Notice:
When I did my original review for this game, I didn't have access to other websites at the time due to issues with my internet so I couldn't add pictures or links and thus the review looked like shit. Anyways I have completely redone this review and hope you guys enjoy. This is my review of the remake for Ratchet and Clank on PS4. Mods if any of you read this, unlock Verbatim's Game Reviews thread so he can replace the one I have for this game with this review.
The Game:
Ratchet and Clank is a PS4 remake/reboot of the original game released for the PS2 in 2002. The game was created by Insomniac Games, creators of other IPs such as Resistance and Sunset Overdrive. This new take on the original Ratchet and Clank game was released in April 2016 and had its movie released a few weeks after the game.
The Story:
The game introduces you to a guy named Shiv Helix who is in prison with Captain Qwark. Qwark is telling the story of Ratchet and Clank’s adventure to Shiv and you will hear Captain Qwark speaking from a third-person perspective during your gameplay in some parts. There are things that Qwark will say that are funny, but for the most part I think this was an unnecessary way to tell the player what is going on. The previous games were fine without this going on. It can be distracting, but thankfully Qwark doesn’t speak much as the game progresses.
As for the story staying true to the original game, this remake, for the most part keeps the same narrative but with tweaks here and there. Chairman Drek and the Blarg are still the main villains, but Dr. Nefarious is also in this game working with Drek and Nefarious was not in the original game at all. I enjoyed Chairman Drek in the original game as he was a smart and cocky businessman who thought nobody could hurt him, not even Ratchet and Clank. In this game, Drek’s character is completely ruined mostly because it’s a different voice actor and they made him a bumbling idiot who constantly says unfunny things which upsets me. Out of the villains in the PS2 R&C series, Drek was one of the best villains and in this remake he’s forgettable and annoying. Nefarious is his usual self in this remake and thankfully he retains the original voice actor, but it’s hard to topple his performance that he gives in Up Your Arsenal.
Speaking of Up Your Arsenal, the Galactic Rangers return but it’s not the hilarious and cowardly robots you fight along with. Instead the Galactic Rangers are a group of people assembled by Captain Qwark to defend the galaxy from evil. The team consists of Cora Verulux, Elaris, Drax, and Captain Qwark himself. Cora’s voice actor is painfully boring to hear talk and she seems so uninterested in voicing the character. Drax himself is uninteresting as he’s just a big tough guy and has literally no point in even existing. Elaris I found to be the most interesting and best-designed Galactic Ranger but unfortunately her role in the game is extremely minor. As for Qwark, he’s still the same corrupt goofball that we all know and love. At least he stayed the same. I just don’t like how out of the Rangers you fight with, they stick Cora with you the most. If she’s supposed to be the Sasha Pyronix or Angela replacement in this new canon, then I’m worried about future installments.
The Galactic Rangers seen here:
Ratchet and Clank meet up pretty much the same way as they do in the first game. As for their relationship in this game, they become best friends immediately and never fight or go through the struggles they went through in the original game. Ratchet in the original is known to be a smart-ass, a dick, and extremely stubborn. He wanted to get things done without thinking of the consequences and mainly cared about himself. Clank on the other hand is more passionate, helpful, sees both sides of someone, and is willing to help others. Because of their differences, they fight each other throughout most of the original story and this is what we call “character development.” In the remake, they pretty much have exactly the same personality. Never fight, never get angry at each other, just go here and do this with no character development at all.
The story length of this game is shorter than the original. There are so many planets that were cut out. Planets like Hoven, Umbris, Eudora, Oltanis, and Orxon which were present in the original are not here which makes the game shorter. All in all, if you sat down and played this game in one sitting you could probably complete it in about 7-8 hours whereas the original game would take you about 12-14 hours. Whether the cut planets had to do with the movie… I don’t know.
Countless characters and other things from all across the Ratchet and Clank universe are referenced and seen throughout the game. The Protopet from Going Commando is talked about for a bit, Dallas and Juanita from Deadlocked make brief cameos, and it’s always nice to see The Plumber and the guy that sells you the RYNO make cameos too as they’re running gags within the series. I am bummed that Courtney Gears doesn’t appear anywhere or is even referenced.
Gameplay
For the gameplay, this game is excellent at it and improves on the original x10 over. The original game’s gameplay did not age well unfortunately and thankfully Insomniac didn’t carry that over to the remake.
- The control options are the standard 3rd-Person mode, Lock-Strafe, and Fixed. I've been playing on Lock-Strafe mode ever since Up Your Arsenal and to me personally it is the best way to play these games as it mixes third and first person into one
- One thing Insomniac brought into the remake that wasn’t present in the original is weapon upgrading and nanotech upgrading. Weapons can upgrade all the way to Level 5 and Ratchet gains 10+ nanotech each time maxing out to a total of 200. You only could have 8 nanotech in the original game. Depending on the weapons, you can buy extra mods for them like having enemies drop more raritanium and Holocards.
- There are 3 difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard. I played through this game on Hard and even then I still blew through it easily. Ratchet and Clank veterans such as myself need higher difficulties coupled together, smarter and tougher AI, and minor gameplay tweaks that stack the odds against us to make the game feel rewarding when progressing through. The original game was tough as balls and scaled in difficulty level after level and that is gone here with these selectable difficulty levels.
- There are only 2 new weapons that this game features: the Pixelizer and Proton Drum. The rest of the weapons are mainly from the Future series and the only weapons that return from the original game are the Pyrocitor and Glove of Doom. Are you kidding me? Where’s the Tesla Claw? The Visibomb Gun? Or even the Suck Cannon? The fact that there were only 2 new weapons and hardly any originals returning really pissed me off and still does to this day. If they do a Going Commando remake does this mean they’re not going to have the Plasma Coil, Bouncer, Mini-Rocket Tube, and Mini-Nuke too?
- Every once in a while you'll get to play as Clank and take on puzzles. Clank can punch, double jump, and slam his fists into the ground. When you play as Clank, there will be Gadgebots that you will need to help you progress. There's a Power Bot, Spring Bot, and Bridge Bot. These types of Gadgebots made me think of Going Commando's bots as there were bridge bots etc. in that game.
Graphics:
The graphics for the remake are impressive and completely blow away the original game’s graphics by lightyears. This game is super colorful and amazing to look at. Environments are beautifully crafted and stunning. There were multiple times where I just stood there and moved the camera around Ratchet to see everything around me. If this game looked amazing, then I cannot wait to see how a new title will look like.
If any of you read my Going Commando review, I talked about how every time you arrived at a new planet, the first camera shot is a wide shot of the entire level and gives you a sense of scale. Those same wide-shots are in this game so take them for granted and enjoy the pretty environments.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack for Ratchet and Clank on PS4 is extremely disappointing and easily forgettable. You will not remember a single tune apart from what you hear from the Groovitron and you won’t go back and want to listen to anything the game offers which is depressing. The Ratchet and Clank games that had their OSTs composed by David Bergeaud is some of my favorite video game music of all time and I will always go back to listen to them just because they’re so good.
I was expecting a Halo 2 Anniversary-ish approach with the music for this game but that’s not what we got. If Insomniac does a Going Commando remake next and doesn’t have the same music for that game, I’m going to be so upset.
Extra Content:
- Gold Bolts return as a collectible. Instead of needing Gold Bolts to purchase Omega Weapons like in the original game, Gold Bolts unlock cheats and different hangars in the Insomniac Museum. There are 28 Gold Bolts total to find.
- Holocards are introduced in this game. A Holocard will have a character, weapon, or level from all over the R&C series. There's Holocard Sets and when you complete a set, you will gain a Bolt Bonus, Raritanium Bonus, or Holocard drop-rate Bonus.
- The Insomniac Museum returns but is the most boring, dull, and uninteresting Insomniac Museum to date. You don’t have to do anything fancy with your console in order to access the museum. All you have to do is beat the game once. There’s nothing to do in the museum except look at props that were cut from the game and see props from the original game. There’s literally nothing else to do.
Final Verdict
When I first played the remake, I enjoyed this game a ton and was so happy to experience the original game again with some newer twists to it. It was exciting to finally get a Ratchet and Clank game on the next-generation. Playing through this game for a month was fun but as time went on, I began to escape the nostalgia and see all of this game’s flaws. When I originally reviewed this game, I was still in that nostalgia phase and gave it an 8.5/10, an impressive score. Looking back at that score, I realize now that was absurdly high and a mistake. This game does not deserve that much praise for what it is.
I do blame Sony for tying in the movie with the game as I had no idea why the thought of a movie even was given the green light. The game felt rushed and tons of things were missing from it. It was also not as funny as the original either with jokes mainly aimed towards kids. It gave me chuckles here and there, but nothing worth standing out or memorable. The hidden adult jokes that the original games had that went over your head as a kid were the best ones. The movie itself is no better than the game and is a complete waste of time and a waste of resources on Sony’s part.
Ratchet and Clank for PS4 is a good game, it is, but it’s a game that takes one step forward but two steps backwards and for that it’s a low
6/10 . If the stupid movie tie-in wasn’t a thing, then maybe the game would have been better. In all honesty they should have just remade the entire original PS2 game how it is but with the PS4 version’s gameplay only and keep everything how it was. That right there is the 8.5/10 that it should be.
I have no desire or urge to go back to play this game at all. I hope the next Ratchet and Clank Insomniac brings us is much better and a game that I would want to play for many years.
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