Christmas Reviews I: Ratchet and Clank 3

Got a few PS2 related toys for christmas and wanted to give my thoughts on them here. Please note that these are my personal views only and just because I didn't like it doesn't mean it stunk. Blockbuster exists to give you the chance to form your own opinions about games for a (albeit very large for what you get) fee.

Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal:
I admit I am predisposed to this game. Last Christmas I got RC2: Going Commando (love the puns) for Christmas and it immediately consumed my free time. I'm considering buying the first game so I have all three and have to say that this series has become my favorite non-Square-Enix line of titles.

That being said, I was also somewhat nervous about this game when I tore off the wrapping paper and looked at the back of the game. It mainly touts its multiplayer addon, whether through splitscreen or broadband connectivity, and didn’t really say anything about having a single player storyline except that there was one there….I think.

Don’t get me wrong. I looove me some multiplayer games (Quake Ninja for going on eight years now) and I think it’s nothing less than freaking phenomenal that Insomniac Games put a multiplayer mode in. But I can’t always play deathmatches or the like, and for my (or my parents-in-law’s) $45, I want to make sure there is a single player game in there as well.

Rejoice friends, for I have seen the single player game, and it is fun. Insomniac went with the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philosophy and pretty much continues the same type of story that Ratchet and Clank have gone through in both previous games. This is not War and Peace folks. If you’re looking for a huge plotline, go play Xenosaga. This is light, fun, funny as hell and never ever takes itself too seriously.

The story starts out with a bit of a shift in Galactic politics. Robots have been gaining in popularity. Even Clank has his own TV show as Agent Clank while Ratchet sits around the house and mopes (occasionally making an appearance as Agent Clank’s plucky chauffer). Then news comes to them about an invasion happening at that moment on their home planet! It appears that a robot named Dr. Nefarious has been hatching a plan to take over their home galaxy for robots and turn all organic life into robots themselves! Ratchet stands up and with the simple statement of “We’re going home.” starts off this adventure. When they get back home and fight their way to the President, you’d naturally assume he’d charge R&C with saving the galaxy (especially with his being a wide eyed fan of Agent Clank) but lo and behold he needs them to save the one man who has taken on Dr. Nefarious and won….and an old “friend” whose name happens to start with Q….

Enough with the story….if you’ve played any of the previous R&C games you want to know about the guns. Well old favorites are back, like the shotgun, the lava gun, the bouncer and a few others, but they join new and interesting weaponry such as a gun that infects enemies to fight on your side, a gun that sucks in and spits out small enemies, a rocket launcher and even a plasma whip.

Each weapon is usually obtained like it was in previous R&C games, by buying them with bolts that are collected from the destructable environments as well as enemies and crates inside levels, and each weapon has five levels (*glee!*) of upgrades, which are achieved by simply using the weapon to kill enemies. Platinum bolts also make it back into the game for those of you who are willing to do some searching to unlock special features.

Graphics and sound are quite awesome, with ships flying around and fighting going on in the periphery. New objective modes requiring you to hold points with enemies spawning all around you, or repair items while they move in on you are quite fun as well. There is even a virtual arena inside the weapon shops allowing you to test out any weapon you have not yet bought!

Overview: I loved RC2 and was looking for more of the same with just…more, and RC3 did not disappoint. This game is hilarious, pretty, fun to play, and doesn’t vary too much from Insomniac’s successful strategy of giving us an endless supply of enemy goons, and tons of interesting and ever-changing ways to blow them up.

Final Grade: B+