"A Great Start to R&C on the PS3"

Ratchet and Clank. The series debuted early in the PS2's lifetime. It had runaway success and became a "Greatest Hits" title within only a few months. Predictably, it spawned a sequel with the sub-title of "Going Commando", and afterwards, a third installment with the subtitle of "Up Your Arsenal". All three of these games were bestsellers and were a part of the PS2's overall success.

[A fourth game, called Ratchet: Deadlocked focused more on online multiplayer and was very combat-oriented, though it wasn't met with the acclaim the previous games were and was seen as a bit of a letdown. A PlayStationPortable version also spawned with the sub-title of "Size Matters", and sticks with the traditional R&C gameplay surprisingly well considering the hardware. It doesn't follow the story of the console versions.]

The games combined an engaging story, tight controls, varied locales, and of course the crazy weapons and trademark wit. So it is no surprise that the PS3 installment was eagerly awaited, and the previews looked promising. So how did things turn out? Let's break it down

Graphics: 10/10
In a word, wow. This game looks absolutely amazing. You can hardly tell when it goes from playable game to pre-rendered cutscene, they're that good. The framerate is very steady for the most part. I only noticed twice in the game there was a very brief lag as I was approaching a new area and it was loading in the background. Doesn't interfere with gameplay at all, hardly worth even mentioning. Environments are very detailed, right down to surface textures. The game really shows off what the PS3 is capable of doing and is eye-candy the whole time through.

Music/Audio: 9/10
The music here does it's job. It fits in, matches the onscreen scenario, and isn't obnoxious or out-of-place. You don't buy a $60 game for background music to listen to though. Some of the "boss battle" music feels a little...recycled, I swore I heard it in another game before.
The voice acting gets the job done as well. Clank sounds like Clank, Ratchet sounds like he should, though the "old man" voices for the aging war-bots Cronk and Zephyr sound entirely phony, it's to the point it's kinda comical, which might have been the aim to begin with, I'm not sure.

Control/Camera: 10/10
As usual, Insomniac proved their mastery of the PS hardware. Controls are easy to pick up and each button is dedicated to one action, with the exception of triangle, which is a context-sensitive "action" button. Otherwise it brings up the quick-select rings. The analog sticks can both be inverted on one or both axes as you like. Left controls Ratchet, the right swings the camera. Honestly, you rarely need to fiddle with the camera. When you do it will be to scope out the beautiful environment or get a better view of a baddie, never because it got "stuck" in a wall, or in an angle where you can't see the action. Oddly there is no first-person look-around mode (previous games had this by pressing the analog stick in), but it really isn't a problem. Also, the SIXAXIS features are used well in the game. One weapon is controlled entirely by tilting the controller, and you also tilt to control Ratchet's flight while using the robo-wings attachment, and in a few other places as well. All in all, the controls feel tight and responsive(even the tilt functions), something few third-person games pull off well.

Gameplay: 9/10
This isn't another Ratchet:Deadlocked, we're back to the tried-and-true R&C formula we all know and love. To put a number on it, it's probably 75% action/gunplay, and about 25% platformer. You start off with a basic blaster weapon, and a basic grenade. As you play, you'll run across vendors for weapons, devices, and armor. Weapons vendors will sell you ammo, new guns, and exchange Raritanium for weapon upgrades. Upgrades include more damage, larger ammo capacity, faster firing, ect, and each weapon has a "custom" upgrade that is unique to that weapon's attributes. In addition, weapons will slowly upgrade from a starting V1 up to a V5 (on your first play-through) by dealing damage with them. When they upgrade, they gain power. When it upgrades to V5, the name changes and it gets a significant function upgrade. And don't worry, the craziness of R&C weapons will not disappoint. Devices are single-use items that can give you an edge or a quick escape if needed (the publicized Groovitron is one of these). Armor is a one-time expensive purchase, but reduces damage by a certain percentage, varying on what kind you have on. It does not wear out or need repairs.

The game definetly has replay value, though I'd say the actual single-player story takes around 10 hours or so to get through, less if you rush and don't look for any of the trinkets. The difficulty seems a little on the easy side for me, but on beating the final boss you are presented with setting the game on Challenge Mode for a second play through, and that ups the ante quite a bit. You re-start the game, but with all your weapons and armor from the first time. Enemies are a lot tougher and deal more damage, and "Omega" series weapons become available in the vendor. These are a more powerful version of your "old" weapons, but they start at V6, and upgrade only through use to VX(10). They also cost an insane amount of bolts, but in Challenge Mode, you get a multiplier applied to your bolts and Raritanium for consecutive enemies killed(up to 20x), but it resets to 1x if you take damage. This helps you rack up bolts into the millions.

My only quibble here is with the Arena challenges, being that they are too easy, and not enough of them. You can beat the whole Arena in less than 15 minutes. They are also very repetitive, with only slight variations between them. Clank Challenges from the PSP version "Size Matters" were varied and fun(with demolition derby games, a sort of basketball, and a puzzle game), and something similar would have been welcome here as well in addition to Ratchet's combat.

There are lots of doodads you can hunt for as well if you are inclined. Gold Bolts are well-hidden throughout the planets and can be used to unlock new skins for Ratchet. You'll also run across Holo-Plan fragments, some more hidden than others. Collect all of these, and you'll gain access to a special weapon for free. Skill Points are back to have you scratching your head as to what the clue means as to an objective to be completed and can be used to unlock cheats. If you're really inclined, you can collect 2,000,000 Raritanium for a special device in Challenge Mode.

Conclusion: Buy
Any fan of the series will love this great start to Ratchet's next-gen career, it fully lives up to the series. Even if you've never heard of R&C, this is a great time to start. The story has some elements from the previous games, but you can easily follow it without any prior knowledge. It's a great game with great presentation, from a perennially great developer. You can't go wrong with Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. If it weren't for the lackluster Arena challenges(though the commentary is quite good), this game might have gleaned a 10 out of me.

For parents, the game is rated E10+(Everyone 10 and up) for Alcohol References, Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, and Language.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/07

Game Release: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (US, 10/23/07)