Going into Size Matters I kinda knew it wouldn’t be good, it’s still a decent game and all, but the early PSP games that received a lot of “amazing” scores were often over-exaggerated because the PSP simply didn’t have that many games. Again, it’s still a decent game, and frankly I find it to be a bit more fun than the first Ratchet and Clank game, if only slightly. But Size Matters only really considerable selling point that it makes to the R&C series is that it’s the “first” decent portable R&C game.
Size Matters simply has too many flaws with it to even say it’s a good game however, and certainly shouldn’t be passed as one. For one, it’s pretty dang obvious that the game is not designed for a PSP control scheme. There are just too many buttons that the R&C series uses to make it work on a portable system without giving something up; this causes a lot of problems by mixing and matching buttons that were originally not supposed to work the way they do in Size Matters. Honestly, the camera is the least of the player’s worries because the bigger problem to address is the strafing mechanic. Switching from the D-pad to the Circle pad or vice versa just to strafe is often confusing and annoying. It’s really just a hassle that shouldn’t be and pretty much makes the same mistake the first R&C did. Also why they have racing in this game I will never know, the least that can be said for it, it doesn’t work. The story too is rather bare bones, it resolves just enough to make it watchable, but it certainly is nowhere near the story telling of the other R&C games. Really it just feels like Sony was grasping at straws here just trying to get the PSP some legs to stand on rather than actually trying to make a good game.
That being said though, Size Matters I don’t think is a terrible game, I find it rather decent. Sure the controls are a bundled of mess and the story isn’t good, but it’s still a portable adventure. The combat is light, the areas are somewhat smaller, and the platforming is even lighter, but just having this mini adventure feels just a bit nice to actually have. As well, a lot of the guns in this game aren’t all that bad, and some are rather creative, and in my honest opinion better than the 1st R&C weapons. The graphics themselves look really nice on the small PSP screen and make all the smaller worlds pop out at least enough to make it enjoyable on the eyes. The areas themselves can often be forgettable, but they at least yield for a small amount of exploration, and atmosphere. All the classic sounds are still here and the music, while somewhat forgettable as well, still stands out.
Final Thoughts:
It’s a shame that Size Matters seemed so rushed out of the door, if given enough time I think it would have made for an excellent addition for the Ratchet and Clank series. However, what we are left with is pretty much a semi decent game with a baffling control scheme and mediocre story. But hey, it’s a portable Ratchet and Clank game, at least.