Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando is almost a classic,
There's so many platformers that, given the opportunity for a sequel, want to reinvent themselves in some way in order to create a new identity. Usually it's this identity that acts as a sort of second chance to prove to the audience that the character has something to offer that the player and the publisher maybe didn't see initially. If the gameplay shifts in some significant way, then it's likely an attempt to grow the story and world so that it gives the IP some long-term staying power. Though ultimately I don't think many would argue that the best platformers are almost always direct sequels to their original title, building on what made the first so appealing. Even within the console generation that Ratchet and Clank exist, I think you'd have a hard time making the argument that Sly 2 is a worse sequel than Jak 2, unless you really like Jak 2 and hate Sly 2. What I think makes Ratchet and Clank 2 such and interesting case study is that it kind of has it both ways.
While on the surface, especially if you haven't played in a while, this game looks and feels like a direct sequel it really does change the dynamic the player has with the characters and their mechanics. By simply adding a strafe button, more enemies and gauntlets, and a leveling mechanic the core experience has shifted from a Platformer With Guns to a Shooter With Platforming. And of course the platforming still exists and is fine, but if you play the game again after years of not touching it, seeing it mentioned for a moment in video essays, and trying to remember what it was like, it becomes super clear that while the series wasn't shifting from it's core appeal in most ways, it definitely changed the essentials enough that I think you could safely say the genre the game lies in is different now. And to me that's really exciting, I like that Ratchet and Clank 2 embraced the more gun-focused gameplay and explored that part of its identity rather than keep to its platforming roots, because to be I think the series (from a gameplay perspective) ended up being a lot more interesting in the long run. I think it's the reason I keep coming back to the series, because there's no other game that really does what Ratchet and Clank does with the same level of polish and depth. Ratchet and Clank has carved out its own little niche that I think explains fairly well why this series has continued for as long as it has while it's peers didn't. Jak strayed way too far from its core appeal and unfortunately picked a lane that already had better contemporaries. Sly chose to keep its cards so close to its chest that the series' creatives had to make the call to close the book because none of the new ideas they were throwing at the series were really working. So to see Ratchet and Clank all these years later still getting not just sequels, but sequels with thoughtfulness and effort put into them, it makes me really happy. To be honest though I believe that the peak of this still really lies with Ratchet and Clank 2.
The sense of exploration and story progression that platformers tend to do well with is still here without too much unfunny garbage and the weapons are some of the most creative in the series. Considering the year they had to work on this I think the team here created nothing short of a miracle. The planet variety is on point here as well. Places like Dobbo and Damosel really flesh out the manufactured reality that Megacorp has managed to fully realize, while it's headquarters in Yeedil puts a nice pin in the hyper-capitalistic theming the first two games orbit around. Going Commando is truly a spectacular game and still the best the series has to offer in terms of engaging gun-play, variety, and exploration. I think if it wasn't so rough around the edges re: the technical art, this could've been considered a modern classic.
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Would you get the same experience watching the game?: If you played the first game maybe, but no not really at all. The leveling mechanic for weapons is too satisfying to really get through video alone.
There's so many platformers that, given the opportunity for a sequel, want to reinvent themselves in some way in order to create a new identity. Usually it's this identity that acts as a sort of second chance to prove to the audience that the character has something to offer that the player and the publisher maybe didn't see initially. If the gameplay shifts in some significant way, then it's likely an attempt to grow the story and world so that it gives the IP some long-term staying power. Though ultimately I don't think many would argue that the best platformers are almost always direct sequels to their original title, building on what made the first so appealing. Even within the console generation that Ratchet and Clank exist, I think you'd have a hard time making the argument that Sly 2 is a worse sequel than Jak 2, unless you really like Jak 2 and hate Sly 2. What I think makes Ratchet and Clank 2 such and interesting case study is that it kind of has it both ways.
While on the surface, especially if you haven't played in a while, this game looks and feels like a direct sequel it really does change the dynamic the player has with the characters and their mechanics. By simply adding a strafe button, more enemies and gauntlets, and a leveling mechanic the core experience has shifted from a Platformer With Guns to a Shooter With Platforming. And of course the platforming still exists and is fine, but if you play the game again after years of not touching it, seeing it mentioned for a moment in video essays, and trying to remember what it was like, it becomes super clear that while the series wasn't shifting from it's core appeal in most ways, it definitely changed the essentials enough that I think you could safely say the genre the game lies in is different now. And to me that's really exciting, I like that Ratchet and Clank 2 embraced the more gun-focused gameplay and explored that part of its identity rather than keep to its platforming roots, because to be I think the series (from a gameplay perspective) ended up being a lot more interesting in the long run. I think it's the reason I keep coming back to the series, because there's no other game that really does what Ratchet and Clank does with the same level of polish and depth. Ratchet and Clank has carved out its own little niche that I think explains fairly well why this series has continued for as long as it has while it's peers didn't. Jak strayed way too far from its core appeal and unfortunately picked a lane that already had better contemporaries. Sly chose to keep its cards so close to its chest that the series' creatives had to make the call to close the book because none of the new ideas they were throwing at the series were really working. So to see Ratchet and Clank all these years later still getting not just sequels, but sequels with thoughtfulness and effort put into them, it makes me really happy. To be honest though I believe that the peak of this still really lies with Ratchet and Clank 2.
The sense of exploration and story progression that platformers tend to do well with is still here without too much unfunny garbage and the weapons are some of the most creative in the series. Considering the year they had to work on this I think the team here created nothing short of a miracle. The planet variety is on point here as well. Places like Dobbo and Damosel really flesh out the manufactured reality that Megacorp has managed to fully realize, while it's headquarters in Yeedil puts a nice pin in the hyper-capitalistic theming the first two games orbit around. Going Commando is truly a spectacular game and still the best the series has to offer in terms of engaging gun-play, variety, and exploration. I think if it wasn't so rough around the edges re: the technical art, this could've been considered a modern classic.
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Would you get the same experience watching the game?: If you played the first game maybe, but no not really at all. The leveling mechanic for weapons is too satisfying to really get through video alone.