Introduction
Aren't you that guy who did one update in a Secret of Mana Let's Play before quitting?
What? No. That was some other dude. He was a total ass.
Oh, okay. So what's the format here?
720p high definition videos, and standard definition videos. Each video will have two versions to it. With and without commentary over cutscenes. All videos are hosted on Blip, Viddler, and Youtube. However, Viddler only gets the standard definition videos because it's terrible.
What can you tell us about this game series?
Ratchet and Clank is made by Insomniac studios, the same people responsible for the Spyro series, as well as the newer Resistance series. The first game was released on the Playstation 2 in 2002, and claimed to have the most weapons of any game before it. I'm pretty sure the claim was true, because there were over 36 of the fuckers, if the back of the box is to be believed. It starred Ratchet, a Lombax, Clank, a robot, Captain Qwark, a sellout hero, and Chairman Drek, a businessman. The last guy was the main villain of the game.
It did very well, and less than a year later, the second game, "Going Commando", was released. It had even more weapons to it's name, as well as a new mechanic to those weapons: they upgrade themselves the more you use them. I think the second game is one of the better games in the original series. In 2003, the third game, "Up Your Arsenal", was released, and upped the ante, not only giving us more weapons and gadgets, as well as introducing the best, and so far only recurring, villain of the series: Dr. Nefarious!
Then Insomniac, at least in my opinion, started slipping a little bit. They took one aspect of the last two games, the arena battles, and made an entire game based around those. "Ratchet: Deadlocked" was released in 2005, and was... not so good. For one, Clank was hardly available, and two, the arena worked because it was a distraction, not a main event. Two handheld titles, "Size Matters" and "Secret Agent Clank" were also released, but I've never played them, so I don't know how good they are (apparently pretty bad, from what I hear).
In 2007, Insomniac decided to reboot the series on the PS3. By "reboot" I mean "go back to making the games like they did before Deadlocked" and slapped a Future at the end of the titular character's names. The game plays much like the first three games and is very fun and enjoyable, as well as a bit more streamlined, as you can afford most weapons and armor as you come to them, or if you can't, you don't have to wait long.
There's also a new game out where you play co-op with three other people, and Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious (read: The two best characters in the series, bar none) are playable characters.
Wow, with all those games, it sounds like you need to learn a lot of history about this game.
Actually, you don't. The game is good as a stand-alone title, and there are only three recurring characters in this game, all of which you learn all you need to know in the opening cutscene. Clank is a robot who is a bit smarmy at times but is otherwise very serious about his duties. Ratchet is a daredevil who is good with machines, and when he needs to be, a hero to the galaxy. Captain Qwark is the best character ever (except someone else who isn't in this game). Everyone else is a new character, introduced in this game.
Videos
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Bonus Videos
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Weapon Mechanics
The Ratchet and Clank series prides itself on having a crazy amount of weapons and gadgets. This game alone has 16 weapons, and with the exception of the wrench, each has 5 upgrades through basic usage and even more through the collection of Raritanium. Each weapon has an "ultimate" upgrade through Raritanium that requires the purchase of several upgrades before it. Also, when the weapon hits level 5, it transforms into a different weapon, with some additional properties.
Omniwrench 3000
The only weapon that can't be upgraded, Ratchet's wrench has been with him since the beginning. Your basic melee weapon, it has several different types of attack:
Basic swing/ combo swing: By pushing the square button while on the ground, Ratchet can swing his wrench like a club. He can do this three times in a row for a combo.
Overhead smash: By jumping and pushing square, Ratchet will smash into an enemy. This deals twice as much damage as a basic swing.
Wrench throw: By crouching with R2 and hitting square, Ratchet will throw his wrench a short distance. This is useful for collecting bolts quickly, as the bolts are attracted to your wrench (Thanks to Nidoking for this information! I never knew that, and I've been playing this series since 2002.)
Rating: As a weapon? 1/10. The swings are weak and it doesn't upgrade at all. It's main purpose is to smash crates, collect bolts, and get you through puzzles, and it's AWESOME at doing that.
The Combuster
Your basic starting pistol, the combuster is, spoilers, not good.
Attack: The combuster shoots weak fireballs at an enemy in a steady stream. When it hits, the fireball can bounce once and hit another enemy. Each hit is incredibly weak.
Raritanium Upgrade: Pyrocidic Precipitation- The bounced off fireballs continue to burn after they hit the ground, damaging all enemies who stand in it.
Level 5 Mutation: Magma Combuster- It fires three shots instead of one. Whoo.
Rating: 0/10. Fuck this gun. It's a piece of shit and the worst weapon in the entire series.
The Fusion Grenade
Your basic starting grenade, it's actually not that bad a weapon.
Attack: You throw a grenade that hits a fairly large area, dealing massive damage to all those caught in it.
Raritanium Upgrade: Concussion Detonators- The force of the explosion knocks an enemy prone. Nice for setting up combos.
Level 5 Mutation: Fusion Bomb- Upon explosion, nitroballs bounce around and home in on enemies, causing even more explosive fun.
Rating: 7/10. There are better bomb gloves in the game, but this one is no slouch, and should at least keep your interest until level 5. Doubly so since it upgrades pretty quickly.
The Plasma Beasts
Another grenade glove type weapon, you throw a green blob, which turns into a huge, musclebound beast made of goo. Imagine Slimer if he was a weight lifter.
Attack: You throw the beast, and he lands on the ground. If no enemies are around, it stays inactive. If it stays inactive too long, it will self-destruct, unused. If an enemy is nearby, or walks into it's range, it will pop out and rush at the enemy, and deal MASSIVE damage.
Raritanium Upgrade: Proximity Sensors- The Plasma Beasts have a better range in which they can charge into enemies. Subtle, but very useful.
Level 5 Mutation: The Plasma Stalkers- The stalkers will bury underground, following you around until they detect something to hit.
Rating: 9/10. Massive damage, very useful level 5, a Raritanium upgrade that makes it even better, and it upgrades with virtually no effort. Easily my favorite grenade of the game. Not to mention, this weapon was super cheap! What prevents it from a perfect 10 is that towards the endgame, it's no longer a viable weapon.
The Shock Ravager
The safety word is "gun-happy".
Attack: Ratchet can whip enemies with electricty, bypassing riot shields should enemies have them. You have to get kind of close to them, but it still has a better range than the Omniwrench.
Raritanium Upgrade: Voltage Multiplier- The shocks given off between enemies increase in range.
Level 5 Mutation: Lightning Ravager- Every time you hit an enemy, the lightning seeks out enemies at an increased range.
Rating: 4/10. You don't really run into shielded enemies all that often to justify a higher score. It's still way better than the Combuster though.
Shard Reaper
It's a shotgun that shoots acupuncture needles. And by acupuncture, I just mean electricpainful.
Attack: It's a shotgun. Do I really have to explain?
Raritanium Upgrade: Pyrocidic Nano-Clusters- The needles you shoot explode while still embedded in the enemy, causing extra damage.
Level 5 Mutation: Nitro Reaper- The fully upgraded version of this weapon causes enemies to freeze in their tracks, allowing for free potshots.
Rating: 10/10. A perfectly viable weapon from the time you get it until the end of the game, you'll be taking the shard reaper with you into the final battle. A fantastic weapon, if a bit weaker compared to later ones.
Predator Launcher
It's a rocket launcher. It also sucks.
Attack: You hold down the attack button and the Predator Launcher locks onto enemies, shooting it's missiles at them. However, the missiles are weak and each lock-on consumes a missile. Good for crowd control, but not much else.
Raritanium Upgrade: Dual Target Detector- You can lock on to the same enemy twice, wasting ammo twice as fast! AWESOME.
Level 5 Mutation: Raptor Launcher- Globs of napalm fly off after hitting a target.
Rating: 1/10. This weapon is pretty terrible, since it's missiles are so weak and it has such a limited ammo supply. You get a better missile launcher later anyway.
Tornado Launcher
Fuck Sixaxis.
Attack: You launch a tornado and control where it goes with the Sixaxis. It's powerful but fuck motion controls. Luckily the area it affects is pretty large, so you don't need to be accurate.
Raritanium Upgrade: Gyro-Turbine- The tornadoes last even longer. This can be a bit of a drawback in certain areas, however, since you can only have one tornado out at a time.
Level 5 Mutation: Tempest Launcher- Additional lightning damage. Nothing special, really.
Rating: 0/10. Fuck motion controls.
Fair Rating: 6/10. It's fairly powerful and lasts a while, plus the area it affects is large enough to counterbalance the fact that it's motion controlled. However it's a small ammo clip and it loses a lot of it's oomph about 75% through the game.
Buzz Blades
Rapid fire ninja stars that bounce around and hit enemies until they lose all momentum. Twice as awesome as it sounds.
Attack: Rapid fire ninja st- wait, I said that already.
Raritanium Upgrade: Cesium Blade Edges- After coming to a complete stop, either in a wall or enemy, the blade will explode. Very nice.
Level 5 Mutation: Doom Blades- Additional acid damage, which adds more to the damage an enemy will take per second.
Rating: 10/10. This thing is crazy good, to the point where you seldom need anything else. Large clip, rapid fire, and upgrades that are so good, you'll kill for them (literally).
Nano-Swarmers
Someone call for an exterminator?
Attack: You throw a pole that creates a sort of beehive, which targets onto enemies and causes a small amount of damage. However, the damage adds up very quickly.
Raritanium Upgrade: Zero-Kelvin Laser Diode- When the targeting laser locks onto an enemy, they'll be frozen in place, unable to avoid your bees.
Level 5 Mutation: Toxic Swarmers- Additional toxic damage, meaning they'll keep hurting even if they run out.
Rating: 10/10. Combined with the Buzz Blades, this thing is murder incarnate. Definitely something you'll take with you to the end.
Alpha Disruptor
For when you need to kill things at a sub-atomic level.
Attack: Unlike other guns, the Alpha Disruptor has a charge time (which you can lessen through raritanium upgrates). However, when you do fire it, it packs a hell of a punch. It's the most powerful weapon in the game in a single shot.
Raritanium Upgrade: Anti-Matter Transfluxor- The beam passes through enemies, allowing you to hit multiple enemies in a single shot. Holy shit, is this useful.
Level 5 Mutation: Alpha Cannon- You beam explodes when it hits an enemy. Combine it with the Anti-Matter Transfluxor and the charge time upgrades...
Rating: 10/10. Second most powerful weapon in the game, easily. If you don't take this with you to the final fight, you're just silly.
Pyro Blaster
Burn baby!
Attack: A short-range jet of flame burns all that contacts with it. So pretty much every flame thrower ever.
Raritanium Upgrade: Superheated Fuel Injector- A wider area of effect for your weapon, adding to the kill zone.
Level 5 Mutation: Incinerator- You get two jets of flame... so like the raritanium upgrade but kinda better, I guess?
Rating: 3/10. The range isn't that impressive and the damage isn't that great. Flamethrowers in the Ratchet and Clank seem to just kinda to be lackluster all around.
The Negotiator
It's a Fifth Element reference, whether you like it or not. Also a rocket launcher, I guess.
Attack: It bakes muffins. It's a goddamn rocket launcher, what do you think it does?
Raritanium Upgrade: Napalm Cells- When you shoot something, napalm goo flies around. Kinda like the Predator Launcher's level 5 thing, but actually good since you'll get it a lot earlier.
Level 5 Mutation: The Judicator- It launches three rockets at once. It'll kill shit, fast.
Rating: 10/10. This thing loves to kick the shit out of everything that looks at it funny.
Razor Claws
[insert generic wolverine reference #548A here]
Attack: It does a standard claw swipe. However, for every time you hit an enemy with these without taking damage, their range and damage increase.
Raritanium Upgrade: Fission Accelerator- Increases the speed that your combo increases by. Very handy.
Level 5 Mutation: Shredder Claws- Every third strike you make causes a knockdown effect on the enemy.
Rating: 8/10. I may not use them much, but I understand their raw potential, especially if you're good at avoiding getting hit in melee combat.
Mag-Net Launcher
I want to make a joke here, but I can't think of anything. It's a net!
Attack: You shoot an electrified net at an enemy, causing them to be stuck in place while taking damage. It's good.
Raritanium Upgrade: Inductor Coils- Your imprisonment time is extended, allowing to keep enemies out of combat even longer.
Level 5 Mutation: Mag-Net Cannon- When your nets wear off, they explode instead of just stopping. It's pretty great.
Rating: 10/10. Why didn't I ever use this, again?
RYNO IV
Rip Ya a New One version 4.0. The most powerful weapon in the game.
Attack: After a short rev up time, dozens of rockets per second come flying out, homing on anything on the screen, causing major damage. It's so powerful, it can make the final boss, a usually very hard fight, into a 30-second long "push fire button to win" sequence.
Raritanium Upgrade: It has no special raritanium upgrade. It doesn't NEED one.
Level 5 Mutation: RYNO IV Ever- Again, nothing special, it just does more damage.
Rating: N/A. This gun is obviously overpowered, all the RYNOs have been. You simply can't compare it to the other weapons aside from "better than them in every conceivable way, by a lot, on purpose".
Device Mechanics
Devices are special combat items that, while they may do so sometimes, are not required to deal damage. You cannot carry many of the devices at the same time, and they are more expensive than regular ammo, but they are handy in a pinch. They do not level up as you use them, but they're pretty beefy anyway, so it evens out.
The Groovitron
Disco isn't dead, it's just been shoved into a weapon and put up for sale!
Price and Ammunition: At 700 bolts each, these things can get expensive, and you can only carry 3 at a time.
Effect: Everything in the Groovitron's range stops attacking and dances. I do mean EVERYTHING. From the lowest, 1-hit kill enemy to the final boss itself, will stop what they're doing to get down. The length varies from enemy to enemy, but while they are dancing, you can do whatever you want to them. Even Ratchet and Clank aren't totally immune, as Ratchet bobs his head, and Clank does the robot on Ratchet's back.
Rating: 10/10. While the amount you may carry may lower the score for some people, it's effects are just too good for me to lower it. The Groovitron is probably the best device in the entire game.
Leech Bombs
Handy for getting health in a pinch.
Price and Ammunition: It's pretty expensive at 1000 bolts a pop, and you can only carry two at a time. Better be careful when you use it.
Effect: Throw it at an enemy, and it'll deal a little damage, and give it to you. Very nice, though the damage is something left to be desired.
Rating: 5/10. It's pretty average for a weapon, and there's a better version of it later.
Confuzzler Gas
Someone light a match, goddamn.
Price and Ammunition: You can hold two at a time. I don't even remember how expensive this stuff is.
Effect: Causes enemies to fight each other which is... uh... great I guess.
Rating: ?/10. Honestly, I have no idea. I don't think I've EVER used this stuff.
Mr. Zurkon
I think someone outright ignored the first law of robotics with this one.
Price and Ammunition: You can only hold 3 of Mr. Zurkon at a time, and it costs a hefty 4000 bolts.
Effect: Mr. Zurkon floats beside you, firing at enemies for extra damage. Oh, and he also makes hilarious statements as he does so.
Rating: 9.5/10. I can't give it a perfect 10 because of the Groovitron, but Mr. Zurkon is one of the best things in the game.
Visi-Copter
Whoever thought this was a good idea needs to fucking die.
Price and Ammunition: You can hold three. You'll only ever need to hold 0. Because this is ass. I don't even remember how fucking expensive it is. However much, it's too much.
Effect: You control the Vis-Copter remotely, shooting rockets and such. I guess you're supposed to use it to scout the area ahead, but it leaves Ratchet completely open, and controls like ass. Oh, and you can accidentally self-destruct it early.
Rating: 0/10. Fuck this thing.
Mega Leech Bomb
The leech bomb, on steroids.
Price and Ammunition: You'll only be able to hold one, but that's really to balance the game out, because holding more than one will tip it too far in your favor. Expensive, but worth it.
Effect: The same thing as the standard leech bomb, but far more powerful. At least twice the power.
Rating: 9/10. I think I use this almost as much as Mr. Zurkon.
Tansmorpher
No penguins were harmed in the making of this game. Except for these ones.
Price and Ammunition: You can only hold three at a time, so use them wisely. They also cost quite a bit.
Effect: It turns the enemy into a harmless penguin for a short time. Penguins die in one hit, so tough enemies can be rendered nigh-helpless with it.
Rating: 8/10. If I ever remembered that it was a thing that existed, I think I would use it more.
Death Springs
Hardcore slinkies.
Price and Ammunition: I'm pretty sure they're the most expensive device in the game. You can hold three at a shot, though.
Effect: The springs will spring around, heading towards enemies, where they will explode and deal major damage.
Rating: 8/10. Again, as with the transmorpher, I think I would use it more if I remembered I had the things.