One step better in every aspect
Insomniac is a much different developer today than in the time that many would consider to be their prime: the PS2 era. With multiple references and adherence to fellow Sony first-party company Naughty Dog, their set tone and general target audience of the era is varied in comparison to today. Before the series had arguably burned out at the tail end of the PS3, Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank series was renowned for its originality to the platforming genre. Going Commando is the second entry in the franchise, and while not too much has changed from the first game, there's enough added here for a more satisfying experience, albeit slight.
Events in Going Commando take place following the conclusion the first game, with the main characters themselves becoming recognizable heroes within the fiction. When Dr. Fizzwidget contacts the team and instructs Ratchet to retrieve an artificial Megacorp experiment which has been stolen, Ratchet and Clank are officially hired to complete the job. From there, the overarching plot kicks in and reveals that the game's humor and cast characters is as strong as ever. Some select scenes had me laughing with its excellent writing and comedy format. Not to mention that some specific attributes of the plot legitimately left me surprised, and continuously kept me invested in the story more than I thought I ever would. Perhaps one slight downside in comparison to the first game is a lack of a consistent and coherent villain, but the alternative the game present is still sufficient, I just would have liked to have seen an antagonist that challenged Drek.
Following the release of Super Mario 64, a majority of 3D platformers followed the same "collectible" route. The original Ratchet & Clank was one of the first to deviate from this format, introducing an emphasis on unique weapons and third-person action gameplay; Going Commando follows the same layout. Some of the new weapons featured in this sequel are generally more interesting and efficient than the original's arsenal. A personal favorite of mine is a gun that is essentially a turret gun that you can drop in front you, which then proceeds to blast every enemy within the vicinity of a certain radius. Total, there are eighteen more guns added to the game. Standard guns are of course prevalent as well, and the ability to import certain weapons from the first game is appreciated, but some of these guns clearly outshine others. In addition to the various guns, more gadgets are added to the core experience, usually adhering to some light puzzle-solving and platforming segments. Overall level design attributes are generally improved, but I feel the difficulty here is a bit higher than it should be. I'll admit, I died a lot more than I was expecting, mostly due to infrequent checkpoints and relentless waves of enemies in the second half of the game. Initially, these deaths translated into frustration, as your ammunition and bolt counts do not reset following a death. These instances are counteracted with a strange, yet welcomed, RPG-esque progression system; as you defeat more enemies, your maximum health will increase. While I'm still not a fan of the grind that sometimes comes out of a challenging level, this sense progression ultimately helps make it worthwhile.
Going Commando's cartoon aesthetic absolutely holds up, especially on the PS3 version. Environments are a bit more bare than what would be designed today, but each character looks and animates fine. Music in the game is decent, but most tracks tend to be looped rather frequently, causing a majority of levels to be my vessel or listening to some podcasts of mine. Its not bad by any length, it just lacks any sort of memorable aspects to it.
Ratchet & Clank was a series I had barely touched until the original trilogy's release on PS3, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the first game, this sequel clearly seems to be the superior title. The gameplay is improved, the arsenal is increased, and the story is more amusing. Perhaps the game's overall difficulty is a little overkill, but it never becomes anything unmanageable. In the end, Going Commando represents a game that is one step better in every aspect to its predecessor.
