Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando

"The best platformer EVER!"

Introduction:
Jak & Daxter came out, the best platformer on the PS2 and no one was predicting anyone else to knock them off top spot in the next few years. That was till Ratchet and Clank came out. From then on there has always been debates Ratchet V Jak, Clank V Daxter, Ratchet & Clank V Jak and Daxter. Now the squeals have come out and yet again more debates followed. But this review is on Ratchet & Clank's second outing. But my question is has this game moved on enough from the first?

Story: 8/10
The game starts off on Veldin (Ratchets home planet) with an interview with Ratchet and Clank. They are bored after defeating Drek but Ratchet claims no one needs a hero to save the galaxy anymore. Well he is right... sort of. No one needs to save his Galaxy but someone needs to save the Bogon galaxy. That is why Aberombie Fizwidget (the head of Megacorp (yes sadly Gadgetron has gone burst) ) five seconds after Ratchet says these words, him and ratchet are teleported to the Bogon Galaxy. Fizzwidget hires them to retrieve the protopet. A protopet is a “pet” developed by Megacorp so that lonely children had something to play with. The Protopet had been stolen by a stranger so Ratchet & Clank set off to get it back but not without any obstacles and there's a lot more twists in the tale than you might think.

Characters: 10/10
Ratchet and Clank have evolved since the last game but they still have the same basic personality. Clank is a genius and always thinking of the bigger picture while Ratchet is funny, energetic and quick to jump into action and sometimes he thinks about what he wants to do and not thinking about his actions. In this one though their friendship is clear and while they may disagree with some things they have a friendship so close you know they'll stick together. They are as funny as ever and so are the new characters including Aberombie Fizwidget.

Gameplay: 10/10
The gameplay is pretty similar from the last but with a few things tweaked and mini (or maxi as the developers call them) games. There are 3 new mini-games and all are very good but are difficult. My least favourite (but still good) ,and hardest, is when you are in a space space ship and you have to shoot down the other space ships. It's good fun and quite repetitive after a while. Later in the game you can buy upgrades for it which includes: better weapons, shields, go faster etc. etc. My second favourite is the hoverboard racing. No it's not on boards like on the last game but in like small ships racing on land. There are harder races as you progress and one track can have five races in. Compare that to the megley two hoverboard races of last game and your in for a treat. Finally the last and the best arena battles. Arena battles are where your in an arena and you win money for winning battles. Most battles you have a few rounds apart from boss battles when (you guessed it) you battle bosses. The gameplay though while it may be quite the same is improved and more of the same is what R&C fans want. On this games your weapons upgrade. But they only upgrade if you use them, which means the more baddies you kill with that weapon the more stuff you get to level up your weapons. Once a bar's been filled up, your weapon gets upgraded to a better weapon. It is the same with your health. So instead of having four balls you have loads of pieces. You start off, with 4 and your health grows and grows and you'll need it to as the enemy's get tougher and tougher. You still have tons of weapons including some from the past game. The gadgets are whacker than ever and Clank still has the boost back he had in the first game.

Graphics/sound: 9/10
You will be pleased to hear that the graphics have improved since the last game and cut-scenes are especially stunning. The sound is also great and when you blow something up the sound is excellent. Thankfully the same people who played Ratchet and Clank in the first game still plays Ratchet and Clank in this game so we've got no impostor saying the lines of Ratchet and Clank. Also the voices of the new characters are superb.

Controls/movement: 10/10
The controls and movement of Ratchet is excellent and the option to use either the directional buttons or the analogue stick is an added bonus and excellent for people like me who prefer to use the directional buttons. As far as I can remember the controls have stayed the same as the first one so it's easy for veterans to get stuck into. Ratchet moves well and thankfully you can be in control of the camera all the time as the camera angle is changed with the right analogue stick.

Replayability: 9/10
The main game on it's own will take you long enough but throw in all the hovercraft races and Battle arena's it will last you even more. When you have finished you will keep coming back as you can start a new game in a tougher mode but you've still got all your weapons and armour from the past game so all in all this game will last you a hell of a long time.

Should you buy it?
YES! Especially if you've got Ratchet and Clank One. If you haven't then either buy this or first one or both (though do the first one first). But if you prefer fighting with fists and feet rather than guns Jak and Daxters for you. If you've completed this don't worry a thirds coming out October/November/December 2004 (probably November). For now play and enjoy one of the finest games to grace the console that is Playstation 2.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/04