Ratchet & Clank (2002 video game)

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This article is about the video game. For the series, see Ratchet & Clank.
Ratchet & Clank
North American cover art
Developer(s)Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Composer(s)David Bergeaud
EngineInsomniac Engine v.1.0
Kinetica
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
ReleasePlayStation 2 PlayStation 3
Genre(s)Platformer, Shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it became the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series.

The game follows the anthropomorphic character Ratchet meeting the robot Clank on his home planet. Clank discovers that the villainous Chairman Drek of the Blarg race plans to create a new planet for his species, destroying the galaxy in the process. Clank convinces Ratchet to help him in his quest to gain the help of the famous superhero Captain Qwark, but they soon discover that they must save the galaxy on their own.

The game offers a wide range of weapons and gadgets that the player must use to defeat numerous enemies and solve puzzles on a variety of different planets in the fictional "Solana" galaxy. The game also includes several mini-games, such as racing or lock-picking, which the player must complete to proceed. The game was positively received by critics, who praised the graphics and variety of gameplay, along with the comic and humourous style to the sci-fi story.

Gameplay

In Ratchet & Clank, the main playable character is Ratchet, whom the player controls from a third-person perspective, though a first person mode to view the player's surroundings is available. The player traverses diverse environments with a large collection of unusual comic gadgets and weapons, using them to defeat enemies and pass obstacles. Up to 35 weapons and gadgets can be bought or found in the game.[1]

The player begins the game with only two weapons;[2] the "OmniWrench 8000", a standard melee weapon with a variety of uses such as interacting with puzzles in the environment, and the Bomb Glove, a short-range grenade thrower. As missions are completed across the game's various planets, more weapons and gadgets become available; including the Blaster, an automatic pistol, the Pyrociter, a flame-thrower, and the Suck Cannon, a weapon which sucks up smaller enemies and converts them into projectiles. Weapons are either found, or can be bought with bolts, the game's form of currency. The OmniWrench remains the standard melee weapon for close combat, with its own button, as all other weapons assume the role of firearms and can only be equipped one at a time, though all weapons can be carried in the player's inventory.[2]

Bolts can be found in crates, along with ammo, or dropped from defeated enemies.[2] The player also needs to buy ammo for most weapons, but a small number can function without the need for ammo.[2] Vendors, which sell weapons and ammo, are situated at strategic points throughout levels.[2] After completing the game, the player may choose to enter "challenge mode", in which the game's difficulty level rises considerably, but all bolts and weapons acquired the first time are carried through. There is also the option to buy "gold weapons", more powerful versions of existing weapons. The game's health system, nanotech,[2] starts at four health bubbles equivalent to be able to take four hits, but upgrades can be purchased, giving the player a total of eight hit points.

Ratchet, with Clank on his back, using the Blaster. Visible are the ammunition, health, and bolt counters at the top of the screen.

Normally, Clank rides on Ratchet's back, acting as a jet-pack or similar device.[2] Occasionally, however, Clank becomes a playable character when Ratchet is unable to explore certain areas. Clank can control "Gadgebots", smaller robots similar to Clank, who perform certain actions for him. Racing, in the form of hoverboard races, appears in the game. Some racing missions are necessary to progress in the game, while others are optional. One level of space combat and a level of flying through the air shooting tankers is also present. Mini-games to unlock doors, extend bridges, or elevate platforms appear in most levels.[2]

Plot

On planet Quartu, an assembly line is producing large, destructive robots when suddenly there is an error, and a small, curious robot emerges. The robot encounters a video recording on an infobot. Horrified by its contents, the robot escapes the planet in a spaceship, only to be shot down over the planet Veldin.

On Veldin, a Lombax named Ratchet is constructing his spaceship when the robot crash-lands near his home. Ratchet recovers the robot from the wreckage. The robot shows Ratchet the infobot, which contains a recording of Chairman Drek of the Blarg race, who explains that his home planet is uninhabitable due to pollution and overpopulation. Drek's solution is to build a new planet for his race by extracting large parts of other planets, destroying them in the process.[3] Fearing that Drek will destroy the galaxy, the robot asks Ratchet to help him find the famous superhero Captain Qwark, in an effort to stop Drek. Ratchet is eager to leave Veldin in his ship, but can't without a vital component: a robotic ignition system. Equipped with a robotic ignition system, the robot starts Ratchet's ship in return for his help. Whilst flying from Veldin to the planet Novalis, Ratchet nicknames the robot as Clank.

The two later find Qwark on planet Rilgar. Qwark encourages them to prove their heroic status by completing a dangerous obstacle course on the planet Umbris.[4] After they finish the course, however, Clank leads himself and Ratchet into a trap laid by Qwark, sending the two into a cavern. Here, Qwark reveals that he is working for Drek in order to become the spokesperson for the new Blargian planet and he can't have Ratchet and Clank get in the way of his comeback.[5] Qwark leaves the two to fight a monstrous Snagglebeast.[6]

After defeating the Snagglebeast, Ratchet becomes increasingly bitter and hostile towards Clank, angry that he let Qwark get the better of them. Clank urges Ratchet to continue their quest to confront Drek, but Ratchet is obsessed with getting revenge on Qwark.[7] Eventually, Ratchet carries out his revenge on Qwark in a space battle.[8] Afterwards, Drek attacks a nearby planet. Witnessing the devastation Drek causes, Ratchet finally understands that he must be stopped and makes amends with Clank, admitting his selfishness in focusing on Qwark.[9]

Combining their efforts, Ratchet and Clank learn that Drek has developed a weapon called the "Deplanetizer". Drek aims to use it to remove Veldin, Ratchet's home planet, from the desired orbit of his newly constructed planet;[10] and this enrages Ratchet.[11] On Veldin, Ratchet and Clank confront Drek, who is about to obliterate the planet. Drek reveals that it was he who polluted the Blargian home planet in the first place, and he plans to do the same to, and make more money from, his new planet after the living space has been purchased.[12] A battle ensues, after which Drek is killed. Ratchet uses the Deplanetizer to destroy Drek's planet, sending meteorites falling towards Veldin. A meteor impact throws both Ratchet and Clank off of the platform; Clank manages to grab onto the ledge and catch Ratchet, but the strain of supporting Ratchet's weight causes heavy damage to Clank's arm.[13] The two fall before Clank uses his thruster-pack upgrade, acquired in the game, to slow the fall and save both himself and Ratchet. At the first, it seems like Ratchet leaves Clank and goes away, but he comes back and offers to repair Clank. The game ends with them walking off together, now best friends.[14]

Development and release

After finishing work on the Spyro the Dragon series, Insomniac originally intended to launch a game codenamed I5 (Insomniac game #5) for the PlayStation 2. The developers, however, were never enthusiastic about it and the idea was dropped after six months. Ratchet & Clank was based on an idea by Brian Hastings, which would feature a space-traveling reptile alien who would collect various weapons as he progressed through the game;[15][16] Ratchet's final form was decided upon after Insomniac considered various terrestrial creatures, including dogs and rats; feline features stood out to the developers because of the associated sense of agility.[17] Another early idea was to have a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions.[17] However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank.[17] Very little was cut for the final product, apart from a few weapons and gadgets which "just weren't fun".[16]

Shortly after changing the game from I5 to Ratchet & Clank, Naughty Dog asked Insomniac if they would be interested in sharing the game technology used in Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, asking that Insomniac in turn share with them any improvements that were made. Insomniac agreed, resulting in most of the Ratchet & Clank engine technology being developed in-house by Insomniac, but some very important renderers were those developed by Naughty Dog.[18] Looking back on the agreement, Ted Price said that "Naughty Dog's generosity gave us a huge leg up and allowed us to draw the enormous vistas in the game."[18] Some years later Ted Price clarified Insomniac's stance on engine technology while obliquely mentioning the shared renderers:

"We've always developed all our own technology. It's been a little frustrating in the past for us to hear people say, 'Oh yeah, the Insomniac game is running on the Naughty Dog engine.' People assumed that we were using Naughty Dog's engine for Ratchet, and that was not true. We shared some technology with Naughty Dog way back when, and that was great, but we are a company that puts stock in developing specialized technology and we will continue to do so." -- Ted Price, Independent PlayStation Magazine, September 2006[19]

Pre-production of the game began in late March 2001, with a team of approximately 35 people. The game went into production in November 2001, and by the end of the project the team had grown to 45.[16] The game was first released in North America on November 4, 2002[20] and then in Australia on November 6, 2002.[21] It was later released in PAL regions on November 8, 2002,[22][20] and in Japan on December 3, 2002.[20] In November 2003, Sony added Ratchet & Clank to their Greatest hits series of games for the PlayStation 2 when Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando was released at that time,[20] and the game was similarly added to Sony's Platinum Range used in the PAL region on August 22, 2003.[20] The game was added to Japan's The Best range on July 3, 2003;[20] it was also the only game to be bundled with the PlayStation 2 in Japan.[15][17]

Reception

Ratchet & Clank was met with generally favorable reviews.[24] After playing a preview of the game, GameSpot described it as having "excellent graphics, varied gameplay, and tight control[s]".[37] The game's use of weapons, rather than simple melee attacks, was cited as one of the main features that made it stand out from other platform games;[25][33] Computer and Video Games said that "Going berserk with your giant ratchet [...] is seriously satisfying [...] Every time you thump an enemy with the hefty tool, it looks, sounds and feels remarkably solid. [...] What's more, the same can be said for all the other weapons you collect and use over the course of your intergalactic adventure".[26] GameSpot noted that the player doesn't need to follow the same paths multiple times, as was common in platformers at the time.[31] Gameplanet said that it was "Quite simply the best platform game on the PS2 right now and possibly the best on any format!"[36]

Reviewers praised the game's graphics, specifically pointing out the character and background designs as being high-quality for PS2 games of the time.[27] GameSpy called the graphics "mind-blowing",[32] and GameSpot praised the game's smooth frame rate.[31] GameZone noted the animation of Ratchet, praising the details in his animation.[33] Reviewers found that the game's voice overs and other audio elements were generally well done.[34] IGN commented on the game's artificial intelligence, saying that it wasn't as well done as that of Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, but still "purposefully comic and somewhat sophisticated" in others.[34] Gameplanet felt that the game's levels were well laid-out.[36]

Criticism was aimed at the game's camera angles, which Eurogamer felt were "idiotic" at times, giving the example of boss fights in which the camera centers on the boss rather than being freely movable.[27] Allgame found that it was hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet & Clank's main characters, saying that Ratchet is "your typical teenager [...] who desires nothing more than excitement and adventure" and that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault", feeling instead that the characters of Jak and Daxter from Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy were "infinitely more likeable."[25] Some criticisms were also aimed at the story, with GameSpy saying that the game became predictable, boring and "just bland".[32] Reviewers also noted that the first half of the game was "yawn inducing", but once the player reaches planet Rilgar it becomes much more intense and difficult;[29] GamePro found that the player doesn't "engage a single thought process" for the first parts of the game.[30]

References

  1. ^ Chris Roper (October 25, 2002). "The Weapons of Ratchet and Clank". IGN. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Ratchet & Clank Instruction Booklet. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. 2002.
  3. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Drek: My race, the Blarg, have a small problem. Our planet has become so polluted [...] that we are no longer able to dwell here. But I, Chairman Drek, have a solution [...] we are constructing a pristine new world using the choicest of planetary components [...] we will be extracting a large portion of your planet and adding it to our new one. Unfortunately, this will cause your planet to [...] drift into the sun, where it will explode...
  4. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Qwark: Meet me at...Meet me at my Headquarters.
  5. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Qwark: I'm the official spokesman for Drek's new planet. I can't have you two getting in the way of my comeback.
  6. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: He's not going to help us; he's going to kill us. / Qwark: You catch on quick. Although there is one problem with your hypothesis, I'm not going to kill you. / Ratchet: You're not? / Qwark: No (points to Snagglebeast). He is.
  7. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: Yeah, well I'm done with this stupid hero stuff. I've got my own agenda now!
  8. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: Yes! Qwark is history!
  9. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: Look, maybe you were right. This is a lot bigger than you or me. I was really selfish focusing on Qwark.
  10. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Drek: Behold, the Deplanetizer! The most powerful laser ever created[...]I will, of course, be there to press the button that will blow this mudball [Veldin] to smithereens!
  11. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Clank: Ratchet? Are you... all right? / Ratchet: He... is... going... to... pay. / Clank: Excuse me? / Ratchet: It shouldn't have taken me this long to see it. Drek is going to find out what happens when you mess with my home.
  12. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Clank: There must be another way to make a home for your people! / Drek: You think that's what this is about? Who do you think polluted our last world? I did. This is about [...] cash. You see, I've been paid for every square inch of my new world. Once the inhabitants move in, I will begin polluting this world as well. And the whole thing starts all over again. / Clank: Why you evil little...
  13. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: Uh, Clank? You can... heh heh... pull us up now! / Clank: The servos in my arm appear to be broken. / Ratchet: Broken? As in [...] "fall to our deaths" broken? / Clank: Uh, yes.
  14. ^ Insomniac Games (November 4, 2002). Ratchet & Clank. Sony Computer Entertainment. Ratchet: Hey, tin can! We..uh...still need to fix that arm.
  15. ^ a b McLaughlin, Rus (October 30, 2007). "IGN Presents The History of Ratchet and Clank". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009. Template:MultiPageCiteArchive
  16. ^ a b c "Big Gaz" (December 14, 2002). "Ratchet and Clank Interview". Gameplanet. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  17. ^ a b c d Talon, Durwin S. (2004). "David Guertin on Comics & Video Games". Comics Above Ground: How Sequential Art Affects Mainstream Media. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 80–82. ISBN 1-893905-31-4. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  18. ^ a b Price, Ted (June 13, 2003). "Postmortem: Insomniac Games' Ratchet and Clank". Gamasutra. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  19. ^ Slate, Chris. "PS3 Trailblazing: PSM Chats With Ted Price, President of Insomniac Games." Independent PlayStation Magazine Sep. 2006
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Ratchet & Clank Release Information". GameFaqs. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  21. ^ "Ratchet & Clank". Ratchet & Clank Australia. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference PSNUK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ "Ratchet & Clank". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "Ratchet & Clank PS2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  25. ^ a b c Frankle, Gavin. "Ratchet & Clank". Allgame. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  26. ^ a b Cooper, Michael (November 11, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank". Computer and Video Games. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  27. ^ a b c Reed, Kristan (November 11, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  28. ^ プレイステーション2 - ラチェット&クランク. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.83. 30 June 2006.
  29. ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (December 2002). "Ratchet and Clank". Game Informer. Game Informer Magazine: 114. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ a b Dingo, Star (November 4, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  31. ^ a b c Gerstmann, Jeff (November 2, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank Review". GameSpot UK. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  32. ^ a b c Turner, Benjamin (November 13, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank (PS2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  33. ^ a b c Bedigian, Louis (November 12, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank Review". GameZone. GameZone Online. Retrieved June 25, 2009. [dead link]
  34. ^ a b c Perry, Douglass C. (November 4, 2002). "Ratchet and Clank". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  35. ^ Official US PlayStation Magazine: 166. December 2002. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. ^ a b c "InFiLtRaToR" (November 13, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank". Gameplanet. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  37. ^ Torres, Ricardo (October 15, 2002). "Ratchet & Clank Updated Preview". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 29, 2009.

External links

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