Great game and great fun

I was late playing this game, with so many other great games that came out I unfortunately put this one off to the side in my "will rent later" list. Boy was that a dumb move.

From the fantastic visuals to the addicting gameplay you would be hard pressed to find a better platform game on ANY console right now (yes I'm talking about you Mario!). It has everything that is missing from other platform games, it has humor that adults and kids alike can enjoy. A story line that keeps you interested and wanting to progress so you can see how it unravels. Although many will find the difficulty to be a little easy the amount of fun the game provides more then makes up for it.

I never play games through multiple times, usually I beat the game and find no reason to play the exact same thing over and over again. However once you beat the game it can go into "Challenge" mode, where your enemies are harder but you can upgrade your weapons further, get multipliers (up to 20x) if you can go long enough without taking any damage and a whole list of "skill points" you can get by... "Using the "Transformer" gadget to turn your enemies into penguins then throw a "Groovetron" gadget to make them dance and you can get the "Happy Feet" skill point!

A game like this is a nice break from FPS, Racing games and beating hookers with baseball bats. It's also a great game for kids to play as everything is colorful and the violence is masked greatly by the "outrageous" weapons you weild.

Better late then never when it comes to playing this game!

A Ratchet and Clank game. Nothing More, nothing less. But thats good.

The first R&C on the PS3. The ones on the PS2 were amazing! I don't know of any other game series that puts that classic gaming feel into new games with such grace. This game is what those games were, but on the PS3, and thats pretty awesome. With a great story, good graphics, and another great arsenal of weapons, this is another great part of the series. If you haven't played the PS2 ones first. Then I suggest you try to, or join the many others in trying to get an HD collection for it, made...if it hasn't already been made. Point is, if you haven't played the others...play them. If you liked them...buy this. You won't be disappointed. Like all other R&C games, this one comes with great replay value. One problem I had with it....no trophies. Now don't get me wrong, there is plenty of secret stuff to grab, just like the others, and I always go out of my way to get them....just would of been nice to have something saying I did it this time.

RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

Please, feel free to disagree, but we're going to come straight out and say it: the Ratchet & Clank series is PlayStation's current mascot. And it's not just because the lead character is a squat, midget-human-mammal hybrid with a penchant for 'platforming elements'. They've consistently shown the world what PS2 (and recently, through R&C: Size Matters, PSP) is capable of when properly pushed, all the while returning often enough to keep its league of fans entertained and engaged for ages.

Jak & Daxter? They've arguably lost their way, even if it was a fun old ride. Sly Raccoon? Never got the attention he deserved. Lara, GTA, Pro Evolution Soccer, Metal Gear and Resident Evil? Dismissed on account of being multiformat whores, over the years. Kratos? He's arguably the strongest challenger, but just hasn't managed the mileage that Insomniac's furry lombax and his quirky robotic sidekick have. And now stumpy gun-toting space-saviour Ratchet is back in full force, to slap down the doubters and tap PS3's monstrous potential with a dazzling, technicolour mushroom cloud of a shoot-'em-up.

Ratchet Branson
Now, it may sound like we're bestowing a huge accolade on Ratchet & Clank by placing it on a mascot's pedestal. Which we are, but it's also a roundabout way of preparing you for the fact that this is far from a reinvention of the series - this is a confident revitalisation, sure, but it operates on a template that will be very familiar to long-standing Ratchet & Clank devotees. It's a third-person shooter that has you travelling between an entire solar system of planets in a relatively straight line dictated by the plot, with myriad minigames and sub-quests to get stuck into or return to as you wish. Ratchet's armoury and backpack of gadgets expands with each new stage visited (although, the levels are far larger this time around, and the only loading screens are those you'll see when skipping from planet to planet).

There's no multi-player mode, either, so it's not an absolutely complete package, but we'd rather Insomniac produced a single-player campaign that excelled, rather one that skimped in order to include Deathmatch scrapping.

Colour like no other
Don't be getting the wrong idea. Tools Of Destruction is far from lazy, and it's a much more preferable treatment than the experimental, overly combat-obsessed cul-de-sac that was Ratchet: Gladiator, the final PS2 game in the series. When we say that this is a PS3-ification of Ratchet & Clank 3 (arguably the franchise's best outing), we mean it in the best way possible. All the vibrancy that Insomniac forgot to put into Resistance: was obviously held back for this... hook it up with a good HD display, and get ready for some laser eye surgery.

It's a truly stunning game to see in motion, full of crisp, glorious hues and levels that are almost needlessly packed with rich ambient detail. MotorStorm and Heavenly Sword may very well offer some graphical finery, but Tools Of Destruction has already moved things on in terms of sumptuous solidity and a luxuriant colour. From a panoramic prehistoric planet populated by enormous dinos to a journey within the electric guts of a supercomputer... it's like Insomniac has unearthed several new shades of red, blue and green the rest of the world hadn't noticed yet.

Don't let the loud, brash tones of the visuals fool you: Insomniac's role as a master gunsmith is further cemented with Tools Of Destruction, whose arsenal varies from the silly to the brut

Far beyond expectations!

I have been wondering whether or not I should buy this game, but when I did I never did regret it. This game is amazing. It exceeding all of my expectations. It is nice to go back to a game that puts "fun" as its first priority. With lots of weapons and gadgets, a great story, excellent sound and animation, this game will definitely please newcomers to the series (such as myself). You can't go wrong with buying this game, as it has lots of replay-ability. Top notch game all around with lots of variety to keep you interested including action, story, puzzles, and hidden extras.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

"Insomniac Does it Again"

Introduction

Here we are again. Two years later and another console game sequel to the Ratchet and Clank series comes out. Only this time around you get to see the duo in high-definition on the Playstation 3 and lets just say I don't miss the PS2 all that much anymore. This is the 5th game I've played in this series and I've been there since the start when the first game released in 2002. I was looking forward to this game all year and needless to say: it delivered.

Game-Play

The game-play has definitely been this series strong point and this game does extremely well in this area. While the 2 previous games lacked a bit in the platforming department this game brings it back with a vengeance. Many of the gadgets are quite fun to use, my favorites being the Gyro-Cycle and Robo-Wings. Another interesting gadget that really screams platforming is the Gelanator which shoot out a cube of gel that lets you jump higher and lets you stack them to get even more air. For you returning players in the series you'll notice many other gadgets making a welcomed returned such as the Heli/Thruster Packs and some more grind-rail goodness.

The shooter aspect of this series also does not disappoint with the many new weapons and combat devices Ratchet has at his disposal. The weapons themselves are quite diverse from one another and all need to be utilized in different ways to be effective. Each weapon is quite fun to use and they never get too complicated for the average player. The weapons also get experience with each use on an enemy and further upgrade their damage capabilities with each level they gain. My favorite weapon would have to be Alpha Cannon, which just screams firepower when you use it. Health is once again nano-tech based with health crates abundant for restoring health. Wrench use has also been kept the same as well.

The devices are a new aspect to the R&C series and they don't disappoint. Ranging from making any enemy dance with the Groovitron to turning them into a lovable penguin with the Transmorpher the devices are good for some laughs and is also very helpful to get out of a pinch.

Clank only game-play has made a return in this series and it's better than ever IMO. His new buddies have some neat new powers and Clank also gets a new helpful power of his own as well. The areas that you traverse with him can be thought provoking and are sometimes quite fun to do, unlike in past games where I thought it was a chore to play as him.

The only issue that I think any new player would have coming into this game would be that fact that there's not enough tutorial to teach new players how to do certain things.

Game-Play Score: a solid 10/10 with no big issues whatsoever(since lack of an extensive tutorial doesn't effect me) and it does what it's supposed to: making this game a blast to play.

Rent or Buy

Unless you like rush through things or you don't like platforming, this is the game you must own on your PS3. As of right now there's nothing else like it on the current gen console market and it's an amazing game to boot. It's also just good clean fun that people of all ages can enjoy. It's an obvious buy.

Final Score

Game-Play: 10
Graphics: 10
Story: 8.7
Controls: 9.9
Sound: 8.5
Play-Time/Re-Playability: 8.9

Overall Score: 9.3 (Amazing)

Final Say

Reviewer's Score: 9/10

Game Release: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (US, 10/23/07)