This game is way too good
This game might try to do a little too much and ends up failing in some of the things it tries to do, but the base Ratchet & Clank gameplay on display is phenomenal. Highly recommend playing it if you've played the other games in the series but never got around to A Crack in Time.
The best Ratchet by a landslide. Best story in the franchise, with the franchise long storyline involving Ratchet and his family history concluding beautifully, the series' witty writing hasn't been hampered a bit despite the more emotional storytelling. The gameplay is rock solid and as good as ever, with some unique new ideas involving time mechanics brought to the table. One of my personal favorite 3D platformers.
Had an honest shot at being the best R&C game but the Clank sections are literal torture.
This review contains spoilers
Sometimes you need something more to be a truly amazing game. Sometimes you need more than having a great story with great characters, having the best Clank sections in the series, weapons that are such a joy to use, having some of the best level design in the series, and having space travel that adds to the scale of the world.
Sometimes, a moment/section can be the difference between amazing and truly one of your favorite games of all time. From the moment you fit Dr. Nafarious to the moment where Alister goes of the deep end then sacrifices himself to say the universe to Clank deciding to continue his adventures with Ratchet. This is my favorite ending/end game to any video game only rivaled by Undertale's pacifist run. Truly one of my favorite games of all time.
Also hover boats were introduced in this game. Nothing else needs to be said.
Sometimes, a moment/section can be the difference between amazing and truly one of your favorite games of all time. From the moment you fit Dr. Nafarious to the moment where Alister goes of the deep end then sacrifices himself to say the universe to Clank deciding to continue his adventures with Ratchet. This is my favorite ending/end game to any video game only rivaled by Undertale's pacifist run. Truly one of my favorite games of all time.
Also hover boats were introduced in this game. Nothing else needs to be said.
This review contains spoilers
The game feels larger than any before it, both in story and in the worlds themselves. Unfortunately this is compensated by having far less planets than previous games, with a bunch of moons thrown in for filler. The best of these moons provide platforming challenges, the rest provide just simple "kill X enemies" or busy work like towing something somewhere.
The game does have probably the best Clank sections so far, with a little bit of combat, and fun time puzzles thrown in. Albeit this at the cost of them being much more prominent and taking you away from the fast paced Ratchet gameplay even more.
The game also took away the great weapon customisation from the last game for some reason?? And replaced it with some weapon modding, which sounds great in theory...but it's limited to 3 weapons lol. And the 3 most boring weapons at that. Such a weird choice.
The arena is pretty good, definitely a huge step up from ToD's. While there's a lot of your typical stuff - kill enemy waves, rotating weapons, timed fights, fighting bosses etc, there's a few unique ones such as killing enemies with their own bombs, or preventing enemies from reaching the goal posts for 2 minutes (though that last one did appear in Deadlocked which was kinda like a game for arena challenges).
I was pretty happy with how they substituted Clank with the hoverboots. I thought they might have gone through the whole game with bare Ratchet gameplay, like QfB.
The game does do a lot of great things, but when you're the 8th(?) game in a series of very similar games, it's hard not to realise what has been sacrificed to make the story larger. It's the second main game in a row without a racing minigame. Even the bloody PSP game had one. Heck even the bonus skins start to feel less and less interesting (though these are far better than ToD's). There's like...5 of them to unlock, and you can only unlock them in the order the game wants you to.
I will say this one probably had the best soundtrack thanks to the ships radio music.
So in short, I think this is the best R&C game for its core gameplay (up to this point, haven't played the PS5 one yet), and has the most ambitious story, which helps flesh worlds out a lot (each world has its own unique race of interesting characters). Buuuut it's also probably the 2nd worst in terms of giving the player variety in gameplay and generally trying new things.
The game does have probably the best Clank sections so far, with a little bit of combat, and fun time puzzles thrown in. Albeit this at the cost of them being much more prominent and taking you away from the fast paced Ratchet gameplay even more.
The game also took away the great weapon customisation from the last game for some reason?? And replaced it with some weapon modding, which sounds great in theory...but it's limited to 3 weapons lol. And the 3 most boring weapons at that. Such a weird choice.
The arena is pretty good, definitely a huge step up from ToD's. While there's a lot of your typical stuff - kill enemy waves, rotating weapons, timed fights, fighting bosses etc, there's a few unique ones such as killing enemies with their own bombs, or preventing enemies from reaching the goal posts for 2 minutes (though that last one did appear in Deadlocked which was kinda like a game for arena challenges).
I was pretty happy with how they substituted Clank with the hoverboots. I thought they might have gone through the whole game with bare Ratchet gameplay, like QfB.
The game does do a lot of great things, but when you're the 8th(?) game in a series of very similar games, it's hard not to realise what has been sacrificed to make the story larger. It's the second main game in a row without a racing minigame. Even the bloody PSP game had one. Heck even the bonus skins start to feel less and less interesting (though these are far better than ToD's). There's like...5 of them to unlock, and you can only unlock them in the order the game wants you to.
I will say this one probably had the best soundtrack thanks to the ships radio music.
So in short, I think this is the best R&C game for its core gameplay (up to this point, haven't played the PS5 one yet), and has the most ambitious story, which helps flesh worlds out a lot (each world has its own unique race of interesting characters). Buuuut it's also probably the 2nd worst in terms of giving the player variety in gameplay and generally trying new things.
Game has no right to go this hard but it just does, masterpiece
"Te estás empezando a parecer a tu padre"
What I would consider the last hurrah for the great Ratchet & Clank games. Miles better than ToD and QfB, it explores Clank's background and features my favourite character in the series too.
This game is really damn good but replaying it only made me want to play Rift Apart more goddammit
This is the best of the modern R&C games after the PS2 titles, no contest. I might actually like this one more than the PS2 titles frankly, for how much of the progression that I had found tedious in those titles was completely resolved in this game. Weapons all feel good and I can't think of a single dud in the entire arsenal when I previously could for all the other games. This tells the best story of all the modern games too, even if I miss the sharp wit of the PS2 titles. Incredibly ambitious in the new stuff it adds compared to the other entries; chilling out flying through space and going to random small planets to grab collectibles and upgrades is just incredibly chill and fun, and feels more like a shame to me that Into the Nexus and more recently Rift Apart didn't come back to. Clank's gameplay finally feels polished and refined, with puzzles that were genuinely really fun to figure out (even if it feels a lot like somebody at the office had just finished Portal that day). Fantastic all around.
until the day the stars and moons align and i finally get my hands on a ps5 and rift apart, this is hands down the best R&C game i've played. yes, even moreso than the ps2 games.
while tools of destruction felt like ratchet's bumbling first steps as a cinematic disney-tier epic, crack in time manages to get a better handle on its new identity. yes, clank basically being the son of a time god is still stupid to me no matter how you slice it, but i was still more invested in the story than i was with TOD. lot of funny and heartfelt moments, just generally had a great time even with my grievances on post-ps2 ratchet's direction.
also dr nefarious is back and he's great. i don't care how many people want to whine about him being "overused"; this is like. the second time in the franchise he's been an antag and he's a blast in this game, quit yer whining.
guns are a ton of fun and insomniac managed to do the impossible and make clank's gameplay not entirely suck this time around. i think my only gripes are that i wish there were more full planets to play around in, but i guess having the little side moons balances things out. still a super fun time all around and definitely worth playing regardless of what you think about the ps3 games.
also alister is a manipulative asshole, i don't care how much sadboy headcanons you want to project onto him just because he's a lombax
while tools of destruction felt like ratchet's bumbling first steps as a cinematic disney-tier epic, crack in time manages to get a better handle on its new identity. yes, clank basically being the son of a time god is still stupid to me no matter how you slice it, but i was still more invested in the story than i was with TOD. lot of funny and heartfelt moments, just generally had a great time even with my grievances on post-ps2 ratchet's direction.
also dr nefarious is back and he's great. i don't care how many people want to whine about him being "overused"; this is like. the second time in the franchise he's been an antag and he's a blast in this game, quit yer whining.
guns are a ton of fun and insomniac managed to do the impossible and make clank's gameplay not entirely suck this time around. i think my only gripes are that i wish there were more full planets to play around in, but i guess having the little side moons balances things out. still a super fun time all around and definitely worth playing regardless of what you think about the ps3 games.
also alister is a manipulative asshole, i don't care how much sadboy headcanons you want to project onto him just because he's a lombax
Unfortunately unfinished
The Ratchet & Clank series is dear to me because it came out about ten years ago when I just seriously getting into gaming. It’s part of my generation and now that I’m playing the last game in the second part of the series it feels great. Everything you expect from a Ratchet game is here and intact and nothing has really changed. That’s both good and bad depending on how you look at it. Hardcore fans will love this and not feel a thing towards the repetition, but to me, it feels Insomniac was running out of steam gameplay wise. The story is great, but it’s the same run and gun controls, slippery platforming, and a few curve balls thrown in to keep the series interesting like past games.
This game is serious story wise and tells the tale of Clank’s origins, what his purpose is, and this is the best part of the game. It’s what we’ve been waiting to hear about for ten years, but after playing Clank’s mind-bending puzzle sections Ratchet’s feel monotonous after about halfway through the game. Changing up the levels doesn’t cut it anymore because the graphics are pretty dated. The art style is still charming, but the graphics look like a really good PS2 game compared to other games out there today.
Clank’s levels consist of time manipulation and you can record former selves to solve puzzles. It’s hard to explain, but there are four sections in total through the game (not enough) and then there’s a bizarre dual-stick shooter mini-game thrown in towards the end of the game. Clank’s levels look better than Ratchet’s and have better effects, but this is where the most interesting part of the story plays out. Clank does have combat abilities, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.
Ratchet’s levels are the same since 2002, and while there are some new weapons I found a lot of them useless for once in an R&C game. A lot of the enemies recycle and repeat, and only certain weapons are good against certain enemies. However, later in the game a lot of the weapons just don’t do much and you resort to using more powerful weapons. You can find mods for your weapons that add different types of ammo, make it shoot different, or add power etc, but these are hard to find and require hardcore fans hours of dedication to find them all. Ratchet has a couple of new gadgets such as the OmniSoaker and Hover Boots, but I wanted to see some more since this is a finale.
Ratchet can now freely explore space and visit mini-worlds for Zoni (to enhance your ship), mods, gold bolts, etc. This adds variety to the game, but after a while, they get boring since there are only so many different types of worlds that are copied. Space battles add a nice mix to the fray of just on the ground run-and-gun affair so it is welcomed. Just like ground shooting once you get to the last sector you’re just tired of the same space fights and planet exploring.
The best part about the game is probably the boss fights since they are challenging and each one is different and unique. It really makes you utilize your arsenal, but again some weapons will be completely useless. There seem to be spotted here and there of uniqueness and variation, but it’s not dished out as fast or as often as past games. The enemy variety is really low so you will kill the same robot the one-millionth time by the end of the game. It’s a shame Time turned out to be such a repetitious game because it has a ton of potential. I would have loved to play more as Clank solving puzzles, but there’s enough here to keep you going through the 15+ hour game.
Despite a nice ending to the game, you can start a new game+, but there’s no real incentive to go back through since you’ll want the game to end early on anyway. The voice acting is top-notch as usual, and the storytelling is Pixar quality, but this is probably the worst R&C gameplay wise just because I expect a lot from Insomniac. The series needs a serious reboot or I’m not coming back to visit the furry one and his metal pal.
This game is serious story wise and tells the tale of Clank’s origins, what his purpose is, and this is the best part of the game. It’s what we’ve been waiting to hear about for ten years, but after playing Clank’s mind-bending puzzle sections Ratchet’s feel monotonous after about halfway through the game. Changing up the levels doesn’t cut it anymore because the graphics are pretty dated. The art style is still charming, but the graphics look like a really good PS2 game compared to other games out there today.
Clank’s levels consist of time manipulation and you can record former selves to solve puzzles. It’s hard to explain, but there are four sections in total through the game (not enough) and then there’s a bizarre dual-stick shooter mini-game thrown in towards the end of the game. Clank’s levels look better than Ratchet’s and have better effects, but this is where the most interesting part of the story plays out. Clank does have combat abilities, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.
Ratchet’s levels are the same since 2002, and while there are some new weapons I found a lot of them useless for once in an R&C game. A lot of the enemies recycle and repeat, and only certain weapons are good against certain enemies. However, later in the game a lot of the weapons just don’t do much and you resort to using more powerful weapons. You can find mods for your weapons that add different types of ammo, make it shoot different, or add power etc, but these are hard to find and require hardcore fans hours of dedication to find them all. Ratchet has a couple of new gadgets such as the OmniSoaker and Hover Boots, but I wanted to see some more since this is a finale.
Ratchet can now freely explore space and visit mini-worlds for Zoni (to enhance your ship), mods, gold bolts, etc. This adds variety to the game, but after a while, they get boring since there are only so many different types of worlds that are copied. Space battles add a nice mix to the fray of just on the ground run-and-gun affair so it is welcomed. Just like ground shooting once you get to the last sector you’re just tired of the same space fights and planet exploring.
The best part about the game is probably the boss fights since they are challenging and each one is different and unique. It really makes you utilize your arsenal, but again some weapons will be completely useless. There seem to be spotted here and there of uniqueness and variation, but it’s not dished out as fast or as often as past games. The enemy variety is really low so you will kill the same robot the one-millionth time by the end of the game. It’s a shame Time turned out to be such a repetitious game because it has a ton of potential. I would have loved to play more as Clank solving puzzles, but there’s enough here to keep you going through the 15+ hour game.
Despite a nice ending to the game, you can start a new game+, but there’s no real incentive to go back through since you’ll want the game to end early on anyway. The voice acting is top-notch as usual, and the storytelling is Pixar quality, but this is probably the worst R&C gameplay wise just because I expect a lot from Insomniac. The series needs a serious reboot or I’m not coming back to visit the furry one and his metal pal.
Better than Tools of Destruction, but disappointing in its own ways. It feels MUCH nicer to play, and doesn't reek of new-console-stank like ToD. I'm admittedly not a fan of the thematic shift in storytelling from the PS2 era to PS3, but I still love a great story. This... could have been a great story. But with retcons and abandoned plot-threads and forced chosen-one backstories, I just can't enjoy the presented story in the future saga.
Luckily, the gameplay here is one of the higher points of the series, and the Clank segments are actually uniquely fun for the first time (if not a little pace-breaking).
All the issues I have with this game, and nearly all of the RaC games, is that they never got the chance to see their true potential. They were forced out as quickly as possible, and compromises had to be made constantly to make deadlines. If crunch hadn't been a core principle of Insomniac's workflow, we wouldn't have gotten the games we got, and we may not have gotten any games at all... so while I'm not thankful for crunch, I am shocked that they could put out such quality games in the timeframe that they did.
Luckily, the gameplay here is one of the higher points of the series, and the Clank segments are actually uniquely fun for the first time (if not a little pace-breaking).
All the issues I have with this game, and nearly all of the RaC games, is that they never got the chance to see their true potential. They were forced out as quickly as possible, and compromises had to be made constantly to make deadlines. If crunch hadn't been a core principle of Insomniac's workflow, we wouldn't have gotten the games we got, and we may not have gotten any games at all... so while I'm not thankful for crunch, I am shocked that they could put out such quality games in the timeframe that they did.
This is the peak of the series. It evolves the gameplay even further with the addition of the small planets to platform, the best Clank gameplay, and a great amount of side content. The story is also satisfying to experience, being at its most sincere and hilarious. It doesn't get any better than this.
Legit the best one. Everything felt perfect, there was so much detail added in exploration.
Was only recently dethroned by the ps5 game for me. Fantastic ratchet game, the humor is there, the story was super compelling, nefarious is great as always. I played this one through so many times.
PS now sucks 🙄 sigh I just wanted to play this again. Why couldn't they just include a download option for all of the games
don't remember this very well, but i played it!
I like this one
Consistently charming, hilarious and always fun to play
Insomniac finds their footing for a great finale to the Future series.
The gameplay is in top form here. Shooting is wonderful, the guns are all great, enemies aren't too hard to kill (plus difficulty options finally). The open world space exploration bits are very enjoyable and you don't have to engage with em at all if you don't like em but for those wanting extra gameplay they are there.
The clank sections are the best in the entire series. The puzzles aren't too hard but they provide decent challenge and they are actual puzzles, not just "click button go here." You have to put at least a little bit of thought into it.
The music is a good step up from ToD. There is actual changes in feeling and tone in the orchestra so it always fits the vibe good. There is also a fun in game radio for when you are flying your ship, ranging from rock to electronic to big band swing and finally orchestra.
The story is really well put together here and the missions and worlds you visit are very creative.
I only have a few gripes. I played this through PS Now so I don't know if this had a hand in my criticism but the graphics were not too good. It was not very crisp and it felt kind of washed out. Also the game did get a little long in the tooth which caused me to drop off it for a little while but it was not hard to get back into it.
Overall a fantastic experience. Highly recommend for fans of Ratchet. Makes the future saga worth playing through in its entirety to understand the stakes and story.
The gameplay is in top form here. Shooting is wonderful, the guns are all great, enemies aren't too hard to kill (plus difficulty options finally). The open world space exploration bits are very enjoyable and you don't have to engage with em at all if you don't like em but for those wanting extra gameplay they are there.
The clank sections are the best in the entire series. The puzzles aren't too hard but they provide decent challenge and they are actual puzzles, not just "click button go here." You have to put at least a little bit of thought into it.
The music is a good step up from ToD. There is actual changes in feeling and tone in the orchestra so it always fits the vibe good. There is also a fun in game radio for when you are flying your ship, ranging from rock to electronic to big band swing and finally orchestra.
The story is really well put together here and the missions and worlds you visit are very creative.
I only have a few gripes. I played this through PS Now so I don't know if this had a hand in my criticism but the graphics were not too good. It was not very crisp and it felt kind of washed out. Also the game did get a little long in the tooth which caused me to drop off it for a little while but it was not hard to get back into it.
Overall a fantastic experience. Highly recommend for fans of Ratchet. Makes the future saga worth playing through in its entirety to understand the stakes and story.
Childhood nostalgia comes back again, but this time for a different kind of game. Out of all of the Ratchet & Clank games, this one holds a special place in my heart. I have played it close to 5 times, and I share many memories with it.
Ratchet's sections were fun, while again the Clank sections are the worst part, they really can't seem to make him fun.
The first Ratchet & Clank game I ever tried and I just could not get into it. Guess I was too old for it to appeal to me and too young to look at it from an appropriate adult viewpoint.
Now this is my overall favorite Ratchet & Clank game ever! This game will always be special to me and I will never get tired of playing this game. Love the weapon arsenal in this game, also the first time the Spiral of Death appears in the series (Insomniac Games should hold another fan weapon contest for a future Ratchet & Clank game). Also the story and time based gameplay mechanics of this game are fantastic. Also I love how long the game is, I wish more games these days were lengthy like this one (not saying that all games these days aren’t of decent length, but I wish that more were that way).
While it was a pleasant experience this and ToD was really on par, while new gameplay elements introduced in this one and that arsenal of weapon selection was absolutely best in the series up to this point, build up to the final in ToD was a bit better and leaves a bit more better taste in mouth in my opinion.
Loved these when younger but found a basic game with poor platforming and poor shooting in a Very cookie cutter package
Segunda parte de esta trilogía donde la historia sigue ganando peso y eso, me gusta. Lo malo, otra vez Nefarius...