Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Teen
Platform(s): PS2 

Score: 10

Review by: Tim Harris

              Get ready because Ratchet & Clank are about to go commando. The sequel to a game that was released a mere nine months ago has hit the shelves. Now here at the game basement that usually turns out to be bad. But "Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando" is anything but bad. The game is the takes place right after six months after the defeat of chairman Drek. The duo has become bored as it seems no one is in need of a hero anymore.

But that all changes when they're hired by the Megacorp to catch a thief who has plans for the newest megacorp invention the propet. Once you start playing you'll fall right back into the swing of things. The controls have stayed the same, making vets of the first game very comfortable. But don't be turned away if you didn't play the first, because the controls are simple. One thing I noticed that was fixed is the enemy A.I. The bad guys are much smarter and fiercer this time around. But don't worry, because Ratchet has a ton of fun toys at his disposal. (and by toys, I mean weapons) And speaking of weapons and gadgets, Ratchet gets twenty new ones. Isn't it fun to kill your enemies with all new weapons. Also the weapons are upgradeable now, which is a great idea, considering that you wouldn't make it through the game without stronger weapons. Weapons upgrade the more you use them. You can also buy upgrades using a the hard to get platinum bolts, that are spread throughout the game. Finally, a hard to reach item that rewards you with something you want. Like I said before, if you start using an item a lot, about three or four levels later, (considering how much you use it) it will upgrade to something stronger. A gravity bomb can become a mini-nuke. Mini-nuke, the toy every child should own. But what has got to be the best feature is the new "Spherical worlds" You play on, obviously a giant sphere planet. Here you control giant clank as you battle it out in a rampage type setting. The buildings are crushable and hold health and extra ammo in them. There's also death match, where our little hero is placed in a gladiator type arena, and forced to battle it out OR DIE. What's really great about this title, is the replay value. The game actually encourages you to play through again, and just like in the first, you can use all the weapons and bolts you collected and play through with all those items. And this is no surprise, considering that the game is ten times harder. The developers have done an even better job with this one in even less time. Ratchet and Clank; Going Commando, defenantly has potential of being the best platform game of 2003. I'm giving it a 10.