Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)

The massive pair struggle a bit in the PSP's tight confines.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

Speaking of the camera, it's the cause of more than a few problems, chief among them the need for constant manual adjustment mid-battle. The camera also is often forced to close in on your character's backside, blocking your view of the action. The frantic explosions of the weapons (both yours and your enemies') can also make it hard to see what's going on.

Despite the control and presentation frustrations, it's extremely hard to get permanently stuck in Size Matters. The game constantly throws out rewards like extra energy and weapon-upgrading bolts, meaning that even the least skilled players can, through perseverance, eventually become strong enough to power through. That perseverance can easily get a little tiresome, though. Thanks to some widely spaced checkpoints, even the most skilled players will probably find themselves repeating lengthy sections of the game quite a few times. Fighting through four massive waves of enemies in one go is tough, but dying and repeating those same waves a dozen times in a row is nothing short of monotonous. One boss battle in particular is preceded by a five-minute series of jumping challenges that must be repeated after every death. After the fifth repetition, I was ready to throw my PSP into the nearest well.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy Size Matters. In between the frustrating bits there's just enough wit and clever design to keep things interesting. But the strain of putting such a complex series on the PSP does begin to show a bit at the seams, and the portable experience just doesn't match up to that of its console brethren.

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