u/Cunfuzzles2000

Finished Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal and omg, best PS2 Ratchet and Clank. Insomniac really upped it every time. Up Your Arsenal refined the gun play to be more slick than Going Commando, and it had a great story that balanced galaxy wide stakes with the satirical, silly comedy of the first two games. Weapons were not as varied as Going Commando, but like the first game, I found more opportunities to experiment with gameplay choices. The one area it’s weaker is a more linear level design.

+ A big part of what makes Up Your Arsenal great is it manages to tie all three games together by ironing out Ratchet’s personality (after he was virtually two different people in previous games). Giving Qwark a satisfying redemption, without forgetting he still kinda sucks. Revisiting planets from R&C 1. Etc.

+Nefarious is the star, I can’t think of any character in the PS2 era animated as well as him except maybe Daxter from the Jak games.

+Armin Shimerman acts his ass off, shrieking almost every line. The animation and VO made Nefarious such an iconic villain, it feels like he always was there. Also as a Trekkie, I enjoy the guy who played Quark screaming “Qwark” every other line.

+ One issue I have with UYA is the inconsistent environment art. Florana looks great, but comparing UYA Metropolis with its appearance in R&C 1, it just doesn’t hit the same level of wonder. (Check attached screenshots). This is likely due to the weapons and amount of enemies and effects on screen using up all of PS2’s hardware power. The amount of chaos on screen in Up Your Arsenal is 10x R&C 1, which would experience frame drops when 3 enemies simultaneously explode. Simplifying Metropolis is understandable, but was a bummer.

+ gameplay variety: Clank sections were not great. The Qwark vidcomics were a delight. Tyranoid talking sim was entertaining. Battlefields were a chore.

+ The MUSIC is SO good.

+ Regardless of the shortcomings, I had a BLAST.

+last time I played this was in 2012. Back then I felt the first game was the best if memory serves. I think back then I enjoyed Ratchet’s abrasiveness and the higher reliance on platforming more. I like him more in UYA now, probably because I just find him to be a great straight man to all the ridiculous characters around him, plus having some optimism in a hero feels so warm and cozy these days.

I guess I’m replaying every Ratchet and Clank now.
At work, a lovely colleague of mine passed away, so I’ve been self soothing with playing these beloved games I suppose.

+Going Commando is like… somehow an improvement in every conceivable way from the original game. It was obvious to me then, but now it just astounds me. It’s INSANE Insomniac did this in 10 months, what the absolute hell. The combat, witty writing, pacing, EVERYTHIIINNGGGFF

+ strafing, flipping, gun upgrades, and level variety skyrocketed here. I believe this is what has given R&C its staying power.

+ When I originally played this I noticed that there was less detail in the environments than the first game and found that to be a flaw. The reality is they optimized (brilliantly) in order to get that crisp combat the series is now famous for. And yet the worlds look so good, sometimes better. Less detail but a stronger sense of scale and motion (lots of moving background elements).

+ The writing was quite silly but pretty good anti capitalist/corporate satire for its time. The major problem is the ending is rushed and ends up hollow, a problem with MANY games that generation tbh. It’s just especially egregious here. Still… holy shit is Going Commando a killer game. Its scope, variety, and mission design rivals modern games. Also what was Angela.

+ the boss fight with the Thugs 4 Life leader is an abomination but I got through it with a podcast.

+Ratchet was kinda dumb in this one, and a lil too nice. Clank was great.

Replayed the original Ratchet and Clank (2002) and was struck by a couple things as a longtime fan of the franchise (I was 13 when the original was released) The last time I played this was in 2012. So 10 years -> 14 years and it’s quite wild how thoroughly the medium evolved in the last 14 years compared to ‘02 to ‘12.

+ The art direction of this game was masterclass. The characters, environments, and guns were all designed to utilize PS2’s tech to its fullest while resulting in such a cohesive universe. The environments still look great, and the animation holds up so damn well. The game looks marvelous in a way I don’t believe the rest of the PS2 entries achieved.

+ The lack of strafing is a nightmare. So many guns in the first game are basic, but the cool ones (like the Tesla coil) are so betrayed by the slippery navigation.

+ Supreme Executive Chairman Drek is a fantastic R&C villain. The reveal hes just a greedy capitalist and doesn’t give a shit about his own planet or people blew my 13 yr old mind back in the day, and still works.

+ the best levels /planets, from a design standpoint, in the game are Kerwan/metropolis, Blarg station, Kalebo, and Dreks fleet. Worst are Orxon, Pokitaru. This is NOT how I felt when younger. Some of my most hated planets are now my faves lol

+Ratchet and Clanks’s character designs are fascinating to me. Clank is an obvious win, he’s got the cute baby proportions with a mature yet naive voice. Ratchet, on the other hand, has what SHOULD be an awkward design, but it still works. They definitely improved upon it as the series went on. The off-putting feet were never seen again (ignoring Size Matters) and his gargantuan hands… not a fan. BUT I think his weirdness is why he works. He’s unique and not perfect.

Some art of Kira, I’m mostly trying to get better at procreate. Next I’ll do Sisko I think