'Ratchet & Clank'
By: Sony Music Entertainment
(PS2 / ASIN: B00006GSNX / SKN: 631925 / Rated 'Teen' / $49.99)
Features:Space-age action platformer with detailed, interactive environments and tons of different enemies and weapons. Beautiful, cartoon-style graphics ! For 1 player.
Description:Forget about 'Super Mario Sunshine,' this is the real superstar platform action game of the season. Featuring a pair of wacky robots in a quest to save the universe, 'Ratchet and Clank' may offer the same old basic platform scenario - run around, elude or destroy enemies, jump, and negotiate treacherously dynamic environments - but it has a number of things going for it that place it among the best titles ever in this genre.
Verdict:I am not a big fan of platform games because they are usually too repetitive, with the same enemies on each level. 'Rachet and Clank' is a whole new level of platform games. Not since 'GTA 3' has there been such a revolution of gameplay for a genre. In the next year the market is going to be flooded with platform games that try to copy the gameplay of this game. From the moment I put the game into my PS2, I have not turned it off. In fact it is on right now as I write this review. The levels are just beautifully designed. There are 36 different weapons to choose from plus the wrench that you start with (this is not your daddy's platform game !) There are different enemies on each level, the difficulty of the game increases as you play, and you get to choose which levels you get to go to. It is recommended since you will need a certain gadget from one level to complete another level. When you return to a level the difficulty increases slighty, and you play as two different characters( mostly Rachet). You can upgrade Clank (the robot) to turn him from a tiny robot to a giagantic killing machine and there is actually an entralling storyline (unlike most platform games). Man, there is so much more that I could mention but don't ant to ramble on - just like I have ! Buy it, NOW !
Max Morse