By: Des Manttari Editor-in-Chief Phoenix Genesis / MBS LP www.phoenixgenesis.com April 3, 2004.

It's a busy time here in the Phoenix Genesis office as our staff gears up for it's sixth year of E3 media coverage in Los Angeles, CA. Everyone is excited to see playable footage of Ratchet and Clank 3, Kingdom Hearts 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Sly Cooper 2, among the too numerous list of games anticipated this year. However, as responsible representatives of the gaming industry, it is important to acknowledge those games which inspired us in the past. So, Phoenix Genesis is proud to offer the Ratchet and Clank series the Best Franchise for 2004. For my extremely in-depth coverage including movie footage and loads of screenshots, begin here. If you would like a quick printer-friendly text only review, see below.

Phoenix Genesis is proud to award Insomniac Games with the Best Franchise of 2004 Award for it's revolutionary action-adventure platform title "Ratchet and Clank" and "Ratchet and Clank 2." Read our intensive coverage to unlock all our intergalactic secrets. In keeping with the spirit of interactivity which this game inspires, please be aware that you can navigate this indepth analysis of the game by clicking on each section's topic names next to its corresponding paragraph to view a relevant image. To further enhance your interactive experience, we have provided movie and music clips as well as supplemental articles and the game script. Begin your online journey into the world of "Ratchet and Clank"...

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 (a.k.a., PS2) revolutionized the game industry. The PlayStation's capacity for 3D graphics was limited to 360,000 polygons per second, redrawn thirty times a second to simulate action, limiting it to 12,000 polygons. Insomniac's flagship platform title "Spyro the Dragon" pushed this capacity to the limit. Eventhough games fell short of looking realistic on the original PlayStation, my willing suspension of disbelief combined with groundbreaking titles made me a convert for life.

Then the Playstation 2 thundered onto the U.S. gaming scene on October 26, 2000, promising 66 million polygons per second. It was no surprise that it became the fasting-selling consumer electronics product in history. My friend Dave and I ran home in eager anticipation (like everyone else who was lucky enough to score a PS2 on launch day) to begin our new state-of-the-art gaming experience.

After a few hours, I felt an immense disappointment as I realized that Sony's new prodigical son had no new groundbreaking games to meet its processing power and graphical challenges. It would be another long year before some decent titles such as Squaresoft's "Final Fantasy X" and Konami's "Metal Gear Solid 2" hit the shelves. And another long year would elapse before I really became excited with the titles being produced.

But where was the Sony platformer mascot in the PS2 launch lineup? There was no new "Crash Bandicoot" for the PS2 nor was there a new "Spyro the Dragon" title. To appease myself, I replayed the entire "Spyro the Dragon" franchise as my PS2 is thankfully backwards compatible. Eventually, "Rayman 2: Revolution" was released, and although fun, wasn't really deserving of the yet unclaimed title of PS2 mascot.

Sony Platformers

Eventually Naughty Dog of "Crash Bandicoot" fame answered the call for a decent platformer with the release of "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy". Although the game did some interesting things with collision detection utilizing navigation meshes and provided an immerse and colorful world to explore, the main characters were far from endearing. Jak was a silent tabula rasa who the player was supposed to imbue with his or her own personality while Daxter was an annoying pest which one had to endure for the length of the again fairly short game (the game clocks in around 20 hours).

Sly Cooper

It would be almost another year before "Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus" was available on the retail shelves. "Sly Cooper" was the first cel-shaded PS2 game and pushed the platformer genre in a new direction. The title is affectionately referred to as "Critter Gear Solid" due to it's "Metal Gear Solid" approach to stealth in avoiding enemies, his Solid Snake moves (thanks to the guidance of Sly's family book "The Thevious Racoonus") gadgets, and Sly's computer genius comic sidekick, a turtle named Bentley.

Sly was the closest to making it to the PS2 mascot summit, but failed with it's short gameplay length (the hardcore gamer could complete it in 8 to 9 hours, but it took me 26 hours, still a short time in gaming standards). Also, the cheap one-hit deaths which Sly endured at the hands of his numerous enemies detracted from its true genius. Hopefully Sucker Punch will fix these problems in a sequel as Sly Cooper and his love interest and shapeshifting antagonist, Carmelita Fox, are characters worthy of further interactive adventures.

Insomniac Games

That's where Insomniac Games jumped to the rescue like a virtual superhero to save the platforming world with its introduction of "Ratchet and Clank" in the late fall of 2002. Insomniac's philosphy is to work on only one title at a time and to pour their collaborative heart and soul into the project for as long as it takes to perfect it, usually close to two years. This high standard paid off for the hugely successful "Spyro" series and will hopefully continue to bring in revenue with "Ratchet and Clank."

Plot

"Ratchet and Clank" is a space opera in the tradition of George Lucas' "Star Wars" movie. According to Ted Price of Insomniac, "Ratchet lives on a backward planet on the edge of the galaxy." Luke Skywalker also lived in a galaxy far away, a desert farming community far from the center of action and Darth Vader's Evil Empire. Oliver Wade, Animation Director for Insomniac, describes Ratchet as a "tinker" which is a trait which makes a harmonious marriage given the variety of gadgets, weapons, spacecraft, and aircraft which Ratchet will have to master to survive the game. Like Luke, Ratchet befriends a robot named Clank who disrupts Ratchet's normal world. Wade points out that "Clank is much more serious about accomplishing his goals" than Ratchet. Ultimate Surpreme Executive Chairman Drek has polluted the Blarg planet and needs to build a new one by harvesting nearby planets, destroying all inhabitants of these planet in the process. Clank is determined to stop him and must convince Ratchet to aid him.

Ratchet follows the archetypical hero's quest as first set forth by Joseph Campbell and milked for all it was worth by Lucas in his "Star Wars" trilogy. Ratchet lives in an ordinary world, but is given a call to adventure by his mentor, Clank. Ratchet is reluctant to rise to the occasion, more concerned about becoming the next hoverboard champion than saving the world from destruction. However, Ratchet is bribed into action when Clank mentions that he has a key component that Ratchet needs for his spaceship to work, i.e., the Robotic Ignition System. Although not the most compatible of duos, the two heroes join forces and overcome their differences in order to defeat Drek and his minions and save the world from destruction.

During their epic struggle to defeat evil, they take many twists and turns in their path, endure tests of their strength and courage as they battle enemies and meet non-playable character (NPC) allies who aid them on their quest, and fall into a trap based on betrayal. Surviving all this, they decided to shapeshift into their enemies and journey to Drek's innermost sanctum. They seize the sword which is the Deplanetizer which Drek was going to deploy to destroy Ratchet's home world of Veldin and turn it again him, defeating him and saving Ratchet's planet. However, the road back leads to near death for the two friends. In the end, they are resurrected spiritually and the elixer they bring back from the special world they have journeyed to is the knowledge that good always triumphs over evil as long as the heroes take personal responsibility, place their differences aside, and cooperate in a team effort.

Cutscenes

Since a game is interactive fiction, the story must advance through multiple techniques such as conversations with characters, cinematic "reward" scenes, unlocking story switches through some aspect of gameplay, and by completing each level and their accompanying boss fights. "Ratchet and Clank" does all this and more by throwing in key story elements in the form of Infobots which are obtained throughout the game. This is a very clever and efficient means of delivering story content and actually help the player keep track of story as well as mission goals in that the Infobots are accessible on call once they have been obtained. The pacing of the story matches the flawless pacing of the game and the dialogue is only spoken to move things along. For a game which is well over fifty plus hours in length, this is no small feat. There is nothing in the game which artificially extends its playtime, so each and every minute is sheer fun, excitement, and suspense.

Dialogue

Although the dialogue in the game isn't as witty and fast-paced as that found in "Sly Cooper," it is filled with humor and information which progresses the story. According to Ted Price, Insomniac is "committed to giving our games a lot of humor" which is often achieved through the use of sarcasm. The following excerpt from the game's dialogue demonstrates this use of sarcasm:

Ratchet: (laughs lightly) Look, Plumber's Crack! Waterworker: (turns around) What did you just say? Ratchet: I said "Look, the plumber's back." Waterworker: Alright wise guy, shouldn't you be on one of them escape transports?

Here's another example of Ratchet's sarcasm when he and Clank finish Captain Quark's obstacle course and encounter a rather fat, ugly, Nazi accented Gestapo drill instructor:

Trainer: Listen up, you lardballs! That was the most pathetic display I have ever seen on that obstacle course! Ratchet: Whadaya mean? Clank: We finished the circuit, ma'am. Trainer: Ya, but it was veak, veak, VEAK! Vhen I was competing I would devour courses like that for breakfast! Ratchet: Bet that's not all. Trainer: If it were up to me, you would drill, drill, drill for the rest of the day! But somehow you managed to impress that fool Captain Quark!

Visual FX

The visual effects in "Ratchet and Clank" are something which must be seen to be believed. The game moves at a smooth 60 frames per second, delivering believable motion to characters and real-time physics to vehicles. The weather effects such as rain and snow, the rich lush worlds or breathtaking cityscapes are rendered in jaw-dropping polygons. Since the player can switch to first person mode with a simple press of a button, every square inch of his point of view must be accounted for in graphic splendor. Ted Price assures his players that "technical performance is never lacking." Amazingly enough, Insomniac was able to perfect its already beautiful special effects in its sequel "Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando."

Color Theory

Insomniac Games is far from an amateur when it comes to their mastery of color theory as showcased in their original Playstation hit franchise "Spyro the Dragon." Each level has its own unique color palette limited to a few choice colors which define its mood and distinquishes it from other previously visited levels. John Fiorito, the lead artist at Insomniac and veteran color theorist for the "Spyro the Dragon" trilogy understands that simply changing the color of the sky can have a dramatic impact on a level's mood. A perfect example of this is Veldin, Ratchet's home world. In the opening of the game, it is a desert earthy toned golden color. At the end of the game, when Drek's evil intentions are looming large over it's destruction and his pathwork soon-to-be-completed planet has appeared in its gravitational orbit, the world takes on a blood red forboding color.

Fiorito also uses color in stark contrast to highlight the character from his surroundings. Notice how many blue-toned settings make Ratchet's yellowish fur stand out or the pink of a creature against the lush green foliage of the island level. Colors can also be complimentary, such as the green and silver of Ratchet's Hologuise matching with the greenish lighting and metal architecture of Drek's fleet. Purples and yellows are as craftfully matched as reds with greens and blues with yellows. The muted or dark tones convey the exact mood with which they were intended as do the more bright and cheerful levels. Fiorito will someday be referred to as the Vincent Van Gogh of video game art as he is such a groundbreaking and innovative master of color.

Architecture

Like in "Spyro the Dragon," architecture plays a key role in "Ratchet and Clank." The interiors and exteriors of buildings are places to be explored, climbed, unlocked, stormed, and deciphered. The exteriors of buildings serve the dual purpose of landmarks in the game, helping to establish the overall setting of the level and to pinpoint precise location in the event of becoming lost. The architectural style of a building helps to establish the setting upon which it was built, whether the player is in a high-tech world or a technologically backwater planet ripe for conquest by the Drek and his Blarg army.

Vehicles

Vehicles come in three varieties in "Ratchet and Clank." There are those with which he can interact with such as the happy face yellow taxi, the spaceships he uses to travel between planets, the Blarg fighters he pilots, and the train which he rides while he fights the Blarg. Then there are those vehicles which attack him such as Blarg army tanks, spacecraft, fighter planes, and military helicopters. Finally, there are those vehicles which merely provide background ambiance to the virtual world by looping around in the sky. Most of the vehicles are sufficient in design, but some could be greatly iomproved such as the spaceships Ratchet jettisons around the galaxy with. I think the best vehicle design is the Benny the Cab lookalike cab while drives Ratchet and Clank on an express route back to the start of whatever level it happens to be on.

Characters

Insomniac understands the principles of successful character design. A game's mascots should be simple in design with a limited range of colors which brand them to the player. The eyes and mouth should be well animated to maximize realistic expressions, hence giving life to the characters. The characters poses and movement should be consistent with their unique personalities while following realistic physics modeling for character animation.

All these principles apply to the main characters of Ratchet and Clank as well as all the other NPCs the player encounters throughout the game. As the Insomniac team explains, "Ratchet started as this small scrappy cat-like thing. Then a much taller dog-like creature. We then combined these two ideas." Ratchet is his own breed of creature which suits his unique character. Notice that his coloring is limited to green, gold, and brown while Clank is a robotic metal gray with glowing green eyes. Their designs are simple, yet they stand out due to their personalities. Each characters color palette is used to enchance their backgrounds, either by providing a sharp contrast or by complimenting the character with hints of ascentuated color. At all times, the characters do not feel out of place to their surroundings. Ratchet and Clank are two characters who will become part of the American gaming iconography, right next to their gaming forefather, Spyro the Dragon.

To Insomniac's credit, they did an excellent job of weaving the familiar characters of the first game with some new characters in the sequel. I think it was a nice touch to add love interests for both the main characters with some interesting plot twists thrown in for Ratchet's female counterpart. Additionally, the Cheats menu provides some nice deviation in character design for both Ratchet and Clank with my favorite being the Solid Snake tuxedo outfit for Ratchet.

Background Music

The background music for both games is composed and performed by David Bergeaud. He is a film score composer with a handful of uneventful albums to his credit such as "Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam" (1996), "Street Soldiers" (1991), and "Twice Dead" (1988). Bergeaud is no stranger to scoring for game music. He created the score for Insomniac's first game on the N64 entitled "Disruptor." Although his music is not as memorable or innnovative as Stewart Copeland's "Spyro the Dragon" game music trilogy, Bergeaud did manage to hit the auditory mark with his score for "Ratchet and Clank."

The music is lively with its quirky techno futuristic feel, perfect for the colorful and cartoonish sci-world which Ratchet and Clank inhabit. The Gadgetron Hooverboard music piece smacks right out of the successful PSOne hoovercraft racing triology "Wipeout" with its sense of speed and funky techno fusion beat. Although the music is mostly repetitive loops, it doesn't manage to get on one's nerves as some game music does. It would have been more interesting if the music were to react to the action on the screen and the emotions of the characters. Perhaps Insomniac will work on this in future titles.

Sound FX

"Clank, Bam, Boom!" These are the common sounds as the player moves through the world of "Ratchet and Clank." The game's sound effects are as much an auditory treat as the visuals are eye candy. Jackie Evanochick, Insomniac's enthusiastic sound designer, points out that her company has "high expectations of delivering excellence." This rings true in the area of sound effects. Each sound is recorded at a perfect volume level and pitch. Not only does the sound match the action, but it is often an auditory cue to the player, warning of danger, confirming weapon or menu selections, obtaining items, or simply adding reality to the gaming environment.

Interestingly enough, whether to appease fans of the Spyro series or to utlize pre-existing sounds from their effects library, several of the enemies correspond with sounds of enemies from the Spyro games. Hmmm... Either way, it was an enjoyable treat for me to hear these sounds again. Lastly, there can be a tendancy to use music as a mask to cover the lack of sound effects. It is evident by Insomniac's attention to detail and perfectionist attitude that this is far from the case. Every possible sound option is exploited to its full potential.

Voice Acting

Top notch talent make this game a real treat. The professional voice acting cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson (Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex) as the game's ultra evil villain Chairman Drek, Jim Ward (Escape from Monkey Island and Grim Fandango) as the superhero Captain Quark, Neil Flynn (Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story) as hoverboard pro Skid McMarx, and many other well recognized voiceover actors. Mikey Kelley does a phenomenal job as Ratchet's voice as does David Kaye when voicing Clank.

Language Options

Not leaving any stone unturned, Insomniac incorporated a multitude of languages to choose from in the "Ratchet and Clank" Language option menu. The player can enjoy the game in English, French, German, Spanish, or Italian. It's a shame that Insomniac failed to include Japanese given the fact that their former "Spyro the Dragon" title was a huge hit in Japan despite it being an American innovation.

Enemy AI

Unfortunately, the enemy's intelligence is often lacking in "Ratchet and Clank." Rather than being true artificial intelligence (a.k.a., "AI"), the enemy acts more on artificial instinct with distinct migratory patterns which can be easily deciphered with a little time and patience. The AI apple does not fall far from the tree, and it appears that Insomniac merely mirrors the same pathfinding algorithms found in its Playstation predecessor "Spyro" in its PS2 platformer. Often Ratchet can provoke multiple enemies into action and then step aside to watch them attack and ultimately destroy each other. Also, with increasing levels of difficulty in later planets, one would assume that the enemies would become increasingly difficult. Either I became so good at dispatching them due to my mastery of the game mechanics or the enemies really were cookie cutters of ones previously encountered. Since many of the enemies appeared strikingly similar in appearance and follow identical tactical pathfinding routines, I assume the latter to be true.

When one finishes "Ratchet and Clank 2", the player is given the option of replaying the game in "Challenge Mode." Although there are more enemies with a bit more intelligence, there is little challenge involved in the warfare when Ratchet's weapons are upgraded to ultra mode and the player equips him with Ultra Killinoids which quickly do short work of any enemies he may encounter on any given level.

Although the arsenal of firepower adds tactical considerations to enemy encounters, the battles could have been even more interesting if stealth (such as incorporated in "Sly Cooper") or natural terrain was used for cover and positioning in battle. Unfortunately, most of Ratchet's time is spent out in the open with nowhere to hide or in a tightly constrained room with nothing but breakable crates to temporarily hide behind. So, I hope that Insomniac focuses more on AI in future games. Perhaps they can utilize the navigation mesh technology pioneered by their friends and fellow colleagues Naughty Dog. Additionally, although the collision detection was well done, it could be integrated into the pathfinding model to provide real world movement and intelligent AI.

Puzzles

Unfortunately, the puzzle solving aspect of "Ratchet and Clank" is sorely lacking. There are only three pseudo-puzzles which come to mind. The first involves opening some sealed buildings using Ratchet's wrench. A real no brainer in that the player simply clamps onto the large bolt-like device and turns it in one direction until the bolt loosens and the door opens. Another puzzle involves filling and draining huge tanks of water with Ratchet's Hydrodisplacer. Again, this is fairly easy to figure out; if the tank is full, it probably needs to be drained and vice versa.

The last puzzle, and perhaps most difficult in comparison, involves again opening sealed doors with a sort of electronic safecracking gadget aptly named the Trespasser. The puzzle to solve involves three rings with colored beams. Turning them this way and that without really much thought usually solves the problem. I could "hack" these puzzles quicker than I could reach for my strategy guide. Whether I'm just a gaming genius or the puzzles were too easy, I tend to think it is the latter scenario as other gamers seemed to solve these puzzles with ease. To Insomniac's credit, there were no impossible to solve puzzles nor any puzzles which involved pushing blocks around or backtracking to find keys to open doors like many other games.

Pacing

The pacing of the game is dead on. Although nothing seems to be left out or rushed, the gameplay is never too slow. There's just so much to do and all the time in the world to do it in with the exception of a few timed events. The balance of gameplay is given its due credit in each level with a total gaming experience which feels very fluid and balanced.

Level Design

Each level is as rich, detailed, and massive as the one before it. Historically, most platformer titles are known for forcing the player to backtrack through a large portion of each level. This is thankfully not the case in "Ratchet and Clank." The design of the levels make them feel like living breathing worlds in which the player wants to explore every nook and cranny rather than a confusing, frustrating, and linear maze which one must navigate through. There is more than one way to negotiate a level as there are weapons with which to dispatch one's enemies and often the tactical considerations of warfare dictate the speed and navigational path of manuevering from beginning to end. One must play "Ratchet and Clank 2" to fully appreciate just how massive this world is, both in the actual levels and the number or worlds there are to explore and complete. I finished the sequel in a little over 50 hours!

Learning Curve

As Ted Price explains, "Well, I think the thing that really sets this apart is the weapons - you've got lots to choose from and the ability to blow the crap out of everything. That's the first thing people notice when they pick up the controls. And it's easy to destroy things at first but then as the game progresses you do have to start thinking about strategy and which weapons you should be using against each enemy. So we've created a fairly smooth difficulty curve - it's easy to jump into the game at first but when you start moving through the levels it gets more challenging and you have to start thinking a little more about what you're using. The gadgets are cool too - you do a lot of fun things with them. So variety will be a big attraction to consumers. Every level gives you something new to try."

As seen by Price's statement, the game's learning curve is very gentle and smooth. Insomniac seems to follow the unwritten law of video games which is to initiate a player into a video game universe very gently by not loading the player down with complicated inventory or overly difficult enemies or levels. The player moves along fairly easily, "winning" or "succeeding" as the game rules dictate with little or no frustration. After a certain point, the player has too much invested emotionally into the game and is now committed to overcoming the progressive levels of difficulty. Throw in a compelling storyline and interesting characters and the player is further addicted to experiencing the video game world from beginning to end. The sequel picks right off where the first game began, so anyone continuing in the franchise will feel right at home in this game world.

In comparison to Insomniac's "Spyro the Dragon" PSOne game, "Ratchet and Clank" has a much easier learning curve. I love all three of Insomniac's Spyro games, yet no matter how hard I tried, I would reach a little under sixty percent completion in each game only to be unable to progress further. Additionally, I would spend hours lost in their many worlds, unable to find the balloonist to take me back to an easier level. Although "Ratchet and Clank" has almost three times the same massive levels as the Spyro games, I find myself neither lost nor frustratingly stuck as the case may be. I would say that "Ratchet and Clank" follows the video game rule of "easy to learn, yet difficult to master."

Ted Price's words above ring more true than ever in context to the "easy to learn, yet difficult to master" rule. First and foremost, the player simply destroys everything in sight, yet later, the player learns to strafe, backflip, and heli-pack out of his enemies' way. Once more weapons are acquired, the player experiments with each to get the feel of their effectivness at varying distances and with different enemy scenarios. I often died in the game until I figured out the proper strategy to outsmart my opponents. I also learned that flight can take precedence over fighting. I was an artist of warfare and my multitude of weapons were my palette of destruction. However, the brushes employed were the easy to use Quick Select pie menu for my favorite weapons as well as my easy to manage inventory.

Mini-Games

"Ratchet and Clank" offers a plethora of minigames. However, these minigames are not isolated events but are embedded in the course of exploration and, more often than not, are a crucial part of advancing the story and unlocking new worlds. One minigame is the hoverboard races which appear several times in the game. Another minigame is collecting bolts with Ratchet's Metal Detector while yet another is riding the rails with Ratchet's grindboots. Another sort of minigame is the Captain Quark Obstacle Course which our duo must successfully navigate. Still another type of minigame is trying to beat the clock swimming underwater as Ratchet navigates electrically charged enormous fan blades and laser beams.

Interactivity

The game's play mechanics are filled with interactivity. Ratchet sports a wide array of cool moves. His attack moves include muti-strike, hyper-strike, and comet-stike. Ratchet's athletic feats include wall jump, crouch turn, swim, side flip, back flip, ledge grab, ledge traversal, glide, boost jump, and stretch jump. The player can combine these moves with a multitude of weapons, gadgets, and items. Between Ratchet's moves and his inventory, he is ready to take on the enemy whether via manning gun turrets, riding trains and air taxis, steering hoverboards, piloting Blarg fighter planes or spacecraft, outrunning, oursmarting, or just straightforward crushing his foes.

In addition to enemy encounters and general level exploration, Rathet's moves and equipment come in handy when he is collecting bolts, rare gold bolts, smashing ammo crates and nanotech health sphere, completing Captain Quark's Obstacle Course, swimming underwater, riding high-speed grind rails with their multitude of obstacles, or negotiating tricky terrain in his Magne-boots. Even the static objects in the environment can be interacted with. Mushrooms, lamp posts, statues, and other objects can be destroyed and converted into monetary bolts. Then there are the missions to be completed when one gets done with just having fun in these virtual worlds.

Not forgetting that Clank also is a playable character who can command his own army of little robotic balls of death, transform into a monsterous weapon of mass destruction as Big Clank, and battle enemies just as he is instead of remaining little more than Ratchet's Inspector Gadget backpack. With so much to do in the world of "Ratchet and Clank," is it any wonder the game clocks in at around 60 hours of gameplay for the hardcore gamer who wants the total gaming experience?

Although the game does have non-playable story elements in the form of infobot movies and cinematic ingame cutscenes, these are limited to providing only the crucial information needed to move the plot and gameplay forward. As a result, these interludes from interactivity do not detract from the game experience, but enhance it. It is important to point out that not only is the game completely interactive as a game should be, but the GUI interface of all the menus is equally as engrossing and fun to manipulate or browse. The interface feels like a laptop at Ratchet's disposal rather than an artificial construct. This is truly a player's game and not a game designer's game.

Replay Value

Considering the fact that there's a lot of fun stuff to do in "Ratchet and Clank," a compelling storyline, a relaxing interface and controller scheme, pleasant music, memorable charming heroes, and jaw-dropping visual effects, I would consider the game's replay value to be extremely high. Additionally, since the completion of the initial game unlocks the skill point challenge and gold bolt weapon upgrades, there is added incentive to play through the game at least one more time. Rather than invest hard-earned dollars on new and untested titles in the past, I have dusted off my PsOne "Spyro the Dragon" games and played them over again. In an age of technical advancements, a strong older title on an out-of-date system will still take precedence over a poorly made Playstation 2 game. I'm sure that "Ratchet and Clank" will become a PS2 greatest hits title well into the Playstation 3's lifespan and that it will stand up to many of the future console's titles. Also, the Challenge Mode of "Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando" adds a great deal of replay value to the game. It will be interesting to see what tricks Insomniac has in its sleeve for "Ratchet and Clank 3."

Navigation

We live in a world which most people experience their lives through a Graphical User Interface (a.k.a., "GUI"). Most young children learn to walk, then they use this ability to walk over to their parent's computer or old sibling's game console and take mouse or game controller in their hands. Children being born now have never known a time without the Internet or PS2, much like our generation did not know a time without television.

Neal Stephenson in his book "In the Beginning... was the Command Line," (1999) claims that we are in an "interface culture" in which almost every single consumer product comes with multiple features and accompanying interfaces. Stephenson states at page 67, "If you are like me, and like most other consumers, you have never used ninety percent of the available features on your microwave oven, VCR, or cell phone. You don't even know that these features exist. The small benefit they might bring you is outweighed by the sheer hassle of having to learn about them. This has got to be a big problem for makers of consumer goods, because they can't compete without offering features." However, when an interface is not intuitive and when features are not a necessity to navigating the consumer product, then the "blinking twelve problem" occurs. Stephenson explains that this term refers to most VCR clocks which only God and Sony know how to reset.

Thus, a simple consumer electronics product can become complicated if it is burdened with too many useless features and a clunky difficult to navigate interface. Fortunately, in the case of "Ratchet and Clank," the navigation of the game's numerous menus in conjunction with the player's hand and eye coordination is a true synergy. I used each and every feature offered to me and quickly and intuitively grasped its purpose in enhancing my playing experience.

The first menu encountered in the game is the Options Menu. The player will notice that there are exactly seven pieces of information on this screen which includes six menu options and the number of bolts collected on the top left. This is no arbitrary number which Insomniac pulled out of a hat. Have you ever wondered why local phone numbers have only seven digits or why the classic action puzzle game "Tetris" has seven pieces? Well, Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian designer of "Tetris" thoroughly understood that seven was the number of things, (whether it be objects, concepts, letters or numbers) a person could hold in his or her head at one time. Not only were there seven different pieces in Tetris, but since the player could rotate these pieces any way he wanted, there were only seven truly unique combinations possible.

So, whether consciously or not, Insomniac provides the player with six options to choose from in the Options Menu and one addtional piece of information (i.e., the number of total bolts). Since the Quick Select Pie Menu is based on directional orientation, it actually has eight item slots available, but it is based on a pre-existing navigation standard of a real world compass, so this one extra number over the magic seven is acceptable in this instance. Each of these six options in "Ratchet and Clank"'s Option Menu are extremely useful, if not necessary, to the game. Each of these submenus are worthy of further examination.

Ease of Use

Ease of use for a consumer electronics product is twofold. First, it is dependent on the platform for which the product is made. Secondly, it is dependent on the product itself. In the case of "Ratchet and Clank," the Playstation 2 (PS2) game console platform is the current standard in the gaming industry, at least according to published sales statistics. Since it is an upgrade of Sony's original Playstation, most of the features such as the design of the controller carried over into its predecessor. Furthermore, the PS2 is a simple device to use. You plug it into an outlet and plug the other wires into your television. Then you turn the TV and PS2 on with a flip of switch on each. Next, the game CD or DVD is inserted into its slot, the controller goes into its slot, and the memory card into its place and the player is off and gaming. Even a small child can figure out how to get a game going on the PS2.

As to the games themselves, the ease of use ranges from easy to extremely difficult. Unfortunately, it shouldn't be difficult and many a casual gamer will immediately run in the opposite direction if a game proves frustrating, especially in the initial getting started interface phase. Again, "Ratchet and Clank" succeeds in providing a product which is easy to use. Autistic children with little language had no problem starting a new game or continuing a previous save.

Additionally, the Gadgetron, Weapon, Gadget, and Quick Select menus were extremely visual with colorful icons catering to autistic children's sense of visual spatial memory and thought processes. As to hearing impaired gamers, "Ratchet and Clank" succeeds where "Jak and Daxter" failed in that the former provides subtitles to all the dialogue in the game and detailed descriptions of missions, Ratchet's moves, and other crucial information. As for blind gamers, the games comes with a multitude of language options, great music, and sound effects for every conceivable scenario a gamer might find himself in. Typically a blind gamer is limited to 2D side scrollers or fighting games. However, with "Ratchet and Clank"'s outstanding use of sound, a blind player could use the sound effects as an auditory cartography of the immense 3D free roaming levels. Thus, Insomniac's PS2 game is equally accessible to hardcore, casual, and impaired gamers.

Controls

In Donna Haraway's 1991 "Cyborg Manifesto," she argues that our human essence is not entirely defined by our bodies and that humans merging with machines is a natural progression. "Why should our bodies end at the skin, or include at best other beings encapsulated by skin?" Just as other prominent writers have pointed out that cars have become an extension of our bodies, so have game controllers become extensions of our hands. If the Playstation 2 game screen is the Graphical User Interface (GUI), then the PS2 Dual Shock 2 controller is the Sensorial Interface.

Insomniac's PS2 game's controls felt at all times like an extension of my body. I did not have to stop and think about which button to press, I merely pressed them mindlessly as I focused on the events on the screen. Some action games attempt to add interest to the gameplay by incorporating complicated button combos or timed button presses. Thankfully, "Ratchet and Clank" did not employ these gimmicks.

The triangle button opens the Quick Select Screen where the player can instantly access his eight favorite weapons and gadgets. The circle button is used for firing the equipped weapon while the square button is to switch back to and utilize Ratchet's wrench. The x button is for most other action moves. Often an item in the game will be marked with a huge "X" to indicate to the player that he must interact with this object by using the x button on his controller. The start button brings up the menu options screen while the R3 button brings up a current map of the area which can be zoomed in or out. Ratchet or Clank, depending on which one is the playable character, is moved with the left analog stick. The playable characters moved where I wanted them to and their movement was smooth and natural. It can't get much easier than this!

A nice feature was the ability to go into first person mode and target one's enemies. Unlike a First Person Shooter (FPS), one cannot move in first person mode. I think a true FPS mode would have really given some replay value to the game and made it feel more like "Halo," but this is something that perhaps Insomniac can think about in the future. An online FPS version of "Ratchet and Clank" would make a nice Saturday Morning Cartoon Frag Fest, eh?

My one complaint with the controls is that the game didn't feature the Dual Shock controller's wonderful vibration feature. The game would have felt more realistic if explosions from enemy heavy artillery resulted in some groundshaking vibration. Another use of the vibration function is when Ratchet fails the timed underwater swim tests and is electrocuted. Although the player has failed (for the time being), he would still be rewarded with a little sensory input. Again, this is something Insomniac can focus on in the future and did in fact incorporate to some level in its sequel.

Quick Select

The Quick Select Pie Menu is Insomniac's interface masterpiece. I couldn't imagine the game delivering the same speed, efficiency, excitement, or entertainment without it. For the uninitiated, the Quick Select feature is a pie chart menu summoned by the player during gameplay by pressing the triangle button. The Quick Select menu allows the player to quickly select (as the name itself states) one of eight favorite weapons or gadgets. Any of these eight items can be swapped out fairly easily which becomes crucial when one is out of ammo or when a gadget is suddenly needed to perform a necessary task at any particular moment. Not only that, but the order of the items is easily rearranged to any possible combination of the eight slots. This customization and quick access gives the player a sense of total freedom in warfare and level exploration as well as liberation from burdensome inventory management.

For example, Ratchet may approach a certain sticky area of a level swarming with unexpected enemies. He is shot at and his drone device protection is lost. Quickly, the player selects the Drone Device again and the shield of little metallic balls whirls around Ratchet. Then, Ratchet selects the Glove of Doom and throws it at a swarm of enemies and the little robotic critters hatch from the Doom Eggs to do the dirty work for Ratchet. However, Ratchet is shot at from an overhead helicopter which is out of reach for his regular weapons, so he uses a Visibomb to navigate through the skies and around the corner to blow up the enemy. When all the enemies are dispatched, Ratchet smashes a few ammo crates with his wrench (to save on ammo, the wrench is selected), and finally, the player selects Ratchet's Swingshot and, like Spiderman meets Tarzan, he safely swings across an abyss and progresses through the level. Phew! That seems like a lot of work, but it is all done so naturally thanks to the Quick Select menu.

According to Don Hopkins in his article "Natural Selection: The Evolution of Pie Menus" (Game Programming Gems 3, 2002, p.117, et. al.), "pie menus are a naturally efficient user-interface technique." He goes on to explain that "because the physical motions of a novice, itermediate, and expert users are the same, pie menus transparently train you to become an expert. Each time you mske a selection, you're rehearsing the expert mouse-ahead gesture. The immediate stage is like an escalator along the learning curve.... Pie menus exploit your body's ability to remember muscle motion and direction, even when your mind has forgotten the name of the corresponding item." This explains why the learning curve in "Ratchet and Clank" was so gentle and why the Quick Select pie menu felt so intuitive to the hand and mind.

Help Desk

The Help Desk is another feature in "Ratchet and Clank" which is much appreciated. When Ratchet encounters new situations, the Help Desk complete with a friendly digitized female computer voice briefs the player on the specifics of the situation and how to deal with it. Additionally, a Help Menu is in place with the following submenus: Help Log, Controls, Moves, Weapons, and Gadgets.

Inventory

In a role playing game (a.k.a., RPG) such as "Final Fantasy X," more items and weapons in one's inventory means more work to manage them. However, in "Ratchet and Clank" the variety of gadgets and weapons doesn't make the player feel bogged down. Rather, I felt liberated as I now had creative choices at my disposal. Although weapon ammo had to be bought with the Gadgetron Vendor, one could not buy excess ammo and the ammo bought was instantly equipped into the weapon. Weapons were never upgraded, so the player only needed to be concerned with acquiring more powerful weapons as he progressed through the game. Additionally, any ammo found by breaking ammo crates was instantly added to the weapon. The same held true for Nanotech spheres which were automatically inserted into empty health slots. The menus at the top of the playing screen helps the player keep track of how much health and ammo he has at his disposal. A simple tap of the triangle button lets the player know which Quick Select items are at his disposal. Simple bold icons help the player take in inventory information at lightning speed so that he is not distracted from his gameplay.

In "Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando," Insomniac finally allowed the player to upgrade his or her arsenal of weapons. The more a player used a weapon, the more the weapon's upgrade bar filled until the weapon finally evolved much like a Pokemon into a more powerful weapon. Additionally, by collecting platinum bolts, the player was able to trade these for weapon modifications such as shock or acid mode or lock-on features. In the Challenge Mode, the player can purchase even more powerful versions of already acquired weapons. The weapon design and variety is the meat of the sequel. Finally, if the player has retained his or her original "Ratchet and Clank" save, he or she can port over the weapons used in the original game. Although they are not as powerful as the new weapons offered in the sequel, they are still very useful in certain situations such as the Visibomb. These weapons can also be upgraded. Maps

Maps come in two flavors in "Ratchet and Clank": the intergalactic map in which Ratchet charts his course from planet to planet or the site map of the area of the planet Ratchet is exploring which becomes his ingame level specific personal Global Positioning System. The ingame map is accessed by pressing the R3 button on the controller. The player can easily zoom in and out of the map for better viewing. Not only is the playable character's position noted on the map, but areas already explored are highlighted in a golden yellow color in sharp contrast to the yet to be explored areas. Eventually, in Gadgetron's quest to map every square inch of the galaxy, secret areas will be revealed to Ratchet for further exploration. Since the levels are so huge and so numerous, maps are absolute necessities in this game. Fortunately, these maps provide just the bare essentials needed to chart one's position without overwhelming the player with too much information.

Mission Objectives

Exploration in "Ratchet and Clank" often is an interactive experience in its own right. However, not to lose perspective of the goals of each level, Insomniac has provided a nice checklist of each mission objective per planet complete with an option to watch the Infobot video clip which explains in detail the overall objectives of that specific level. When all the specific missions are completed, a new sentence is displayed which informs the user of his completed mission status. Often this comes in quite handy when the player has to return to a certain planet to complete a task which can only be accomplished by further venturing to a new planet once its coordinates become available on the intergalactic map. Thus, everything is presented in a clean orderly fashion. Since Insomniac's PS2 game is so massive in terms of level size, amount of planets to explore, and overall game length, having a checklist of missions provides the player with a sense of accomplishment of his short (finishing a single mission) and medium (completing one planet's missions) term goals in the game.

Audience

Since the 1980s, our society has revolved around the child consumer. Numerous youth marketing consulting companies have sprunk up like weeds to answer the call to "kid consumerism." According to Dan S. Acoff, author of the book "What Kids Buy and Why" (1997) and President of Youth Market System Consulting, approximately eighty percent of dreams from children age six and under are about animals. Not scary animals, but warm cuddly creatures such as Furby, Barney the purple dinosaur, Pikachu and his Pokemon friends, Disney mascots, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the purple dragon, Joe Camel, the Teletubbies, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, Squaresoft's chocobo and moogle of Final Fantasy fame, Sony's Sly Cooper the thieving racoon, Naughty Dog's crash bandicoot the orange marsupial, many Nintendo characters, Lucas' Ewoks, and Spielberg's ET: the Extra Terrestrial. Acoff's company has pioneered a technique, based on their dream research of children, called "Character Appeal Quadrant Analysis" which is aimed at helping companies develop new mascots. "The technique purports to create imaginary characters who perfectly fit the targeted age group's level of cognitive and neurological development." (Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," p.45)

It is obvious from a single glance of Ratchet's character design that Insomniac's main star of "Ratchet and Clank" fits the criteria of a warm, cuddly, fuzzy virtual pet which any kid would fall in love with instantly much like Furby. Apart from his visual appeal, Ratchet sports a "cool" teen idol attitude with his biting sarcasm, technical expertise with space ships, Swiss Army Knife backpack robot companion Clank, and extreme sports Hoverboarding expertise. Clank can be seen as a Lego Mindstorm invention to kids and combines the best of "Star Wars" R2D2 and 3CPO. Given the fact that Ratchet is a space pilot from a backwater planet who initially decides to use the inactivated Clank as parts for his spaceship until Clank "awakens" with an urgent message about planetary destruction, we have an interactive CG animated version of "Star Wars." Combine the concepts of the three most important interactive "toys" of recent years (the Furby, Lego Mindstorms, and Sony's Playstation 2) and throw the "Star Wars" universe into the mix and you have a formula which is guaranteed to appeal to not only young children, but to teens, young adults, and parents as well.

Having spent the last two years as a video game therapist for autistic children, I clocked in a great deal of time playing platform mascot games such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Rayman 2, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet and Clank. I learned which aspects of each of these games were appealing and why as well as what technical aspects of the games were frustrating or boring. Of all these games, Ratchet and Clank was the simplest for an autistic child to master while also holding appeal for an older teenage sibling to enjoy without feeling embarassed due to its "Halo" and "Grand Theft Auto" arsenal of weapons and warzone mission-based level design.

As Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games confirms, "I think Ratchet and Clank will appeal to as wide an audience as Jak and Daxter does. We're going for a very broad IS. We know that the 10 year olds respond as well as the 22 year olds. But I think the weapons are the great equaliser for us. All male gamers enjoy it."

Insomniac understands not only character mascot appeal, but the overall visual, auditory, and interactive experience. The controls are fluid, the menu systems intuitive, and the sound effects and music are pleasing to the ear. The battle system provides enough variety of weapons to keep hardcore gamers interested, yet an autistic child can easily dispatch each level's enemies with only Ratchet's wrench (for the most part as some enemies such as helicopters are out of reach even with the wrench's boomerang feature).

The environments of each planet follow the Disney and McDonalds appeal of providing pleasing images such as the bright yellow Chevron meets Thomas the Tank happy face taxi which takes our heroes on an express route to previous points in a level, the golden bolts which are claimed like prizes, the appearance of Clank as a toy, the huge colorful worlds like playgrounds to explore, and the clownish appearance of Captain Quark. It is not a coincidence that the voice acting done for pro hooverboard character Skid McMarx is the same as Disney's character Buzz Lightyear from "Toy Story and that Captain Quark bears a striking resemblence to Buzz Lightyear.

If the expansive worlds of "Ratchet and Clank" at times become more than mere playgrounds, they become theme parks with the Magnetoboots loops, the Grindrail rollercoasters, the Hooverboard races, the Olympian obstacle courses, the turret gun challenges, and the arcade shooting gallery aerial dogfights. Additionally, Ratchet's impressive arsenal of gadgets and weapons along with his robot Clank can be viewed as toys with which Ratchet plays with in his magical fantasy worlds. What kid could resist all this? For adults, "Ratchet and Clank" is much like experiencing Christmas, where an adult is allowed to once again become childlike in his or her wonder and awe at the world.

Online Connectivity

Online connectivity is sadly lacking in "Ratchet and Clank." Given that this game is being marketed as an action-adventure game rather than a platformer and that it includes an arsenal of weapons with which to destroy anything and everything that gets in the player's way, it would be ideal as an online game. Since there many diverse and interesting characters and multiple vast levels to explore, plus there is a plot to the story much like a role playing game, it could possible succeed as a massive multiplayer online game on several levels. Throw in a FPS mode and you've got a cross between the firepower of "Halo", the slick moves of "Devil May Cry" and the charm of "Kingdom Hearts."

Goals

A point worth mentioning is that although the worlds of "Ratchet and Clank" are populated with hoardes of varying enemies and air traffic to simulate life, there is little in the way of non-playable characters existing in these worlds. The only NPCs in the game are the ones who play an essential role in advancing the storyline and gameplay. Rockstar's smash PS2 hit "Grand Theft Auto" and it's sequel, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" were both purely offline games, yet they felt as if these were online experiences due to the saturation of NPCs who inhabited Liberty City and Vice City and the surrounding area. When not on a specific mission, the player could immerse himself in the conversations of these NPCs as they went about their business, ignoring the player's mobster avatar.

Online or offline, a game as massive as "Ratchet and Clank" deserves a world with believable inhabitants, especially since the theme of the game was about saving the galaxy from evil. As a player, how could I empathize with Ratchet's plight of not wanting to save these planets which for the most part appeared death and deserted. Who else other than Ratchet himself lived on the Planet Veldin? If he decided to abandon his home, would he even care to save it? These are serious character motivation issues which Insomniac needs to address in future titles. In a way it seems that Insomniac stepped backwards as Spyro's worlds were alive with other members of his dragon clan, friendly fairies, harmless sheep, and an assortment of other characters. Just as Insomniac made aircraft and pterydactyl loops for it's PS2 game, it could have easily made a few NPC character loops, even if these characters were moving in the background and inaccessible to the player.

This leads to an interesting game design point of making sure that a game is not a "designer's game" but a "player's game." As Ted Price proclaims "When it comes down to it, it's about blowing shit up!" This is screamingly evident in the advertising campaign. Yet, there is the player's goal as Ratchet and Clank to save the world, not destroy it like Drek. So there seems to be some polarity in the goals between the people who created the game and those who play it. Although Mark Cerny of Cerny Games states that the game is "not a static universe, it's an interactive universe, it's alive. There's a lot going on and you get to interact with it." This is true as far as from your typical platformer action standpoint, but not in the RPG adventure realm where conversing with NPCs are part of the immersive living experience.

Advertising

One look at the back of the U.S. boxart for the game and anyone can see that "Ratchet and Clank" is being marketed as an action-adventure which focuses on weapons and gadgets. Based on its physical appearance on retail shelves, the game would appear targetted to pre-teen boys to young adult males, although the game has a certain appeal to all genders and age groups. All the pictures support the text's boasting of technological weaponry.

The packaging reads: "It's time to rip the galaxy a new one. With over 36 weapons and gadgets to choose from, it's no wonder Ratchet & Clank have itchy trigger fingers. It's simple... lots of enemies to shoot... lots of fun weapons and gadgets... AND, you get to blow $@!& up! Burn, bomb, blast or obliterate your enemies. OH YEAH, Go ahead. Blow it up. BLOW IT ALL UP because it ain't the size of your weapons that count... it's how many you have and better yet... HOW YOU USE 'EM!"

Ah, a game even Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun (if they were alive today) would be excited to play! Interestingly absent is any dicussion of an actual plot or the personalities of the playable characters. Saddly, Ratchet and Clank are just interactive vehicles with which to drive the player's arsenal of weapons. It seems that Insomniac, or whatever company wrote the ad hype for the retail shelves, justifies killing for its own ends rather than as a means to save the galaxy from total annihilation at the hands of Chairman Drek and the Blarg.

Merchandising

"Ratchet and Clank" could be a merchandising cash cow for Insomniac if they played their marketing cards right given the fact that they will soon have a beloved trilogy of "Ratchet and Clank" games to their credit. Most Japanese video games release the official soundtrack to coincide with the game. Unfortunately, American games rarely come with a soundtrack. "Ratchet and Clank" falls into this category. It is also a shame to create such endearing characters as Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank and then not market them as toys for children. Given the technology which drove the Furby to financial success, Clank has the potential of becoming a fantastic interactive toy. Ratchet at the least would make a wonderful plush toy with his large expressive puppy dog green eyes and catlike physique. All those gadgets, weapons, and items would make a nice collection of accessories for the Ratchet action figure to utilize or toy weapons which any young boy would love to play make-believe war with in his backyard. Insomniac failed to tap the "Spyro the Dragon" merchandising opportunities, so it is a shame they are repeating this mistake. Perhaps they should take a lesson from Nintendo or Squaresoft, the two video game kings of subsidiary spin-off products.

Skill Level

The skill level required to play "Ratchet and Clank" is no more complicated than most platform games. However, thanks to its user-friendly interface and gentle learning curve, even the smallest child can over time acquire the necessary skills to effortlessly manuveur through the game. The fact that the missions are laid out in clear, simple fashion, there are elaborate maps to each planet, and a very straightforward action-based fighting system contributes to helping the player achieve the required skill level.

Although Insomniac feels that they have transformed the platforming genre overnight with their fantastic game, they have actually only enhanced a pre-existing established base. The characters still move through levels, collect items such as bolt and gold bolts, fight boss battles, and obtain new weapons and items with which to ease their increasing difficulty which they face with each new level which is unlocked. Any player who has had experience playing platform-based games will be able to intuitively grasp this game. As to accomplishing game-specific tasks such as mini-games or boss fights, there is still skill needed to win. However, a player expects to die a few times until he grasps the fine details and strategy of the particular challenge presented to him. Otherwise, without some difficulty, the game would become incredibly boring and stale.

Technical Design

Alex Hastings, the Vice President of Technology at Insomniac boasts that "Ratchet and Clank" pushes the technical limits of the PS2's capabilities. "We've written immense amounts of code. In Assembly Language more than about one hundred thousand lines of code. More than the PSOne by about ten percent." Hastings adds, "It's a busy world. Many ships and planes make this world real and alive."

It was Brian Allgeier at Insomniac who first conceived of the idea of having a battle between Ratchet and some Blarg troops on a moving train. "I wanted to have this section that was like something out of an action film," he boasts. But a great video game is based on realistic physics. Since the physics of the train battle were complicated and unique, it turned out to be "a programming nightmare." However, that nightmare turned into players' wildest dreams as Insomniac managed to pull it off flawlessly.

Ted Price credits the visual and technical success of their games to the fact that not only is each game a collaborative team effort, but because his team learns both the design aspect of games as well as the programming and elements of storytelling. Allgeier recommends that future game designers study computer programming, art, and literature classes which cover the elements of narrative and character development. According to Ted Price, "Good designers have a good blend of right brain and left brain. We are our own unique beast."

Peter Hastings is one of Insomniac's game programmers, but he's also part of the collaborative design team for both the "Spyro the Dragon" trilogy and "Ratchet and Clank." Not only did Hastings program the Morph-o-Ray which allows Ratchet to turn his enemies into harmless chickens, but he programmed the code to make it work properly. Allgeier points out that a "game designer had to ensure that the design functions, and, if not, to problem-solve on the fly. There are always thousands of details that need to be taken care of. Even though you plan, lots of things break." It is evident that the experience, enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and technical expertise of the Insomniac team has produced a game unparalleled on the PS2.

Media Comparision

Compared to the linearity of other entertainment media such as books, magazines, television, and movies, video games are truly an immerse and interactive experience in which all the senses come into play such as sight, sound, and touch (thanks to the vibrating Sony PS2 Dual Shock Controller). Books can have the advantage of complexity of plot and depth of character development while movies showcase their stunning visuals and sound, yet both merely allow a simple entry point and ultimate exit point from their worlds. The person absorbing these experiences takes a passive role as a visitor from another planet.

However, the player entering a video game world owns the experience not only in his interaction and control of the virtual universe, but in his branching paths of adventure while navigating the story, landscape, and architecture. Combine this with the numerous decisions at any given moment which may lead to death for the player or possibly a less than desirable ending to the game, and one comes away feeling a power akin to God. Is it little wonder that the password for an invincible status in many PC games is the word "GOD"?

"Ratchet and Clank" capitalizes not only on the technological complexity of the Playstation 2, but also in its clear understanding of providing the player with a living, breathing world which is very much alive with danger and adventure. Although it is necessary to complete certain tasks in the game to unlock story elements and open new planetary coordinates on the intergalactic map, one can pretty much explore each new level (i.e., planet) at his own pace and direction much like one would go on a trip to Paris and explore the city at his own pace. The player feels a certain sense of ownership in his conquest of each world.

Whereas a book or movie is experienced for the sake of discovering the three acts of the storyline and the morals of the hero's journey, a video game such as "Ratchet and Clank" is a means which justifies its own ends and, as such, the experience of playing the game (or replaying it for that matter) is equally as enjoyable as actually beating it. Would "Ratchet and Clank" be as effective a story were it a book, a comic book, an anime, a live action movie, or a Saturday morning cartoon? The answer is simply: NO! Could "Ratchet and Clank" utilize its subsidiary rights and create a franchise with toys, movies, comic books, a Saturday morning cartoon series, an official web site, and an interactive CD-ROM as supplementary media enhancements to the original game environment? Absolutely! As far as I'm concerned, it's a merchandising goldmine yet untapped. With all that said, the "Ratchet and Clank" series is a true success story.

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