Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

"Game size matters to me, but it didn't worry me at all."

Yet another solid Ratchet & Clank game and another solid PSP title. I recently bought, play tested and finished the PAL version of the game and this definitely has to be one of the best PSP games currently available.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are very good for the most part, and have been transfered well over from the PS2 to the PSP. Although some things are not so pretty, you'll have to take a close look to notice anything wrong with the graphics. Other than that, a good job has been done in this department.

Sound: 8/10
While most sounds have just been recycled from the PS2 games they are still nice to hear, the sounds of the guns and the noise that comes from the bolts still sounds good, but something new here could've nice. The music is good, I wouldn't say bad but it's not great either. Most tracks are good to listen to, with a select few very good. While the rest are not so memorable, but in the end most of the time you won't be able to hear them over the top of your guns.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is pretty much the same from the last installments, anyone who's played any of the other games would know what I'm talking about, as Ratchet you just go through the level blowing everything up and doing everything else in between, which is still fun I have to say. Though there are some new additions; such as the space challenges with Giant Clank and also the Clank arena which pits you against other robots in machines, with bolt lasers, saws and a variety of other weapons. Other challenges here include Gadgebot survival where you have to get your Gadgebots to safety and Gadgebot toss, where you need to throw the Gadgebot into the goals to score points. There's quite a bit of Clank action in this, however you only get to genuinely control him around a part of the level, and have the good old trusty Gadgebots aid you once and this is very early in the game.

The length of the game is short, quite short considering the length of the other games. I managed to beat the first playthrough of the game in 6 or 7 hours, but the game doesn't end there, replay value is incredibly high, I beat it to a pulp in exactly 29 hours of gameplay over 2 weeks, though I'm sure there are plenty of other people out there who can do it quicker. However the game offers much more the second, third etc... time around, with new armour, stronger versions of weapons and the RYNO only being available the second and third time around. Not to mention the Skill Points will keep you busy for a while. All in all the Gameplay is very solid with very little to complain about.

Story: 8/10
The story was interesting and wasn't really lacking anything, however Qwark just seemed to 'be there' in the beginning but turned out more important and some of the characters also seemed to just 'be there' such as Skrunch, who only appeared twice in the game for short moments. The story starts of on Pokitaru with Ratchet and Clank vacationing, however it soon changes when the Technomites kidnap a girl and then of course them being the heroes, have to save her, the plot thickens along the way so for spoiler reasons I won't mention anymore. You should be satisfied with the story, it's solid and pulled off well for such a short game.

Overall: 9/10
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is a must buy for any fans of the series, it should keep you entertained for quite a while, well worth your money. Any newcomers to the series should look into the earlier games before getting this one though. It's a solid title with only minor flaws.

On a side note; thanks for reading my first review, I hope it isn't my last.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/07