Ratchet and Clank start their journey on your television screen, but will it be good, or crash and burn?
You are Ratchet, an alien belonging to the Lombax species that looks similar to a cross between a cat and a raccoon. You are a mechanic and are trying to get out of your home planet. But there is a small problem. You don't have a piece to make it work. This is where Clank, a small robot, comes in. He crash lands on your planet and once you rescue him, he shows you a plan by Chairman Drek to destroy some of the solar system.
You see, Drek and the rest of their Blargian species have had their planet so polluted that they can't even live on it anymore. So, they are going to take a chunk out of some planets to make a new one. The problem is, that once they take the chunk, the planet's gravitational pull will be messed up and the planet will be hurled into the sun. So Ratchet tells Clank that he'll take him to see the galaxy's superhero, Captain Qwark once he can get his ship working. It just so happens that Clank has the final part to making the ship work, and the story goes on from there.
When playing, Clank sits on Ratchet's back, like a backpack. At first he is useless, but he can get upgrades. First, he can get a Heli-Pack upgrade, so that Ratchet can glide, long jump, and high jump. Next, he can get a Thruster-Pack upgrade, that does everything above but also gives a stomp move used for some special switches. Finally, he can get a Hydro-Pack, which lets Ratchet swim faster.
Those upgrades make the fun platforming even more fun. One of the most important parts of a platformer is the camera, and this is a great one. You can easily control it with the right analog stick, and even center the camera by tapping a button.
But now we get to the game's main focus; the weapons. You have lots of them, and them come in a bunch of different styles. You have the expected ones, like the rocket launcher, the flamethrower, and the rocket launcer. You have the unique ones, like a claw that shoots a stream of electricity, a glove that propels you forward, and a glove that throws a mine that homes in on the first enemy that comes near it. You also even have the very unique and sometimes bizarre weapons, like a cannon that sucks up small enemies and shoots them back at other enemies, a missile launcher that actually lets you control it right into the enemy, and a gun that turns enemies into chickens!
There are also gadgets in the game. Some of these are used to navigate through a level, and some are used to open up doors and such. A couple of examples are the Swingshot, which lets you swing from a special target to another one, and the Trespasser, which puts you into a minigame where you have to align lasers so you can open a door.
Usually in a platformer, you have to collect a bunch of stuff to open up a door or a level. In this, the only things that you really collect are some weapons and gadgets placed in levels, bolts, (which are the currency in this game used to purchase things like weapons, gadgets, and infobots that take you to the next world) and Gold Bolts. Gold Bolts are used to buy golden versions of ten of the weapons in the game once you beat the game the first time. Golden weapons have things like upgraded power, upgraded range, and in some cases, different colored blasts.
The graphics are breathtaking. You can go to the Metropolis area and actually see buildings going on and on in the background. The sound effects are very good, and the voice acting is excellent. Not only are some of the lines funny, but with their actual delivery, they are even better. The game is also going to last on your shelf of games for a very long time.
So, if you want some awesome weapons, great platforming, or an excellent and funny story, buy this game.