Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Ratchet & Clank

Written by Chris Reiter on May 28, 2002

First Impressions: Leak? Faucet not hinged on? No problem! These guys have more than enough ways to blow stuff up...or uh, save the day, I mean.

When you think that a genre can't get any better than what it has accomplished so far, that's where you're wrong. Insomniac Games, the developer behind Sony Computer Entertainment America's (SCEA) Spyro the Dragon series for the PlayStation One is teaming up with Sony a second time to push the envelope once more in creating a game that's going to be fun to play, see, and hear just like their original concept points toward. Scheduled for a late fall release, Ratchet & Clank will soon be a name that won't be forgotten.

Like all adventure titles, a reason for the main character's being of exploration is set into place. Ratchet's tale begins soon after a terrible outcome occurs in a planet distant from his own: Orxon. On this far away planet, home to the Blargarian race, an overpopulation of their species has been heightened exponentially. So much so that the Blarg ruler, Chairman Drek, sets out to link all of the galaxy's planets together so that their species dominates by setting up shop with a factory of robots on each one for their living benefits. Not only are they stealing the entire universe, but they're also using the killer robots that are crafted in each of the factories to wipe out all current residents of the planet so their kind is unthreatened from any retaliation. This dilemma calls for a hero, any kind of hero.

When a defective robot named Clank is produced from the heap he once came, and learns about Drek's plan to eliminate any one who gets in his way, Clank flees in a rocket ship into the unknown solar system and is shot down by his pursuers, landing on Ratchet's planet. Unlike the thousands of mindless robots that produce from the woodwork of those factories, Clank has a mind of his own, and a personality to boot. Just by chance, Ratchet -- a furry rodent character who is skilled in mechanics -- discovers Clank who has crashed landed on his planet. Soon Clank wakes up and explains to Ratchet that he needs his help to save the universe from the impending Blarg people. Ratchet, who always wanted to travel on a quest to escape his every day boring life, agrees, and the story of a mechanic and his robot companion goes underway.

Three different gameplay elements will make up Ratchetа& Clank's world. To be found amongst them, platform, adventure, and RPG elements will be combined into one action packed thrill ride. Starting out with only a wrench in hand, you'll control the mechanic, the character Ratchet. You'll guide the two companions together in the game's immense worlds battling enemies in real time starting out with this wrench. The bad guys, consisting of killer robots, can be killed off with the wrench by using it in a number of ways. For one, you can swing it like a baseball bat, or another, you can use it as a boomerang. After each enemy is defeated, you'll be rewarded with either nuts or gears. The nuts and gears you collect will then later be used at shops where you can trade them in for bolts, to buy better attack items. Nuts equal 5 bolts, whereas gears equal 10. Certain weapons cost more than others, so you'll need to find yourself as many nuts or gears as you can to be able to conquer your enemies. Insomniac's intentions will be to allow up to 35 variations in weaponry and gadgets in all into the game, so there's no need to fret for missing out on some fun.

Between short, medium, and long ranged weapons, and specialty ones as well, Ratchet can balance out the gameplay into separate divisions. For instance, a short ranged attack item would be a bomb glove that allows him to lock on and toss grenades at close by enemies. If a group of bad guys bundle up together and move towards you, you can access your list of weapon stock and grab a flamethrower for a roast. And if you're someone who prefers not to become friendly with the resistance, you can break out a missile launcher to ignite an explosive blast without getting a scratch on yourself from far away. Eventually, the AI will grow familiar with your attack methods, and the after effects that follow. Those with a mind that would rather hunt enemies down most of the time with big guns can expect enemies to cower and hide from you when you pull out certain devices. If that doesn't sound cool, then I don't know what does.

As fun as it will be playing as the single character of Ratchet, it can only get better knowing that you can also at times become his new buddy Clank. Clank, while not a big robot, or seemingly even threatening, this little chunk of metal will have a large assortment of abilities to his advantage. For one thing, Clank will have access to features like using propellers to hover around the level's skyways and transforming his bottom half into jet propelled rockets to soar levels a lot quicker. Both Ratchetа& Clank will find themselves separated during the game's story, and each time you gain control of the characters, the objectives being to defeat enemies and gain items will vary depending on your skill level you'll eventually build throughout the ever evolving gameplay experience Insomniac truly has a passion about.

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy has to be one of the most extremely lavish looking games on the PlayStation 2 to date. The goal behind Ratchetа& Clank is to duplicate that colorful world, and perhaps manipulate it for an even grander effect. From planet to planet, you'll get to travel in Ratchetа& Clank's many adventures out to stop the evil Drek, and all the while catch a glimpse of cities bustling with life in every possible inch. Literally, you can walk into one scene, and the distant background ahead is all done in real time. Using the Jak and Daxter method, Insomniac is even going as far as to link the world all together without loading times in between them. If all of that is saying anything, you can expect only big things from this game.