The perfect sequel? People seem to think so, but I think it's complicated. Ratchet & Clank 2 is a little strange, because it leaned heavily towards explosive combat, much more than the original game. There's still some good platforming stuff, but not nearly as much as the original game. Of course, when I was 13 and played this for the first time, I absolutely adored it over the original. These days, I guess my tastes have gotten more nuanced so there's something about this game in retrospect that doesn't seem right.
The weapon line-up is pretty good, albeit egregious in some of its pricing. I like the encouragement to use each weapon as much as you can in the form of "leveling" them up through kills you confirm with said weapons (although I think collecting exp through damage makes more sense) and some of the bosses are genuinely fun challenges. I like the variety shown throughout in the form of arena challenges, races, and exploration for secret items.
The story also serves as a good continuation between Ratchet and Clank, where it genuinely feels like the two are good friends that work together well. Ratchet now sets his eyes at anyone willing to threaten them, and opinions at the greedy assholes they come across ("Now even the COMPUTERS are charging us?! That's it, this galaxy blows.")
I feel it needs to be said the amount of details in the atmosphere and environment is also a bit lacking compared to the first game. Most of the worlds feel less lived-in, if that makes sense. They likely wanted the production of this to be more straight-forward now that they've established their ground with the first game. This is no longer a "We need to make a good impression for the new generation" project, but a sequel to something that already exists. While I would've loved something that feels like a proper continuation to the original title--gameplaywise--this was still a great sequel jam-packed with explosive fun.
On a bad day, I'd give this 0 stars because of how the lava gun upgrades. Y'all know what I'm talking about.
The weapon line-up is pretty good, albeit egregious in some of its pricing. I like the encouragement to use each weapon as much as you can in the form of "leveling" them up through kills you confirm with said weapons (although I think collecting exp through damage makes more sense) and some of the bosses are genuinely fun challenges. I like the variety shown throughout in the form of arena challenges, races, and exploration for secret items.
The story also serves as a good continuation between Ratchet and Clank, where it genuinely feels like the two are good friends that work together well. Ratchet now sets his eyes at anyone willing to threaten them, and opinions at the greedy assholes they come across ("Now even the COMPUTERS are charging us?! That's it, this galaxy blows.")
I feel it needs to be said the amount of details in the atmosphere and environment is also a bit lacking compared to the first game. Most of the worlds feel less lived-in, if that makes sense. They likely wanted the production of this to be more straight-forward now that they've established their ground with the first game. This is no longer a "We need to make a good impression for the new generation" project, but a sequel to something that already exists. While I would've loved something that feels like a proper continuation to the original title--gameplaywise--this was still a great sequel jam-packed with explosive fun.
On a bad day, I'd give this 0 stars because of how the lava gun upgrades. Y'all know what I'm talking about.