Though Sonic and the Secret Rings is by far my least favorite Sonic game, directly above it are the Game Gear games and then the original Sonic Riders. Sonic R has been my favorite Sonic racing game until now because you were on foot and burning rubber, but that mediocre boarding game…might as well have not existed. I mean, Sonic is about running, not boarding against some whacko parrot voiced by none other than the Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants (yes, you read right). I had taken the time to play it, and it was “ok,” but it just wasn’t good. Then, a couple of years later, a sequel came out for the Wii, known as Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. As you can well imagine, I did not plan on buying it.
My 6-year-old sister, however, had other plans. Since she liked the first one, she intended to get it for her birthday. I wasn’t going to criticize her; she likes everything I don’t like. Still, I always thought that Zero Gravity would probably be better than the original. Once I played it, it turned out I was exactly right. It was better. Much better.
This must surely be a sign, as Sonic has been as of late going through a bad streak that has caused many ex-fans to wish him away, myself not included. I will, however, admit that the latest Sonic games from 2005-2007 have been disappointing, minus the Sonic Rush games for DS (as for Sonic Rivals…I’ve never played that). Shadow the Hedgehog was fun, but it did not live up to expectations and was REALLY short (in case you’re wondering, I thought that the trailers for it made it look like one of the great games of our time). Sonic Riders, as mentioned before, was a mediocre attempt at a sixth-gen Sonic racing game. Sonic the Hedgehog was a MAJOR disappointment. Sonic ran soooo slowly (and on a next-gen console, too), and there were so many glitches and the load times were unbearably long. As for Sonic and the Secret Rings…don’t get me started on that. There is still Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games, which was simply NOT GOOD. I’ve also had fears that Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Unleashed would be terrible, considering that each one gets increasingly worse. However, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity shows a glimmer of light in a possibly dark future.
For one thing, there is no longer an Air Gauge to measure how much fuel your Gear has; this means no more running to a pit stop on foot. As a consolation, the Air Dash and Air Slide are gone, although it’s a fair trade. You have something to replace that anyway. Rather than an Air Gauge, you have a Gravity Gauge, which gives you limited control over gravity. This allows you to make sharp turns by pressing the 1 Button, and can also allow you to fly by quickly pushing the Wii Remote up. While flying, you can bounce off certain objects to gain a burst of speed and also get more Gravity Points. The flight power also allows you to use certain shortcuts that only certain characters can usually enter. There is also a way to ride along walls, although it mostly falls out of your use.
There are three available control styles, although the sideways control style is the best. You hold the Wii Remote forward to accelerate, and move it left and right to steer. The 1 Button allows you to use a Gravity Drift (as mentioned earlier), and the 2 Button allows you to jump and do tricks. Speaking of which, tricks are a lot easier to do than they were in the original. No longer will you be in the middle of a trick and then land, causing you to lose all of your former speed. Instead, you just have to press the 2 Button at the right time and flick the Wii Remote in the direction in which you want to do the trick. The farther you are on the ramp when you press the 2 Button and the harder you flick the Wii Remote, the better the trick will be and thus you will get more Gravity Points.
Another thing I like is that the difficulty has been toned down significantly. No longer will you get hit by a fellow racer and lose all your rings, be back at level 1, and have lost all your speed. Now, the only way for a racer to hit you is if they get a power-up in one of the capsules that lets them turbo run on foot with a special power ready to own the next person they touch, although they thankfully aren’t too common. In fact, you’ll probably end up getting them more often than the fellow racers. This power can also reveal new shortcuts, usually involving hitting springs. As mentioned earlier, the Air Gauge is gone, thereby toning down the difficulty even more. While I’m at it, I will point out that the annoying announcer from the first game is no longer there, although it kind of makes you wonder why they’re racing when there’s no tournament going on…
Like the original, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity follows the example set by Sonic Heroes of adding an ability triangle. Each character has a rank: speed, flight, or power. The power characters can mow down obstacles in their path, and thus uncover new shortcuts. Speed characters can grind along rails to speed things up. Flight characters can find shortcuts if they go across certain ramps. This allows them to fly through dash rings and discover new areas. However, there is a flaw in this. The characters don’t come with the abilities; you instead have to collect enough rings in order to switch to the appropriate Gear. I have no problem with this Gear Change system, but it should have been different. While I’m at it, depending on how many rings you get, you can press A to change your gear for a higher speed, the appropriate vehicle for grinding/destroying obstacles/flying, and a Gravity Gauge upgrade. Again, though I think it’s neat, the abilities should have come with the characters. Also like the original, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity follows Sonic Adventure 2’s example by giving the Babylon Rogues alternate versions of Team Sonic’s stages.
Before closing my review, I will overview the graphics. Now, though graphics aren’t important to a racing game, it is still nice to see one with pretty graphics, and this delivers. It’s got the same style as the original game’s graphical style, which was pretty good, aside from the way some of the characters’ mouths moved during scenes. The cutscenes are also a noticeable improvement, not that cutscenes in Sonic games aren’t ALWAYS awesome.
While the first Sonic Riders was a rent at best, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is worth buying. If you were like me and didn’t like the first one, I still recommend you look into this; SEGA definitely put effort into it. This is definitely a sign that Sonic was just going through a bad streak, but now he’s getting back on track. I’ve seen trailers for Sonic Unleashed, and I think it looks awesome; not as good as the Sonic Adventure games, surely, but awesome. I’m still a little worried about Sonic Chronicles, unless it has a Tales of Symphonia-style battle system—I think that Sonic and turn-based battles don’t mix. Anyway…
Here Are the Words…
Gameplay: Pretty Good. A major improvement over the original; you can tell that Sonic Team actually tried to make this one good.
Fun Factor: Great! The original was so hard it was barely fun at all, but with this one’s toned-down difficulty and new gravity-manipulating mechanics, it can be quite a blast to play.
Graphics: Great! They shine, especially during cutscenes, but I don’t like the way the characters’ mouths move during scenes…
Glitches: Pretty Good. They’re there, but they’re not very major.
Story: Pretty Good. Though a story is not significant for a racing game, it’s pretty cool and interesting.
Final Word: Pretty Good. A significant improvement over the first. Now there is a bright glimmer of hope in this hedgehog’s future.
My 6-year-old sister, however, had other plans. Since she liked the first one, she intended to get it for her birthday. I wasn’t going to criticize her; she likes everything I don’t like. Still, I always thought that Zero Gravity would probably be better than the original. Once I played it, it turned out I was exactly right. It was better. Much better.
This must surely be a sign, as Sonic has been as of late going through a bad streak that has caused many ex-fans to wish him away, myself not included. I will, however, admit that the latest Sonic games from 2005-2007 have been disappointing, minus the Sonic Rush games for DS (as for Sonic Rivals…I’ve never played that). Shadow the Hedgehog was fun, but it did not live up to expectations and was REALLY short (in case you’re wondering, I thought that the trailers for it made it look like one of the great games of our time). Sonic Riders, as mentioned before, was a mediocre attempt at a sixth-gen Sonic racing game. Sonic the Hedgehog was a MAJOR disappointment. Sonic ran soooo slowly (and on a next-gen console, too), and there were so many glitches and the load times were unbearably long. As for Sonic and the Secret Rings…don’t get me started on that. There is still Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games, which was simply NOT GOOD. I’ve also had fears that Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Unleashed would be terrible, considering that each one gets increasingly worse. However, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity shows a glimmer of light in a possibly dark future.
For one thing, there is no longer an Air Gauge to measure how much fuel your Gear has; this means no more running to a pit stop on foot. As a consolation, the Air Dash and Air Slide are gone, although it’s a fair trade. You have something to replace that anyway. Rather than an Air Gauge, you have a Gravity Gauge, which gives you limited control over gravity. This allows you to make sharp turns by pressing the 1 Button, and can also allow you to fly by quickly pushing the Wii Remote up. While flying, you can bounce off certain objects to gain a burst of speed and also get more Gravity Points. The flight power also allows you to use certain shortcuts that only certain characters can usually enter. There is also a way to ride along walls, although it mostly falls out of your use.
There are three available control styles, although the sideways control style is the best. You hold the Wii Remote forward to accelerate, and move it left and right to steer. The 1 Button allows you to use a Gravity Drift (as mentioned earlier), and the 2 Button allows you to jump and do tricks. Speaking of which, tricks are a lot easier to do than they were in the original. No longer will you be in the middle of a trick and then land, causing you to lose all of your former speed. Instead, you just have to press the 2 Button at the right time and flick the Wii Remote in the direction in which you want to do the trick. The farther you are on the ramp when you press the 2 Button and the harder you flick the Wii Remote, the better the trick will be and thus you will get more Gravity Points.
Another thing I like is that the difficulty has been toned down significantly. No longer will you get hit by a fellow racer and lose all your rings, be back at level 1, and have lost all your speed. Now, the only way for a racer to hit you is if they get a power-up in one of the capsules that lets them turbo run on foot with a special power ready to own the next person they touch, although they thankfully aren’t too common. In fact, you’ll probably end up getting them more often than the fellow racers. This power can also reveal new shortcuts, usually involving hitting springs. As mentioned earlier, the Air Gauge is gone, thereby toning down the difficulty even more. While I’m at it, I will point out that the annoying announcer from the first game is no longer there, although it kind of makes you wonder why they’re racing when there’s no tournament going on…
Like the original, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity follows the example set by Sonic Heroes of adding an ability triangle. Each character has a rank: speed, flight, or power. The power characters can mow down obstacles in their path, and thus uncover new shortcuts. Speed characters can grind along rails to speed things up. Flight characters can find shortcuts if they go across certain ramps. This allows them to fly through dash rings and discover new areas. However, there is a flaw in this. The characters don’t come with the abilities; you instead have to collect enough rings in order to switch to the appropriate Gear. I have no problem with this Gear Change system, but it should have been different. While I’m at it, depending on how many rings you get, you can press A to change your gear for a higher speed, the appropriate vehicle for grinding/destroying obstacles/flying, and a Gravity Gauge upgrade. Again, though I think it’s neat, the abilities should have come with the characters. Also like the original, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity follows Sonic Adventure 2’s example by giving the Babylon Rogues alternate versions of Team Sonic’s stages.
Before closing my review, I will overview the graphics. Now, though graphics aren’t important to a racing game, it is still nice to see one with pretty graphics, and this delivers. It’s got the same style as the original game’s graphical style, which was pretty good, aside from the way some of the characters’ mouths moved during scenes. The cutscenes are also a noticeable improvement, not that cutscenes in Sonic games aren’t ALWAYS awesome.
While the first Sonic Riders was a rent at best, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is worth buying. If you were like me and didn’t like the first one, I still recommend you look into this; SEGA definitely put effort into it. This is definitely a sign that Sonic was just going through a bad streak, but now he’s getting back on track. I’ve seen trailers for Sonic Unleashed, and I think it looks awesome; not as good as the Sonic Adventure games, surely, but awesome. I’m still a little worried about Sonic Chronicles, unless it has a Tales of Symphonia-style battle system—I think that Sonic and turn-based battles don’t mix. Anyway…
Here Are the Words…
Gameplay: Pretty Good. A major improvement over the original; you can tell that Sonic Team actually tried to make this one good.
Fun Factor: Great! The original was so hard it was barely fun at all, but with this one’s toned-down difficulty and new gravity-manipulating mechanics, it can be quite a blast to play.
Graphics: Great! They shine, especially during cutscenes, but I don’t like the way the characters’ mouths move during scenes…
Glitches: Pretty Good. They’re there, but they’re not very major.
Story: Pretty Good. Though a story is not significant for a racing game, it’s pretty cool and interesting.
Final Word: Pretty Good. A significant improvement over the first. Now there is a bright glimmer of hope in this hedgehog’s future.
Hello beautiful people of planet Earth! My last post was a review for the PS2 version of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, the second-latest game in the series. After completing and reviewing that game, I got started back on the original Ratchet & Clank. Unfortunately, once I got to the super-difficult final boss, I quit, and I don’t think I’ll start back anytime soon. Regardless, I have ended up with its sequel, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. How?
Well, my sister has had a birthday, and it is family tradition to give the birthday boy/girl a crap-load of money. My sister, who has, for whatever reason, gotten into Ratchet & Clank, has bought Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, and Deadlocked off eBay (the former of which is not coming until July because the person who put it on eBay is currently on vacation). So, this is how I’ve ended up with it. Although it’s my sister’s present, I play it about ten times more than her, so it’s basically my game.
To start things off, the graphics are great. They are a noticeable improvement over the original game’s graphics. There is a higher polygon count, as well as higher resolution. This, among more colors and better textures, allow Going Commando’s graphics to receive the word Great. Though they’re not very great by today’s PS2 standards, they were very good for the time and deserve some credit. The music fits the areas of the game well, despite the fact that it’s forgettable. Thus, the music of the game receives the word Pretty Good.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando has a much better, funnier story than the original. During an interview for a TV show about heroes, Ratchet and Clank are beamed into the Bogon Galaxy to solve the crisis of a stolen Megacorp product. The president of Megacorp, Mr. Fizzwidget, hires Ratchet to catch the thief, while Clank is given a special apartment just for him. Ratchet meets the thief, only for the experiment (a Furby-like creature known as the Protopet) to be stolen yet again. The thief enlists the help of a group called Thugs-4-Less to eliminate Ratchet & Clank, although they are thwarted and Ratchet ends up catching the thief and rescuing the Protopet. There’s much more to it, but…why must I spoil it? I will slip in one last little detail, though: Captain Qwark returns in the game, but I will not spoil his role. The story receives the word Awesome! It’s funny, and just gets better and better.
I’ve always noted Ratchet & Clank for its dark, yet silly, humor style, akin to Invader ZIM. For instance, in Ratchet Deadlocked, the announcers made funny, yet foreboding comments about people constantly dying in Dreadzone, and they also kept saying things like, “Ratchet is going to die,” but the nonchalant way they said it was funny (helped by the fact that they were actually rooting against Ratchet, and often accused him of things like taking steroids). I like this kind of humor style a lot, and thus, the game’s humor receives the word Great.
The gameplay for the game mixes elements of third person shooters like Hitman and platformers like Crash Bandicoot. Basically, you have a whole arsenal of weapons, including Ratchet’s trademark Omniwrench, to choose from, and you use them to help you run and jump your way through the areas and break crates full of bolts, the currency of Ratchet & Clank (yes, I know that sounds like Crash Bandicoot). Going Commando was the first game in the series to introduce the weapon upgrade system, although it was improved upon in later games. The Swingshot and Grindboots return, as well as other gadgets, such as the Dynamo and Tractor Beam, which power technology and move certain objects, respectively. Your Nanotech also upgrades frequently, which makes the game a LOT easier. The gameplay receives the word Great.
One huge complaint about the game is that they didn’t improve on the checkpoint system in the first one AT ALL. At the beginning of the game, when you’re probably already used to dying a bunch of times and restarting at the very beginning of the level, you think, “Oh, good, they’ve fixed the checkpoints,” because it’s very easy at the beginning of the game. But towards the end, when things get 20 times harder and you begin to realize that they didn’t really fix them that much. Still, the difficulty has been toned down quite a bit. Here’s a way to prove it: I had hardly any trouble with the last boss at all.
At this point, there is the matter of fun factor. The fun factor is very high. Despite the game’s difficulty level, the learning curve isn’t very long at all if you’ve played the first, making the beginning of the game very easy and fun. It’s still fun towards the end, however, albeit rip-your-hair-out difficult. At least it’s not like in Size Matters where the enemies at the end of the game kill you in one-to-two hits… The fun factor receives the word Awesome!
The replay value for the game is very high. Once the game is completed, you can replay it on Challenge Mode, a harder mode in which you can buy upgrades to your weapons. There are also space battle challenges, a battle arena, hoverbike races, and, as you can expect from Insomniac Games, Skill Points. The replay value gets the word Great.
And in the end, this sequel makes it. It’s more fun than the original, and has added several elements that are mainstays in the series today. Now, to answer the epic question that reviews were created to answer: should you buy this game? Of course!
Final Word: Awesome! It’s better than its predecessor in many areas, but the checkpoints should have been worked on a bit more…
Well, my sister has had a birthday, and it is family tradition to give the birthday boy/girl a crap-load of money. My sister, who has, for whatever reason, gotten into Ratchet & Clank, has bought Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, and Deadlocked off eBay (the former of which is not coming until July because the person who put it on eBay is currently on vacation). So, this is how I’ve ended up with it. Although it’s my sister’s present, I play it about ten times more than her, so it’s basically my game.
To start things off, the graphics are great. They are a noticeable improvement over the original game’s graphics. There is a higher polygon count, as well as higher resolution. This, among more colors and better textures, allow Going Commando’s graphics to receive the word Great. Though they’re not very great by today’s PS2 standards, they were very good for the time and deserve some credit. The music fits the areas of the game well, despite the fact that it’s forgettable. Thus, the music of the game receives the word Pretty Good.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando has a much better, funnier story than the original. During an interview for a TV show about heroes, Ratchet and Clank are beamed into the Bogon Galaxy to solve the crisis of a stolen Megacorp product. The president of Megacorp, Mr. Fizzwidget, hires Ratchet to catch the thief, while Clank is given a special apartment just for him. Ratchet meets the thief, only for the experiment (a Furby-like creature known as the Protopet) to be stolen yet again. The thief enlists the help of a group called Thugs-4-Less to eliminate Ratchet & Clank, although they are thwarted and Ratchet ends up catching the thief and rescuing the Protopet. There’s much more to it, but…why must I spoil it? I will slip in one last little detail, though: Captain Qwark returns in the game, but I will not spoil his role. The story receives the word Awesome! It’s funny, and just gets better and better.
I’ve always noted Ratchet & Clank for its dark, yet silly, humor style, akin to Invader ZIM. For instance, in Ratchet Deadlocked, the announcers made funny, yet foreboding comments about people constantly dying in Dreadzone, and they also kept saying things like, “Ratchet is going to die,” but the nonchalant way they said it was funny (helped by the fact that they were actually rooting against Ratchet, and often accused him of things like taking steroids). I like this kind of humor style a lot, and thus, the game’s humor receives the word Great.
The gameplay for the game mixes elements of third person shooters like Hitman and platformers like Crash Bandicoot. Basically, you have a whole arsenal of weapons, including Ratchet’s trademark Omniwrench, to choose from, and you use them to help you run and jump your way through the areas and break crates full of bolts, the currency of Ratchet & Clank (yes, I know that sounds like Crash Bandicoot). Going Commando was the first game in the series to introduce the weapon upgrade system, although it was improved upon in later games. The Swingshot and Grindboots return, as well as other gadgets, such as the Dynamo and Tractor Beam, which power technology and move certain objects, respectively. Your Nanotech also upgrades frequently, which makes the game a LOT easier. The gameplay receives the word Great.
One huge complaint about the game is that they didn’t improve on the checkpoint system in the first one AT ALL. At the beginning of the game, when you’re probably already used to dying a bunch of times and restarting at the very beginning of the level, you think, “Oh, good, they’ve fixed the checkpoints,” because it’s very easy at the beginning of the game. But towards the end, when things get 20 times harder and you begin to realize that they didn’t really fix them that much. Still, the difficulty has been toned down quite a bit. Here’s a way to prove it: I had hardly any trouble with the last boss at all.
At this point, there is the matter of fun factor. The fun factor is very high. Despite the game’s difficulty level, the learning curve isn’t very long at all if you’ve played the first, making the beginning of the game very easy and fun. It’s still fun towards the end, however, albeit rip-your-hair-out difficult. At least it’s not like in Size Matters where the enemies at the end of the game kill you in one-to-two hits… The fun factor receives the word Awesome!
The replay value for the game is very high. Once the game is completed, you can replay it on Challenge Mode, a harder mode in which you can buy upgrades to your weapons. There are also space battle challenges, a battle arena, hoverbike races, and, as you can expect from Insomniac Games, Skill Points. The replay value gets the word Great.
And in the end, this sequel makes it. It’s more fun than the original, and has added several elements that are mainstays in the series today. Now, to answer the epic question that reviews were created to answer: should you buy this game? Of course!
Final Word: Awesome! It’s better than its predecessor in many areas, but the checkpoints should have been worked on a bit more…
So, yes, Ratchet & Clank. The series is well known among Sony gamers, and is one of Sony’s mascots alongside the Jak series, and, in some areas, Sly Cooper. Yet, out of these three series, the only one I have ever truly played hardcore is Sly Cooper. Don’t get me wrong, I HAVE both the original Jak and Ratchet games, but I’ve never really played them that much, outside of a few spells now and then.
To say that fills me with guilt, considering those series’ first games have been released seven and six years ago, respectively, and I have had them since I was at least six years old. Yep, I’m 12, still haven’t beaten either one. I even ended up with Jak 2 somehow and still have hardly played the original Jak and Daxter.
Of course, being a fan of action games, I have always liked Ratchet & Clank better, and thus, played it more often. I got started back on it recently, too. The problem? I thought my game was scratched because it kept freezing, although it turned out that it was just dirty. Until I figured that out, to fill the void, I played Ratchet & Clank: Size Matter. Having bought it during my trip to Myrtle Beach, I resolved that I would complete the original first, until…well, you know what happened. So, I just gave up and decided to play Size Matters.
Now, not having a PSP, I ended up buying the PS2 version. While graphics aren’t exactly a main point of a game, I have to say that the graphics for the PS2 version are kind of dated. While this is forgivable, due to the above reason, with graphical masterpieces such as the new Resident Evil and God of War titles for PS2, a graphical tune-up wouldn’t have hurt. Some of the sound effects and music aren’t up-to-date, either, but it won’t bother most gamers (unless you’re really picky about graphics and sound).
The gameplay is essentially the same as the past Ratchet games (minus Deadlocked). Basically, it’s a shooter-platformer. You have several weapons to use. From the beginning you already have the Lacerator, the Acid Bomb Glove, and the Hypershot. The Lacerator is a good projectile weapon for the beginning of the game, but toward the end, even when it levels up, it is fairly weak. As for the Acid Bomb Glove, I’ve never cared for the gloves in the Ratchet games anyway. The Hypershot is basically the Swingshot with a laser cord instead of a metal one. There are also several weapons that you can buy later in the game, although most of them (with a few lone exceptions, such as the Shock Rocket) aren’t that great. There are also special things, such as the Sprout-O-Matic, which allows you to water plants (you’ll know what the point is if you play the game), a barrier item, the Polarizer (a magnet that allows you to activate certain things), and the Shrink Ray. The Shrink Ray can’t be used as a normal weapon (it would be awesome if it could), but is instead usually used in conjunction with the Grind Boots to enter and break through locks. It has several uses toward the end of the game, however. There are also certain areas where you can play as Clank. He is unbearably weak outside of his giant form, although he has several neat challenges you can play (one of which is required to play).
After the game is beaten, there are several unlockables. You can get the infamous Skill Points so that you can activate cheats, and the Challenge Mode you unlock after completing the game will keep you occupied for quite some time. There are also several races and Clank Challenges (as mentioned earlier). The races, however, are somewhat frustrating, although they can be fun, especially with the new flying mechanic. There are also Titanium Bolts and armor (which you can actually wear, and its effects add to your ratchet-axe as well as protect you from damage) to collect.
Now, this game is REALLY difficult. I’m not saying that because I stink at Ratchet & Clank, because I don’t (you should have seen me blast through Exterminator Mode on Ratchet Deadlocked with the Mega Dual Vipers). I’m being serious! Even with your weapons at their highest levels, the most health you can get, and armor covering your whole body, most enemies toward the end of the game will kill you in about two hits. The last boss, in fact, kills you in only one hit! Really, the only thing that got me through the game was the Shock Rocket; it’s the only projectile weapon in the game aside from the pretty weak Lacerator.
Before I conclude the review, the story must be evaluated. So, basically while Ratchet & Clank are helping a little girl with her school project on heroes, she is abducted because she has a Technomite artifact. The Technomites had made several inventions, although they were never given any credit for it, and they have, thus, launched an attack on galactic civilization. Behind the scenes, Captain Qwark is looking for his family… Several twists pop up now and then, however, and the story gets increasingly interesting.
So, that’s it. If you want my advice, buy the PSP version (if you have a PSP); it’s probably cheaper since it’s been on the market for longer. If you don't, though, the PS2 version is still worth it, especially if you're like me and don't think that a Ratchet game would be as good on PSP. Anyway…
Graphics and Sound: Mediocre. Being a port of a PSP game, they’re a good bit dated, especially compared to the graphical masterpieces the PS2 has been seeing lately.
Gameplay: Good. It’s pretty much the same as the original game, but there are certain flaws. The weapons are mostly mediocre, which is a minus, and the game is rip-your-hair-out difficult toward the end of the game.
Fun Factor: Great! Despite its bad points, the game is very fun. Not as fun as the original, but still very fun.
Glitches: Good. There are a few glitches here and there, but the only one that sticks out is that music in boss fights sometimes doesn’t play unless you pause and unpause.
Replay Value: Awesome! The Challenge Mode is where most of it comes from, as well as collecting armor, Titanium Bolts, and, of course, the infamous Skill Points!
Story: Awesome! It’s funny, and gets more and more interesting as you play.
Length: Good. I beat it pretty quickly, but I played hardcore, so…
Overall: Great! A few flaws bog it down, but, in general, it’s Ratchet & Clank goodness.
Buy It or Skip It? Buy it.
To say that fills me with guilt, considering those series’ first games have been released seven and six years ago, respectively, and I have had them since I was at least six years old. Yep, I’m 12, still haven’t beaten either one. I even ended up with Jak 2 somehow and still have hardly played the original Jak and Daxter.
Of course, being a fan of action games, I have always liked Ratchet & Clank better, and thus, played it more often. I got started back on it recently, too. The problem? I thought my game was scratched because it kept freezing, although it turned out that it was just dirty. Until I figured that out, to fill the void, I played Ratchet & Clank: Size Matter. Having bought it during my trip to Myrtle Beach, I resolved that I would complete the original first, until…well, you know what happened. So, I just gave up and decided to play Size Matters.
Now, not having a PSP, I ended up buying the PS2 version. While graphics aren’t exactly a main point of a game, I have to say that the graphics for the PS2 version are kind of dated. While this is forgivable, due to the above reason, with graphical masterpieces such as the new Resident Evil and God of War titles for PS2, a graphical tune-up wouldn’t have hurt. Some of the sound effects and music aren’t up-to-date, either, but it won’t bother most gamers (unless you’re really picky about graphics and sound).
The gameplay is essentially the same as the past Ratchet games (minus Deadlocked). Basically, it’s a shooter-platformer. You have several weapons to use. From the beginning you already have the Lacerator, the Acid Bomb Glove, and the Hypershot. The Lacerator is a good projectile weapon for the beginning of the game, but toward the end, even when it levels up, it is fairly weak. As for the Acid Bomb Glove, I’ve never cared for the gloves in the Ratchet games anyway. The Hypershot is basically the Swingshot with a laser cord instead of a metal one. There are also several weapons that you can buy later in the game, although most of them (with a few lone exceptions, such as the Shock Rocket) aren’t that great. There are also special things, such as the Sprout-O-Matic, which allows you to water plants (you’ll know what the point is if you play the game), a barrier item, the Polarizer (a magnet that allows you to activate certain things), and the Shrink Ray. The Shrink Ray can’t be used as a normal weapon (it would be awesome if it could), but is instead usually used in conjunction with the Grind Boots to enter and break through locks. It has several uses toward the end of the game, however. There are also certain areas where you can play as Clank. He is unbearably weak outside of his giant form, although he has several neat challenges you can play (one of which is required to play).
After the game is beaten, there are several unlockables. You can get the infamous Skill Points so that you can activate cheats, and the Challenge Mode you unlock after completing the game will keep you occupied for quite some time. There are also several races and Clank Challenges (as mentioned earlier). The races, however, are somewhat frustrating, although they can be fun, especially with the new flying mechanic. There are also Titanium Bolts and armor (which you can actually wear, and its effects add to your ratchet-axe as well as protect you from damage) to collect.
Now, this game is REALLY difficult. I’m not saying that because I stink at Ratchet & Clank, because I don’t (you should have seen me blast through Exterminator Mode on Ratchet Deadlocked with the Mega Dual Vipers). I’m being serious! Even with your weapons at their highest levels, the most health you can get, and armor covering your whole body, most enemies toward the end of the game will kill you in about two hits. The last boss, in fact, kills you in only one hit! Really, the only thing that got me through the game was the Shock Rocket; it’s the only projectile weapon in the game aside from the pretty weak Lacerator.
Before I conclude the review, the story must be evaluated. So, basically while Ratchet & Clank are helping a little girl with her school project on heroes, she is abducted because she has a Technomite artifact. The Technomites had made several inventions, although they were never given any credit for it, and they have, thus, launched an attack on galactic civilization. Behind the scenes, Captain Qwark is looking for his family… Several twists pop up now and then, however, and the story gets increasingly interesting.
So, that’s it. If you want my advice, buy the PSP version (if you have a PSP); it’s probably cheaper since it’s been on the market for longer. If you don't, though, the PS2 version is still worth it, especially if you're like me and don't think that a Ratchet game would be as good on PSP. Anyway…
Graphics and Sound: Mediocre. Being a port of a PSP game, they’re a good bit dated, especially compared to the graphical masterpieces the PS2 has been seeing lately.
Gameplay: Good. It’s pretty much the same as the original game, but there are certain flaws. The weapons are mostly mediocre, which is a minus, and the game is rip-your-hair-out difficult toward the end of the game.
Fun Factor: Great! Despite its bad points, the game is very fun. Not as fun as the original, but still very fun.
Glitches: Good. There are a few glitches here and there, but the only one that sticks out is that music in boss fights sometimes doesn’t play unless you pause and unpause.
Replay Value: Awesome! The Challenge Mode is where most of it comes from, as well as collecting armor, Titanium Bolts, and, of course, the infamous Skill Points!
Story: Awesome! It’s funny, and gets more and more interesting as you play.
Length: Good. I beat it pretty quickly, but I played hardcore, so…
Overall: Great! A few flaws bog it down, but, in general, it’s Ratchet & Clank goodness.
Buy It or Skip It? Buy it.