Ratchet: Deadlocked

"Worth it for the co-op play"

It's not quite so amazing, when you think about it, that Insomniac Games has released a Ratchet and Clank game every year for the past four years, and probably one every year in the future as well. Releasing a game a year seems to be a new trend: there have always been the sports titles, but look at Tony Hawk, Jak and Daxter, and even Sly Cooper. For the Ratchet series, and a few listed above, it's not so amazing that a game is released every year because not much changes from one to the next. The graphics engine is the same (which is growing rather tired, I think), many of the weapons are borrowed from previous games in the series, and the story grows more and more degraded as the series grows on. Ratchet: Deadlocked is more fun than the previous year's game, Up Your Arsenal, which is the low point in the series, but Deadlocked only benefits from cooperative play. Otherwise, it would be the same old, same old.

Story – 4/10

I'll give the story credit for its energy, but the storyline has no original thought put into it, if any thought at all, and the jokes are pathetic. With no backstory whatsoever, Ratchet and Clank are captured by the head of a TV show called DreadZone, a contest where players are pitted against hordes of enemies and must survive challenge after challenge. The biggest draw of the show, apparently, is when contestants, called Exterminators, fight against each other to the death. The Exterminator at the top of the ranks, when Ratchet is drawn into the show, is Ace Hardlight, a former hero turned into hero killer. The gag with him is that his apparel doesn't sell because, apparently, the shows fans don't like him. Now, this doesn't work very well as humor because it's hard to believe. If the show has 6 trillion fans, how can it be possible that none of them would buy an Ace Hardlight action figure or lunchbox? It might be funnier if Insomniac instead showed off the weird Ace Hardlight apparel the fans do buy. Instead we have a show that is loved by 6 trillion, with a star who is hated by that same 6 trillion. I dunno...

Most of the characters that have shown up in the previous games, or even just the previous game, don't make an appearance here. Big Al makes a small appearance, though the purpose of his presence is unknown to me. Clank has no gameplay sequences (although after his lackluster sequences in Up Your Arsenal, maybe that's a good thing) and he plays a minor, unnoticeable role. Captain Quark, probably the series' most beloved character, is a no-show here, which is a disappointment, because he added humor to the mostly pathetic attempts at humor in Up Your Arsenal. There are a couple of new villains – Ace Hardlight and Gleeman Vox, the head of DreadZone – neither of whom is very memorable. Deadlocked has also introduced two of the most obnoxious characters to grace the series, and possibly even video game history – Dallas and Juanita. Their scripted humor is so forced, I am losing faith that Insomniac can make me laugh any longer. Dallas is a fast-talking, energetic sportscaster who spouts off one-liners that grow tiresome even before he begins to spout them off. Juanita is his co-anchor who tells the news as he provides color. He's a funky alien thing, she's a robot, but for some reason Dallas has the hots for Juanita (as every time he says her name, spit flies from his lips, hardy-har), and he tries to get close to her every time she speaks, but she smacks him away (more hardy-hars).

Insomniac...perhaps you should wait just a little longer to put out a game so you at least have a decent story and some good humor. But, who am I kidding, if the game's going to sell (and I don't think Deadlocked did quite as well as its predecessors) who needs a decent story?

Gameplay – 8/10

Ever since Going Commando (the series best), Insomniac has been experimenting with the weapons. In Up Your Arsenal there were a few new weapons, and they could level up further. In Deadlocked, most of the weapons are recycled, but they level up even further (up to level 99!!!) and can be customized. The customization is interesting, since each weapon can have one ability modifier, such as shock or napalm (which is a blast), and the stats can be customized and switched around, such as rate of fire, ammo in a clip, knock back, explosion radius, and other more powerful stats. The weapon only changes significantly when it reaches level 10, and to level it up further you need to beat the game and buy the Omega version, which goes up to level 99. The weapons level up much faster as Omega weapons, especially the very useful shield launcher, which I've seen grow 5 levels in a matter of seconds. I won't complain that the weapons here aren't original to the series, as there's some fun to be had with them, and Insomniac has done some interesting things with customization. Although, I do think the hunter mine launcher and mini-turret launcher both make the game too easy, as those two together can annihilate groups of enemies with no effort from the player. Just lay them and watch.

As I mentioned in my Up Your Arsenal review, the games have been growing progressively easier as the series has moved on, from very hard in the original to effortless in Up Your Arsenal. Deadlocked has different difficulties to choose from, but the game is only mildly more difficult than the previous game. Sometimes the challenges are tough, but usually they're a breeze. I played with my brother, and there were times we expected a tough fight, but ended up looking at each other when the challenge ended abruptly, wondering, where is the challenge? Even on the game's highest difficulty, which can only be played by finishing the game, Deadlocked is still easy. In fact, it's a little easier as you'll already have highly powerful weapons that will decimate most enemies in a matter of seconds. The only challenge comes from the fact that some of the more powerful enemies can kill in two hits, even if you have your health leveled up pretty high. I have to say, I didn't like the mission-based structure, either. It feels too confined and less original; I do hope Insomniac returns to the story-based structure seen in the previous games.

The game's saving grace is the co-op mode. Playing with another human makes the game quite interesting. It adds strategy, as each player sticks with certain guns to use, as having to use them all would be a hassle for one player. Not only is two players more fun than one, but if you play with a good teammate, things can be done more efficiently as well. I can't comment on this too much, as I have only played with human players, and not the bot allies given to you in solo mode, but in Up Your Arsenal, I found the bots to be less than helpful and more of a nuisance. I can imagine, though, that there's less frustration with two players, because if one dies, there's 6 seconds for the other to stay alive before his friend gets back up. Single player, I'd imagine, could grow tiresome having to restart missions every time you die, as death can occur very suddenly at times. Co-op mode is something that very few games incorporate, and I'm glad Insomniac has decided to put it in their Ratchet series, as it fits in quite well.

Visuals – 7/10

The visuals in the series are growing dated. They're not very creative, but they look very polished. That's the problem, I find too much polish less appealing than more creativity and little polish. At least try something different, Insomniac, just because it looks good in a screenshot doesn't mean I want it in my game. But I might be alone here, as many developers like to market their games on screenshots, and if a game looks good in a still, gamers are going to pay money for it. Unfortunately, that means fewer risks from the big guns in the gaming industry.

Sound – 8/10

The game is full of sounds – explosions, voice-acting, gunshots, electricity, fans cheering, blades whirring, flails smashing, hunter mines tracking – and all of this happens at the same time. Really, the sounds are mostly ignored by the player, especially since so much is going on, and I can't recall any memorable music. Voice-acting sounds good, but the script is so poorly written nothing can be done with the voice-acting.

Longevity – 8/10

You'll probably beat the game in 10 to 15 hours, and most likely want to play again so you can upgrade all the weapons fully. The game has some fun moments so playing through it again isn't always so bad. I'm midway through my second playthrough right now, though, and it's growing a little tiring since it takes so long to get a weapon to level 99, as you'd imagine. If you have a friend to play with, the time spent with the game is fun, but I wouldn't recommend it alone, since the game's greater emphasis on action makes it more geared toward multiplayer play. Fans of the series have probably already bought and played this, and if you're not a fan, but are interested, start from the beginning. Humor-wise, in the series, there's no game like the first one, and the second one is even better than that, and as you make you're way to Deadlocked, that's the only way you can truly appreciate the series, but also grow weary of Insomniac's recent laziness.

Score – 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/19/06