Ratchets name is very fitting since his only weapon at the beginning of the game is a big ratchet wrench. Ratchet can swing or throw the ratchet boomerang style. The ratchet also serves its intended purpose by turning huge bolts that lower bridges, platforms or ladders. Like most platform games there has to be something to “gather” and in this game it is nuts and bolts. By breaking boxes and defeating enemies you accumulate this currency that allows you to get more powerful if not interesting weapons. There are 15 weapons in all to purchase from the Gadgetron. The Gadgetron is also where you buy ammunition for your weapons so it always a good idea to stock up whenever you see a Gadgetron. Some of the cooler weapons are the Bomb Glove, Flame Thrower, Mine Layer, Devestator, Suck Cannon, Taunter, Decoy and Morph-o-Ray. Most weapons like the devastator are just upgrades of previous bullet style weapons, but most of the other I mentioned are very unique. The Suck Cannon sucks up smaller enemies that you can then shoot at larger enemies, it didn’t work very well for me, but it is still an interesting concept. The Taunter is just that, a weapon to taunt your enemies. By “shooting” the Taunter the weapon makes catcalls, whistles and jeers at your enemies – a perfect weapon to lure your enemies into a pit or force field. The decoy gun shoots out inflatable versions of Ratchet that self inflate and distract the fire of various enemies so you can concentrate on blowing them out of the sky. The Morph-o-Ray is the weapon showcased in the TV commercials for this game. By shooting an enemy with the Morph-o-Ray you turn your enemy into a harmless chicken – literally!

On top of the large selection of weapons there are also 14 gadgets and 9 items. Gadgets and items aren’t purchased at the Gadgetron (kind of an oxymoron that you can’t buy gadgets at the Gadgetron). Gadgets and items are hidden around the different planets. Typically gadgets are either found or purchased from people and items require you to complete a puzzle or mission to receive them. The gadgets are very useful and quite necessary for maneuvering around certain planets. Here is a quick list:

• Grapple – just what you think, a grappling hook type device

• Metal Detector – all the better for finding buried treasure (nuts and bolts)

• Hydrodisplacer – a must for navigating some of the water planets – it displaces water from one section to another

• Thruster Pack – actually Clank gets this gadget, but since he is always strapped to Clanks back it enables both of you to fly for short distances

• O2 Mask – allows Ratchet to explore outer space and under water

• Magneboots – just what everybody needs are magnetic boots that let Clank walk up walls

• Grindboots – perfect for sliding on rails that criss-cross some planets

Items are a little harder to come by and are even more valuable for completing all of the missions. There are 9 possible items, the big one being the hoverboard. Once you acquire the hoverboard there are numerous hover board races you need to enter to complete missions. The hover board is just what it sounds like and the courses are pretty basic, but it is still a neat feature and not a typical component of the platform genre.

In a weeks time I was able to get to 16 different planets (out of 20+) with 2-6 missions each. Typically one section of a planet will be inaccessible unless you have a certain gadget or item. Almost always that required item is not on that planet or any planet that you have already discovered. So that makes for a lot of leaving and coming back to finish different missions on different planets. I liked this game play as opposed to a very linear shooter like I am used to. Of course like most games of this type the game includes a map of each planet, a list of missions, hidden Golden Bolts on every planet and lots of different environments. There are lava pits, a tropical island with lots of water, train stations, space stations, and construction sites. However nothing looks as simple as that – they are all very unique and imaginary lands that look amazing.

The graphics are top notch and make the game a joy to play. The characters movements are fluid and nice. Same goes for the enemies. The landscapes are lush and complex and each world is always different from the last. The game never got boring as I strived to find the missing pieces I needed to open the next planet. One cool feature of this game is no load times. As you fly to each planet you see pictures of your ship flying through space for about 5 seconds and when you land the game is ready to play – perfect for my attention span.

The controls are easy to master and powerful. Of course Ratchet can run/walk, swing his ratchet or fire his weapon. He can also jump, crouch and fly for short distances. The grindboots, hoverboard and mageneboots all offer slight variations of the same controls. One other unique feature is that you are not always controlling Ratchet. On some planets Ratchet has to stay in the ship and Clank goes out on his own to finish different missions – a very cool twist.

The sound in the game is typical and secondary to the amazing visuals. But there is nothing good or bad about it. The sound effects are solid and varied for the different weapons and actions and even subtle sounds like over flying ships are present but not extraordinary.

I am trying to think of something bad to say to offset all of this praise and I really can’t think of anything. For a platform game at this stage in the console game era it is at the top. One flaw with all platform games is the fact that once you make it all they way through you probably won’t play it again unless you are a perfectionist. I still must give this game 4/5 planets because of the way it sucked me in and for overall satisfaction.


Hoover Rating: 4 out of 5 Planets


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