Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
This past week I spent a good amount of time into the acclaimed PS3 title Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. As a newcomer to the series I was blown away from the gorgeous graphics, sweet sound, and such smooth gameplay. I must admit that I was overwhelmed with the vivid colors in the very first level. The game just stood out so much more when compared to gray or brown-heavy games a la Battlefield 2. Graphics aside, the gameplay was something else I heavily enjoyed. You simply pick your weapon and shoot/bash away. I never would have thought that I would gain such a satisfaction of collecting every single bolt within the levels from bashing every enemy and/or box in sight. Although this game is a few points away from perfection, there are more than enough reasons to overlook such imperfections.
Throughout the several levels of Ratchet & Clank you gain the opportunity of collecting crystal shards to either upgrade your current weapon or collect nuts and bolts to purchase a new one. What expands the gameplay even more is the ability to upgrade your equipped weapon (by up to five levels) by simply using it. *Pew pew pew* is a charming sound that slowly brings a smile upon your face - if you're using a gun that is. You leave the fact that you're constantly upgrading your weapons behind you and focus on destroying every enemy and destructible items in sight. I first stumble on this when I destroyed a nearby light post and then I thought "what about this chair... or this table??". Soon enough I began testing every sprite that I can find to collect even more nuts, bolts, crystal shards, life and ammo. I must admit that it's very easy to recommend this title to other people. How can anyone pass up on such extensive weaponry? This game is built from the ground up to blow every single target in sight.
On the other hand you have your loyal partner Clank. He provides the ability to explore this said adventure. Technically, Clank is your faithful wing man - but he's no Goose. He provides the ability to hover over the grounds, glide through a few levels, and your savior in certain parts of the game. By this I mean that you yourself take control of Clank throughout some levels to continue on in this epic adventure of saving the world (if I had forgotten to mention that).
Sadly the game comes with a few disappointments. With the ability of controlling Clank I expected a lot from him. Laser beams from his antenna? No. The ability to fly freely? Not really. It's disappointing to see Clank belittled as he was expressed in those specific parts of the gameplay. Specifically, Clank has the ability to slow down time (very awesome), control some mysterious life forces (trying to avoid some spoilers here), and levitate for a brief three seconds. And that is all. As much as I love the ability to slow down time I really wish to see him used more... creatively I guess. For the love of god he's Clank! I really wish they built the levels to express his own awesomeness.
There were also a few other things that bothered me a bit throughout the game. The first of this is the use of the six-axis controller. In some levels you perform a halo jump (sky diving) and youmust use your controller to tilt away from the side scrolling air traffic and/or several incoming missiles. Thumbs up! The second use of the six-axis controller is the ability to hack into the game by tilting your controller to move a ball and connect some wiring. Thumbs down! The first experience of this was great, but the latter was downhill. After a few attempting failures the game asks if you would like to switch this ability with left joystick. Sure I said, but apparently hitting "x" (confirm) did not want to work on my dual shock 3 controller. Ironically the "o" (cancel) did work. I didn't necessarily hate those experiences, but they were frustrating and heavily slowed the pace of the game down.
Overall, as a newcomer to the series I feel that I would highly recommend this title. As a matter of fact this makes me want to pick up the original Ratchet and Clank game (or the games that follow) and experience the adventures of the lombax (Ratchet). In the end it took me roughly ~12 hours to complete the game in a given week. There is certainly much replay value to the game because you're given the ability to play on a higher difficulty with all your upgraded goodies. Nonetheless, If you're really strapped for cash this would a great three day weekend rental.
