The beginning of one of the most popular platform gender games out there...
Despite the seemingly grandiose plot, one must only play Ratchet & Clank for under an hour to see that the game should not be taken too seriously. The tension between the two heroes can be felt, especially with Ratchet's stabbing insults and Clank's undermining sarcasm, but it is cloaked in humor that could be found in an edgy Cartoon Network show. Good character development gives the storyline good value, even if it feels a bit forced and sudden at points.
The Ratchet and Clank Collection which features the original trilogy in high definition, is coming soon for the Playstation 3, but the original, especially in retrospect, is still a graphical beauty. Character animations were fluid like a three dimensional animated feature (of a lower quality), and the cities on the planets that Ratchet and Clank visit are scenic beauties: flying cars zip through the air, destroyed buildings burn and emit smoke in the distance, and robotic interpretations of nature are like vivid pictures. And, of course, there are explosions.
Ratchet and Clank has been described by some as an action-platformer, and that is an accurate description. For a twelve to fourteen hour adventure, the amount of weapons and gadgets that you can enjoy is staggering. Ratchet starts with his wrench which he can use to perform a three-hit combo, but he can eventually accumulate weapons for an arsenal full of destruction. There is a blaster gun, flame-thrower, missile launcher, mines, and more complex devices such as the Glove of Doom which you can use to toss a small ball on the ground that hatches a few tiny robots who chew on your foes to death.
Aside from a couple of small tasks which can only be completed as Clank alone, the small robot rides on Ratchet's back like a backpack for much of the adventure's duration. Clank, to the jealousy of his furry friend, receives a number of upgrades himself: a heli-pack that allows the heroic duo to float to platforms from great distances and perform long jumps, a jetpack with similar but more excellent functions, and a water-jetpack upgrade, among others.
For the most part, using the weapons is a lot of fun, but some are not very intuitive. The game's camera is the main culprit of this problem. It is controlled manually, and the speed in which it turns can be set to fast, but even then it has a hard time keeping up with Ratchet in the heat of battle. When enemies are swarming Ratchet from behind, you may be forced to take some blind shots and hope for the best. You can also use weapons in first person view, but you have to hold L1, with Ratchet standing still, and move the aiming cursor (which is a bit flimsy) all while hoping your foes do not hit you out of first person mode. Combat wise, this is the game's biggest weakness, but despite this one noticeable flaw, destroying foes and seeing all of the explosions is immensely satisfying.