I want to love this game, but I can only like it.

The story seemed epic and impactful in concept, but there are so many tone-killing jokes and questionable detours in the story that it just doesn't resonate as well as it should. The side characters aren't well incorporated into the story, a number of plot points really aren't explained well, and there are a fair share of plot holes. ToD could have been a great space epic, but there were just too many rough edges that weren't ironed out.

The gameplay is great, for the most part. The six axis controls are gimmicky and frustrating, and the selection of guns isn't as good as R&C 2 or 3, but, for everything else, this was a blast to play. The excellent presentation adds so much to R&C's already strong gameplay loop. The satisfying crunch of broken boxes, the detailed enemy designs, the explorable open worlds rife with creative layouts and rewarding collectables. I don't normally place too much stock in a game's presentation, but Ratchet & Clank have had a huge role in pushing the envelope for 3D platformers in that regard. And, while I would still like this game fine even if it looked like trash, I like it so much more because it doesn't.

Tools of Destruction never lived up to its potential, but it was a fun time regardless. If you're a R&C fan, this is one to check out.