Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)

The beloved dynamic duo makes their next-gen debut.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

It wouldn't be a Ratchet & Clank without a robust collection sub-game. This is based mainly on bolts, but there's also Raritanium for upgrading your weapons (which can even be upgraded to produce more bolts and Raritanium). There are points in the game where you have to collect "Leviathan souls" by fighting what are essentially mini-bosses. And, of course, there are gold bolts hidden around the galaxy that unlock costumes. You can unlock cheats by finishing secret achievements on each world, and there are hidden blueprints that you'll need to find for the ultimate weapon.

The weapon upgrades are a compromise between fussiness and autopilot simplicity, which are both errors Insomniac has made in the previous Ratchet & Clank games. In Tools of Destruction, you navigate a tree of upgrades for each weapon, with a special mystery upgrade nestled at the far end of the tree. There's nothing like getting to peer underneath a question mark to make you want to reach a distant point on a tech tree. There are also one-off devices taking the place of the more powerful weapons. The disco ball alone is almost worth the price of admission.

Of course, Sony's mandatory Sixaxis gimmicks are present. They're only mildly annoying. You can steer a tornado by tilting the gamepad, which is harder than it sounds, particularly if you're also trying to move Ratchet. A Sixaxis-controlled gyro cycle appears in a couple of sequences that can't end soon enough, but it's nowhere near as aggravating at the hacking mini-games, which have you rolling a ball around a tilting tray. Ratchet & Clank Future grinds to a screeching halt when you come to these sequences. There's also a pointless but innocuous gimmick where you use the Sixaxis to steer a cutting laser. Equally pointless are a few conversation trees. Exposition in a Ratchet & Clank game? Hey, you got your Mass Effect in my platformer!

But it's worth noting that the storyline is actually interesting this time around. There are still plenty of jokes, slightly less juvenile than usual, but with just as much stupid potty humor. However, under the funny is a strange hint of genocide and corporate guilt. There's also an intriguing mystery about the Zoni, Clank's ghostly new friends.

The sensation longtime fans might feel while hurtling through Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is mild disappointment. There's nothing new here, and it's so forgiving that your first play-through will fly by in a couple of evenings. It's an easy-going reiteration of the same slick combat, wacky weapons, cute enemies and lowbrow cut scenes that have made the series so good all along. But that's the problem with starting out almost perfect. After five years, there's only so much further you can go.

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.