PS2 Ratchet and Clank Megathread!

[Bomberman]

I like the original PS2 trilogy a lot. Replayed on PS3 years ago but never played Deadlocked.

The PS3 and PS4/PS5 games have the gameplay down but are lacking tonally with the greatness of the OG trilogy.

I also miss the old art direction but the new one isn't necessarily bad just pixar esque

 

[JusticeAvenger]

I like the original PS2 trilogy a lot. Replayed on PS3 years ago but never played Deadlocked.

The PS3 and PS4/PS5 games have the gameplay down but are lacking tonally with the greatness of the OG trilogy.

I also miss the old art direction but the new one isn't necessarily bad just pixar esque

I agree wholeheartedly. Seen many fans express that online. We'll always have the classics! Four awesome PS2 games is more than most.

 

[Spyrone]

I love the Ratchet & Clank series. It's consistently been my favorite platformer series since the first released, and it's one of two platformers I consistently go back and play through a chunk of the series yearly (1-3 + Size Matters, the other franchise being my namesake). My favorites are probably Going Commando and A Crack In Time. I haven't played Rift Apart yet, but I've got it wishlisted on Steam. I also love that the series is basically a cyberpunk dystopia with atompunk aesthetics, with a corporate war being mentioned in the backstory of Going Commando and central galactic government in Up Your Arsenal only appearing after Drek Industries started a galactic war that destroyed several planets and invaded Gadgetron's HQ and flooded it.

I recommend Deadlocked! It's very different but very fun and has a lot more of that biting satire that Ratchet 1 has, which is sadly not as present through the rest of the series. I had to come to accept that fact, but also it helped me appreciate the games that had it even more while allowing me enjoy the ones that didn't.

Y'know, I honestly have avoided that one for the longest time because of it being an arena shooter. I remember playing a demo of it back when it first released, when I was in elementary school, and thinking "what the hell, this is just the arena levels turned it to the whole game, what a bunch of bull". But, now that you've mentioned the satire from the first game is present, I'm probably going to check it out. That's the one thing most of the other parts of the series is missing- all the other mechanics (and the other characters, Dr. Nefarious and Qwark in particular being consistently great) consistently improved but Ratchet became such a lame hero cliche.

 

[Iracunda]

I like the original PS2 trilogy a lot. Replayed on PS3 years ago but never played Deadlocked.

The PS3 and PS4/PS5 games have the gameplay down but are lacking tonally with the greatness of the OG trilogy.

I also miss the old art direction but the new one isn't necessarily bad just pixar esque

I just want them to bring the original composer back. All the music after the original ps2 games is so forgettable.

 

[KittenLikeYou007]

Ah, Ratchet & Clank! I really loved this series. I first discovered it back in the day with the very first game, Ratchet & Clank 1, thanks to a playable demo in PlayStation 2 Magazine, which included a compilation of demos on disc. Later, I bought the complete collection of all the Ratchet games for PlayStation 2. My favorite is the first one, out of nostalgia, but the best is definitely the third, which I absolutely loved.

 

[Spyrone]

I've been a fan of the series for a very long time, and I recently picked up Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for the PC on Steam. I have to say it is now my favorite for the series. It has the tightest gunplay out of all the Ratchet & Clank games, the funniest story (I've enjoyed Dr. Nefarious as always, but new characters like Emperor Nefarious, Junkbot, Glitch, Rivet and Kit are a welcome addition). Emperor Nefarious being actually competent and British-accented but still villianous douchebag was great, Glitch is like a homage to the Tachikomas from GiTS, Rivet gives me major Krystal vibes (the female vixen from Star Fox) in a good way, Junkbot's banter and relationship with Juice is pretty disturbing and funny, and Kit's extreme neuroticism are all well-done. I've also enjoyed the soundtrack and the amount of crazy homages to other Sony and/or Insomniac titles from Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter to Uncharted and Sunset Overdrive. It's too bad Universal owns the Spyro and Crash copyrights, because I feel that the Morts and Trudi were aching for a crossover with those franchises. The guns are all still great- there's returning favorites like the Warmonger and the Agents of Doom and new stuff like the Topiary Sprinkler and Mr. Fungi glove (I guess the only place left to go for that category of weaponry was plant and fungal based weapons, since sheep, chickens and everything else has already been done). I'm really enjoying it.

I'm also replaying Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando at the same time, which remains my favorite out of the old ones. It's kinda funny that it's space dogfights are far deeper and more well done than A Crack In Time's for the PS3.

 

[TacoMeister]

One of my first PS2 games was Ratchet & Clank and I loved it!

The world is beautifully crafted, the weapons were fun to use, the platforming is tight and I love the humor.