Ratchet and Clank Future : Tools of Destruction PS3 Review

Shiver me sprockets, I was craving a platformer and plunked Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction from the gaming backlog. I wanted to break away from real life for a little while and Ratchet and Clank was the perfect distraction for me.

The gameplay keeps in tune with the previous generations of Ratchet and Clank. All the controls are very familiar. It's a little different playing the game without the rumble feature. I still have not upgrade my controller, however... six-axis controls in the drop sequences are important. At first I found the drop sequences and this control scheme very frustrating. However, by the end of the game I realized that I needed to k.i.s.s (keep it simple stupid) the controls. The decryption locks are fun; I've always been a fan of the grind rails. I was alright with getting used to playing the game.

The sheer variety of gameplay from dancing like a space pirate robot to the space combat to the platforming was exciting and fun. It's exactly like you would expect from a Ratchet and Clank title. If anything, there was not much of Clank's portion of the game. The skill points and platinum bolts are fun. This game came out before the Trophy system, but when the next installment (beyond Quest...) comes out Skill Points would be the perfect route to start. If you like weapons, well this series is known for the crazy weapons. I, personally, liked the disco bomb... I need not say more as Insomniac is in fine fashion with weapons. The boss battles are challenging but if you have spent time grinding and upgrading weapons they are contestable. Like anygame you need to learn the patterns and you can get them.

The level of detail in the game is amazing. If all PS3 platforming games look this amazing I'd happy. The backgrounds pop and pull you into these amazing worlds. Unfortunately the problem I found with an early release title on PS3 is that is not a completely open world to explore. The walls prevent you from flying around. Yeah, the game play is pretty linear. Perhaps with the next game the platinum bolts and skill points can be setup for a larger level and perhaps world to explore to truly open up the incredible worlds Insomniac has created.

In true Playstation 3 fashion, the audio is amazing. I had all the speakers kicking in and rocking the subwoofer a little bit. The voice acting remains the same from all the prior incarnations and keeps it high level. It feels like a family and everyone is happy to be back together. There's definitely a chemistry within the cast and the direction. I won't delve into spoilers, but the relationship with Ratchet and Clank is beyond the norm in the franchise and game. There's some events that happen in the game that because of the range of the voice actors and actresses accentuate an already top notch story.

The story does not ignore any previous incarnation of the game. It actually plays up and builds of an always consistent franchise. We get the quirky yet wildly over-the-top villain, we get the foxy and sly female presence and the always pathetic yet campy Captain Quark. Everyone with their own story and role in the story. There is no randomly placed character or plot, there is a definite direction this series is taking now. Intead of a year later it's a new story, the series is getting a little more serialized with Tools of Destruction leading into Quest for Booty which I'll be playing next... I really like this direction and finally dipping into the what we are discovering as the very rich backstory and evolution of our favorite duo.

In the end, Insomniac delivered what is an amazing and thoroughly enjoyable game. I only have some minor complaints about the length of the game overall and lack of exploring options. Every game has to start somewhere and develop. We saw this in the PS2 era of this series. Each game from Ratchet and Clank to Up Your Arsenal up the ante not just in gameplay but in everything else. This is as close as to what you would want from a next gen R & C game. This receives 5 out of 5 Platinum bolts.