The "Ratchet & Clank" series is pretty much known as the flagship franchise for Insomniac Games, and perhaps even for Sony as a whole. Ironically, though, I missed out on the "Ratchet & Clank" craze as a kid: I've loved Insomniac for a while, from playing the "Spyro the Dragon" trilogy as a kid to enjoying recent titles like "Sunset Overdrive" and "Spider-Man," but for some reason...I somehow slept through when the series was big on the PlayStation 2. Hell, I didn't know what the series was until "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction" on the PlayStation 3. Even so, "Ratchet & Clank" was a series I had always wanted to try, and the announcement of "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart" for the PlayStation 5 fueled my excitement for the series even more. Jumping back in time to the original "Ratchet & Clank" game was honestly quite a treat.
"Ratchet & Clank" is the type of game that, naturally, is fun to look back on for its time, and while the visuals might not be the prettiest now, they're still solid enough and I'm sure they were amazing back in 2002. Bigger than that, though, is that the game features an incredibly clever cast of characters, rounded out with some superb voice acting, an action-packed story, and very memorable music. Gameplay-wise, the platforming here is very smooth, building off of what Insomniac did with "Spyro the Dragon," and there's an amazing collection of weapons as well. You know the game's also pretty fun when even just running around and collecting bolts is an enjoyable time.
There are a few areas where the game is held back a bit. Perhaps simply because of time passing, the combat can feel a bit dated in some areas. It's not the biggest pace breaker, but it's not the most ideal thing ever. Also, the hoverboard sections in this game are quite a beast. And not the fun kind of beast, either. Good thing the later games did so much better.
Overall, "Ratchet & Clank" still feels like an extremely fun game to play today. Even with so many new games evolving the formula and making smart changes, the original game manages to feel like more than just a relic of the PlayStation 2 era. It's still a worthwhile play no matter where you are in the series, and it's the kind of game you can definitely have a blast with.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"