Ratchet & Clank (series)
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Ratchet & Clank is a series of 3D platform/shooter video games. The franchise is developed by Insomniac Games and High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3 video game systems. The game will only be available on Sony consoles due to a contract signed with Sony in 2002. The game follows the exploits of Ratchet (a humanoid creature known as a Lombax that is very handy with tools) and Clank (a diminutive sentient robot that befriends Ratchet) as they save the galaxy from various evil forces. The series is noted for the inclusion of many exotic and unique weapons and gadgets.
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[edit] Setting
Ratchet and Clank takes place in a science fiction setting, where there are many inhabited planets and the normal rules of relativity do not apply. Numerous biological and robotic species populate these worlds, some which range from highly developed metropolises to those filled with primordial ooze.
The games focus on Ratchet, a Lombax residing on the planet Veldin, who is a master of gadgetry and always carries around a large wrench. The series opens with him finding Clank, a diminutive robot that has fled and crash landed on Veldin because of information that he has learned. The two become partners in their efforts to stop the destruction of Veldin, and then subsequently, to halt other evil forces that mean to bring harm to the galaxies. Through their travels, they are helped and sometimes hampered by the assistance of Captain Qwark, a celebrity superhero person who is shown to be a sham throughout the series.
[edit] Lombaxes
A Lombax is a fictional species from the series, though as established by Tools of Destruction, Ratchet is the only surviving Lombax in the universe. Lombaxes are completely covered in yellow, velvety fur, with orange stripes running down much of the body. They are bipedal but their facial features are similar to those of a domestic cat. Lombaxes have large triangular feet with three claws on each foot, as well as large hands with four fingers and a thumb on each, similar to a real-life human. They also have a yellow tail similar to a lion's. This makes them different from most other species in the Ratchet & Clank universe, such as the Blarg, which traditionally have two fingers and a thumb per hand and feet with two toes and no tail. Based on backstory within Tools of Destruction, the species has an instinctive affinity towards gadgetry and machines.
Insomniac has gone on record stating that Sasha and the Galactic President (From Up Your Arsenal) are not Lombaxes, but are instead a species known as Cazares.[1] Cazares are tall, bipedal, fox like creatures with brown fur and fox like ears and noses. Angela, from Going Commando, is not a Lombax as only two lombaxes were left in the universe after tachion invaded Fastoon(infant ratchet and his father), but his father was killed shortly after the invasion of Fastoon leaving only ratchet. The Lombaxes' greatest enemies are the Cragmites. They are vicious dark blueish colored creatures. Emperor Tachyon is the last surviving Cragmite and main boss in Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.
[edit] Characters
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The main characters in the series are Ratchet, a Lombax mechanic presently residing on the Apogee Space Station, from the planet Veldin, and his robot sidekick Clank, who was originally designed for causing destruction but accompanies Ratchet due to an error in his manufacturing process. The player controls Ratchet for a majority of each game, though certain missions will require the player to directly control Clank. Otherwise, Clank sits on Ratchet's back (in a backpack-like fashion) and is used to provide useful jumping, hovering, and diving abilities through various upgrades. These upgrades were given over the course of the first game, but Clank retains them through the later ones. Throughout the series, the duo often encounter Captain Qwark, an ego-driven, phoney superhero that may help or hinder Ratchet and Clank's missions.
[edit] Gameplay
Each of the games in the Ratchet & Clank series has had a number of common elements, with later entries improving upon these elements. In both graphics and gameplay, the series is similar to the Jak and Daxter series, also published by Sony (developed by Naughty Dog). All of the PlayStation 2 Ratchet & Clank games run on a modified version of the engine used in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy[2].
The series is primarily a 3D platformer in the third-person perspective, but include a shooting-based gameplay mechanic, with the option of playing the game in the first-person shooter perspective added in as well.
Each game is divided into a number of worlds, with Ratchet and Clank exploring each to discover the location of new worlds as part of the game's plot, leading to a final boss battle. Worlds typically have two or more missions available to complete, but some missions may be impossible until the player acquires specific gadgets that are available in later missions. Except in a few cases, the player always has the ability to return to any world previously visited as needed.
Ratchet begins each game with his standard melee attack, using his futuristic and versatile Omniwrench, which can be upgraded in the later games. However the series has become known for a wide array of exotic, powerful, and occasionally humorous weapons, ranging from pistols and rocket launchers to vacuum cannons and rayguns that turn enemies into cute, harmless animals. Weapons generally have one specific function, including use for close combat, long distance targeting, area effects, and the like, each with its own limitations on power, ammo capacity, range, and firing rate. Some weapons also provide defensive abilities, such as one that creates a temporary decoy to draw in enemy fire. Although the exact mix of weapons, as well as their names and designs, varies, general weapon archetypes such as a rapid-firing gun, a bomb-deploying weapon, an accurate long-range weapon, and a transformation beam are typically found in each game of the series. There is one extremely powerful, extremely expensive weapon in each game, commonly a variant of the "R.Y.N.O" (Rip Ya a New One), a multiple-target rocket launcher that appeared in the first game. As the use of this weapon is unbalancing to gameplay, it is usually either not available the first time a player goes through the game, or so expensive that the player is generally not able to afford it until they start a second playthrough. Weapons can be upgraded over the course of the game. These upgrades make the weapon more powerful/effective, and often add new abilities to the weapon. In the first game, this was achieved by finding Gold Bolts throughout the game worlds, and using them to purchase the "Gold" versions of some of the weapons. From the second game onward, weapons gained their own experience as they were used to destroy enemies, and would upgrade into their more powerful form on their own. Later games provided additional upgrade paths for weapons, such as by adding modifications as to add elemental damage effects, or through a growth tree to increase specific attributes of the weapon.
Another trademark of the game is a wide array of gadgets, which help Ratchet pass through certain areas in each map. Like the weapons, these vary in shape, number, and use, but with a number of common abilities, mainly a grappling hook that allows Ratchet to swing or grapple onto certain objects, a device that uses a minigame to unlock doors, and boots that allow him to grind on rails or magnetic boots to walk on magnetic walls and ceilings.
Weapons and gadgets can be acquired by either purchasing them at vendor machines, or by completing specific missions. In some later games, weapons from earlier games can be obtained for free if the player has already completed those games validated by the saved game.
There are also numerous side games in addition to the usual platforming elements. These have included hoverboard races, hoverbike races, space fighter battles fought in spaceships, arena combat, and small spherical worlds that can be circumnavigated while riding on an enlarged version of Clank to defeat another giant enemy. The player is usually required to win at least one of these to progress in the plot, but they can return and attempt more difficult objectives to earn additional rewards. Additionally, some of the gadgets (typically those to open locked doors or other barriers) have featured logic, memory and timing mini-games that must be completed.
Certain missions require the use of Clank for his size or robotic features to reach areas that Ratchet cannot access. Clank generally has limited attack ability and a low amount of health, so as to help Clank through these levels, he is given command of robotic drones that can be used to attack foes or to help remove or overcome obstacles in Clank's path. Clank otherwise sits on Ratchet's back as a backpack, but provides Ratchet the ability to jump higher, glide through the air, or swim faster while underwater using the heli-pack, thruster-pack and hydro-pack.
Bolts are used as a unit of currency in the game, and are dropped by defeated foes, found in crates scattered about the levels, by destroying parts of the world environment, or awards for completing certain tasks. Bolts are used to buy new weapons, weapon upgrades, ammo, bot upgrades (in Ratchet: Deadlocked), and armor at vending machines, usually located near the start of each world and at key mid-level locations. The games feature a limited number of special bolts (Gold, Platinum or Titanium Bolts) that are usually in hidden or difficult-to-reach locations that can be used to improve existing weapons or buy new skins. In addition to crates with bolts, there are also crates with weapon ammo which is randomly generated but nearly always of an ammo type that the player is low on, explosive crates which can be used tactically to hurt foes from a distance, and Nanotech crates that can restore the player's health.
Skill Points are another feature found in the series, the concept having been introduced in Insomniac's own Spyro the Dragon titles and subsequently used in Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. These are tasks that the player is not told specifically how to complete, but instead only given the name of the world it can be completed on and the title of the task. However, when the task is completed, the player is informed that they earned a skill point, and can check again to see what that point actually was. Typical Skill Points involve defeating certain enemies using only Ratchet's wrench, completing certain areas (such as grind rail sequences or boss fights) without taking a hit, or acts of mass destruction against non-essential targets. Skill points are typically used to unlock additional content from the game.
Each game has a special challenge mode which the player can access after completing the game once. While some gadgets and weapons carry over in this mode, ones critical to the game's plot have to be reacquired such as those that open locked doors. The enemies in challenge mode are usually tougher, but the player has the ability to increase the power of their weapons even more beyond what was possible in the first run through of the game. However, some upgrades take a considerable number of bolts (in the millions) to obtain, though challenge mode typically includes a Bolt Multiplier, which enables the player to collect bolts at a much faster rate as he defeats more enemies as long as the player does not take damage.
[edit] Games
[edit] Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank was released on November 4, 2002 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 2. In the game, Chairman Drek plans to take pieces from other planets across the Solana Galaxy and create one new planet for his people, the Blarg whose planet has become polluted and uninhabitable. Aside from the two protagonists, the game also introduces Captain Qwark, who appears in the following games. The game introduced many of the features, such as item collecting, weapons and gadgets, etc. that have become the staple of the series in following games.
Ratchet & Clank was the first Western game to be bundled in with the PlayStation 2 in Japan, but there were a few changes made to make it more popular. Ratchet's eyes are more of an anime style, and he was given large eyebrows.
[edit] Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (known as Ratchet & Clank: Locked & Loaded in Europe) was released on November 11, 2003 in North America for the PlayStation 2. There are many improvements over the first game, in that weapons, and also Ratchet's spaceship, can be modified. Going Commando also introduced strafing to gameplay. The game takes place in a different setting than the first game, this time in the Bogon Galaxy. In Going Commando Ratchet competes in hoverbike races and engages in space ship battles. The story in this chapter has Megacorp boss, Abercrombie Fizzwidget, hire Ratchet and Clank to retrieve the "protopet", a new invention stolen by a masked thief. Ratchet's personality is drastically different in Going Commando, since many people complained about his attitude in the first game.[citation needed] The duo retrieve the protopet and confront the thief, but "he" turns out to be a girl, Angela, who helps them investigate the protopet's true origins. They find out Abercrombie Fizzwidget is Captain Qwark in disguise and he created the protopet to spread disaster across the galaxy. He plans to frame Ratchet, Clank and Angela, and then destroy the original protopet to restore his reputation as a hero, but instead of destroying the protopet Captin Quark turned it into a monster that swollowed him and later spits him out at the end of the game.
[edit] Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (UYA for short, Ratchet & Clank 3 in the UK and Europe) was released on November 2, 2004 in North America for the PlayStation 2. UYA improves on Going Commando by adding more weapons and mods, the upgrade system was modified so that weapons upgraded four times through their first playthrough. The weapons in this game inspire more imagination for the player providing many ways to obliterate enemies. The huge number of secrets throughout the game, like the hidden trophies, titanium bolts, and more, add excitement to the gameplay. In Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet and Clank take on Dr. Nefarious in his plan to turn all of the Solana Galaxy population into robots. With the help of Qwark & his Q-Force, they battle against the forces of Dr. Nefarious. Up Your Arsenal is also the first game in the series to offer online competitive multiplayer.
[edit] Ratchet: Deadlocked
Ratchet: Deadlocked (known as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) was released on October 25, 2005 in North America for the PlayStation 2. Deadlocked deviates from the previous installments of the series by reducing the platforming and puzzle elements and focusing on the shooting aspects. Cheats became less comedic and more cinematic, including weather and color options. In Deadlocked, Ratchet, Clank and Al are captured and forced to compete in an underground sport called 'Dreadzone' run by the media mogul Gleeman Vox. For the first time in the series, Clank is not a playable character nor accompanies Ratchet on any of the levels. Ratchet earns a nemesis in the form of Dreadzone champion Ace Hardlight, who has embraced killing other heroes as a way of life. Deadlocked supports online play and a cooperative mode.
[edit] Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is available for both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The development was performed by High Impact Games, composed, partially, of former Insomniac Games employees. While on a much needed vacation, Ratchet and Clank's rest and relaxation time is suddenly cut short as they soon find themselves lured into a mysterious quest. Following the trail of a kidnapped girl named Luna, Ratchet and Clank rediscover a forgotten race of genius inventors known as the Technomites. They soon uncover a plot more dangerous than they could have imagined. In this game, Ratchet and Clank use a whole new variety of weapons that may seem familiar to those who have played the series before. The skill points are still in the game and so is the upgrading system.
[edit] Secret Agent Clank
Announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2007, Secret Agent Clank will be again developed by High Impact Games for the PSP for release on June 17, 2008. The game is set to take place between the events of Size Matters and Tools of Destruction and will focus more on Clank as the playable character, due to Ratchet being wrongfully imprisoned and needs rescuing by Clank in his super spy motif suggested from previous games. While Clank can use martial arts action to defend himself, there is the need to use stealth at times to progress in the game.[3]
[edit] Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (also known as TOD) was developed by Insomniac Games, and was released on October 23, 2007 for the PlayStation 3. At the 2006 Game Developers Conference, a Ratchet & Clank tech demonstration was shown for the PlayStation 3, as a tour around the series city of Metropolis on the planet Kerwan. In this installment, the crown prince of the Cragmites known as Emperor Tachyon is after Ratchet, who is the last Lombax in the universe. The duo escape to the Polaris Galaxy, where they discover more about their purpose.
[edit] Downloadable Content: Ratchet: Quest for Booty
On March 17th, 2008, a spreadsheet[4] was leaked pertaining to rumored future PlayStation Store content. According to the spreadsheet, a title named "Ratchet: Quest for Booty" was due to hit the PlayStation Store in July. More evidence was found in a Insomniac Games corporate promotional video called "(pin)Ballz"[5], where a clue to the existence of the game was hidden on a refrigerator in the form of a abbreviation: Q4BDLC, meaning Quest for (4) Booty Downloadable Content.[6] It may be an expansion of Tools Of Destruction. Also in the video, a computer screen read 0708 which most likely stands for July 2008. Most of the items on the spreadsheet have been released so it is most likely true, but no further information is known about this title at this time.
[edit] Ratchet & Clank Future 2
In an interview with James Stevenson and Brian Hastings, Insomniac confirmed that there would be another Ratchet & Clank Future game.[1] It would be the eighth installment in the series, and would take place after Tools of Destruction. The title has yet to be decided. At the moment, it is Ratchet & Clank Future 2. It is likely to focus on Ratchet trying to track down Clank after the Zoni mysteriously snatched Clank at the end of Tools of Destruction. It will also give more backstory about Max Apogee (mentioned several times in Tools of Destruction), the Lombaxes, and Clank's mysterious snatchers, the Zoni. A probable release date would range from late 2009 to mid 2010.
[edit] Manga
A manga of Ratchet and Clank named Ratchet & Clank: Bang Bang Bang! Critical Danger ]]of the Galaxy Legend (ラチェット＆クランク - ガガガ！銀河のがけっぷち伝説 Ratchet & Clank - Gagaga! Ginga no Gakeppuchi Densetsu?) was serialized starting on February [[2004 in the Bi-monthly Edition of the Japanese magazine, CoroCoro Comic. It is drawn by Shinbo Nomura, and has recently finished in the February 2008 edition of the magazine.
The first volume containing the first 12 chapters was released on November 28th, 2005. As of recently, a collection set was announced. A release date for when the set is to be released has yet to be determined. As of March 2008, the manga is still only available in Japan.
[edit] Cameos
- Jak II - Ratchet and Clank appear on some of the walls in Haven City.
- Jak 3 - Ratchet and Clank appear as targets in a secret gun course.
- Ape Escape 3 - In the Japanese and European versions of the game if the password "RATCH" or "ginganoraihousha" (depending on version) is typed in, a monkey dressed up as Ratchet called "Ape Ratchet" will appear in the TV Space Station level in the secret room.
- Hot Shots Golf Fore! - Jak, Ratchet, Daxter, and Clank appear as additional characters.
- Jak X: Combat Racing - Ratchet appears as a secret racer. Clank is available as an antenna the player can add to cars when customizing them.
- Sly 2: Band of Thieves - Ratchet and Clank appear on a poster on one of the walls.
- Daxter - Ratchet and Clank masks can be worn throughout the game once found.
- Everybody's Golf - Ratchet and Jak appear as golfers, and Clank and Daxter appear as caddies.
- Resistance: Fall of Man - Clank, along with Ratchet's Omniwrench and Gravity boots, appear as unlockable bangles for soldiers to use in online multiplayer.
- Resistance: Fall of Man - "Going Commando" is the name of a medal received after a player has scored 100 node or flag recaptures.
- Resistance: Fall of Man - "Up Your Arsenal" is the name of a medal received after a player has 100 kills with each weapon in online multiplayer.
- Resistance: Fall of Man - A Clank backpack is awarded for achieving the required number of skill points.
[edit] See also
- Insomniac Games
- High Impact Games
- Naughty Dog
- Ready At Dawn
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Jak & Daxter
- Sly Cooper
- Crash Bandicoot
[edit] References
- ^ Post on the Official Insomniac Games forums by a now ex-Insomniac Games employee describing the "Cazares": http://forums.insomniacgames.com/index.php?topic=3861.msg80534#msg80534
- ^ McLaughlin, Rus. "IGN Presents The History of Ratchet and Clank", ign.com, 2007-10-30.
- ^ Haynes, Jeff (2007-09-19). TGS 2007: Secret Agent Clank First Look. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Kotaku article on leaked PS Store spreadsheet
- ^ Vimeo version of (pin)Ballz
- ^ IG Message Board posting deciphering the abbreviation (requires registration)
[edit] External links
- The Insomniac Games official website
- Official page (redirects to Sony site)
- The Ratchet & Clank series at NeoSeeker
- Ratchet and Clank fansite
- Lombax-Max (Ratchet and Ratcom website)
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