Saving The World With a Wrench?! (Ratchet & Clank (PS2))

Member Name: angeelu

Product:	Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
Date:	06/04/04 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Imaginative game, Great graphics, Suitable for a wide range of game players

Disadvantages: If you don't like platform or adventure games you probably won't enjoy this much

Ratchet is a mechanic with a dream... that dream is to explore the galaxy. However, being only a mechanic it's unlikely he'll ever get that chance... that is, until a space ship crash lands near by and out pops a little robot who proceeds to tell ratchet about the evil plan of Chairman Drek, the evil ruler of a neighbouring planet who is plotting to destroy other planets in the galaxy in order to prolong the existence of his own.

The Main Characters:

If you've never seen Ratchet and Clank before, then you're probably imagining Ratchet to be something like Super Mario, but a mechanic, not a plumber. Well, you're wrong... Ratchet is a, well he looks like a, ok, I give up, I have no idea what Ratchet is. He has long, wide, rabbit like ears, big wide green eyes, a small animal nose, a wide grin, a slim body, and, on the end of his slim arms and legs he has big hands and feet! He looks like he has fur - it's kind of yellow with brownish tiger like stripes... oh, and he has a thin lion-like tail!

Clank is an almost cute looking little robot. He's small enough to travel strapped to Ratchet's back for most of the game. He's a clever little guy, and amazingly manages to fit the largest of objects inside a little hatch in his belly!

Chairman Drek is the baddy of the game - he's almost human looking, but ugly and with no nose. He has a habit of convincing people to do all the work for him, and, if they refuse, he squishes them.

Captain Qwark is the hero of the people - a bit like a Buzz Lightyear type character. His adventures are legendary and he uses his fame to advertise no end of products. Ratchet and Clank hope that they can find Captain Qwark to get him to save the galaxy!

The Game:

As you'll already have worked out, Ratchet and Clank are basically on a mission to save the galaxy, and they plan to do this by locating Captain Qwark. Their quest takes them
all over the galaxy to different planets, having to complete various missions along the way.

As you take Ratchet and Clank around the various planets you'll encounter a variety of monsters and bad guys out to stop you in your tracks. Fortunately Ratchett takes his trusty Omin-Wrench everywhere with him, and this comes in as quite a useful weapon. As you journey you'll come across plenty of nuts and bolts - these are a form of currency - by collecting these you can buy numerous gadgets and weapons to help you on your way. Gadgets include things such as the Blaster (a type of gun), Bomb Glove (a glove that can fire mini bombs out of it), a Suck Cannon (a hand held cannon that you use to suck in small enemies before using them as ammo to fire out of the cannon!), Heli-Pack (an upgrade you can purchase for Clank, giving him the ability to aid you in performing bigger jumps and glides)... these are just a few - there are many many more to discover on your travels.

Controlling the characters is easy - you can use either the directional buttons or analogue stick on the PS2 controller. Controls for switching between and using the weapons are easy to master and you'll soon find yourself swapping between gadgets in no time. Navigation around the planets is made easier through a map feature that allows you to see an outline map of the area that gets highlighted in the areas you've explored so you can see where you've been and where you still need to explore.

Ratchet and Clank provides hours of gameplay - your game is automatically saved as you go along (normally when a particular event happens such as you find coordinates to a new planet or you discover / purchase a new gadget), and you can also save the game yourself through the options menu.

The gameplay really is absorbing - the graphics are great, with very imaginative backgrounds, bad guys and monsters! The characters move around smoothly and the sound effects
suit the actions perfectly. The game is complex enough to engage adults, but equally fun enough to engage younger users. The box is labelled up at being suitable from age 3, though it's by no means a game aimed just for toddlers. If you enjoy platform and adventure style games then you'll probably enjoy playing this.
Worthy of five stars * * * * *

Additional Info:

Ratchet and Clank is now available in the Platinum range of PS2 games - you can currently buy it for £16.99 at Play.com. The success of this game has led to a sequel being produced - Ratchet & Clank: Locked and Loaded is available for £32.99 at Play.com. (Obviously it's available at all the usual places you'd expect to find PS2 games, I only mention play.com to give you an idea of the prices you can currently get it at). You can see screenshots of the original game, a selection of the gadgets/weapons and get other Ratchet & Clank info from www.ratchetandclankgadgets.com.

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