Ratchet and Clank Preview

[Joeiss]

An Opening from Joe :

Think of a great platforming game. Think of a great RPG. Think of a great Third Person Shooter. Combine all of this, and you get Ratchet and Clank, my friends. This unique title is being developed by Insomniac Games and is being published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Does the name Insomniac Games ring a bell? Well, they brought you the Spyro The Dragon series, as well as Disruptor (all for the PSX). Many are looking towards this title as a revolutionary game because of all the different game style elements that are being put into it.

Sorry to all of those who will be going online this fall, but Ratchet and Clank is not an online game. Players will be in a huge environment and be able to control both Ratchet (the furry alien) and Clank (the robot). This game is not linear at all, too! You can send Ratchet packing in his space ship to any planet in the game and battle the baddies there. There is no collecting of "stars" or "jiggies" to get to the next level. In this game, you are totally free.

Ratchet and Clank will be released on November 15 at the price of $39.99 (59.99 CDN)


Impressions

The funniest thing happens at E3. People see new games and they form impressions about said games, partly based on the press, or if they are lucky enough to get in E3, by playing the games themselves. But they don't always form the most accurate impressions. Or they form ideas that don't best represent the game's true essence. It's kind of like that old Talking Heads' Song, Once in a Lifetime ("That's not my beautiful house, that's not my beautiful wife!") It was made very clear to us during Insomniac's latest visit that this new game isn't easily summarized by a demo (like the one that was handed out at E3), or by simply slotting the title into the genre of platformer. And it appears that Ratchet and Clank is far more than the simple platformer it appears to be. Stuff happens.

So, Ratchet and Clank is not what you think it is, at least, according to Insomniac's people. The company's latest creation is not just a new dragonless Spyro, and it's not another just another Jak and Daxter, which apparently, some folks have been heard repeating. As Insomniac's President Ted Price told me, Ratchet and Clank has only two things in common with Jak and Daxter: It's got two characters in the title and it's published by Sony. There are three things in common actually, the third being technology (Insomniac and Naughty Dog have agreed to share technology and proprietary techniques, and Ratchet and Clank is the first title to benefit from it, but that's another story). What's going on with Ratchet and Clank is that beneath its platformer surface, it's a phenomenally deep, multi-genre game, attempting to break free of the traditional constraints that define 3D platformers. Really.

The story of Ratchet and Clank starts off simply enough. Ratchet is an amateur mechanic stuck on a planet he desperately wants to flee, so as to see the sights, adventure, and probably get in trouble. But he doesn't have all the parts he needs. Thankfully, Clank, a highly intelligent robot, is on the run from a belligerent race of creatures bent on consuming as many mechanical parts as possible in order to create a new planet, and they want his body, his parts as it were, to help in the cause. So, he lands on the planet where Ratchet is and the two strike a deal. Thus begins the simple premise behind Ratchet and Clank.

Once you swallow the story, the rest falls into place. What we found in the later levels of Ratchet and Clank is that while this game certainly has its roots in the platform world, it's as if the game is on a trampoline, bouncing off into other areas. It's just as much of a platformer as it is a shooter (and a hefty shooter at that). It's also filled with hints if RPG elements, too. After the first introductory levels, the duo finds itself investigating multiple planets, each of which has a completely different look, color scheme and set of puzzles, traps and challenges. As they progress, they buy weapons and gadgets. These cost money, or bolts, the world's form of currency. So, as opposed to collecting bolts to open doors or unlock new worlds, these things function as pure cash, which enable the purchasing of goods, like Bomb Gloves, Blasters, Pyrociters (a flamethrower), and the Swingshot (a futuristic grappling hook), to name a few.

The entirely non-traditional freedom of the game is subtle, but after a level or two, it all makes sense. While I might buy a weapon for level 3, another player might buy an entirely different weapon, creating a different experience. Or, one can theoretically save that cash for something bigger, up to a point, that is. See, in the early levels the game is rather easy on you, letting you use the most basic of weapons. But quite quickly, Insomniac's title presents situations that require bigger guns, bigger ideas.

The huge laundry list of weapons includes some pretty bizarre stuff, such as powerful sucking guns, the first of which is the Hydrodisplacer, which inhales pools worth of water, then holds it, and at your command, lets it back out in another area. A similar weapon, the Suck Cannon (which doesn't actually suck, hahaha), enables Ratchet to suck in enemies and then later shoot them out at opponents, after which you can watch them explode! (Now that's really fun.) And there's the Glove of Doom, which if you played the demo, you'd remember as the deceptively named weapon that sounds big, but isn't. It lets loose a handful of homing bots, all about ankle- high, which track and run into enemies, exploding on contact. Or there's the Swingshot, which functions like a grappling hook, enabling players to swing over dangerous pits of lava, mud, or other such guck.

But unlike, say, James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire, which offered a bunch of specific gadgets that were pretty much useless if you had enough rifle ammo, Ratchet and Clank's levels require the many weapons and gadgets, and their many, many uses. In the newest level I encountered, the Swingshot was absolutely necessary to get from one giant block to another. In another, the Pyrociter or the Bomb Glove are crucial to fend off the ensuing horde of little red sand freaks quickly swarming around you. Here, the simple default wrench wouldn't work since the swarms are too big.

I liked the slew of different creatures, too. They're all funny, some cute, but all evil enough to want to slaughter. Midway through the game, players will find that they can pit enemy AI against one another and sit back to watch the carnage. The Suck Cannon works quite well to set up these situations.

Unlike almost all other platformer-style games, Ratchet and Clank enables players to freely travel from level to level (planet to planet), without any kind of linear constraint. Players can jump in their courier ship and travel to any planet they want. Since the cost of each new weapon is increasingly heftier, players will need to travel back and beat (or blast) the pulp out of the new set of enemies for more bolts. Much like the way RPGs are played, players get stronger the more they play and "level up." Here it's with weapons instead of spells. Manipulating the useful inventory system is key to players' ability to replay levels with different weapons or to approach one level in a completely different way than another player.

All in all, Ratchet and Clank may appear like Jak and Daxter at first, but it's a different creature altogether. Not to mention that you actually get to play as Clank later on the in game. (They actually have a relationship, and they disagree, dis each other, and argue; it's quite unusual, these conversations.) From my perspective, Insomniac's game is pretty much the most ambitious platform-style game out there, even more ambitious than Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter, since it's actually larger and will require far more hours to complete (the loose estimate is 20-30, but no one at Insomniac would confirm a time as a matter of logic, since the game isn't finished yet). In any case, expect a massive, complex and multifaceted game come this November.

-From IGN


This game has been on my most wanted list for a long while now. This game seems to have everything in it. It is not just a platformer, it is so much more. Collecting bolts and buying new weapons/tools looks to be fun. Also, I really like the detail and vastness of the worlds and the baddies. There haven't been many complaints about the control scheme, the graphics are outstanding and this game is sure to be a huge hit. I'll definitely be purchasing this game the first day it comes out on North American shores.

Screenshots

[Bond]

Only $40 eh? That's pretty good I suppose. Nice preview Joeiss.

[Joeiss]

Originally posted by Bond
Only $40 eh? That's pretty good I suppose. Nice preview Joeiss.

Yes. Sony is going to start lowering the prices on the games which they publish. This is so we can buy more games... Or something.

And thank you for the compliment. And trust me, there is a lot more where this came from!

[Crono]

That game looks very impressive. I cant wait until I can rent it.

[Jonbo298]

Originally posted by Joeiss
There is no collecting of "stars" or "jiggies" to get to the next level. In this game, you are totally free.

They better not be dissing "Shine Get!"

[Joeiss]

Originally posted by Jonbo298


They better not be dissing "Shine Get!"

Hey fanboy, did I ever mention Super Mario Sunshine? Holy crap man, can you make a post in the PS2 forum where you aren't trying to defend your favourite system? And even if I am "dissing" the slogan for SMS when you get a "shine", what are you going to do about it? Cry a little bit more?




EDIT : And another thing. How about you comment on the original post? I mean, that is what this thread is about.




So, who here will be purchasing Ratchet and Clank when it is released? I know I will.

[Jonbo298]

Ok, my comments on the game. It looks fine.

*Edit* Also, good preview Joe!

[Shadow_Link]

You were raving about this game a month or so ago weren't you? Anyway, from what I have seen/heard, this game looks pretty impressive, though I still reckon it won't offer ME the same fun and gameplay experiences as the highly anticipated SMS.

A minor point though is that this game doesn't look as good as SMS either .

I'll still be watching this game.

[Jonbo298]

Originally posted by Shadow_Link
You were raving about this game a month or so ago weren't you?

If that was being referred towards me. I highly doubt I was. Most of you should know why But umm.....yeah

[Perfect Stu]

Impressive preview Joeiss...

I'm really looking forward to this game...

[Shiz]

Originally posted by Joeiss
And trust me, there is a lot more where this came from!

ohhhhh!!! give us more give us more!

you rock!

[bobcat]

Looks great, but I can only handle so many platformers simultaneously.

[Joeiss]

Originally posted by Jonbo298


If that was being referred towards me. I highly doubt I was. Most of you should know why But umm.....yeah

At least you are a self-proclaimed fanboy.

Originally posted by Shiz



ohhhhh!!! give us more give us more!

you rock!

I was talking about other games... So there are a bunch of more previews in store for you all. And if you want some more pictures, just tell and I will post some more.

Originally posted by bobcat
Looks great, but I can only handle so many platformers simultaneously.

Yeah. That seems to be one of the biggest themes of this fall. However, at least the majority of them are supposed to be very good (ie. SMS, Ratchet and Clank, Blinx and Sly Cooper and the Thevious Raccoons).

[Shadow_Link]

Originally posted by Jonbo298


If that was being referred towards me. I highly doubt I was. Most of you should know why But umm.....yeah

No, I was referring to the topic starter, Joeiss.

[Joeiss]

Originally posted by Shadow_Link


No, I was referring to the topic starter, Joeiss.

Oh yeah.... That was in the Fight Club forum. BaB posted his platformers thread, and I think I went on a big rant about this game. So, it better be good, lol.