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Gameplay is king in this gorgeous re-imagining of the original Ratchet & Clank.

I have always had a strong love for the Ratchet and Clank series ever since I first picked up A Crack in Time for my then new PlayStation 3. I fell in love with its creative weapons, excellent sense of humor, and charming world and soon proceeded to blast through the series, replaying most of the titles over and over. When I eventually got around to trying the original game, however, I was quite underwhelmed. It felt like an experiment, a game with a good idea of giving a platforming mascot weapons, yet none of the ideas really came together. The franchise did not really find its footing until the sequel Going Commando with the third title Up Your Arsenal perfecting the foundation and future titles merely adding extra tweaks and polish. So when I heard the first game was getting remade with the modern design choices the sequels provided, I was naturally excited.

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All 4 One, and one for dull.

It's been a long nine days since we started running our Ratchet & Clank recap feature, but it has served as a great refresher on all of the games in the series. Having played them all individually over a number of years, it was easy to miss many of the trends the series has exhibited over time. For one, roughly half of the games in the series are actually side quests that only exhibit some of the traits of the core titles. Two, Insomniac is and has always been willing to utilize the series as a testing ground for all sorts of different ideas. All 4 One, being a co-operative four player title, is their latest test. The title sacrifices much of what makes the core series great in an effort to appeal to those looking for a co-op experience with friends. Like Ratchet: Deadlocked (Insomniac's other testing ground), All 4 One both succeeds and fails in different ways, but doesn't even begin to approach the bar set by A Crack in Time.

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Qwark and Ratchet spoil Clank's fun.

Secret Agent Clank is the second PSP spin-off title in the Ratchet & Clank series, and like its counterpart, Size Matters, was also developed by High Impact Games. Released originally for the PSP in 2008, Secret Agent Clank was eventually ported to the PS2 in 2009 by Sanzaru games. Since I'm not a big fan of the analog nub on the PSP, I opted for the PS2 version instead, and it seems as though I chose poorly. While I can't vouch firsthand on the improved quality of the PSP version, the difference in review scores paints a pretty clear picture. What I can say is the PS2 version of Secret Agent Clank is a sloppy experience full of issues that sadly ruins the unique gameplay and overshadows the quirky character of the title.

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After a foray on the small screen and a side quest for Ratchet, the duo are back for a traditional experience, now in HD.

Ratchet & Clank's HD debut brings some mixed successes. On one hand, the series has translated beautifully to a higher resolution thanks to its rich worlds full of color and detail. On the other, despite the improved look, the game's mechanics haven't managed to improve significantly enough to handle the often increased on-screen havoc. The resulting experience still proves enjoyable, if only due to the already solid footing of the series and the improved graphics.

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While it's not explicitly stated, Ratchet: Deadlocked marks the first spin-off title in the series. Drop in and see what's changed!

I'm not quite certain what Insomniac Games was going for when they created Ratchet: Deadlocked. It's clear that it wasn't meant to be a traditional Ratchet & Clank game, as the experience is something similar, but quite different at the same time. Rather than the typical action-platformer gameplay, Ratchet: Deadlocked is a third person shooter, through and through.

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