Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

by Ron Burke

Insomniac gave the Playstation 3 launch the strength it needed with the fantastic shooter Resistance: Fall of Man.  Garnering the highest scores of any of the launch lineup, it put Insomniac on the Next-Gen map.  Without missing a beat they released a trailer giving us a glimpse of the next Ratchet & Clank title featuring graphics far beyond what we had seen before, coupled with the humor and platformer gameplay that we’ve come to know and love with the previous titles.  One week ahead of schedule, the robot/Lombax team has landed on shelves once again.  Let’s see what is new in the world of Ratchet & Clank.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction kicks off on the planet of Kerwan.  The pair are trying to repair the thrusters on their jet cycle when they get a message from Captain Quark.  Thousands of heavily armed commandos have laid siege to the Planetary Defense Center and only Ratchet & Clank can save the day.  Unfortunately, the diminuitive self-proclaimed Cragmite Emperor Percival Tachyon has decided that the last of the Lombax be killed off to fully exterminate the race – that means destroying Ratchet.  Pulling a slick switcheroo, Ratchet and Clank escape the evil Emperor only to strand themselves on a strange world.  Their adventure doesn’t get any easier from there, but that is half the fun.

For those of you who aren’t big on reading the full review, let me cut to the chase and say that Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is another smash hit in the series and just one more exclusive reason to buy a Playstation 3.

I’m not going to spend a great deal of time talking about the graphics in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction as you can download a demo of the game to see for yourself.  Suffice it to say that the in-game engine cutscenes rival that of pure CGI houses.  While I disagree that the game looks as good as Pixar animation, it isn’t too far from it.  While some titles have come close to this level of detail, Ratchet & Clank Future puts them to shame.  Specular lighting, bump mapping, normal mapping, and more graphical bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at are laid over everything in the game.  Fur looks like fur, and metal looks like metal – no detail was spared.  Nowhere is it more apparent then in the animations for this title.  I’d love to see a character model of any of the major players in the game – I’m sure it’d look more complex than I could even imagine.  The end result is fantastic and will make a great showcase piece for anyone with a Playstation 3 to play it.

I could almost copy and paste this from several Next-Gen reviews I’ve done recently, but suffice it to say that all of these fantastic graphical effects come at a price.  Oddly enough, it isn’t in the gameplay but in the cutscenes where you see the occasional framerate stutter.  As it doesn’t affect gameplay in any way, this will be a non-issue for most.  It is a small price to pay for the incredible amount of subtle detail present in the title.  A nod of the head, little idle animations, and hilarious costumes and creatures make for a game that clearly was given the love and attention you’d expect from a AAA title. 

When I got to the first cutscene between levels, just as Ratchet & Clank escaped using an enemy ship, I was completely sold on the acerbic wit and humor of this title.  You’ll have to play it to see and hear what I mean, but when you do you’ll be laughing out loud, I’m sure. 
 
Once again flexing the future muscles of the Playstation 3, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction utilizes every channel of the 7.1 surround sound functionality to its maximum effect.  Fantastic voice acting, spectacular comical weapon effects, and a fitting soundtrack make for a very slick auditory experience.

The controls in Ratchet & Clank Future are very well executed and easy to pick up.  The left analog controls movement, and the right analog gives you a 360 degree control of the camera, most of the time.  (We’ll get back to that in a bit)  X makes Ratchet jump, and holding X makes Clank deploy some chopper blades to give the pair a bit of a glide.  The R1 or O button will fire Ratchet’s ranged weapons, with the Square button swinging Ratchet’s massive wrench in a wide arch.  When you need a closer look at your target or want to throw the wrench at an enemy, simply hit the L1 button. 

Before we talk about the SIXAXIS tilt controls, let’s talk about the camera.  For the vast majority of the game you’ll have 100% control over the camera with the right analog.  When the game wants to throw the blanket of cinematic vision over your head you’ll get whatever pre-determined camera angle Insomniac has chosen for this scene.  Depending on the particular scene, this could be a far away shot, a close-up shot, running away from the screen, running towards the screen, or simply an obtuse angle – either way, you’ll have to live with what you are given. 

There are a few moments that you’ll use SIXAXIS controls, and all of them turned out pretty well.  In a sequence not unlike that in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, you’ll use the tilt functions to steer a falling Ratchet & Clank through mid-air rush-hour traffic. There are a few sequences that have you pushing blocks and balls to open locks, and another instance where you’ll use a laser to cut holes in the wall, but none of them feel out of place in context. 

There is a weapon that makes use of SIXAXIS called The Tornado Launcher.  Several videos throughout the year have shown off the gun, but actually applying the tilt controls to it is a little bit tricky.  With some practice I was able to wrangle the weapon, but given that there are 22 other goodies to use in the game, I can see people skipping this weapon in favor of more consistent controls.   The best part though?  You can simply turn it off and use more conventional controls if you are inclined. 

While the graphics and sound have gotten a significant bump, the core gameplay elements have pretty much remained the same.  At its core, Ratchet & Clank Future is a platformer with solid roots.  You’ll navigate through jumping puzzles, side scrolling action, and plenty of combat as you leap from planet to planet evading the evil Emperor Tachyon.  As far as gameplay goes, if you enjoyed any of the previous titles in terms of gameplay, you’ll enjoy what Ratchet & Clank Future has to offer. 

There is one thing that is a bit of a divergence – the storyline.  While previous games focused more heavily on the comedic elements of the character pair, Ratchet & Clank Future focuses more on friendship, camaraderie, and trust.  After Clank takes a hard shot to the face from a ship Cryosleep system, he begins to see flying creatures called Zoni that keep alluding to some hidden secret that Ratchet is hiding in his past.  As the Zoni guide Clank through the discovery of Ratchet’s past (as well as his own), they’ll also take a few moments to upgrade Clank to help them through various challenges.  Since Ratchet can’t see these creatures, he believes that Clank has been hiding these powers all along, sewing the seeds of dissent among the pair. The storyline works for the most part, but feels a bit forced at times.  The whole affair just feels a bit more serious than previous titles – as if the series is trying to grow up a bit. 

The big lure of the Ratchet & Clank games is the bizarre and unique weapons that you can obtain.  By the time you reach the end of the game you’ll have acquired 23 gadgets in all.  Some are new, like the Groovitron which makes enemies just bust a move and dance, and some of them are updates to weapons from the previous games, including the Fusion Grenade and the Transmorpher which can turn enemies into penguins. The vast majority of them can be upgraded or purchased via shop vendors on each of the planets using raritanium and bolts that each defeated enemy drops. As you destroy more enemies you’ll earn experience, allowing you to increase your nanotech to upgrade your weapons as well as your health.  The only thing that really sticks out is that the game is actually a bit too easy.  Collecting parts to upgrade and update your weapons is too easy, and the platforming is quite forgiving.  Perhaps Insomniac read that less than 50% of people finish video games and decided to ease up to make sure we get to see the full story? 

The gameplay elements for this title are not anything groundbreaking or new, but rather a refinement of what we’ve played in other titles.  Is that a bad thing?  Not at all.  The formula works well and there was absolutely no reason to change it.

Ratchet & Clank Future is expansive.  The game takes roughly 15 hours to complete on the first run, with exploring and upgrading your weapons expanding the gameplay a little further.  Once you complete the game you can also jump into a challenge mode that asks you to complete tasks for speed.  While there is no multiplayer element, you’ll never miss it as the game is so very complete without it.  The minor nuisances are exactly that – minor.  I had to really dig to find anything off kilter with this title.  If you own a PS3, you should own Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.While certain games have tried to wear the crown of the PS3 holiday flagship title, Ratchet & Clank Future wears it proudly and with good reason.  A solid platformer with laugh out loud humor and stunning graphics makes for a title that anyone could enjoy.  Don’t miss out – this is one of, if not the, best title on the platform.

Gaming Trend Score

91

1. Graphics: 95
2. Audio: 90
3. Controls: 85
4. Gameplay: 90
5. Value/Replay: 95
6. OVERALL:91