Forget about
Super Mario Sunshine--this is the real superstar platform
action game of the season. Featuring a pair of wacky robots in a quest to save
the universe,
Ratchet and Clank may offer the same old basic platform
scenario--run around, elude or destroy enemies, jump, and negotiate
treacherously dynamic environments--but it has a number of things going for it
that place it among the best titles ever in this genre.
The feature that will strike you first is the terrific art direction. Set in a
science fiction future, the game has a beautifully executed retro cartoon look
(think old Warner Bros.). The attention lavished on every detail, from
architecture to character design, makes for a world that feels complete and
real. This extends to the cutscenes, which feature a variety of colorful
characters given vivid life with excellent voice acting. Then there is the sheer
size and level of interactivity of the environments. For me, a particularly
stunning moment was when my character was knocked off a skyscraper, but instead
of perishing, landed on a ledge and was able to seamlessly navigate to a whole
separate section of the game. Another moment of truth came when I aimed my
blaster at one of the vehicles whizzing by in the sky. These vehicles were just
pretty wallpaper, I thought, but no, the thing blew up. In fact, nearly
everything you see is destructible or responsive in some way: you can jump up
trees, scuttle over walkways, smash boxes, and climb up ledges. And the control
scheme is just complex enough to keep things interesting with multiple weapons
and the like, without being bogged down by too many features.
While the routine of finding and destroying enemy robots may get tedious after a
while, Ratchet and Clank keeps things interesting with the many
metamorphoses of Clank (who takes on forms that surprise even himself), cool
weapons like the Glove of Doom (which unleashes armies of tiny Clanks), and
shifting first-robot, third-robot points of view.
If this game doesn't become the bestselling platform action game of the year, it
will prove that nostalgia for old characters, marketing hype, and brand loyalty
really are more important than quality. --David Stoesz
Ratchet and Clank is a fantastic new adventure starring the strangest heroes
you've ever seen, in the strangest solar system ever!
