Ratcheting up the fun. Review

Ratcheting up the fun.

Fame has a funny way of turning you soft. When last we left Ratchet, a furry

cat-like creature, and Clank, an esoteric, height-challenged robot, the duo had

just saved the galaxy from another interplanetary threat. Since then, Clank has

found work in television starring as Bond look-alike Secret Agent Clank. Ratchet

also has a role” as Clank’s chauffeur.

But when the mad scientist Dr. Nefarious threatens galactic peace, Ratchet and

Clank must mount up once again to regulate in Ratchet

& Clank: Up Your Arsenal, the latest and best in the series.

The

last few years have seen striking improvements for Ratchet

& Clank.

The first game introduced and loosely defined

the two heroes.

Going Commando fleshed

them out, but in Up

Your Arsenal, Ratchet and Clank’s personalities are fully realized.

The two characters balance one another out really well in a story that’s consistently

funny from beginning to end, with many quirky surprises along the way. You’ll

find plenty of pop culture stabs alongside the screwball comic book antics of

has-been hero, Captain Quark.

The story keeps things moving at a fast pace, rocketing across the galaxy. As

you run through the fairly straightforward levels, all manner of evil aliens

and robots are thrown in your path. Ratchet, with his vast arsenal of weaponry,

must dodge, blast, destroy and occasionally platform jump his way through the

game.

Destruction begins with Ratchet’s 30+ guns, each one distinctly different. It

isn’t a matter of ‘Gun A’ simply being stronger than ‘Gun B’; each is ideal for

a different situation. A small sampling includes the vacuum gun, which lets you

suck up small enemies and blast them at the larger enemies, a black hole gun

that absorbs enemies into a dense field of nothingness, and a nifty whip that

can take out enemy swarms.

With so many guns at your disposal, the combat strategy is completely open. You

could jump right into the fray and toss out a bunch of mini-turrets and robot

bodyguards, or you might try throwing up a force shield and using a sniper

rifle to take out enemies in the distance. This open-ended strategy is excellent

and is where the game shines brightest.

The weapons don’t come cheap, though. Bolts, the galactic currency, are earned

every time you slice up an enemy or destroy a part of the environment. There

are some incredibly high-priced weapons and armor available for sale, which compels

you to keep fighting and improving your payload.

Speaking

of which, the best thing to happen to Ratchet & Clank‘s

gameplay is the ability to level up Ratchet’s weapons. First implemented in Ratchet

& Clank: Going Commando, the fluid leveling-up system rewards you

with upgrades as you use weapons. Less powerful weapons can be improved into

mighty powerhouses simply through continued use.

The game’s improvements don’t stop there. All the fat from previous games has

been trimmed, such as Going

Commando‘s subpar space battles. This time, if you don’t want to go

through all the battle challenges or war skirmishes, the game won’t twist your

arm. You’re required to complete some Captain Quark side-scrolling levels, but

those missions are cute, nostalgic, and fun.

Up Yer Arsenal is a more streamlined game as well. The weapon

quick select system lets you easily pick the right gun in the heat of battle.

In previous games, weapons and ammo stores forced you to buy individual ammo

for each of your different guns. Now, there is an easy option to buy ammo for

all your guns in one fell stroke.

The game goes so far as to offer three completely different control scheme options.

While the platform style controls are best suited for the single-player game,

you can also play the game entirely as a first- person shooter or use a dual

stick, third-person view control, both of which work well with the multiplayer.

The multiplayer is completely new to the series and offers the chance to duke

it out in up to 4-player split-screen or up to 8-player online matches. You’ll

find standard Deathmatch and a team-based Capture the Base style game;

the former is self-explanatory, while the latter is much more involving as

you capture multiple points on the map using guns, vehicles, and A.I.-based

support troops. One of the coolest Deathmatch arenas lets you use gravity boots

to run up the walls and fight on the ceiling. Up

Your Arsenal‘s unique platformer feel and combination of guns make for

some great, chaotic games.

The

visuals help immeasurably, as they are BIG – big explosions, big enemies,

and big environments filled with numerous objects. The textures are a little

flat and not very detailed, but this is in favor of the game’s cartoon style,

smooth framerates, and constant, explosive destruction. While the game does look

good, it isn’t

a great deal better than the already sharp previous games.

The sound is also rather similar to past Ratchet & Clank games;

it’s still filled

with pumping beats and comical sound effects. The music melds well with the gunfire

and action, though none of the tunes will really stick with you. The voice work

is spot on, particularly in the Galactic President’s Clinton-esque

twang and Dr. Nefarious’ psychotic babbling, which strikes the right balance

between threatening and comical.

Really the only problem with Up Your Arsenal is that it doesn’t

do anything new so much as merely refine the heck out of its past. While this

third outing does offer plenty of replay bonuses and challenges, a less linear

adventure with a branching story could have really put it ahead of the pack.

Oh, and the shiny box packaging used for Going Commando should

have also been used for Up Your Arsenal. Just sayin’.

But when it comes right down to it, Up Your Arsenal is a testament

to good game development. It is the culmination of three years of hard work,

an action game so well refined that it’s now clearly the best of its breed. Get

your head out your arsenal and pick it up.