The starting game of a classic plat-former franchise that carries the genre to this day.
The Ratchet and Clank series have been a venerable induction into the plat-former genre since its initial release and continues to be a cornerstone of gaming. As for its initial predecessor it was an addicting third-person shooter/plat-former that sucked you in and had you begging for more upon finish.
Story: Enter a bored junk-yard urchin on a backwater planet and a little alienated robot with a heart of gold. The two match-up to face off against the corrupt Chairman Drek, who is out to tear the galaxy apart in order to create a super-planet for his dis-enfranchised people. The story plays out in similar comical fashion to Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy but with the charm of the big-bro/little- bro relationship between Ratchet and Clank.
10/10
Gameplay: Essentially a third-person shooter, it carries the distinction of having a variety of comically unconventional weapons. Mixing it up is sharp plat-forming, aerial battles, and puzzles performed by Clank. There are a few moments where the camera got in the way but they were rare moments indeed. Possibly the downside to all this was while the variety was welcome, there were moments that were mundane filler and nothing more.
-Typical of the series, you visit a world and you are then given two to three linear paths to take, ultimately giving you a sense of free-roaming - complete with hidden areas for extra exploration.
-Enemies in the game vary from being weak to being fairly tough, which in the end gave the game a moderate difficulty up until the the final boss fight which has been considered by many to be too much. 8.5/10
Graphics/Sound: For the time, the graphics were top-notch and had a classic Saturday-morning cartoon look - giving a nice feel to the waves of destruction and to some comic affect as with the animated reactions of enemies. The action in the game was also nicely facilitated by a variety of realistic sounds. Music also did a good job of setting the sci-fi/ action-adventure tone of the game.
9/10
If you are new to the series, I highly recommend this first entry into the series.