapon wheels, more weapons, small little things (like full-ammo refills at weapon vendors) and ensuring that the new elements they wanted to bring into the series fit.

They also wanted to bring some of the tension between Ratchet & Clank back that was in the first game, with them citing making Clank the 'star' of his own show being something Ratchet was annoyed by. Not to mention bring in a new villain for the duo to fight. The last addition was online and local multiplayer, with that being a big thing they highlighted on. With the amount of weapons in the series, an online shooter was a good move I feel.....and this gets further expanded upon with a game after Ratchet 3.

Insomniac were saying all the right things and when the game finally hit in Fall 2004 and.......it was perfect. Very few critics gave it under a 9 and many called this one of the greatest platformers of all time. Critics even commented on Ratchet Dreadlock/Gladiator, where they said 'How can they top perfection?' when reviewing the game.

The story in this game.....where do I even begin!

It starts out with Clank and Ratchet playing halo-chess and Clank sees his own TV show going on, 'Secret Agent Clank'. He is a James Bond-like hero in the show and Ratchet is his butler. Ratchet turns the TV off after a bit, annoyed with the show, as Clank is a bit puzzled.

Then they hear a distress call from Ratchet's homeworld; Velden. Ratchet is ready to go and Clank soon follows, with both fighting off a new force, aliens called the Teranoids. Ratchet and Clank soon learn that a old super villain from the past is back and wants to turn all 'Squishes' into Robots.

Ratchet and Clank planet hop across the galaxy with members of Starship Phenox providing support along the way.

This story.....is amazing. Love the dynamic between Ratchet & Clank as they are really close buddies now; they bounce off each other perfectly and are in-sync with each other. Ratchet shows a lot of concern over Clank with a later scene showing how sorry he is for not realizing something sooner or how Clank cracks more jokes this time out.

Both shine here and I love how great the voice acting both offer is spot on. This extends to everybody, and I love how Quark sounds in this game. The VA really got him this time and its great seeing his character grow a lot. In past games, he was just a 'hero'....but here, he honestly tries to be a hero.

One thing I love is the humor here, as its the best in the entire series. From the nods to reality outside the game, the video previews before you head into new planets, Dr. Nefarious himself, the entire game is a trip. I laughed my head off at almost every scene in the game and I played through it well over 20+ times.

Overall, fantastic story and one that really makes the game shine.

So, with the gameplay, how do you top Ratchet 2? I mean, that game established new ground rules for the series and it was very close to perfect. Well, this game IS perfect. Literally every single element from Ratchet 2 that was either a bit annoying or just a small problem, is gone.

You have multiple weapon wheels, so you can equip your entire line up of guns without ever going into the main menu (you can even set up control options with the weapon wheel). You have an ammo refill option for all your guns at the weapons vendors. The x2 ability that you have in Challenge Mode is now a crate you can smash early in the game to get double the bolts for a limited amount of time. Weapon upgrades are more streamlined with no upgrade mods; they just get better the more you use them.

And the more annoying issues people had with the extra gameplay styles like flying and racing? They are gone now, replaced with really great 2D platforming levels with Quark that really should be their own game with how fun they are, pushing the gunplay more with base missions, and giving Clank a more advanced AI partner to work within him during his sections of the game.

This entire game feels like Insomniac knew they had gold with Ratchet 2 and said "That's good.....but what else can we do here?" and that shows in spades. Gameplay wise, this is perfect to me.

But instead of saying "Its Perfect" and "I love this game" and closing the thread now, lets talk about three things; the base missions, the weapons and the 2D Quark levels.

The Base missions take the platformer that Ratchet 2 was, and turns it into more of a shooter. What I mean, is that the game is still a platformer at heart, but during these portions of the game, it turns into what I call a shooting game with platforming elements.

You still run and jump, but the focus is smart combat and completing specific missions in each area. Defend X amount of troops, blow up X amount of bases, turn X amount of Bolt Cranks, ect. These are so fun thanks to the great gun play controls, having the ability to control the game as a FPS or as a TPS and even having the ability to hop into three things (buggy, powerful flying carrier, and turret). Love these stages and these are further expanded upon with Dreadlock/Gladiator in the future.

The weapons here though, are my favorite line up in the series. Just going to list the different guns you can get and then I will move on:
-Lava gun that shots hot magma and when fully upgraded, can freeze people
-Suck Cannon that can pull in boxes and smaller foes, and shoot them back. When upgraded fully, it can shoot flaming versions of foes/creates you pick up
-Black Hole gun that can pull in a lot of foes at once
-Gun that launches a bomb that explodes into smaller bombs
-A gun that turns you foes into flying ducks. When fully upgraded, it can create an army of flaming ducks that home-in into your foes when flying over them.
-Infector weapon that poisons your foes and makes them attack other foes when infected.
-Lava Whip that when upgraded can shoot a stream of energy at people
-RYNO III that shoots PASMA blasts that kills everything it touches

..........Amazing stuff, isn't it? Greatest weapon selection in any game and while future games have great line ups of weapons, love this line-up a lot personally.

And the last gameplay bit is Quark himself; he gets five (six if you count the secret one) 2D platforming stages that are a mix of running, gunning and platforming. They play with mechanics in the main game (wall jumping, jumping, shooting various weapons) but are a blast. The level designs are really well done and I love how great Quark controls here. Great set of levels and a fun way to mix up long shooting sessions.

If Ratchet 1 was a more moody take on Spyro but in Space & Ratchet 2 was a mixture of more serious alien locations but with a light touch at points, Ratchet 3 is the action movie to the series.

You have more serious locations with torn up planets but you still get a lot of color. The world is amazing looking and really pushed the engine the PS2 games ran on. Particularly love the animation, as the cut-scenes and gameplay really show how lively the characters are animated.

The music though, one of my favorite soundtracks in the series. Again, pushing for that action movie tone that the visuals try to do but man is it effective.

Veldin - Kyzil Plateau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNFDql4lCc8&index=2&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Florana - Nabla Forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yGeefWI4I&index=5&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Starship Phoenix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXFsaOCKbr8&index=8&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Marcadia - Capital City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK5MtJr36L8&index=10&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Station Q9 - Deathcourse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySozLCXatdg&index=16&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Station Q9 - Arena Combat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Oaw-fVPnA&index=17&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False
Aquatos - Underwater Complex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_CJOzMIsQ&index=20&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A
Zygan System - Obani Gemini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3zP2GTY1_Y&index=33&list=PL40EC0886514E2E8A&nohtml5=False

One of my favorite gaming soundtracks honestly and I remember every planet just from listening to this OST.

What else is there to say? Insomniac stuck gold with Ratchet 2 and made it perfect. This game is one I have literally no problems with and that really impresses me. Very few games I feel are perfect, only a very select few are as every thing has problems.

But Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal has no issues to me and is one game I can say until I'm blue in the face is one of gaming's best action/platformers of all time. Please, if you never played this before, run to your nearest store and get the PS3 HD Collection. It runs great on the PS3!

It is also part of the Vita Ratchet Collection but it has frame rate issues toward two sections in the game (one of the second to last final planets and the sewers you can explore).

Give this game a shot and have a blast!

 

[RK128]

I know I said that I am taking a break with gaming Retrospectives, but want to cover this first before I go on my week break; have fresh thoughts on the title and do not want to forget about it. Besides, the Ratchet Retrospective has been on-and-off for a while now and things got back on track with the Going Commando/Ratchet 2 Retrospective; want to keep up consistency.

Now all of that is out of the way, Ratchet Deadlocked. This game released in 2005 and it appears to be a radical departure for the iconic series. Harsher tone, gritty visual style and complete disregard for the series platforming roots becoming full-on Unreal Tournament but with cartoony aliens. Appearences can be deceiving though and what we have here is a natural conclusion from what we got with Up Your Arsenal/Ratchet 3.

Development History:
After the grand success of Ratchet 3, how can you top that? I mean, when you make perfection, what do you do next..... Insomniac decided to push the series to its natural conclusion; a third person team-based shooter.

They introduced shooting mechanics with Going Commando/Ratchet 2 and perfected it with Up Your Arsenal/Ratchet 3, with Ratchet 3 going further by having base missions, introducing online multi-player and more traditional shooting controls (FPS and TPS control styles).

Taking the Base levels, they made a game centered around Ratchet fighting waves and waves of foes in more arena styled locations but with the trademark Insomniac charm and polish. Meaning we get crazy weapons, tight controls, great humor and fun set pieces to go through.

Releasing Fall 2005 alongside Jak X Combat Racing, both showed the developers Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog going in more serious directions for their platforming IP. Despite this, both got strong reviews but Deadlocked got higher scores compared to Jak X and Insomniac went back to more light-hearted Ratchet & Clank with two future games; Tools of Destruction and Size Matters (Ha).

Story:
The plot set up is that after the events of Ratchet 3, the gang is relaxing on Starship Phenoix with Sasha (a major character Ratchet 3) phoning in Ratchet, Clank and Big Al that heroes are being captured and killed. She warns Ratchet that he and Clank might be next but right as she finishes her message, robots invade the ship and capture the three.

After a humorous cut-scene with Ratchet commenting on his new battle armor, he learns that he is part of a underground Gladiator sector called the 'Shadow Sector' with the show 'Dreadzone' being the biggest show being covered. Gleeman Vox is the head of the show and tells Ratchet that if he doesn't compete, the collar Ratchet is wearing will kill him.

Ratchet agrees to fight and with Clank being the guided voice & Big Al being the tech support (fixing up two awesome combat bots for Ratchet), Ratchet climbs to the top while he is bad-mouthed by some of the funniest co-hosts I ever saw in a game.

The plot here appears darker, and it is. People get hurt and its tone is more harsher compared to Ratchet 3. But the game really is light hearted and in many respects, a commentary on reality shows on TV back then and today. It is really funny and the game still has a lot of heart despite the more grim direction the games seems to go in.

Gameplay:
This is where things change a lot, but not really. Remember, Ratchet 3 had big shooting elements despite being a proper platformer. So, the series fully investing itself as a shooter is logical and was a direction Insomniac did right with. Ratchet's default control style is the TPS (move with left stick, aim with right stick, shoot with R1, jump with L1, R2 swaps weapons, L2 controls ducking/wretch throwing) and it works very well.

What makes combat fun is how tight the controls really are. They feel perfect and Ratchet moves smooth like butter. But what makes the game really fun is how powerful the guns are. Deadzone offers Ratchet with 10 different weapons and while that sound small, it really isn't.

You have a mine gun that launches mines toward your foes and explodes when people go near them. A shot gun that is very powerful. Dual Pistols that can be used when grinding on rails and can bounce all over the place when upgraded. Ball & Chain weapon that has a lot of impact. Sniper Rifle that packs quite the punch.

The weapons are more traditional but they are a lot of fun to use and the game has an interesting way of giving them unique abilities. Ratchet can use the bolts he finds to not only buy weapons but buy weapon MODS. These allow you to give your gun elemental properties like Ice, Lighting, Poison or even non-elemental ones like Confusion.

This makes your load out very flexible, as you can give your ball & chain the Ice Mod to have more splash damage with Ice being everywhere when it hits the ground) or give your rifle shock mod to stun them from far distances.

The gameplay further enhanced with AI partners, co-op support and ride-able crafts. The AI robots you have following you around are very useful, as they can toss EMP Blasts to take away force fields, create a shield around you for when you are turning bolt cranks and even heal themselves when they take too much damage.

The game fully supports co-op local and online, so you can play the entire game with a buddy and with the large amount of skins you can unlock, it will be fun for you and a buddy playing as Ratchet & Clank. The crafts you can ride include an upgraded hovercraft from Ratchet 3, spider-walker that shooters missiles & bullets (it rocks) and a jet-bike that is tough to control at first but very fun to use not long after you get the hang of it.

Note how I ignore any platforming, as that is mostly gone here. And that is fine, as the game still is a blast being a shooter, so the lack of major platforming is okay.

Presentation:
This game, like past Ratchet games, looks great on the PlayStation 2. Animated character models, beautiful locations to visit, strong voice acting and stable performance.

One thing I really take away from the game is the soundtrack, as it really is great. Haunting but action packed. Dangerous but still heroic. It matches the somewhat confused tone of the game itself, with it 'looking' edgy but really still having the heart that makes Ratchet & Clank what it is.

Dreadzone Training Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppeESN91cyI&index=1&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG
Dreadzone Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpZg-lX2g4s&index=2&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG
Sarathos - King of the Leviathans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXzIm6PX1kM&index=14&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG
Kronos - Infiltrate the Cathedral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8XvEyHM5sg&index=15&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG
The Valix Belt - Lost and Found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIdDvIZEZWg&index=28&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG
DreadZone Station Interior - Destroy the East Generator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WdDhxj8SU&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG&index=47
DreadZone Station Interior - Defeat Gleeman Vox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Xw5cjhy60&index=49&list=PLwxLlSv5mvIaQ_kytE9-OugbhEEyAIImG

Overall:
This is a fantastic shooter and is a game any fan of the genre should give a look. It might push away gamers looking for a platformer but if you are open to getting a shooter, this is a fantastic one. Insomniac knocks it out of the park yet again.

You can get the game via original PS2 version or from the 2013 PSN remaster but that has some odd graphical issues with cut-scenes and the like. But it has the online modes from the original game (didn't talk about them due to never playing online on my PS2 back then).

 

[RK128]

Hello!

Going to be must faster with this Retrospective now that I'm back making them !

Next up on the list is the Future Trilogy with Tools of Destruction getting a Retrospective later today to celebrate the release of the Ratchet movie, A Quest for Booty getting one before Monday and A Crack in Time getting one later in the week.

Will cover the PSP games last, as I still have to buy those.

After the future series, will also have the spin-off games to cover and the Retrospective will close with me covering Into the Nexus, considering I still don't own a PS4.

Will also be making a Retrospective on the Ratchet Movie and other media (Ratchet Comic) today as well .

 

[Nev]

You talk about the progressive shift towards shooting like it was a positive thing, and maybe it was for you but for me it completely killed my interest and imo it destroyed the franchise's potential by turning it into yet another ******* shooter. Just look at how "edgy" and "badass" the covers of 2 and 3 are. Ugh.

Ratchet 1 will forever be the best.

 

[RK128]

You talk about the progressive shift towards shooting like it was a positive thing, and maybe it was for you but for me it completely killed my interest and imo it destroyed the franchise's potential by turning it into yet another ******* shooter.

Ratchet 1 will forever be the best.

It WAS a good thing because the series did that very well. I don't get that comment though, as I thought I was very kind to Ratchet 1 during its Retrospective.

Agree to Disagree I suppose. Also, the cover for Ratchet 1 was 'edgy' too :l.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

These retrospective threads are generally great, though I think your sonic method was possibly the better one. You can always link each individual previous retrospective in the bottom of the op for a quick method of navigating to the older retrospectives in the series.

 

[RK128]

These retrospective threads are generally great, though I think your sonic method was possibly the better one. You can always link each individual previous retrospective in the bottom of the op for a quick method of navigating to the older retrospectives in the series.

Will edit the OP with the thread links like Sonic. Tried this with Mega Man too and people seem to not mind that. Thank you for the suggestions though ! Glad you are enjoying my gaming retrospectives .

 

[Nev]

It WAS a good thing because the series did that very well. I don't get that comment though, as I thought I was very kind to Ratchet 1 during its Retrospective.

Agree to Disagree I suppose. Also, the cover for Ratchet 1 was 'edgy' too :l.

It was not an attack to you, I think you're doing great work. I just hate how they turned what basically was a next-gen Spyro in space to another TPS with waves after waves of enemies, covers and stupid grinding, but at the time the cool thing was shooting, being edgy and more shooting because of GTA, so I understand they'd follow the trend, just strongly disagree with it and lost interest in the franchise because of it. At least it didn't turn out as horribly as Jak did.

Sly 2 did the best transition out of the three though.

 

[RK128]

It was not an attack to you, I think you're doing great work. I just hate how they turned what basically was a next-gen Spyro in space to another TPS with waves after waves of enemies, covers and stupid grinding, but at the time the cool thing was shooting, being edgy and more shooting because of GTA, so I understand they'd follow the trend, just strongly disagree with it and lost interest in the franchise because of it. At least it didn't turn out as horribly as Jak did.

Sly 2 did the best transition out of the three though.

I thought it was a more reasonable move considering the heavy focus on guns and how I wanted them to control better in Ratchet 1.

But again, I understand your point. I felt Ratchet 2 and Tools of Destruction did the best job mixing shooting & platforming evenly enough.

I agree with your point on Sly too; Sly 2 was a nice middle-ground between linear and open platformer, even though I preferred the Crash-style gameplay of the original Sly.

 

[Nev]

I thought it was a more reasonable move considering the heavy focus on guns and how I wanted them to control better in Ratchet 1.

But again, I understand your point. I felt Ratchet 2 and Tools of Destruction did the best job mixing shooting & platforming evenly enough.

I agree with your point on Sly too; Sly 2 was a nice middle-ground between linear and open platformer, even though I preferred the Crash-style gameplay of the original Sly.

Well R&C had guns in the first game (but they weren't the focus like they were in the later games) so the transtition to being more of a shooter wasn't as jarring and awful as it was with Jak 2, now that was absolutely dreadful.

Sly 1 is my favorite too, granted. I love the hubworld + levels style and loved Crash because of it too, but Sly 2 was a great charming game and while I would've preferred it to stick to the classic formula, I think the change wasn't too bad and maybe if it didn't have so many shitty Murray/Bentley levels I would like it more than 1.

But yeah, old school platforming all the way for me.

 

[MODEYV3]

Tbh I always preferred the gunplay to the platforming in the Ratchet series, as it was always light platforming. So I did love Ratchet Gladiator too, found it to be a nice break for the series before the 'Reboot'.

 

[Voost Kain]

This game in the series continues where the original left off, with Ratchet & Clank heading out on a new adventure after a year of just relaxing on Veldin.

Ratchet 2 is the turning point for the series, with the core gameplay completely changing in really clever ways and a lot of the groundwork that latter games expanded upon being established.

I love this game a lot, so lets waste no time! Lets go commando everyboday!

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Development history on this game is very direct and simple; the first one was expected to be a success, so Sony greenlight a sequel mid-production of the original Ratchet & Clank. So, three months before Ratchet 1's launch, development of the sequel was underway.

Insomniac wanted to play with a lot of concepts for the sequel game and really push the PS2 hardware with Ratchet 2. Better visuals, more RPG elements added to the core gunplay, modern aiming systems for your weapons and more streamlined design compared to the original game.

Some effects like very advanced water texturing was cut due to the game's frame rate tanking when it was in action, so they used simpler water technology.

So this released in Fall 2003, a year after the launch of the original Ratchet and Clank, with it being very successful. Like Ratchet 1, a sequel was starting development three months before Ratchet 2's launch and some developers leaving both Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog to form High Impact Studios. Will touch on them when we get to the PSP games.

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The story is that a now kinder and calmer Ratchet is relaxing on Veldin with Clank being interviewed about what they've been doing since being Drek. They've more or less been relaxing with Ratchet desiring to be part of a new adventure.

Literally seconds after saying that, they are warped to Megacorp and see Fizwidget, who asks Ratchet & Clank to find a creature called the Proto-Pet, a experiement that was stolen from the location. Ratchet is ready to go while Clank stays behind to relax.

The story here is fantastic and the dynamics with the cast is outstanding. Ratchet is a kind fellow thanks to James Arnold Taylor being his new voice actor (Insomniac really didn't like the voice direction for Ratchet originally and stuck with James since Going Commando onwards). He does a great job giving Ratchet a lot of life and makes him a very likable character. Something story-wise that makes since, as Ratchet got kinder from his past Adventure with Clank.

The writing is sharp like it was with the original Ratchet but I really laughed hard during a lot of the cut-scenes. When you visit the Megacorp-Testing location, the cut-scene you get there is great, with a kid being terrified while the Proto-Pet is trying to kill him at every turn XD!

Story-wise, this is one of the best in the series and Ratchet 3/Up Your Arsenal just gets better.

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The gameplay is major here, as Insomniac did ALOT to make this more playable compared to the original Ratchet. While Ratchet 1 was a great game, it felt more like Spyro, with the guns more or less being grander versions of the different breaths.

Here, weapons have a lot of impact and are REALLY fun to use. They fell fantastic and they are all controlled greatly thanks to the Strafing feature being added into the core moveset of Ratchet. Just hold R2 and you are locked to the side, with the right stick allowing you to aim far more carefully. This leads to combat being a ton of fun and while you don't have a lot of weight to your weapons/movement, the snappy nature of the gameplay more then makes up for it.

You also got the weapons wheel (where you have all your weapons) pausing the game, Ratchet's core movement being more tighter and having Clank's core abilities and basic items (hovering, jet-pack, hydro-pack, breathing helmet) unlocked right from the start (though you have Clank joining you in a latter level). This makes everything feel like a 'natural' progression for the series and this is further shown off with the ability to get various Ratchet 1 weapons for free if you have a save of the original game when visiting a specific planet.

Ratchet also levels up, same with his weapons. Like in Role Playing Games, the more you kill, the more EXP you get. And when you get enough, you get more nano-tech (your health) and your weapons get stronger. This is addicting and one of the best additions to the series. Between the large line up of great weapons like the Lava Gun, Bouncer (which explodes into lots of little bombs), Turrets you can plant on the ground, and even other useful items like a shield that can damage foes when you level it up.

I love this line up of weapons and its my second favorite line up in the series! You can also give them special mods (acid effects, lock-on features, ect) if you find Silver Bolts. These are found through exploring through the game and completing space flying levels, which I will get to soon.

Ratchet's core sections have never felt better and I love his sections of the game.

Also, thank you IceyFlames for the great Gifs !

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Clank also is his own playable character again and his gameplay got better too. Like Ratchet, his core movement got a lot better but he also got new robots to command like a bridge robot that can allow you to cross long gaps and a Lifter robot which can pick up heavy objects. These mix up his stages and make them a lot of fun.

Giant Clank comes back when exploring a moon, which is as awesome as it sounds. You fight a giant creature on this moon with missiles, massive jumps and powerful punches; a ton of fun.

And the last two gameplay points is the hoverbike and the space combat. The former is F-Zero or Wipeout like racing but with weapons you can use. Its fun and makes up a small portion of the main game.

The Space levels though, make up a decent amount of the game. You have three/four main space locations to visit and they are Star Fox all-range mode like fights. They have great design with a lot of places to fly around in, extra missions to complete when beating the main mission, and even different weapons you can get when you pay enough Raretainum (currency you get from fighting foes and blowing up stuff in these levels).

I enjoyed these when I played the game more recently but did not like them much during my first playthrough. But when you get the nuke, go to the final space combat area and just shoot it right in front of you once you move a few inches. Kills everything and if you keep doing this again and again, free bolts .

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Visually, this game looks fantastic. Levels are a bit smaller then the original game but they still have a lot of pathways to explore with a ton of detail. Love the animations in this game though, with it having a lot of squash-and-stretch.

The music though........man, one of my favorite gaming soundtracks. It is action packed, filled with great tunes and is memorable. Ratchet 3 continues the style of music shown here and it is just as great.

Aronos - Flying Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk13dtTAXgc&index=1&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&nohtml5=False
Oozla - Megacorp Outlet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X83pgH45nj0&index=2&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&nohtml5=False
Wupash Nebula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqs9igUjY-Q&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&index=5&nohtml5=False
Barlow - Vukovar Canyon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrrLLpYI4JE&index=14&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&nohtml5=False
Hoverbike Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfNEog-mY84&index=15&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&nohtml5=False
Tabora - Crystal Desert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0rmOwDFek&index=24&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&nohtml5=False
Maktar Nebula - The Battle Arena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryggnRU5DZk&list=PL5D86303F0E380566&index=8&nohtml5=False

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Overall, this is how you make a sequel. Fix every issue that people have with the original game and make everything insanely polished. One of the greatest games ever made on the PlayStation 2 and its PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita ports are solid (though the Vita version runs at 30FPS; a lot better then that sounds considering I played that version for this retrospective ).

And the best part? It gets even better with the next game. If this game is close to perfect, Ratchet 3 IS perfect and I can't wait to talk about that soon enough.

Actually it wasn't just the water, some of the framerate fell in certain areas, textures on some planets such as the city with all the rain and lightning were horrible, and this is mostly due to two things, Clank Sections, and a lot of explosions in the game from enemies or weapons.

For some odd reason, explosions were their own models instead of effects, and have high framrates so those explosions have priority over memory. It doesn't help that the Clank sections, even if you aren't on the planet, are already side loaded on the disc. So they are there no matter what which was a silly idea, but they made those sections handle well by doing that I guess. Issue is that on the planets you DO go to one it's terrible, for example, the Protopet factory is a framerate disaster with input lag (play it again next to another level and you will see what I mean) and you see pop-in and washed out textures that sometimes in areas get better if you stand for several seconds.

 

[RK128]

It is nuts that I only have a few more games left to cover! We got though a lot in the past few weeks .

The All 4 One Retrospective will be up this weekend with the Full Frontal Assault and Into the Nexus Retrospectives releasing next week too.

I also plan to cover the PSP games and the PS4 game, but they will be at a later time; gotta get the PSP games first and have to get a PS4 to be able to play Ratchet 2016.

But this Retrospective is coming to a close soon and I had a blast covering all these games . Lets hope for a great future for Ratchet & Clank!