Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Review
Ratchet and Clank set out for adventure
by Chris Scott
reviewed on PS3
Visit Different Planets
As in past games you will visit different highly detailed planets, each of which has their own set of strengths, weaknesses and optional secrets for you to discover. If you are having a hard time with a particular section of game, you will most likely want to check out the weapons or device vendors on that level as the game seemingly unlocks particular weapons and devices when you need them. You’ll also never get bored of your weaponry. Mixing some updated variations of previous offerings with some new ones, the game does a good job at making you use your entire arsenal. There are also items called devices now that you can purchase, including the much hyped Groovitron, which makes your enemies get their groove on by forcing them to dance. It comes in handy against large groups of enemies and also works on bosses, using it on the final boss in particular will be sure to have you laughing at your TV screen.
Clank Back in Control
You won’t just be shooting and smashing your way through the levels though as most have at least one alternate gameplay mechanics that you will have to take part in. You will of course have the grind rails; the rail platforming mechanic that has been a staple of the series since the first game, as well as the space shooter sequences and arena battles. The arena battles have been toned down quite a bit from Ratchet: Deadlocked, the weakest game in the series, and while there are a couple set pieces that use the arena formula, they never get overbearing. The biggest complaint with Ratchet: Deadlocked was that it was a solo Ratchet game and Clank was only a support piece that you did not use or play as. That is fortunately remedied in Tools of Destruction as you will once again take control of the little robot and do some interesting platforming puzzles.
However despite the return of some of the series older gameplay mechanics the big new additions are all done with the Six Axis controller. The new geography modifying laser, lock decoding, halo jumping and rhythm dancing sequences are all done using the Six Axis motion controls. None of these pieces feel tacked on and all work moderately well. You will not be mistaking your Six Axis controller for a Wii-mote any time soon but you may no longer feel like Six Axis was just a tacked on feature.
The biggest gameplay piece that is missing from previous games is the ability to play multiplayer, as Ratchet & Clank Future has no multiplayer of any kind. Some may be disappointed by this omission but the multiplayer always seemed extraneous to me. It was so far removed from what made the series good, I am quite glad Insomniac chose to just leave it out this time around and focus on making the best possible Ratchet game. If there is a complaint that can be levied against the gameplay however it is the fact that the game is too easy. While the game will probably take somewhere in the range of 10-15 hours to complete it never gets very hard except for the last couple of levels. Despite the ease of difficulty the game doesn’t much suffer for it and those that really want a challenge will do well to attempt the unlockable Challenge Mode after completing the game. Challenge mode is considerably more difficult than the normal mode but the gameplay doesn’t really change. Basically it is just the same game with harder enemies.
Ratchet & Clank Future is very similar to its series past games and that is good, as Insomniac had already concocted a near perfect action-platforming formula. The ending ties things up nicely while also hinting that there is more to come. For Playstation 3 owners and Ratchet fans in particular that can only be viewed as a good thing. It may have taken almost the entire year but the PS3 finally has its first great game of 2007.
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
