Rathchet and Clank: Size Matters

April 21, 2009 at 7:42 am (Game Reviews, psp) (3D, cg, Clank, game, game review, gamer, games, opinion, poll, psp, Ratchet, Ratchet and Clank, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, video, video game, video games)

If you have a PS2, you most likely have played at least one of the Ratchet and Clank games available, considering that there are 5 just on the PS2. I really like this series in general, although I thought the general storyline and gaming started to go south in the fourth game Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked. That’s why when Size Matterscame out, I was on the fence as to whether or not I should get this game. I decided to get it for the PSP, because I had no good games for it at the time. And I’m glad I got it now.

So just to clarify, Size Matters is the 5th game in the series and is for the PS2 and PSP.  I’m rating it based on the PSP version. I haven’t played the PS2 version, but apparently the reviews for the PS2 game were worse than the PSP’s reviews. Originally the Ratchet series was made by Insomniac, but this game was made by High Impact Games, so there are some subtle differences in gameplay, which I wasn’t a fan of, but you’ll get used to it.

Graphics: 7/10

The graphics for this game weren’t bad at all. I’ve seen better graphics on the PSP, but I’ve also seen much worse. They’re fairly simple, but I really like the cartoony style. I don’t really see that a lot these days, so it’s nice to see something a bit more unique. Of course the general style hasn’t changed at all from the first game, but still.

Plot: 7/10

The plot is similar to the first three games in that, at the beginning, Ratchet and Clank are both minding their own business, (in this case they’re on vacation) and then something happens (in this case it’s a creepy little girl wanting to do a report on them… this has trouble written all over it doesn’t it?) and they then become heroes embarking on a new journey.

I’m guessing I don’t sound very enthused about the general plot line. That’s because it is used quite often, but then again, maybe that’s because it works and people like it. I really did like the story, and I know when they tried to change it (aka to Deadlocked fail) it didn’t work out so well.

Gameplay: 9/10

I really like the gameplay in Ratchet and Clank. For the most part, it’s classified as a platform/3rd person shooter, which is already a good combination. But they also add the space fights which are normally done with spaceships, but in this game you get to use Giant Clank for that. They also have the arena battles, which are always one of my personal favorites in these games. So they really try hard to keep the game interesting at all times.

Replayability: 5/10

When you finish the game the first time, you unlock what’s called “Challenge Mode”. It’s basically the same thing as the first play through, but the enemies are harder, and you get a money/bolt multiplier. And you can upgrade your weapons even more than before. It’s fun to play this game again, but I never finished the second playthrough.

Overall: 8/10

I definitely think this game was worth the money. I really liked it enjoyed. I’d say that if you were a fan of any of the first three Ratchet and Clank games, then I would recommend it. It doesn’t have a continuing storyline from the previous games either, so if you haven’t played any of the games before, you can still try it out and not be lost.