Ratchet & Clank (PS2)

DISCLAIMER: The following is a copy-pasted review from my Backloggd account, transferred as-is so that this blog has some entries available

Consumerist Slurmerist

Ratchet & Clank oldguards lament the IP’s loss of satirical hallmarks, and even if you’re not attuned, it’s an easy position to understand. Compare this starting swing to its 2016 remake from trailers alone, and the disparity in wit is presented in their fullest - out is the edge and abrasion, in is the soft and clinical, and it’s infamously capped off with Ratchet’s characterization being completely different from how he was initially presented (more on this later). Rift Apart has carried this on as well, and it seemed to have sprouted within the PS3 trilogy, though I’ve also yet to try these from myself to say anything further beyond footages more or less acclimating unto these crowds as well. In most respects, I understand and even agree with this era’s devouts… but that doesn’t mean I’m wholly in their camp. If you ask me, the first game doesn’t go hard enough in its presentation, with each interesting idea instead capping off in a meekish manner. There’s numerous paywalls available to serve as progression blockers, but I rarely struggled to meet their demands beyond casual scouring, especially since they never go beyond the 2k bolt asking price aside from one exception. Most of the setups/punchlines are well done, but it’s not quite as humorous as I was led to believe, likely because - as is mainly known by now - Insomniac Games didn’t hire an established writing personnel until Up Your Arsenal’s development. I suspect my lax appreciation stems from film influences largely superseding self-penned gabbing, what with its pre-production starting in March 2001 placing it just before the premiere of Shrek, which parodies both the entertainment industry and celebrity sellouts to stronger aims, among other notable examples such as Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead and, albeit very unlikely, Coen Bros./Sam Raimi’s Hudsucker Proxy.

Still, it’s nonetheless a deserved highlight of the game’s charm, due to the numerous showcases and awareness of its economical panhandling. Seeing an uptick of bartered prices for each new gun and having to decide then-and-there whether it’d be worth it, compounded by a decision on ammo resupply purchases or hedge on ammo crates scattered about, capped off by a measly discount after a mineral trade 2/3s in, the initial portrayal of Ratchet only tagging alongside Clank to be able to get rich quick as he’s disillusioned and snarky about most things, Qwark and Drex’s characterizations in general, there’s a lot going on here that harkens to the state of the galaxy despite the earlier critiques. Every planet has something that deters the civilians from peaceful life, and the inhabitants left are either just as angsty and frictional as our duo, or are desperately hoping to snag some quick charms to be able to flee in comfort, which is again compounded by the absolute despair that escalates as you progress further and further in. My favorite bit is being able to spend 1k unto Qwark’s gadget proposal after immediately clocking he’s on his bullshit despite the mopped flooring, fully knowing you’re about to get scammed onto a price hike for ammo. Another great bit is the mockery of phony commercials during the ‘filming’ of the Gadgetron commercial, where Ratchet’s surprised state during the on-the-spot roll has Clank suddenly swoop in with the whitest attempt of acting “hip” and “in the crowd” for the whole game. With all of this roped into the progressional state - be they optional or mandatory - it does a lot to carry the sense that you’re just strapping by to press onward and upward amongst a hierarchical ladder of success, deigned by each ship “upgrade” (read: stealing), even if its bark is more rapacious than its bite allows it to be. I recall Going Commando having a sharper angle to a slightly better degree, and Deadlocked is the absolute peak of the whole tone, but even then, this is a good starting step for this era of the franchise.

Ratchet Indignance

An incredibly common debate for this entry regards Ratchet’s arc - more specifically, the increasing hostility he expresses unto Clank once the player has finished Umbris. Again, this is something I find is exaggerated, though I find that both sides tend to do this. While the starting and endpoint are sound, the actuality of Ratchet’s arc doesn’t feel fleshed out, instead half-baked in order to barely continue the plot as it goes along. This is mainly cause A) he himself doesn’t really have much build-up in becoming less selfish and snarky over time, happenstance moments because Drek (and Qwark, lesser extent) become more diabolical as it goes on which causes faux-reflection within him, and B) Mikey Kelley’s performance not being up to snuff to carry the charisma. Granted, that last point is a tad unfair - growing up with GC and Deadlocked meant I was far more used to James Arnold Taylor’s vocal work as a result, but even then I felt like it took longer than it should’ve to get used to Kelley’s vibe, what with it sounding more nasally and scratchy by comparison. Bottom line, I’m perplexed as to where exactly this whole back-and-forth even stems from, since it ends right around the time they’d seem to actually do something between the two and their hostility, and you have a few hours worth of Ratchet being (relatively) cooperative so that his standoff dickishness gives room to breathe. Bender he certainly isn’t.

To be clear though, I’m nonetheless with the side of this whole thing being Good, Actually. Not only because some of these are, admittedly, pretty funny too, it’s important to remember the context: Ratchet was only ever along due to strings and an excuse for prosperity and fame, and when he repeatedly tells Clank about Qwark being Not Good, he’s fed up with it and is permanently tied not cause he wants to, but because he literally can’t leave due to being the coordinator for ship navigation and Qwark being tagged with Drek due to the commercialization deal means he can fulfill that end with or without him. All things considered, it’s not really hard to understand the predicament, and it’s not as if Clank fully takes the brunt of his venomic words - he can dish out some much needed snark whenever he so chooses and pleases, and every moment/interaction done being necessary to keep the rather subdued buddy-cop dynamic in check. Plus, as a dual-edge, it being so awkwardly limp means it ends right before the routine becomes old, on top of the cutscene themselves being placed consistently before and after each world so the focus is always on the action, thereby meaning again that you don’t witness a bickering contest every single time. Going back to the first point regarding loosened nuts, Insomniac seems ordained to quietly sweep this under amongst their reflections, but to do that would be forgoing the trajectory of the duo’s personalities after this brew was concocted for the PS2 followups - as far as I’m concerned though, ones past it just happen to share the same characters in different universes. Plus, if this is what constitutes for some as being “overly harsh” and “unruly incitement”, I hope they don’t watch the Lethal Weapon series or, heaven forbid, 48 Hrs…

Systems & Operations

I’m gonna drop the mediator facade and say that I very much disagree with the controls and difficulty curve, especially since this is one of the smoothest platformers I’ve played in recent memory. Analyzing the “action platformer” moniker further leads to a specific combination: you’re utilizing the kitted format of Spyro under the shooting montage of Disruptor. As a result, cycling through weapons is the key to survival, and each ante ensures you’re always gonna revisit the same weapon each time even if it doesn’t quite seem like it. For instance, the early gun Blaster seems like it’d be replaced heavily once you reach mid-game, but I found myself relying on it all the way to the end thanks to the first-person view allowing for quick snipes, even when it doesn’t necessarily seem like it’ll reach them. Finding each niche for a weapon is about as rewarding as landing the blow to begin with - did you know that the Walloper is able to not only mulch bullets and rockets with each force, but its forward momentum can act as dodges thanks to the subtle i-frames? How about utilizing an enemy’s stagger buffer from the Pyrocitor as a starting combo to differing weapon followups? When the game clued me in on using the Taunter during the visit to the Blarg Station, I felt no need to adhere to that advice since the Suck Cannon and Bomb Glove were doing more than enough to carry me onward and upward. Even the Wrench is a consistent source of fallback, thanks to its ranged attack allowing for quick pokes, as well as Spyro’s circular motion still being baked in contributing to quick positioning and targeting. This is easily where Ratchet & Clank’s whole formula shines the brightest - by thinking smarter instead of acting harder, you’re able to avoid sour situations even as the room layouts and enemy behavior escalates.

Hell, I’d struggle to say what the low points even were because of it. I guess Orxon 2? Even then it’s mainly cause the right side’s gimmick involving sneakily creeping past the crab enemies isn’t necessarily well conveyed, which seems like something the developers and testers became aware of if Mike Stout’s commentary is anything to go by. Oltanis on somewhat skimps out on the tight loop that had been established before, but they’re about on par with the prior pacing that it isn’t necessarily an egregious crawl towards the finish line, and I know for certain it doesn’t bomb itself as hard as Going Commando does, so this too becomes moot. The turning for Ratchet is too wide for my liking, and it seems like jumping has some inconsistent input reads whenever I press the buttons, but these small gripes certainly didn’t become huge frustrations, especially since a small factor could be from PCSX2’s input latency (how much though, I’m uncertain, since I had Optimal Frame Pacing on to make sure these moments are culled as often as possible). Bosses certainly don’t test the player’s mettle and juggling as hard as the sections that lead up to them, but it’s certainly easier pills to swallow compared to other platformer’s attempts at boss fights thanks to ease and the short supply there in total, especially one other game I tried that came out that same year in Japan. All I can really say is that my enthusiasm for the package marginally waned during its near completion, something I can’t quite say happened for Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus and Jak & Daxter 1.

Saying this is my “least favorite stepping stone” regarding the Big Three PS2 Platformers doesn’t necessarily say much however, since they’re all within equal measures from one another. Nothing’s ever gonna dissuade my nostalgia bias with Sly 1, and Jak & Daxter offers a stronger sense of consistency and explorative side, but it’s pretty easy to see how one could argue this is above those two for those very same reasons. It took many years longer than necessary, but it felt gratifying and rewarding to finally experience each of their inception - now it’s just a matter of following where the momentum goes next, since I haven’t retouched Going Commando after my late teens…