Previously logged this on the wrong version. Editing to make it clear that I played it on the PS3, not PS2.
While I see why it's a bit contentious among the fans (the removal of Clank certainly doesn't help), I think it holds its own as a great game. It's a testament to how good this series is that this is one of the "weaker" entries in it.
While I see why it's a bit contentious among the fans (the removal of Clank certainly doesn't help), I think it holds its own as a great game. It's a testament to how good this series is that this is one of the "weaker" entries in it.
At first glance, Deadlocked is a full game of the tournaments from other Ratchet games.
And, yeah it's pretty much that. But what it really ends up being is a Ratchet game with a focus on pure chaos. You can upgrade your weapons and modify them more than ever before. You're fighting more enemies on screen than ever before. More bolts. Etc.
Deadlocked nails the core Ratchet gameplay loop so well that even with the lack of platforming, I consider it to be a top tier Ratchet game.
And, yeah it's pretty much that. But what it really ends up being is a Ratchet game with a focus on pure chaos. You can upgrade your weapons and modify them more than ever before. You're fighting more enemies on screen than ever before. More bolts. Etc.
Deadlocked nails the core Ratchet gameplay loop so well that even with the lack of platforming, I consider it to be a top tier Ratchet game.
The shift in gameplay didn't appeal to me.
This is actually the only Ratchet PS2 game I didn't own growing up, but I did borrow it from a friend so I have beaten it about a million years ago (or, you know, 2005/2006). Remember it being pretty fun and at least a decent multiplayer game, though even then I didn't really enjoy it as much as the previous three games. Playing it now, I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. It's still Ratchet & Clank so the gameplay feels very good and the weapons are fun to use (love the Scorpion Flail), but everything else feels lacking to me. The plot's decent, but the satire falls a bit flat for me (which it honestly always did in previous games as well since it felt a bit too... light, maybe?) so it's mainly just background noise that occasionally shows up throughout the journey.
The level design has taken a step even further beyond how it was in 3, going from at least some semblance of an action platformer, to an almost pure arena shooter where you play in the same arena over and over again since planets only have one real stage that you do different missions in. That lack of variety would be one thing if the levels were at least a bit interesting, but they all seem to be designed to just be as boring as possible, from the eternally brown look to most stages, to how they all feel like they're just a bit too big for their own good while also focusing way too much on just running to the correct spot in order to spawn enemies (that have way too much health and deal too much damage (especially since they love attacking from off-screen) on higher difficulties) or having your annoying robot side-kicks turn screws while Ratchet protects them. On that note, mission variety is also a big issue, with most of them being recycled over and over, making it feel ike I've beaten the same mission several times, just with different backdrops. God, what a tedious experience this was, and don't even get me started on the awful vehicular missions!!! Good boss fights, though.
Seems like Gladiator is pretty well-beloved by R&C fans these days, but despite the gameplay still feeling as good as you'd expect, everything surrounding it just makes me too bored to be able to really enjoy it as much as I do the other games. It's fine, really, but maybe just not what I personally want out of the franchise, or maybe any franchise for that matter. Still got every skillpoint, though, so it obviously wasn't the worst game I've played and maybe okay when I just wanted to completely shut off my brain for a couple of hours. Also have to say that, as disliked as the HD remaster is, I don't think there was a single point where it really affected the experience? Sure, cutscenes can be a little jittery, but I didn't notice any issues with slowdown or graphical glitches while playing.
The level design has taken a step even further beyond how it was in 3, going from at least some semblance of an action platformer, to an almost pure arena shooter where you play in the same arena over and over again since planets only have one real stage that you do different missions in. That lack of variety would be one thing if the levels were at least a bit interesting, but they all seem to be designed to just be as boring as possible, from the eternally brown look to most stages, to how they all feel like they're just a bit too big for their own good while also focusing way too much on just running to the correct spot in order to spawn enemies (that have way too much health and deal too much damage (especially since they love attacking from off-screen) on higher difficulties) or having your annoying robot side-kicks turn screws while Ratchet protects them. On that note, mission variety is also a big issue, with most of them being recycled over and over, making it feel ike I've beaten the same mission several times, just with different backdrops. God, what a tedious experience this was, and don't even get me started on the awful vehicular missions!!! Good boss fights, though.
Seems like Gladiator is pretty well-beloved by R&C fans these days, but despite the gameplay still feeling as good as you'd expect, everything surrounding it just makes me too bored to be able to really enjoy it as much as I do the other games. It's fine, really, but maybe just not what I personally want out of the franchise, or maybe any franchise for that matter. Still got every skillpoint, though, so it obviously wasn't the worst game I've played and maybe okay when I just wanted to completely shut off my brain for a couple of hours. Also have to say that, as disliked as the HD remaster is, I don't think there was a single point where it really affected the experience? Sure, cutscenes can be a little jittery, but I didn't notice any issues with slowdown or graphical glitches while playing.
As the only Ratchet & Clank game I played from start to finish before this week, due to it being short and sweet with the most addictive gameplay loop thus far, Deadlocked was a fun one to return to.
Deadlocked is quite the departure from the original trilogy from a gameplay and tonal perspective. It essentially comes across as The Running Man for kids, with Ratchet forced to compete in an intergalactic gladiator game show known as 'DreadZone' in order to win his freedom. With Clank taking on more of a mission control role this time around, Ratchet is instead aided by two repurposed combat bots known as Merc and Green, who provide some much needed combat assistance and levity on the battlefield.
As you'd expect, the focus is much more on combat than ever before in the series, with platforming kept to a minimum in order to just get you from A to B, instead of providing you with traversal challenges to spice things up. It's an understandable change, given where Deadlocked's priorities lie, and its absence would have been felt more had the game been any longer.
Naturally, combat feels the best it has in these games so far. The arsenal they provide you with in Deadlocked is perhaps not as inventive or dynamic as ones before, but they're definitely the most satisfying to wield and modify thanks to the weapon mods and damage effects you can apply to them as you rank up.
This is the first entry with an adjustable difficulty, and it definitely makes sense, as you can easily feel overpowered quite quickly if you just focus your attention on your favorite weapon and rank it to its max level. Or, of course, you can set it lower and live your power fantasy to the fullest, which won't provide you with much challenge, but will make you feel unstoppable in the game's arenas.
The narrative is a very simple yet effective 'zero to hero' story, with Ratchet rising in the ranks and taking the crown from reigning champion Ace Hardlight. What makes it stand out, though, is the camaraderie shared between Ratchet, Clank and Al as they reckon with the harsh and violent world of DreadZone. There are some great little character moments scattered between each arena, as well as some hilarious vignettes of DreadZone trying desperately to market themselves in increasingly bizarre ways.
Despite the heavy stakes Ratchet and crew are presented with, it still manages to feel light and fun in that classic Ratchet & Clank way, without betraying the game's core concept.
Deadlocked is a really solid little entry into the series, with some truly great character writing and biting satire interspersed. The one thing that really holds it back for me, though, is its repetitive nature. Each planet you visit gives you a series of objectives that are ostensibly the exact same each time but dressed up slightly differently. They throw some variables in there now and then, and like I said, the game is short and the combat is fun enough for it not to seem too dull, but it really does feel like you're going through the motions for a lot of this game.
Still, a really great epilogue to the PS2 era of Ratchet & Clank, with satisfying combat that still holds up very well today.
8/10
Deadlocked is quite the departure from the original trilogy from a gameplay and tonal perspective. It essentially comes across as The Running Man for kids, with Ratchet forced to compete in an intergalactic gladiator game show known as 'DreadZone' in order to win his freedom. With Clank taking on more of a mission control role this time around, Ratchet is instead aided by two repurposed combat bots known as Merc and Green, who provide some much needed combat assistance and levity on the battlefield.
As you'd expect, the focus is much more on combat than ever before in the series, with platforming kept to a minimum in order to just get you from A to B, instead of providing you with traversal challenges to spice things up. It's an understandable change, given where Deadlocked's priorities lie, and its absence would have been felt more had the game been any longer.
Naturally, combat feels the best it has in these games so far. The arsenal they provide you with in Deadlocked is perhaps not as inventive or dynamic as ones before, but they're definitely the most satisfying to wield and modify thanks to the weapon mods and damage effects you can apply to them as you rank up.
This is the first entry with an adjustable difficulty, and it definitely makes sense, as you can easily feel overpowered quite quickly if you just focus your attention on your favorite weapon and rank it to its max level. Or, of course, you can set it lower and live your power fantasy to the fullest, which won't provide you with much challenge, but will make you feel unstoppable in the game's arenas.
The narrative is a very simple yet effective 'zero to hero' story, with Ratchet rising in the ranks and taking the crown from reigning champion Ace Hardlight. What makes it stand out, though, is the camaraderie shared between Ratchet, Clank and Al as they reckon with the harsh and violent world of DreadZone. There are some great little character moments scattered between each arena, as well as some hilarious vignettes of DreadZone trying desperately to market themselves in increasingly bizarre ways.
Despite the heavy stakes Ratchet and crew are presented with, it still manages to feel light and fun in that classic Ratchet & Clank way, without betraying the game's core concept.
Deadlocked is a really solid little entry into the series, with some truly great character writing and biting satire interspersed. The one thing that really holds it back for me, though, is its repetitive nature. Each planet you visit gives you a series of objectives that are ostensibly the exact same each time but dressed up slightly differently. They throw some variables in there now and then, and like I said, the game is short and the combat is fun enough for it not to seem too dull, but it really does feel like you're going through the motions for a lot of this game.
Still, a really great epilogue to the PS2 era of Ratchet & Clank, with satisfying combat that still holds up very well today.
8/10
"Heroes never die, they keep coming back as re-runs!"
Mindless gonzo combat as an analog for scathing potshots at manufactured celebrity - a much more resonant theme now than on release - they made you, and will turn on you in an instant for being exactly what they created you to be. Unquestionably a downgrade from the previous games though, Ratchet is barely an entity in this and you can't even play as Clank - but boy does this do the whole forced 2000s grit cringe WAY better than Jak II and III. In fact this whole thing feels like a predictor of the gaming generation to come - with an emphasis on fleeting short-attention-span gameplay over depth, so you can crank out these missions (in dull, empty environments) as fast as possible without having to really think about it. But it's also reasonably fun at doing that, plus the story is loaded with searing social satire and is absolutely fucking hilarious to boot (Dallas and Juanita ftw). PS3 port is rife with visual glitches and framerate drops. Grindrail sections are HOT ass. Had a good time with it no doubt, but also really glad they got this out of their system.
Mindless gonzo combat as an analog for scathing potshots at manufactured celebrity - a much more resonant theme now than on release - they made you, and will turn on you in an instant for being exactly what they created you to be. Unquestionably a downgrade from the previous games though, Ratchet is barely an entity in this and you can't even play as Clank - but boy does this do the whole forced 2000s grit cringe WAY better than Jak II and III. In fact this whole thing feels like a predictor of the gaming generation to come - with an emphasis on fleeting short-attention-span gameplay over depth, so you can crank out these missions (in dull, empty environments) as fast as possible without having to really think about it. But it's also reasonably fun at doing that, plus the story is loaded with searing social satire and is absolutely fucking hilarious to boot (Dallas and Juanita ftw). PS3 port is rife with visual glitches and framerate drops. Grindrail sections are HOT ass. Had a good time with it no doubt, but also really glad they got this out of their system.
Solid game. Focuses more on the pure chaos of the series and less on the puzzle solving and platforming. If you love this series for the chaos and gunplay then try this out.
always loved ratchet and clank. hope i set the time aside to finish this one
A lot of fps issues and glitched animations. But still good
Fucked version