Ratchet & Clank - Megathread

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Favorite Ratchet & Clank?

  • Ratchet & Clank

    Votes: 32 19.3%
  • R&C 2: Going Commando (Locked & Loaded)

    Votes: 74 44.6%
  • R&C 3: Up Your Arsenal

    Votes: 80 48.2%
  • Ratchet: Deadlocked (Gladiator)

    Votes: 32 19.3%
  • R&C Future: Tools of Destruction

    Votes: 10 6.0%
  • R&C Future: Quest for Booty

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • R&C Future: A Crack in Time

    Votes: 27 16.3%
  • Ratchet & Clank (2016)

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • Total voters
    166
I remember the Protopet boss from Going Commando.

Thanks to bolt management and inflation, it was easier to save up for ammo. The upgradable weapons made bosses balanced with the increased health and AI.

That said, I remember having to brute force the final boss. The shield coupled with the smaller protopets that appeared was difficult for me at the time.
 
I would also recommend to any fan of the series that hasn't watched them yet to check out the developer commentaries on the PS2 games on Uselesspodcast https://www.youtube.com/user/uselesspodcasts/playlists?view=1&sort=dd&shelf_id=0
Thanks for recommending these developer commentaries. I finished the first game's commentary which provided a lot of insight on the first Ratchet & Clank. I plan on watching 2 & 3.

Novalis and Metropolis were the first levels developed for R&C; Metropolis in particular was used as a "diorama" to sell Sony into the game. It's a good level. The city is massive for a PS2 platformer.

Also, remember the train part of that game? You could use the wrench to make the Blarg fall off and listen to them scream.

And about Aridia, the one where you get the hoverboard? You noticed that cannon that shoots robots into space? They were going to add spherical worlds into R&C, but they ran out of time. They WERE introduced in Going Commando tho.
 
Anybody hope that Ratchet & Clank would get a PS4/PS5 release?

PS2 had four Ratchet & Clanks, not counting the PSP ports.
PS3 had about six (counting Full Frontal Assault, All 4 One, not counting the Ratchet & Clank Collection)
PSP had two. Yes, I know it was High Impact Games with Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank.
PS4 only had the remake. I understand they were busy with Spider-Man, but I hope they're going back to Ratchet & Clank.

How would they? Post Into the Nexus or another remake a la 2016? I would like a Future trilogy re-release.
 
There have been rumors of another Ratchet and Clank game in the works back in February, most likely a title for the PS5. Nothing official has been stated by Insomniac though as far as I know
 
There have been rumors of another Ratchet and Clank game in the works back in February, most likely a title for the PS5. Nothing official has been stated by Insomniac though as far as I know
It'll probably be a remaster of the Future games and possibly another remaster of the original trilogy + Deadlocked, TBH. Spiderman likely make Insomniac much more money than the R&C reboot game, so they're probably gonna focus on a sequel to that.

I'd like a remaster of Resistance, it was quite fun with Insomniac's trademark weapon design.
 
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Reading through this article again, it provided some insight on the development of Ratchet & Clank series.

Two things that stuck out:

A Crack in Time was supposed to be the last hurrah for Ratchet & Clank. But Sony insisted that they make more Ratchet & Clank games due to the success of A Crack in Time.

The Ratchet & Clank movie script was changed drastically by Hollywood executives. Which explains the kiddie approach the movie AND reboot approached. They tried to rectify those forced retcons by having Qwark as an "unreliable narrator" in the game.

It makes sense. Sony & Hollywood nearly ruined the Ratchet & Clank franchise.
 
I fucking loved those PS2 platformers. I'm playing through Sly 2 at the moment and still love. I really enjoy Ratchet 1 though the initial lack of strafing is a bit annoying. Ratchet 2 and 3 have that dope ass shotgun though.


The remake is hot fucking garbage and shows how awful the modern gaming industry is.
 
A Crack in Time was supposed to be the last hurrah for Ratchet & Clank. But Sony insisted that they make more Ratchet & Clank games due to the success of A Crack in Time.
That kinda makes sense, especially since Ratchet literally dies at one point only for Clank to undo his death. You wouldn't do that unless you were going for some big climactic ending.

The Ratchet & Clank movie script was changed drastically by Hollywood executives. Which explains the kiddie approach the movie AND reboot approached. They tried to rectify those forced retcons by having Qwark as an "unreliable narrator" in the game.
That still bothers me because Qwark being the unreliable narrator has so much potential that's frankly squandered. Qwark is an egotistical airhead through and through and you don't really get that in the remake, it's just Ratchet and Clank presented in a much lighter, kiddier manner. Qwark would have at least showed himself to be the hero, downplay his betrayal, and save the day at the end.

About the only good thing is that joke in the beginning where Qwark goes, "They're making a game based on a holo-film based on my life?!"
 
The Ratchet & Clank movie script was changed drastically by Hollywood executives. Which explains the kiddie approach the movie AND reboot approached. They tried to rectify those forced retcons by having Qwark as an "unreliable narrator" in the game.

It makes sense. Sony & Hollywood nearly ruined the Ratchet & Clank franchise.
Hollywood fucks up yet another videogame adaptation.
 
Has anybody actually played multiplayer in Ratchet & Clank? How was that experience?


Ratchet 2 and 3 have that dope ass shotgun though.
Blitz Gun, Ratchet 2. I forgot what's it called in Ratchet 3.

I liked Qwark's character in Ratchet 1 and 2. He was an abrasive, self absorbed dick but that was his charm. He wanted fame while being a "hero", in reality, he was a has-been.

The character arc in Ratchet 3 was developed nicely but was ruined in Size Matters. He wanted to find his parents in Size Matters. Weird.

He was missing in Deadlocked despite being a superhero. They were taking superheros and having them fight to the death.
 
Anybody hope that Ratchet & Clank would get a PS4/PS5 release?

PS2 had four Ratchet & Clanks, not counting the PSP ports.
PS3 had about six (counting Full Frontal Assault, All 4 One, not counting the Ratchet & Clank Collection)
PSP had two. Yes, I know it was High Impact Games with Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank.
PS4 only had the remake. I understand they were busy with Spider-Man, but I hope they're going back to Ratchet & Clank.

How would they? Post Into the Nexus or another remake a la 2016? I would like a Future trilogy re-release.
At this point, I rather they give the series a rest.

IF they must make another game in the same vein, then focusing on a new character/characters in the same setting would do wonders to prevent the same sort of kikery we saw after the Future trilogy.
 
At this point, I rather they give the series a rest.

IF they must make another game in the same vein, then focusing on a new character/characters in the same setting would do wonders to prevent the same sort of kikery we saw after the Future trilogy.
Where DO you go from there?

A second reimagining or post Into the Nexus?

Secret Agent Clank was a ... "good" game at the time. Clank as a secret agent, a spy game of sorts. I actually remember that Clank had a role as Secret Agent Clank in Up Your Arsenal.

They made it into a full blown game.

The premise was that Clank is investigating a stolen artifact called the Eye of Infinity. Only he found out that Ratchet ... DID it. As Clank, you investigate who stole it and clear Ratchet's name.

You play as Clank, Ratchet and Qwark in different gameplay loops. Stealth, arena and brawler. Ratchet's gameplay is more arena based, you fight waves of enemies in the prison. Clank is more "stealth" with a bit of action. Qwark is more brawl based.

I put "stealth" in quotations because it's barebones. It's basically quick time events and Elite Beat Agents rhythm based. It's dull to say the least.

Ratchet's gameplay is a slower version of the arena challenges from prior games. It's passable but doesn't have the thrill as previous entries. Weapons are weak, gameplay is slower.

Qwark's involvement is that he's writing a biography and he makes stuff up as he goes. Think Up Your Arsenal's vid comics but 3D and the premise changes.

In short, it's a passable entry but lacking in many areas for the Ratchet & Clank saga.
 
I kinda want to say that it's better if Insomniac replace the duo with new characters in the same universe and style of gameplay. But with it being current year the risk is too great.
The alternative is making a Ratcher and Clank game where they just explore the galaxy without personal drama, which will be fine since a sci-fi parody setting is always entertaining by itself and the duo are a good straightman for the wacky cast.
 
Watching the developer commentary of Going Commando now.

Besides Ratchet's voice actor change, I noticed an obvious difference between Ratchet 1 and 2.

Going Commando is more "animated" than its predecessor. Listen to some of the cutscenes, there's more "cartoony" sound effects with the character's actions. It's more subtle than before. Clank also sounds "deeper" as well. Character animations are more lively too.

The developers mentioned "attention to detail", which I think they achieved with Level 0 alone. When you move outside, Ratchet automatically puts on a mask. The level itself isn't "moving" but artifacts are placed outside to simulate that you're on a moving ship.

Strafing and upgradable weapons/nanotech were included with this sequel. Which was a welcome change. This is how you innovate with a sequel.
 
Pointless piece of trivia: Clank doesn't use contractions, i.e. he will say "I do not like this idea" instead of "I don't like this idea".

Strafing and upgradable weapons/nanotech were included with this sequel. Which was a welcome change. This is how you innovate with a sequel.
That is the main reason I find it really hard to go back to the first game. My headcanon is in the first game Ratchet was a newbie to all this, which is why it was all clunky, but in the second game he'd gotten some training and learnt some military techniques, making it feel more fluid.

Also fuck the Meteor Gun upgrade in R&C2, it killed the Lava Gun. I think I've already said it in this thread, but it's worth saying again, because of how shitty it was.
 
Also fuck the Meteor Gun upgrade in R&C2, it killed the Lava Gun. I think I've already said it in this thread, but it's worth saying again, because of how shitty it was.
Thanks for reminding me about that war crime. The lava gun felt so next gen to me.
 
Thanks for reminding me about that war crime. The lava gun felt so next gen to me.
At least R&C3 fixed it with the Liquid Nitrogen Gun that pretty much insta-killed everything.
 
That is the main reason I find it really hard to go back to the first game. My headcanon is in the first game Ratchet was a newbie to all this, which is why it was all clunky, but in the second game he'd gotten some training and learnt some military techniques, but damn the original R&C feels so clunky.
That makes perfect sense. The shift from Ratchet 1 to 2 was organic.

In the first game, Ratchet was like a teenager of sorts, inexperienced with the rest of the galaxy at stake. That was reflected with his attitude and combat experience. In the second game, Ratchet went through two weeks of training which explained his quicker reflexes with weaponry and defense.

He did grow up a lot from Ratchet 1 to Ratchet 2. His voice was different, he was more of a hero than just an explorer. Less distracted.

Also something I noticed from watching the developer commentary:

The first 30 seconds of the bootup of Going Commando, that music is from the first level, Oozla. Listen from 2:30 to about 2:36, you'll hear it.
 
I will say that I enjoyed the worlds themselves more in 1 than in 2 (3 is in my queue since I haven't played it in forever). They felt more unique and varied.


Also those fetch quest worlds in 2 can suck my balls.
 
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