Ratchet and Clank is a unique gaming experience in almost everyway.
PROS:
- Dozens of weapons to use.
- Great graphics for its time.
- Very little backtracking.
- Surprisingly long. (15-20 hours)
- A strong plot.
- Load screens are cleverly hidden.
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CONS:
- Clanks missions aren't really fun.
- Occasional problems with the camera.
- You will come aross repetitive waves of the same enemy.
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Gameplay: 9 - A would be very surprised if I had met a video-gamer who hasn't played at least one game from the platformer genre, and not so much surprised if I had met someone who hasn't played through at least one first/third-person shooter, but unfortunately quite a lot of them tend to be boring, generic and bring absolutely nothing new to their respective genre, but Ratchet & Clank manages to stand itself out from the crowd in both of them, simply by amalgamating them. Not only that, but Ratchet & Clank successfully manages to avoid most of the bugs that are holding back a number of other games of the same type, and all the bugs it doesn't avoid are pretty minor.
You will be controlling Ratchet (a fictional creature called a Lombax) for most of the game, he will be wielding dozens of weapons, such as a bomb glove. With the bomb glove you will be able to (you guessed it) toss bombs at your enemies, the bomb will spontaneously combust after a set period of time or once it comes into contact with something or someone. Other weapons you will be able to control with the left analog stick, and will explode into thin air once it either collides with someone or something or when you tap on the circle button, while other ranged weapons will automatically home in on the nearest enemy. Unlike other first and third-person shooters, you will have to aim your gun perfectly in order to exacute a successful shot.
In a lot of entries in the platformer genre, the gameplay consists almost entirely on jumping across platforms floating above a seemingly bottomless pit of nothingness and if the game has an open-ended design, you will have to go all the way back through a level to where you were before. Ratchet & Clank avoids both of these monotonous platforming cliches, you will recieve a map of the world you are currently on, and the world will be split into two or three paths which all lead to a different item or person that will prove to be quite useful for the rest of your journey. Most of the paths you will take throughout the game will go in a loop to the where you started, while for others, you will have to take a taxi back to the ship. Although you will have to put up with some backtracking but when you do, it will be very mild and when you will have to resort to using backtracking to get to your ship, it is very, very infrequent.
If the excellent combination of a third-person shooting and a 3D childre's platformer wasn't enough to satisfy you, then you will definitely be pleased by the games good camera angles, you will have complete control over the camera, unlike in other games where the camera will immediately zoom back to where it once was when you start adjusting it with the right analog stick, the camera will stay where it is. Although the camera will act up occasionally if you are surrounded by enemies and/or if you are backed up against a wall when fighting against numerous advesaries, but this camera problem is rarely happens.
Ultimately, the gameplay is great fun, and whoever came up with the idea to amalgamate a third-person shooter with a 3D platformer should be rewarded with a medal of imagination. The zany weapons and excellent controls make the game very easy to reccomend to just about anyone who is a fan of at least one of these genres. However, you will come acroos repetitive waves of the same enemies for most of the planets you will come across, but luckily all the planets have different adversaries and inhabitants.
Sound: 8 - The voice-acting isn't far oof excellent here, and all of the games music tracks are seamless, entertaining and fit in with their environment almost flawlessly. Although the sweet noise that swoop across your ear-drums whenever you collect bolt(s) wears off after a few hours but luckily it doesn't get intensely irritating like a lot of games that invovle collectibles.
Plot: 9 - The storyline to Ratchet & Clank, is actually a collaberation of a number of other main and minor storylines. Each character appears to have their own different ambitions and goals in life. In fact, half the time, Ratchet and Clank will be squabbling over what they are going to do next or which planet they are going to go to next. (And Ratchet normally wins)
Graphics: 9 - The graphics are simply excellent for its time, the characters mouths always move to what they are saying and explosions that occur throughout the game are just plain dazzling, which makes the graphics way above average for a game that was released just a bit more than seven and a half years ago. Each and every world you come across is colourful, large, very detailed and above all, actually feels like its alive.
Overall: 9/10 - EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD -
Arguably, Ratchet and Clank is a unique gaming experience in almost everyway, mainly because of its unusual yet interesting combination of a thrid-person shooter and a 3D children's platformer while successfully avoiding almost all of the annoying bugs and traps that are sending several other games from Ratchet & Clanks respective genre(s) into mediocrity. And because the game is so well-balanced it can easily be recommended to just about anyone whos even a mild fan of at least one of the types of game Ratchet & Clank successully manages to amalgamate.
The game is also pretty long as well, with a run time of 15 to 20 hours while other shooters and platformers go one for about 5 to 10 hours. The game is also pretty challenging as well, it may seem rather easy like most platformers but it gets more and more challenging as you progress through the game. I'm still struggling to finish the final boss battle, even though I do have eight nanotechs. (Probably because I don't have the R.Y.N.O weapon or something like that)
Thank you for reading my honest review of: Ratchet & Clank.