HOLY SHIT, was my first reaction as I woke up this morning to get Ratchet and Clank. Remembering all the hours I sank in to the original series all the way up until the final iteration on the PS3, hoping that this will breathe a new life in to the series and bring a load of sequels along with it. Then I thought, what if its a total failure? This could be the end of one of my favorite game titles? Gladly I was proved wrong within minutes of starting the game.
Initially it starts with a simple cutscene, with a character discussing how he's just bought the new Ratchet and Clank game, of the Holo-Film, a reference to what has happened with this game. Quark then starts to tell the story from his perspective, and throughout the missions so far, he has given parts of commentary over time, usually sarcastically as you swim and he advises 'as Ratchet knows, he cannot breathe underwater'.
The story departs a bit from what we are used to from the previous series. Within this universe, Dr Nefarious is a mad scientist who is working for Chairman Drek, but mostly the story goes along the same lines so far with Drek looking to build a planet bu consuming others. One thing I need to mention is the Plumber, who in the previous series was a good comedic staple. Here you come along him and he asks if you have met him before, as he has a case of Deja-Vu. Then as he leaves, he shouts 'see you in the next reboot' clearly poking fun at the situation with this game.
Next up are the graphics, they are beautiful. As you can see from the screenshot below I took on the first planet, they haven't tried to make the game realistic, but they have made it beautifully detailed, with even little rocks being able to be pushed around when you run over them. This creates for a brilliant atmosphere throughout the game and really gives the reboot a lot of kudos from me. The gameplay is just as perfect as it has always been also. Keeping the elements brought to the game in the later series such as strafing, these are available from the start, along with some impressive additions to the arsenal.
With only four guns unlocked for me at the time of writing, I already have my favourites. So far I have the Blaster, Pyro, Fusion Bomb and Proton Drum, with the Fusion and Proton Drum being my two most used so far. The Proton Drum is new to the series and creates a series of shockwaves damaging enemies within range, good for taking out spawning groups (damn sandsharks). They've also kept the Raritanium upgrade system that was seen towards the end of the series, where you are given a grid and select the upgrades as you go along, but as your weapon becomes more powerful through the destruction of enemies, more become available.
Another new feature brought it to the reboot is collectors cards. By defeating enemies or accessing secret areas, you can find these cards. What use they have, I am not sure yet, but they also give a history of the games. For example, I currently have one of the Dual Pythons, which it tells me were first brought about in Ratchet Gladiator. It's a nice touch to include a little bit more of the history in the game.
So far the planets are also keeping true to their original iterations also, such as Blackwater City hosting the hoverboard race, but they have added a few little bits to keep the long term fans a little bit inquisitive as to where they are going. The Gold Bolts are still a feature in the game, but are used to unlock cheats and costumes. What they are I'm not sure yet, but I'll hopefully find out soon enough!
This all being said, I have found a few bugs which I hope Insomniac Address, including floating ammo (little inconvenience) and occasionally voices overlapping each other. Neither really detract from the game, but are a little annoying when you notice them.
I am incredibly impressed with how Ratchet and Clank has come along and how gorgeous this game is. It's exciting to think about what might come along as I progress through the game, so for now I won't give this a rating, I will say however from the few hours I have played that IT IS WORTH IT! I picked it up for £30 (much cheaper than most releases) at my local ASDA (Walmart for American readers) so it's quite cheap considering. I'll release a full review on completion of the game, but check out our YouTube channel linked below where I will be for sure uploading some gameplay videos.
Keep an eye out for our review of the film with its release next Friday!
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