Superb combat and an action oriented focus make Ratchet and Clank UYA one of the best games ever released on the PS2
Ratchet and Clank UYA immediately gives the impression that it is unlike anything that the previous games in terms of its scope and spectacle. The game starts with Ratchet returning to the Solana galaxy to join the fight against an invasion of his homeworld Veldin (remember that brown place where you killed Drek?) Instead of the tepid and predictable opening of Going Commando, Ratchet UYA begins with a freefall from the sky, dodging mortar fire as he plummets towards the surface of Veldin. The game sets itself up to be much more of an action third person shooter than a platformer in the first 30 minutes although you will introduced to the platforming staples of the series so far.
What makes Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal stand out from its elder siblings is the story, while being neither particularly dramatic or intriguing it nevertheless manages to be unpredictable which is a rare coin in the world of action games. This is partly due to the fact that Insomniac have recognized the flaws of the last game's flimsy narrative. The game is quick to provide us with an antagonist in the form of Doctor Nefarious, a villain with the name of a Saturday morning cartoon baddy and the vocal delivery to match. Nefarious is a superb villain who constantly manages to keep you entertained despite the lackluster narrative, he mixes threatening cliché lines with wonderfully exaggerated physical gestures and his "idiotic genius" persona manages to carry the game unlike the plot itself which centre's around the five words "We've got to stop Nefarious" because in his robotic wisdom Nefarious has decided that the universe would be much nicer if it was free from "squishies" (read: organic sentient life forms) which includes our furry protagonist and his chums.
Though the tale has little to no emotional clout it never ceases to amuse thanks to Insomniac's decision to base their narrative philosophy around the notion that anything goes as long as we can get a laugh out of it and keep the player guessing, it's silly and shallow but it doesn't try to impose false gravitas on the proceedings like the original or confuse you like Going Commando. Thankfully Nefarious and the cast carry the story well and the side stories regarding Qwark and Nefarious are interesting enough for you to put up with the uninspiring but reasonably offbeat tale.
Fortunately Nefarious provides more than enough justification for you to dive back into one of the best third-person action formula's around. Ratchet's controls have been tweaked yet again to give greater feel and control but they still feel a tiny bit floaty during platform-hopping sections. The level design remains much the same as previous games, there will be 2 to 3 different paths from your ship and they'll all involve shooting, platforming and occasionally some hacking minigames (which start off as a nice diversion but soon becomes a difficult and lengthy chore). There are also some new gadgets to play around with, one of which is the most hilarious interpretation of a rhythm game and you'll a couple of opportunities to play as Clank although his sections aren't nearly as numerous, fun or protracted as those in the previous games.
There are also combat missions which are more filler than game as they're set on multiplayer maps ala Unreal Tournament and basically serve to introduce you to the elements of the multiplayer component. I wouldn't mind this normally but some of these missions occupy whole levels that are usually places that appeared in the last game set in this universe (Solana to reiterate) and I'd quite like to see them reworked. They're also painfully disjointed, you don't transition smoothly from one objective to another, instead you complete the section; get a bolt reward and return to a menu screen which I'm sure is not how battles should play out, even in a universe where Clank gets a job playing a Bond-like TV show character.
The shooting is extremely similar to previous titles when you use the default control scheme but choosing the "lock-strafe" control scheme transforms Ratchet from a haphazard action game with an unreliable lock-on system to a perfectly balanced third person shooter, it's the best way to play UYA as it gives you much more freedom aim and conserve the ammo of your best weaponry rather than waste the good stuff due to a slightly finicky lock on functionality which is a good thing considering the toys you'll get to play with this time around.
Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal delivers on its titular promise with diligence and a willful disregard for health and safety. There are 20 weapons in all, some of which return from the last game ala, well the last game actually and they all are useful in combat scenarios if you want to mix things up. Highlights include the Rift Inducer which fires small black holes, the N60 Storm which remains as one of my favourite over-powered all round weapons in gaming and the Quack-o-Ray which does exactly what it says on the box. The main disappointment here is that the R.Y.N.O is an utter waste of bolts which is an incredible downer for fans who will save up their hard earned wonga only to get a dull rocket launcher. Not all of the weapons are as original as the previous games but they all work perfectly and sound much better than their equivalents in other games. Each gun has a thick punch to it which is mixed with their own unique sound design, it's all complemented by fantastically crisp effects that still look sharp today and much more feedback through the controller. Again Insomniac shows how it can integrate the uses of multiple weapons into the gameplay, many encounters can only easily overcome by swapping your weapons on the fly to deal with new types of enemies which are mostly quite resistant to your attacks.
The upgrade system returns from the last game and allows five upgrade levels instead of one which is nice in theory but the end result is far less impressive that complete overhaul weapons gained during an upgrade in Going Commando. The system is also flawed in terms of how you acquire the exp to upgrade, in order to get decent exp you have to press on with the story missions rather than take the time to prepare by building up your tools of robotic death in the myriad optional combat and arena missions. Try to upgrade your N60 like this and you'll spend hours grinding exp when you could get the same progress by struggling through a difficult level. Speaking of difficulty if you opt for the traditional control scheme you may have a hard time of things, you may even have to resort to hiding behind cover as enemies may not have aim but they certainly have firepower, you don't want to get hit by anything major during the second half of the game. This being said the game does suffer from some painful difficulty spikes which inexplicably return to normal after a certain world, certain areas have badly set checkpoints or just overwhelm you with enemies when you weren't expecting it so don't count on a smooth run over the 12 to 15 hours the game will take you to complete if you buy and upgrade weapons and look for the valuable and very useful extra gadgets about the galaxy.
Sound is actually exceptional in this addition of the Ratchet series for the first time since the original game, especially when it comes to the score. Original tracks are memorable and catchy for the most part and many of the old scores from the original Ratchet and Clank have been remixed for when you revisit those old planets, it's a nice nod to the past and the music overall manages to be noticeable and enjoyable without being intrusive or jarring like it was in the game's closest competitors Jak 2 and 3.
The voice acting is also on a par with Naughty Dog's more serious action adventure series. Ratchet is especially likable this time around as the straight guy while Nefarious' screeching cadence and Jim Ward's Captain Qwark deliver ridiculousness and hilarity in equal measure. The supporting cast also deserves praise, particularly Nefarious' manservant Lawrence whose deadpan delivery of dry puns and witticisms are almost as well done as Nefarious' own incompetent yet sinister malevolence.
The supporting cast of characters is also a welcome return to form. Skid McMarx, Helga and Al return from the original game with their archetypal self-satire intact and are used sparingly to great effect although you may wonder why they're there at all due to the relatively minor roles they play. Of course the series wouldn't the same with everyone's favourite bumbling superhero in a painfully tight leotard, Captain Qwark returns in style from his notable drought of appearances in the last game. Instead of playing the "Rubbish bad-guy" Qwark takes up a new role as the "idiot who holds the key to defeating Nefarious" because in his more illustrious youth he did just that.
Graphically Ratchet still manages to be one of the best looking titles from the PS2 era. UYA's worlds are a bright and colourful mix of art styles with much more flora than the sometimes Spartan locales of the last game. Much of the environment reacts to explosions and gunfire which makes them seem more like places rather than 3D worlds in which boxes must be ticked. The art style's from the majority of the game blend well into the reimagining's of Ratchet's first adventure and as a result the game feels more like a cohesive whole than a collection of level ideas. The enemy design isn't as varied as before but there's a neat set of foes to fight although Insomniac fall into the age old trap of thinking that changing enemies colour scheme somehow equates to making them more dangerous and difficult to kill. You won't meet many new enemy types beyond the halfway point but at least they behave convincingly and present a decent challenge.
Technically the game manages a steady framerate for the majority of the time, mostly around the 60 fps mark which is extraordinary given the tech it's running on and will only drop when things get even more hectic than usual. The lighting doesn't really change much over the game but the underwater sections are nicely murky and when it wants to the game can put on some impressively lit skies overheard when things are going to get more dramatic.
The best graphics can be found early in the game where the levels are more imaginative as then seem to grow slightly stale later on. Weapon effects with their crisp particles and the smooth enemy animation are the highlights of the visual ensemble due to the obviously high production values being focused on making this game fun to watch as much as it is fun to play. This being the PS2 there are plenty of muddy textures, invisible walls and jagged edges to be found throughout the game which will constantly remind you of the game's age but overall it looks as good as any game from that era and has aged remarkably well compared to its PS2 platforming brethren.
The game isn't without its subtleties. Qwark and Nefarious' rather hostile relationship is fleshed out nicely through a selection of playable video games (which are brutally difficult and absolutely amazing fun) which recount Qwark's more admirable feats of derring-do before he went commercial. Yes you can play video games in a video and the game is fully aware of this. There's also a hilarious satire on Britney Spears' auto-tuned rubbish and there are smatterings of adult humour throughout the more innocent comedic scenes. The game is consistently self-aware making jokes about everything from resource hogging PC games to cheat codes. Humour is a huge part of the game and permeates everything from the enemy design to the weaponry itself.
There's also a multiplayer component which is surprisingly simple and satisfying for a PS2 game. There are a couple of vehicles and several large maps which are perfectly suited to the objective based game types. Not all of the weapons from the single-player are available due to balancing issues and gameplay basically devolves into jumping around firing off at anything that moves but it's an extremely addictive formula which still has a cult player base as I discovered recently. It's very impressive how Insomniac have managed to port their single-player focused gameplay into a multiplayer format that works well and if you manage to find a good match you'll notice all the hallmarks of Resistance's level design were first conceived in this game's development. It still remains as one of the best and most surprisingly inclusions in the entire Ratchet series.
Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal doesn't appear to be much a departure from previous games on the surface. It follows the same structure and gameplay formula established on day 1 but there are so many little but crucial changes that make this furry platformer one of the best third-person shooters available and certainly one of the most enjoyable action adventure games on the Playstation 2. Unlike so many of its counterparts Ratchet and Clank UYA has aged well, retaining its crown as one the deepest and most rewarding platformers on the market while supply exemplary action and riotous humour. Some decisions are still irksome and will cause you grief by the end of your 15 hours but they pale in comparison to the rest of the package.
The Rundown:
Pros:
+Story never becomes too predictable due to twists and strong narrative pacing
+ Fantastic production values in terms of sound and voice acting, strong animation also lends a great deal of character to the proceedings.
+ Superb weapons pack serious punch and evolve as you use them. Some are wonderfully overpowered to a fault but won't care
+ Memorable score mixes old with new to remind of the first game's emotional highs
+ Strong art style over most of the game
+ Brilliant sense of humour mixes adult reference and good old fashioned wordplay, Qwark, Lawrence and Nefarious are an absolute riot over the course of the game.
+ Nefarious is finally a villain worthy enough for the duo of Ratchet and his metal backpack.
+ Greater action focus manages to streamline Ratchet into a strong and cohesive adventure that never suffers from pacing issues or lags in the action.
+ Graphics are still some of the best on the PS2
+The Qwark vid-comics
+ Surprisingly satisfying multiplayer component
+ Rights the wrongs of the previous games without losing their charm
Cons
- The graphics though good for the time, are filled with eyesores and jagged edges
- Art style grows stale and unimaginative by the last third of the singleplayer
-Not many people online
-Enemy variety is somewhat limited and Insomniac insist on trying to persuade you that when Tyhrranoids are brown they're more dangerous than when they're purple rather than giving them better weapons and new behaviours.
- Clank's sections aren't as complex or numerous as they were in previous games
- Painfully difficult hacking sequences are used ad nauseum
- Occasionally shocking and brutal difficulty spikes
- The "combat missions" seem like filler to introduce you to the multiplayer features
- The R.Y.N.O 3 is pathetic compared to the last two
- Nefarious' boss battle is very very hard
- Still not enough of a compelling story to back up the action.
- If you've played Ratchet games then you won't really be too surprised at what's on offer
Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal stands as one the finest action-platformers ever made for the Playstation 2 and still manages to cut it with the Third-person shooters of today. If you ever wonder why people talk about this game on R&C videos on the net, then play this game and you'll discover why it has garnered such a loyal fanbase over the years from an already devoted subset of gamers who adore Insomniac's finest series to date.