PlayStation 2

Ratchet & Clank

Simply put, RATCHET AND CLANK is the best first-party PlayStation game of the year, and a contender for Game of the Year. It is a must-own.

Well, another year is about to close and with the Christmas rush comes the annual selection of our distinguished 'Game of the Year' award. I have to tell you guys, this is most likely going to be the hardest year ever when it comes to picking just one game that stands out as THE game of 2002. In the last few months alone, nearly five games have been released that deserve to be considered for the top spot. Among these titles is Ratchet and Clank.

In the end, after much time with Ratchet and Clank, I can most certainly attest that it is a fantastic platform title that is easily worth the 40 bucks that most retailers are selling it for. Blending absolutely stunning visuals that include massive, vivacious areas; extremely fun gameplay and tight controls, Ratchet and Clank is a formula that defines success. Despite being a platform title, the game also incorporates and encourages doing one thing, "blowing sh*t up". Think of Ratchet and Clank as Star Fox Adventures meets Jak and Daxter with a wee' bit of Contra thrown in for spice.

Overall, Ratchet and Clank is the kind of game that any gamer would want in their library, whether it’s as a holiday present or as a gift to yourself. Revamping the action platformer genre with plenty of action, wacky, impressive gadgets and an interesting storyline, this is what the future of action games should be. If you’ve got a PS2, get your hands on this one.

Still, Insomniac's first effort on the current-generations systems is an immensely good time. And because the game is so beautifully crafted, deep with scenarios, long and filled with various challenges, weapons and gadgets, it's a winner. For platform, action or simply just regular old game fans, Ratchet and Clank is a no-brainer. Go pick it up.

Ratchet and Clank has a very aggressive brand of gameplay that's lacking in most platformers. An auto-aim mechanism makes it easy to pick off one robot after the next, although the system doesn't work very well when your adversaries are off-screen. The game has a nifty auto-save feature, although you also have the option to save the game yourself at any time. Ratchet and Clank is one of the best platform games around, and I recommend it highly.

Ratchet and Clank is a fairly long game; One which could probably not be finished off in a sitting or two. It very rarely became especially difficult or annoying, and was mostly purely enjoyable right through to the end. R&C bridges a few gaps, but should really appeal to gamers craving a solid platformer, a lengthy game, and blowing things up. The smart humor and sweet visuals don't hurt either. Ratchet and Clank is definitely within the top three games of the genre this year, and should not be overlooked.

R&C does a lot of little and large things right to create a great game world. The graphics, the busy environments, the interactivity... every element taken by itself it pretty praiseworthy, stick 'em all on the same disk and they add up to good things. Ratchet & Clank were a fun pair to hang around with, and I hope to see more of their adventures in the future.

Ratchet & Clank takes the standard platformer/action-adventure formula, changes the rules a little, ads weapons, expansive levels and a ton of eye-candy for gamers to feast on. And in plenty of time for Thanksgiving, no less!

Overall then while R & C is a true platformer at it's heart and from that point of view isn't the most innovative game around, it does add some new dimensions and is genuinely a very enjoyable experience. There's lots to see and do in it's beautifully crafted levels and the gameplay is surprisingly long with lots to be unlocked but it never gets tedious and is always entertaining. The balance between standard platform action and all the different combat situations is spot-on and we think that all being said R & C has to be considered as one of the top games in the genre. We also think it's appeal will be wider than just with platform nuts and young gamers as fans of 3rd-person shooters may well warm also to it's huge inclusion of weaponry and emphasis on combat.

While the music isn’t anything to get too excited about, it fits each level well and actually fades into the background so the cool sound effects can get the spotlight. These can be considered cheesy and sort of like 1950’s sci-fi in that manner (when I think about it, R&C seems like a 1950’s sci-fi movie, only Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars inside the movie instead of making fun of it), with oddball explosions and silly sounds for the weapons (there’s a taunting weapon that makes weird noises to attract attention…hopefully for the glove of doom).

Ratchet & Clank takes the standard platformer/action-adventure formula, changes the rules a little, ads weapons, expansive levels and a ton of eye-candy for gamers to feast on. And in plenty of time for Thanksgiving, no less!

Overall then while R & C is a true platformer at it's heart and from that point of view isn't the most innovative game around, it does add some new dimensions and is genuinely a very enjoyable experience. There's lots to see and do in it's beautifully crafted levels and the gameplay is surprisingly long with lots to be unlocked but it never gets tedious and is always entertaining. The balance between standard platform action and all the different combat situations is spot-on and we think that all being said R & C has to be considered as one of the top games in the genre. We also think it's appeal will be wider than just with platform nuts and young gamers as fans of 3rd-person shooters may well warm also to it's huge inclusion of weaponry and emphasis on combat.

Overall, if this game had some more interesting characters, I'd rate this right up there with Mario. But dont let bad characters get you down, this game more than makes up for it with everything else, go out & get this if your a platforming fan. Go go!

The team at Insomniac did a fantastic job of balancing the game between various types of combat and standard platforming action, and the overall design sidesteps most of the common platformer failings really, really well. Anyone looking for a lengthy platformer will find a lot to like here, and fans of third-person shooters will also have a lot of fun with the game due to its heavy focus on various outrageous projectile weapons. Ratchet & Clank is certainly a fantastic platformer in every way and qualifies as one of the best games the genre has seen since consoles went polygonal.

toen Jak & Daxter uitkwam ging er een wereld voor me open. Toen Ratchet & Clank uitkwam was het diezelfde wereld waarin ik opnieuw terecht kwam... maar dan anders.

n this day and age, a game that sets a new standard for gameplay and graphics could very well be considered a complete and utter failure. How is this possible, you ask? As developers continue to aggrandize the size of the quests that we embark on, if the play is unbalanced, or the adventure has vast lulls in its pacing, it doesn’t really matter how visually dynamic or innovative the gameplay is. People will become disenchanted with the game and will move on to bigger and better things. I never thought I’d find myself saying this about a title developed by the very team that brought to life the 32-bit Spyro adventures, but sadly, this just happens to be the case.

The game's pretty fun. No replay value or anything, seeing as how the game is getting kinda repetitive by the time you finish, but I didn't have any urge to go and search for all the Gold Bolts. Pretty good for your simplistic platform game, but definitely geared towards your younger audiences. Go ahead and give it a spin.

Ratchet & Clank covers familiar ground, but does so in such a manner that the player will likely not care. There's a lot to like about the game, making it an easy recommendation for PlayStation 2 owners, whether they're fans of the genre or not.

It's just bland. It's nothing new. With the exception of the graphics you've seen it all many times before, and probably with more flair and better characters. (See the oft-mentioned Mr. Cooper for a good example of such a game.) With a long running time and lots of secrets to find, Ratchet & Clank provides a good bang for your platforming buck. However, I'd rather experience ten hours of very tight, fun, original gameplay than 30+ hours of just going through the same old platformer motions. Ask yourself: which do you prefer? That answer should go a long way towards helping you decide whether to make Ratchet & Clank a purchase or merely a rental.

Which is a fair comment about Ratchet & Clank in general. The game is a solid platformer, a well-oiled machine with all the proper nuts and bolts, but there are several things that could use some work. A more deeply developed plot and some tweaks to the control would have given more heart to this tin man.