The Ratchet and Clank franchise is a video game series that just keeps on giving and giving. The first game cemented the sci-fi duo as a worthy gaming icon in the same vein as other well-known platformers such as Spyro The Dragon and Crash Bandicoot. The second game improved a lot of the technical flaws of the original game and made a sequel that continued to build upon what the last game started with its storytelling. So as you can imagine, there were a lot of high expectations riding on the third installment of the series known as Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. Thankfully, it seems as though the franchise hasn’t lost its spark yet as this game may prove to be just as good as the previous games if not maybe even better than before.
Ratchet and Clank are living life as celebrity heroes when they get a call from the Galactic Rangers that Ratchet’s home planet Veldin is being invaded by Tyhrranoids. After saving his planet, Ratchet and Clank are brought aboard the Starship Phoenix and are shown that the attack was organized by a mad robot named Dr. Nefarious who wants to turn all organic lifeforms into robots. The rangers point out that the only one who was able to stop Nefarious in his tracks before was Captain Quark. Ratchet and Clank locate Quark and after some convincing, he joins the rangers in a battle to put an end to Dr. Nefarious and his hair-brained scheme.
The trademark Ratchet and Clank style of characterization and humor is ever-present for this adventure as it was in the previous two titles. This story doesn’t hide the fact that it's one nonsensical sci-fi cartoon but it is all of that in the best ways possible. Twists and turns often accompany the journey and along the way, you’ll be introduced to many familiar and unfamiliar faces. Ratchet and Clank are still a great duo and their relationship while can be testy sometimes feels very genuine as they have come a long way since their first interaction. Captain Quark is still a big full-of-himself dummy who is just so irresistible to dismay even when it feels like he’s being a complete jerk. Dr Neferious is a new villain our heroes have to face and man did the creators at Insomniac not hold back at creating such a campy but memorable villain. Armin Shimerman does the voice for Nefarious and it feels like he’s having such a blast while doing it. He may have just overthrown Fizwighet and Chairman Drek as the most memorable villain in the Ratchet and Clank franchise which is saying quite a lot. Add that with other likable characters both old and new and you’ve got a space adventure that is worth participating in every step of the way.
The gameplay from the previous games always delivered thrilling experiences all revolving around combat. This game takes that idea a bit of a step further as some missions will see you fighting off hoards of enemies with The Galactic Rangers by your side. You will be able to use more creative and helpful weapons to defeat your enemies and even have the aid of other galactic weapons such as hover ships or dune buggies with armored weaponry. Winning these challenges will gain you a lot of bolts which can be spent to upgrade weapons and armor. Aside from combat, the platforming around planets is still such a joy and there are many ways to get around certain areas such as using your helipack or gravity boots to walk across magnetic surfaces. This would also be the first time that there is now a hub world for Ratchet and Clank to recuperate while in between missions. The Starship Phoenix is a place where you can practice your combat skills, test out new weapons, or play interactive Quark vid comics. Speaking of which The Quark vid comics are small and simple 2D side-scrolling missions where you play as Quark as the player finds out more about his interactions with Dr. Nefarious which can lead to humorous results. The series always banks on trying something new for every game they make and the end result leaves a memorable impression on gamers young and old.
The graphics are of the PS2 era, but they are still so well detailed and stylized that it doesn’t bother in the slightest. Every game looks more and more visually interesting than the previous title and that can be said greatly with how each of the planets are well laid out and colorful when necessary. Sometimes so much can be happening on screen that it may require the player to think about his moves before running into an attack from enemy forces. This game encourages exploration even if it means coming back to a previous planet to find collectibles that may have been missed. This game is colorful and detailed with sci-fi imagery done in a cartoony but still pleasing way that stays true to the series’s style and still finds a way to make something old feel new again.
David Bergeaud comes back once more to score the music for this game. It is admittedly a bit disappointing that this game's music score doesn’t try to reinvent with having memorable tunes, but the music regardless is still fun and enjoyable and pairs along greatly with the adventures of Ratchet and Clank.
It's debatable whether or not Up Your Arsenal is better than the original Ratchet and Clank game. Still, I found this installment to be much more engaging than Going Commando even though I enjoyed that game quite a bit. The storytelling is fun and adventurous, the characters are all likable, The gameplay is smoother and sharper than ever and the graphics are just as jaw-dropping now as they were back in 2004. This is the peak for the Ratchet and Clank franchise so far and it's gonna take a lot of imagination and effort to overthrow this well-made 3D platformer.
(Final Grade: A-)