Since the inception of 3D games, platform games, easily one of the most popular video game genres thanks to a couple of Italian plumbers, tended to fall into one of two categories. There were the collection festivals, which would generally drop the player into an area and expect him or her to collect various widgets or gizmos, some of which were just lying around and others of which required completing certain tasks to obtain. The other type was the so-called “2.5D” platformer, which was basically just a 2D side-scrolling platform game with 3D backgrounds. Neither, however, really managed to marry the simplicity of the 2D side scroller with current 3D technology. Collection festivals, in particular (with only a few exceptions), had a tendency to strand the player in the middle of the game, leaving him or her wandering around the game world aimlessly looking for tasks to complete in order to advance. As a result, I’d personally started to grow weary of 3D platform games; none of them managed to provide the same kind of magic that kept me glued to my NES for hours on end, playing Super Mario Bros. 3 or one of the Mega Man games for the umpteenth time.
Then, last year, Insomniac games released Ratchet and Clank for the PlayStation 2, and my prayers had been answered. Finally, a developer had figured out how to make a platform game that cut to the chase and kept the action frantic, even going so far as to cut out backtracking from a mission goal to the beginning of the level. With interesting and varied levels, an entertaining storyline, and a wide array of weapons and gadgets with which to blow stuff up, Ratchet and Clank was easily one of the most fun platformers that I’d played in a long time, and it was one of the few games that truly left me wanting more.
Needless to say, I was very excited to hear that the sequel, Going Commando, would be released so soon after the original. While it isn’t nearly as groundbreaking as its predecessor, nor does it radically change the formula drastically, Insomniac built on what worked from the first game and improved what didn’t to make Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando just a much of a blast to play through as the original Ratchet and Clank was.
After having defeated the evil Chairman Drek at the end of the first game, Ratchet and Clank settled into the lives of galactic heroes, complete with endorsement deals and supermarket openings. But with no new menaces to eradicate, the duo’s 15 minutes of fame had expired. That is, until Abercrombie Fizzwidget, head of the Bogon galaxy’s Megacorp corporation, summons them to his end of the universe to do some extremely dangerous work for him. A thief has stolen Megacorp’s latest biological experiment, a cute little puffball called the Protopet, and it’s up to the furry Ratchet and the mechanical Clank to recover it. Of course, things are not as they initially seem, but to say any more would be to give away the story. The story has enough twists and turns, along with Insomniac’s signature sense of humor thrown in, to keep the player motivated as he or she progresses through the game. While some plot elements do seem a bit too convenient or abrupt, that’s sort of like accusing Die Hard of being shallow. The story is certainly enough to keep the game going, but it’s no Square game.
But you’re not coming to play Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando for the gripping storyline. Chances are, you’re playing Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando to blow stuff up, and blow stuff up you will. The game advertises over 50 weapons and gadgets, which is only slightly misleading, but there really are a lot of different tools you get to use. While some weapons do carry over from the first Ratchet and Clank (and can be obtained for free if you have a save file from the first game with the weapons in question purchased), most are new and much more satisfying to use. At your disposal are heat seeking missiles, machine guns, rocket launchers, a turret glove, and a Mini-Nuke, complete with a mushroom cloud upon detonation.
Just to add a bit of motivation, however, both Ratchet and each of his weapons have experience meters. Each “level” that Ratchet gains increases his life by one point, which is vital later in the game, as enemies cause significantly more damage as the game progresses, a stark contrast to the original game, where a hit always cost one life point, no matter what. Leveling up the weapons causes them to transform into a more powerful version, resulting in multiple shots, or more damage, or a faster firing rate. This is easily the biggest motivator, though it can take an inordinate amount of experience in some cases to level up a weapon. Now, granted, the experience system isn’t nearly enough to even think about considering Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando an action-RPG, it does add another layer of depth to the game.
The levels themselves are just as well designed as they were in the original, with more of an emphasis on how to get from Point A to Point B than there is on figuring out where Point B is. While the game can get difficult, especially toward the end, the experience system keeps the game from ever being truly impossible, so at least there is always hope, if nothing else. Furthermore, with the addition of levels consisting of space combat or arena battles, both of which contain multiple missions which can be completed to earn bolts (the game’s currency), there is plenty to do even if you want to take a break from the action for a little while. Keeping with the customization theme of the game, even the spaceship is upgradeable for completing the more difficult space missions.
Of course, distractions are all well and good, but the meat of the game is still in the standard missions, which have enough different elements to keep from getting repetitive. There are some light puzzle-solving elements tossed in, but these are never so taxing as to get in the way of the action. Some of the more entertaining puzzles involved the use of the tractor beam, which can eventually be used to drag security robots around the levels to open doors with their access prints. The Hypnomatic, obtained later in the game, provides the interesting mechanic of taking temporary control of certain robots, and then using those robots to take control of still other robots, in a chain reaction of sorts (but with some gunfire thrown in to keep things fresh, of course). Even when there aren’t any flashy gizmos to play with, though, there is enough of a variety of enemies and terrain that it really doesn’t get old no matter how long you’ve been playing for. All that, of course, is without even mentioning the Clank solo levels (featuring both regular and Giant varieties of everyone’s favorite robot since R2D2), hoverbike races, grinding courses, and battles on the sides of buildings fought via gravity boots. There’s a lot to do in this game, and the twenty hours that it took me to get from beginning to end went by in a flash as a result.
The game’s control, much like that of the original, is quite intuitive and easy to get the hang of. As with before, the face buttons are used for jumping and attacking, with triangle bringing up the same Quick Select weapon box from the last game, complete with the limitation of eight weapons at a time. Frankly, I was hoping that they’d expanded the Quick Select given the increase of weapons and gadgets in the game, but the player is still limited to eight, which is only a minor inconvenience. The game now provides the ability to strafe via the L2 or R2 buttons, which is a welcome addition as well. While it could be a bit easier to switch between weapons beyond what’s available on your Quick Select (this generally requires navigating through several menus to select the desired weapon), the control overall is tight and easy to pick up.
The graphics are once again beautiful, but no more impressive than those found in the original Ratchet and Clank. Everything is rendered wonderfully, with excellent explosions, smooth and expressive character models, and detailed environments. There is a bit of slowdown when a lot of enemies and projectiles share the screen, but other than that, the game’s performance is excellent. Furthermore, the camera is unobtrusive. The camera is usually a major complaint in most platform games, but here it was barely noticeable, which is about the best compliment you can give to a game’s camera.
Sound is also well done. The background music is energetic and catchy, and while you may not be humming it once the game is off, it doesn’t get repetitive or annoying despite the fact that it is essentially on a loop for each level. Effects are varied and interesting, from the growls of the enemies to the clinking and bouncing of bombs seeking their targets, to the explosions of the Mini-Nuke (or an other weapon for that matter). Voice acting in particular is well done, with a range of emotion and excellent delivery befitting a comedy storyline such as this one. Never did I feel that the acting was overdone or lazy; the only times that anything seemed over-dramatic was when the character clearly called for that.
In all, Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando is a well crafted game that delivers a ton of fun for the money. While it does feel a bit more like an expansion pack than a full sequel, the original was so good that just more missions and cooler weapons with a few incremental improvements is more than enough to make Going Commando a blast to play, especially with the inclusion of a second quest that allows you to replay the game at a higher difficulty level, but with all your original weapons and the opportunity to buy “mega-upgrades”.
If you didn’t like the original Ratchet and Clank, then Going Commando likely won’t do much to change your mind. If you were left at the end of the original wanting more, however, then Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando will scratch your itch and even more, while leaving you even more anxiously awaiting the third entry in the series. A must buy for any fan (and anyone who wants to be a fan) of platform games, then and now.
