I began Ratchet and Clank around last Christmas, and was very close to beating it in January when disaster struck. My laser on my PS2 went out. Despite all the cleaning I could do, I just couldn't get this game to load up (or any game, for that matter). Couple that with an insane market for PS2 stuff when COVID hits, and I was simply stuck. But I got extremely lucky to find a working PS2 Slim for $10 on OfferUp in July, so I finally had a PS2 again and was back in business.
I had never played any Ratchet and Clank games before this one, so I didn't know quite what to expect. The story is a time honored tale of greedy capitalists exploiting the planet for their own profit, the type that can only be told by for profit corporations developing TV hows, movies, and video games. There's nothing particularly memorable about it, despite it's typical early 2000's attempts at humor that appeal primarily to teenage boys. There's nothing wrong with that, but it definitely struck 33 year old me as a bit cheesy.
The controls and gameplay here are actually very good. It's a mid generation game for the PS2, and they had clearly learned some lessons from other games on the console that had already been released. Much like Insomniac's previous Playstation property Spyro, the game is a 3D platformer that has you exploring open 3D environments and collecting tons of stuff. Unlike it's peers, Ratchet has a significant number of weapons you can select and use, opening up a wide world of possible options in combat. Some of these aren't particularly useful, but there's enough diversity and quality here that you can tackle situations with a variety of strategies that keeps game play fresh and interesting. There are some situations that are more frustrating than fun, however, as 3D platforming has always been a little sticky in terms of communicating depth and distance to the player on a flat TV screen. The camera is also a little wonky at times, but is not noticeably worse than its peers.
The game still looks very good today, which is an achievement for a title that's nearly 20 years old and is rendered in 3D! The cartoony art style helps, as does the extra few years of experience learning about tips and tricks to get the most out of the PS2.
The music is not noticeably good or bad. You'll get the typical range of environmentally influenced themes here depending on your biome, but there's nothing to really discuss.
Ratchet and Clank is a fun game, but not particularly memorable. It'll distract you for an hour at a time, and you'll enjoy it, but it's not a classic for the console. I'll give it an 8.2/10.
I teased the wrong game last time, so check my Tekken 7 review for the teaser!
-TRO
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