They mention Angela's Dubious Lombax Status in Tools of Destruction and Crack in Time, albiet in a very hand-wavey way. It's worth noting that Insomniac did not have any "writers" until Up Your Arsenal. Their stories were done by artists and programmers until then.
I grew up with this game, I fell in love and played for hours on end, getting NG+ like seven times on one of my old saves. it has problems which I won't really defend in some spots, (I'm looking at you, snivelak.) and the pacing does feel... odd. it brings me joy to see people are still picking up this game for the first time, it warms the depths of my childhood. certainly excited to see if you'll be doing one of these videos for UYA and/or deadlocked! also, THE MUSIC IN THESE GAMES, HOLY MOLY! you gotta give it bonus points, I listen to these OSTs on repeat for hours. extra P.S., I'm open to converse if you ever wish to have conversations relating to the ps2 r&c titles, I'm fairly well versed in them if you have questions! (that and you also just seem like a wonderful personality to have around!~)
The Music is absolutely crazy, the Planets are more colorful and cooler than any Planets in Up Your Arsenal, Gameplay also makes a lot more fun than in the other games, I love Going Commando and it is also my favorite video game
To this day, this is still my favourite game in the original trilogy. I love the improved gameplay, incredible weapons, and compelling narrative. My only problem was the ending, I didn't like that it was Qwark all along. Fun fact, in the PAL region, this game was called Ratchet and Clank Locked and Loaded
I will say that I think the swarms of enemies aren't an issue, as it's not the game telling you "hey, fight all of these at the same time." It's almost always in situations where you need to prepare for a fight or take things slower before jumping in. For instance on the ice planet (forgot the name) it introduces that the security forces were actually upgraded from the beginning of the game and it asks that you take the enemies on in smaller groups instead of rushing in. With the protopets, it assumes you won't focus on the big guys first, because they're also fighting the protopets. I can see your perspective and I agree for the most part, but I think this game implements this better than most
Hey man, just happened across your channel. Enjoy you covering games from my childhood. Keep up the good work! I can see you definitely eclipsing 50k in a year or so.
Great video. I just replayed 1&2 myself and came out of 1 thinking that it was a bit weirder and shittier than I remembered, but 2 was as good as I hoped (other than the giant robot boss fight). Fizzwidget's dialogue is very well written. If you're gonna review 3, guess I'd better play that as well to remind myself. Also, I agree with the others, you really should queue up Ratchet: Deadlocked as well.
In Rift Apart if you go back to the prison she mentions that she met Angela in prison. This plot sadly never gets explained further than just a single sentence....wonder what they will do in the future...
Surprised there wasn't that much mention of Slim Cogneto with the upgrades you could get both for your ship and your weapons. The weapon upgrades you get from him when collecting the Platinum bolts add a additional edge to the weapons like a lock-on(which is default in 3 when holding both strafe buttons) and a okay elemental effect either being a slow damage dealing acid effect or a slow damage dealing electrical effect which chains to other enemies. The sequel improves upon this wit a few certain guns but it really goes all out in Deadlock/Gladiator with over 8 that do more noticeable effect with most of them being interchangeable with most of your weapons.
he doesnt mention slim because he bought nothing of the gagentron weapons - which slim sells upgrades for unless I am mistaken and its in ratchet and clank 3, and hates space combat - for which slim DEFINITELY sells upgrades
@@commissarkordoshky219 No the upgrades are for most of the weapons. It's just that the shop is off the beaten path like the starship mods and the platinum bolts you need to buy the mods with. In 3 he just gives you weapons from the 2nd game. If you have a save file of the prior games to both you get the weapons for free. On top of a discount for weapons in 3 since in the first game you enrolled in a Gadetron membership with the membership only activating two years later in the first game that's now active in the first game. Little details like this are what I wish more games did as rewards for playing the prior games in a series.
I have vague nostalgic memories of rachet and clank. This video not only brought thoes memories back, but also made me realize how weird thoes games were. I miss them tbh
The short answer is YES. YES you need to go back and replay the original 1,2,3 Ratchet and Clank. If you are a self proclaimed gamer with self respect, you need to do your due diligence and go back to re explore your roots and where you came from to see how far you've come.
i just got PS Premium like a week ago and am streaming all the R&Cs in order (currently on NG+ for RC3) and seeing all these new vids with ppl still loving these games in 2023 makes me happy asf. Im 24 and this shit was my entire childhood
Brother me too, replaying the original triology as well right now and I am having a blast! Havent this much fun in gaming in years and i really miss the humor games used to have
Hey! Happy to see this one come out! I’m glad that you had a great time with the game. I more or less agree with you. I consider GC my favorite from nostalgia, but UYA is perhaps what I’d consider the best in the series (aside from Rift Apart, no PS5 for me yet lol). Another commenter recommended Deadlocked, too, so I’ll stand by my suggestion that the PS2 ones at least are all a fun experience. Happy to see what you make next! (P.S., out of all the obscure references, the deep cut you pointed out was the first one I didn’t understand, so I think your assessment is on the money haha) Cheers!
Good to see you again! Glad you enjoyed the video. I can’t promise deadlocked soon but if everyone wants it I MAY just give in. UYA is for sure up next though so I hope it holds well!
every time i see a "small" youtuber cover an older "kids" game its a must watch and sir you earned a sub with this one! great video with nice points and good execution.
Good vid! Both this and the previous one. "Slower than my dead grandmother drives" is an amazing phrase that I hope to use in the future. Looking forward to more from you! Also: 19:40 - "I absolutely recommend Going Commando" ... Lol
Didn't see this until now, thanks RU-vid. Anyway, Ratchet 2 is where the series established the formula for every game that would come afterward. It's a great game, has a lot going for it. It's probably got the best satire in the series. You didn’t mention it much, but this game is very funny. The combat is good, but still kind of held back by auto lock on. Here's a tip for Ratchet 3, turn on lock-strafe mode in the options. It's not as good as the traditional third-person shooter controls the series would have by Rift Apart, but having an actual aiming reticle helps a lot, since 3 is really heavy on the combat. The weapon upgrades being a mixed bag is something the series will always struggle with, but after a few new game plus runs when everything's maxed out, you can stop worrying about it. The format of your videos doesn't lend itself well to talking about ng+, but the Ratchet games have some of the best in the business. Starting with this game, you get a bolt multiplier that goes up with kills, but resets if you get hit. Turns the whole game into a fun, risk-reward challenge, and makes getting the super-guns a lot easier. Last minute random thoughts, this game started a behind the scenes running joke at Insomniac that still continues to this day, the Snowbeast award. Those yeti's in the snow level are widely considered the worst enemy in the game, because they barely stagger, have way too much health, and hit like trucks. It was so bad that Insomniac started giving out the Snowbeast award, given to the person who designed the worst feature in every shipped Insomniac game. Oh yeah, this game also introduced the Insomniac Museum, a secret level that has cut-content and behind the scenes stuff, that's a lot of fun to explore. This is also the only game to have a bestiary, giving extra jokes for the enemies. My favorite is probably the exterminator robots in the city level. Since the planet only had robots, and the Protopets had fur, they were only programmed to attack things that are fuzzy, which unfortunately includes Ratchet. That's just hilarious to me. Looking forward to Ratchet 3, keep up the good work!
Just finished a play through a couple of days ago after a few years. You are spot on with every critique imo. Video pacing was nice and it was well though through.
15:19 some of my most vivid memories of r&c 2 is getting absolutely furious at this bossfight, specially as a little kid, not understanding what to do at all, this big ass killer robot coming straight at me and destroying the turrets that you're supposed to use to kill him, not being able to find any more turrets, trying so hard to kill him with normal guns and failing miserably. i think i spent over 5 hours in that boss arena. i completely understand your pain my friend. i remember just closing out the game when i finished that bossfight and MONTHS later starting the next level up, having no idea what i was doing
Loved this video! Going Commando is my favorite in the series and unlike you I do have nostaglia for it-so I really loved that you had a similar take to me (both on the good and bad of the game) and agree it's held up really well. Up Your Arsenal holds up excellent too I feel!
First off, instant sub. :3 I got recommended this video out of random, and I agree with a lot of your points. I feel like those boss fights were stained by bias and rose coloured glasses.
I am just being introduced to the 'Future' series with the soft reboot. Hopefully you will reach those games and compare to the OG games. Can I suggest also looking at Sly Cooper, this is another game series I recently got into and worth you looking into
My God this game is absolutely timeless. It was my favourite game on PS2, and i've played it through three times on an emulator on my phone. It's just so freaking fun, the guns are so well balanced (until you get Ultra versions, or the Ryno 2) It can be challenging no matter how old you are, there's a superb variety of platforming, run and gun, flying missions, puzzles and boss battles. I don't think it will ever get old to me, no matter how many years I continue to play for
Your reviews have surly became something exciting to anticipate to watch , i would love to see you cover the rest of the series!! I agree with you it can still hold up until today and it did indeed improved in many areas the first ratchet was lacking , it gives a better character to ratchet. Some parts of the game that served as a filler to make a bigger game i think they seem rushed and i would prefer if the game itself wouldn't 've been made in such a sort time after ratchet 1 but it is still a game that i love and consider it great!! Other than that i really like your reviews, your sarcasm and the great work you put to your videos!! Keep it up!!
huh, I didn't know going commando was the second game in the franchise. it was the only one I'd owned and played growing up and I adored it. it was a lot of jank fun. I remember spending a gross amount of time just whizzing around in the sand (snow? I forget, I think it was a desert area that had lava in some crevasses nearby.) but I remember there was some fast gadget, or maybe clank upgrade, that let you zoom around in that large open area. that area, and stumbling upon the secret museum, were some of my fondest gaming memories as a kid. the museum was arguably the biggest pre-me-having-internet achievement I give myself, only barely beating out OoB clipping/airswimming in spyro etd
This game is my Terminator 2. I played this one before playing the first one. I bought the one for ps5 some time back but this one and a crack in time are my favorites.
Also, about Angela, in case it hasn't been said. IG won't confirm whether or not she's a lombax, but they keep referencing her, and each time they say "we don't know, were sorry" there's even a radio Convo in "a crack in time" where 2 radio hosts argue that 1. just because she looks like a lombax, doesn't make her a lombax and 2. If she is a lombax, her being a different gender may explain why she is taller and has no tail... And then they introduce rivet XD yeah Angela was a mess
I had a similar problem that you had with the thug leader (giant robot) with the mega protopet as a kid to the point that i ended up killing it without entering the arena because as a kid i made the choice to prioritise weapons over armour (i even grinded to get the Zodiac)
The only gripe I had with Ratchet and Clank was having to use the Dualshock 2. But once I found out 3rd party controllers exist, it instantly became a 10/10 classic. Even as a primarily SEGA gamer I adore Ratchet and Clank and I'm so glad Rift Apart is coming to PC next month to get the love it deserves. This series is a must play for anyone into platformers, action games, and the classics.
As someone who just played through and beat both the first and the second game (after never beating these games as a kid and constantly restarting cause I was too bad to beat them😂) I feel like my opinions mirror a lot of yours. Although I did find the soundtrack, maps, and story of the first game to be much more memorable, the second game features much more fun gameplay ignoring those 2 awful boss fights. Both of these games were big parts of my childhood and to go back and play them to see they are just as good as I remembered is awesome. I think the first one remains my favorite out of the 2 I replayed so far but I'm excited to see how moving on to the next 2 ps2 titles will change my opinion
Would you be interested in covering any of the Sly Cooper games? or the highly underrated the Legend of Spyro trilogy - mainly Dawn of the Dragon which is a gem for the ps2
1:43 I...have sincerely never heard this take before. Strafing? I legitimately did not know that anyone actually used the strafe mechanic in any Ratchet & Clank game, much less thought it was a significant improvement over the first installment. The assertion that the difference it makes in combat over the first game "cannot be overstated" is something I never thought I'd hear someone say. I thought adding strafing changed absolutely nothing about the game whatsoever.
Pretty good game review, and I mostly agree with the opinions expressed, although the one that I'm confused about is the boss on planet Snivelak, the Thugs-4-Less leader in the gigantic mech robot thingy. You used two hours on that boss? Every weapon and every turret? I find that boss to be bothersome because it is time consuming and monotonous, and it's definitely my least favorite part of the game, but I've never even had to use any of my weapons on that boss. It's not that hard to take him down solely with the turrets, and still have at least three turrets left at the end of the fight.
Definitely cover ratchet 3 and deadlocked to finish the PS2 era. The PS2 era was the most consistent in quality, I think all 4 of the originals are 9/10 at worst. Btw I saw you covered the Jak games, I'd also recommend Jak X. It's such a good racing game, might even be one of my top 10 video games of all time.
good video! altho I'd say that the ratchet character in this game is actually way worse than in r&c1. You said its nice to see how ratchet evolved from just a guy into a hero, but that is literally ratchet and clank 1 theme (as you can see in the intro cinematic) whereas from here he is just a good guy more plain than earth. the 2 main fights of this game are horrible as you mentioned, huge letdown whenever anyone replays this game
3:16 she did the right choice, hadn't she fled while the henchmen were keeping ratchet busy for some time, ratchet would have simply just beaten her and taken back the experiment 😅
Among my top 5 PS2 games and still my favorite R&C game. This game was, still is and will always be fantastic. I suppose it's not a very controversial opinion to say GC is the best game in the series but the formula, or DNA, of GC still exists in the series and it's the game that's most shaped the series tropes after the first game. Every subsequent title added minor improvements over GC's formula without straying too far and it worked for them. I haven't played Rift Apart yet but when it comes out on Steam later this month I will. Keen to see where it stands on my R&C lust after I'm done with it
I'm sure someone else has already commented this but: Everyone wanting you to spend bolts is actually a comment to consumerism/capitalism. It was clearly the main theme in the first game and they still continued it to the sequel.
After playing the first three games first time last year, this one was by far my favorite, I honestly think it is a good game, only downside I found is the final boss, the thug boss and those annoying yetis but that really doesn't bring the game down overall.
Oh yeah, the tools of destruction duelology did a bunch of retconning to the original quadrilogy, and I wouldn't say most of it was for the better given how the reboot game turned out. But hey at least rift apart was more like first half of the series, loonytoons meets star trek. The one gripe I have is that the utility tools went from being actual logic puzzles with deductions, to trial and error reactionary minigames for basically every game after the first.
So I just wanna add my 5 cents, I think the reason for the weird design choice (of having to purchase some gadgets from random people) is mostly tied to the game's background narrative on overwhelming consumerism and capitalism as a whole. It tends to lean into it in a lot of places. That's just something I have heard, read about and thought about for a while and it's mostly just the devs of the original games saying: "Yeah, this sucks but this is how it is."
They're more enjoyable than ACiT. If that game had the bare minimum of vertical movement when flying/fighting in space I would have enjoyed that more than the 2.5D gameplay we got. As it is it's really one of my two big gripes with that game.
@@mistermann4163 I disagree. The ship combat in ACiT was just WAY too simple to be enjoyable. In any fight, you just need to barrel roll constantly and cheese through everything. I think they should have expanded on the ship combat in Going Commando; maybe even have a sort of hub world (like in ACiT) to go to other planets.
@@xXYannuschXx So your agreeing with what I said in that Commando has better ship combat than ACiT where as the only issue that Commando had was that you would get disoriented for how much free movement you had rotating vertically in those missions aside from the last one.
"[...] and I can't really say I found any to be objectively bad in any way" I know it's only for NG+, but you clearly haven't checked out the Clank Zapper. Millions of bolts (bolts you could've spent on a RYNO or a Zodiac), only for Clank to fire out a beam that's so weak and fires so slowly that even regular, non-upgraded weapons would do a far better job. And everytime you use it it consumes ammo and has no visual indicator on whether it's even working or not. lmao
The NPC gates of bolts is understandable. The weapon level up is fine. Mods are fair. Skill trees suck give us mods of this or Deadlocked any day. Or armour customising like Size Matters not oh enemy percentages then abilities. Yeah very boring the percentage. For damage reduction sure but still. Effects are cool and fun to play with. The health/less enemies approach of dynamic difficulty or difficulty tuning is very basic. I want to see it evolved but games are so preset this difficulty focus these days it's boring. Seeing a kart racer have a different cut off paths to evolve a level is cool (Little Big Planet Karting). But Rift Apart and Crack in Time rifts very different. Portal gun even in Portal. If only we saw level design get more dynamic, player control mattering not walking through and scripted all the time. Also themes of business kind of makes the NPC bolt gates important but yeah they do remove them over time. Or make it other tasks. Puzzles not only skipped or doing. It devolving to be easy/picking them if they want. More interesting ideas for the power of the consoles but nope. I misss old games not just the big ones I mean the less talked about their great mechanics. I never heard of many and they are my knew favourites for how innovative, fresh still because no one followed their ideas and fun they are for being different, good spins, or new still and hold up. Ship and puzzle I like. I hate 3 because it's so combat focused and I get bored with them. Arenas fine. But battlefields mandatory for gadgets & optional I hate them. The variety can be annoying if you didn't sign up for them but I mean I get bored with straightforward and platformers doing so made me prepared for other genres. Seeing as said main 3 genres RPG, Shooter and action adventure went down hill or all became RPG like yeah you bet I went to other genres before they too have but I found more interesting design ideas and also interesting feeling games. But that's just me. Also experimentation of Devs back then. Strafe is fine but I hate modern games 100% strafe even in non combat areas.ock strafe is good but sucks in platforming in 3 onwards let alone modern games. So I can turn it off in Ratchet I can't in other games. Hence I prefer buttons to toggle on and off of strafe. I love the Clank levels but so do I Tokobot or other controlling of characters for puzzles in other games or later Ratchet and Clank games. The races are fine. The AI later are hard but the controls are fine as far as sci fi racers of the time too or still these days. The story and foreshadowing is obvious but good enough for a ratchet story. The humour is fair, characters. Even if the story arc is predictable it's an enjoyable one still for in the moment stuff besides the obvious villain. Yes I agree waves of enemies is lazy. It's why I hate defend the area tasks too. Arenas sure but carefully placed, fair layouts of objects in the levels for cover and whether dumb, smart, evolving and variety not reskins (not likely but maybe in a decade when Devs are ok with visuals we get better AI of enemies and levels evolving?). The visuals are fine for the time. More bland environments but it's not supposed to be a technical showing off game like the first so the more bland visuals, other sterile places makes sense for the themes I guess even if it does make the world's look kind of bland..the details of enemy rock paper scissors or cartoony worlds are still there but the textured and colour choices at times. Even if probably on point and a particular company angle it suits but also doesn't at times. But it varies.
I just found it less fun than what else was available! If the choice for passive help is between little death bots and stationary turrets I’m choosing the death bots every time
@@extrapyxel i agree is not the most fun nor the most cool for sure. But is very useful to clear otherwise difficult scenarios before obtaining the charger shield, and also before obtaining the Synthenoids (65k bolts is kinda expensive for notak usually i buy them later on). And yea the Synthenoids are way cooler as passive weapon but u can use both! Activate the Synthenoids, place like 10 turrets all together, charger shield up. switch mini turrets glove to bouncer/tetrabomb/plasma storm and all those packs of yeti are cleared!
1. the big bot is easy to slap just use your spider and spam the shit outof your spider 2. many enemys are very very cool its very boring to fight against like nothing
I genuinely think this game sucks. The forced inverted controls for flying, the terrible flying sections/glider, the mediocre racing segments, the weak writing, lackluster weapons like the spider drone, and just the unholy amount of planets where some could’ve been removed as they were just unnecessary. I played through this game as a first-time experience and hated almost every bit of it. 3/10.
