Review by: Jager

Rating: 10 out of 10

If you like playing Platform-style games, but always wished that Mario could pull out a bazooka to blow Bowzer to kingdom come, then Ratchet & Clank™ is the game for you.

In this game developed by Insomniac Games, you play as Ratchet, a weasel... no ferret... no...some sort of hairy, big eared alien. He's just minding his own business working on his space ship, when whammo! Down crashes Clank onto his world. Clank is a little robot who was made by the evil Blargg. They plan on making a new world from the best pieces of other worlds because they over polluted their own. Clank isn't hip to this scene and makes a break for it. He's shot down onto Ratchet's planet. Of course, the two decide to try and save the universe.

This is one of the best platformers I've ever played. It's right up there with Legend of Zelda. What makes it stand out is that the developers have really mixed up the game play. For most of the game you are Ratchet, running around using your various weapons as you find them. You get about 16 weapons and 8 gadgets. That would be fun enough, but there are times when you have to race hover boards, play as Clank (both tiny and as a giant), and shoot turrets at ships. There are mind puzzles too. But the coolest thing has to go back to the weapons.

My personal favorite is the Morph-O-Ray, which turns the enemy into a harmless chicken. Or the Suck Cannon, that sucks in smaller enemies and then fires them at their friends. Of course there are huge missile launcher-type guns, blasters, lasers, mines; the list goes on and on.

The graphics are stunning. The developers have gone to great lengths to make each world different, from stormy city-scapes to lush paradises, and a few space stations thrown in for good measure. The frame-rate is a constant 60 frames per second and doesn't lag even when there are lots of enemies chasing you while it's raining, lightening is flashing, and things are exploding in the background. The controls are very responsive. Ratchet does just what you want when you want it.

I give this game my highest recommendation. In my opinion, this is the best game of 2002. If you like action oriented games that don't take themselves too seriously (plot, not game play) Ratchet & Clank™ is the game for you.

Jager
It goes in, it comes out