"Ratchet and Clank are back and bringing classic gaming to your PS3"

Ratchet & Clank is perhaps my favorite series from the past 10 years or so. While Spyro use to hold that throne but when that series changed hands it went down the crapper. However this is the seventh game in the series (4 on the PS2, 1 on the PSP and a cell phone title) so having not been let down yet I ran to the store to grab my copy when Captain Quark called and said the game had come in.

Our heroes receive a call from Captain Quark that the city is being attacked so they race off to help him. They meet a little man who is trying to destroy all Lombax in the galaxy and Ratchet just happens to be the last. The plot follows that basic structure and as it goes on you learn more about the villain, the history of the Lombax and a few more things. Despite ending on a mild cliffhanger, the story does wrap up nicely enough and left me awaiting the 9th games (the 8th game is another PSP title).

Graphically this game is beautiful. Crisp and clean visuals. The color just drips off the screen and it's almost to the animation quality of a Pixar film. And while the guns, their effects and the enemies look cool there are a few issues I had. Mainly it boils down to the fact that locations don't seem varied in look for the most part. A mild let down but hopefully they fix that up.

The same voice cast returns for this outing except for a few minor unimportant characters. The music is typical R&C stuff and it fits the guns blazing and furry critter jumping theme rather well. I also find the pirate jig highly amusing. Sound effects could have been a little stronger but either way this game sounds amazing with a surround sound unit.

Control in the game is fairly simple. You have a fire button, quick select button, jump button and melee attack button. You move with the left analog stick. Like most PS3 games this one does offer some Sixaxis controls. They can be altered if you're a hater. I found the controls to work well though and the only time they get annoying is when you're trying to dodge bullets while using the sixaxis to control a tornado but that weapon most likely won't get used a lot.

It's been at least 5 years since the original Ratchet and Clank has come out. If you've played any of the first three games then not much is new here. You still need to work your way around each linear. Most are linear in nature or feature multiple paths. There is a planet or two that is much more open ended which made me really wish more of the game was that way.

The puzzles this time aren't really there and I found most gold bolts to be easy to find. Even the difficulty isn't that high. But again, not every game needs to play like Ninja Gaiden.

What makes Ratchet fun yet again is the weapons. We get a little more advance now and also get items like a disco ball or an item that turns enemies into cute penguins.

As you use your weapons they evolve into more powerful forms. Not only that but you collect some items in the game and they are used to buy upgrades for your weapon. More damage, ammo, and even special skills like an electric shock.

It's been a little while since I've played my copy and yet so much of the game is fresh in my head. The level design is nicely done and while some areas feel like a retread from past games it's all so beautiful that it doesn't matter. Later in the game it all comes together and the locations are just amazing.

The run and gun action is fun and should last you a solid 9 hours. Upon completing the game you can start a new game plus where you gain a money and energy multiplier. This is very helpful because now you're guns can have a new upgrade bought and then advance them even further. This is because of the higher difficulty in this mode.

Once I finished the game though, I went right back to it. I still has skill points to find and let me say they are much more challenging this time around. Not only that the game is just too much fun if that's possible. I think the fact that there is no on-line play allowed them to focus on the main game and we got yet another major hit for the PS3.

Story - 8/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay value - 7/10

Final Score - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/08

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