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roboticalien's Ratchet and Clank (PS2)
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| [February 15, 2008 04:35:48 PM]
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GAMEPLAY
The second time around, Ratchet and Clank was more fun than the first time. I think this was mostly due to the weapon upgrades. The weapons each have their own strategic purpose. As the character progresses through the game, they receive more opportunities to use new weapons, and with that comes the opportunity to use more interesting strategies. One example of this is the Taunter weapon, which can be used to lure opponents toward your character when they are in a position where they have the advantage.
The best part of the storyline so far has been the hover-board race. It was a lot of fun in terms of the plot because it connected several characters and planets together. The actual race was one of the best parts of the game as well. It involved doing tricks and hitting arrow points on the ground for power-up boosts while dodging boxes and explosives. You have get 1st place against 4 other racers in order to get the trophy you need to give to the agent in exchange for goggles.
At one point before the race my character spoke with a Captain on the metropolis planet who was advertising the race. He turned out to be a robot, which made me laugh because it was so absurd. The robotic protagonist’s sidekick, Clank, had to point out the spring that was in the place of the Captain’s legs to Ratchet, who was shocked by it.
DESIGN
The balance of enemies is very well laid out. It seems to provide just the right amount of challenge in terms of patience and focus. The enemies get harder as your weapons get more effective, and you need to keep up with the increasing complexity of the gameplay. There is a wheel screen activated by the triangle button, which allows you to toggle between a set number of weapons and devices. Later in the game this toggling of weapons and devices becomes a large focus of the game.
The one boss that I have played against so far was really fun. His attacks were rhythmic and varied in such a way that you had to jump over walls of flames and dodge laser beams at the same time. There was really only one weapon that could be used against this boss effectively, which made getting the ammunition very important.
Another thing that I liked about this game was that you only had to pay attention to about four things at once: the enemy fire coming at you, the direction whatever your mission objective is, your ammunition, and collecting bolts. This created a feeling similar to that of older two dimensional platform games—very user-friendly while being engaging at the same time.
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| [February 8, 2008 03:14:55 AM]
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SUMMARY
In Ratchet and Clank, a fox-like animal named Ratchet wears a robot named Clank like a backpack while exploring different planets. There are a lot of weapon and item upgrades, different kinds of enemies, and bosses. The primary goal of the game is to get info-bots in order to progress to new planets.
GAMEPLAY
Because the game has a cartoonish and lighthearted feel, I stayed in a happy emotional state for the whole time I was playing it. The environments are all bright, almost pastel, and rounded to the point that they are something like a relaxing dreamworld. Even the sludge planets are rendered in a friendly style.
The characters in the game are all very cartoonish. Both in-game and during cut-scenes, the characters all move in an extreme and dramatic way. The interactions between the two main characters, Ratchet and Clank, are endearing when they become comfortable with one another as the game progresses. Furthermore, every character in every cut scene has a lot of personality in the way that they move their faces and bodies.
The game was really interesting to play because, for one thing, there are bolts and nuts that you collect as currency scattered throughout the game, and they make a really satisfying noise when you pick them up. Another thing that’s interesting are the powerups. You can get a helicopter upgrade that allows you to glide and jump higher that you can at the beginning of the game. Just as that starts to get boring, you find a grind boots upgrade that allows you to ride on rails. It really keeps you on your toes!
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roboticalien's Ratchet and Clank (PS2)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Friday 8 February, 2008
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