Sony Celebrates the Evolution of Ratchet & Clank

My first game was Tools of Destruction on PS3. From there I played all the entries on there and ended up picking up the Collection of the PS2 entries on Vita later

Really solid platformer series all around.

Ratchet and Clank games have been so fun to play. Looking forward to play this one

My first one was Gladiator. Which is the best game in the series and massively underrated. Just a lot more fun than the other games I’ve played imo.

it's a great series. i have completed at least 5 of them but if i'm going to be honest about it i will say this: if you have played one, you have played them all. the series has failed to evolve outside of the graphics so i haven't exactly seen an "evolution" which is rather disappointing.

Seen it. It looks amazing and captures the importance of Ratchet and Clank as a franchise for Playstation perfectly.
Insomniac Games carrying Playstation as usual.
Hands down best Sony In-house studio.

I remember playing Ratchet & Clank for the first time on one of those PS2 Demo Disc, where you were enabled to play through the Metropolis & Blackwater City, afterwards I knew I had to have the full game, however I only managed to get my hands on Ratchet & Clank 2, but DAMN what a game it was. I also remember going through my local Target one day and the main video game display was jam-packed with so many copies of Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal, it was $90 at the time, but being the conniving little turd that I was, managed to convince my Mum to buy it for me.

Letting people play the 2016 remaster for free was the best advertising they could make. It's like giving away free heroin.

That plant growing was a nice touch as well...Good marketing

I remember renting the first and having a proper jaw drop moment on arriving at the first city (Metropolis?). Just panning the camera and looking at the world, felt it was like being in a cartoon version of Fifth Element.

Still think Tools Of Destruction was the best, even with the gimmicky 6-axis motion controls (that thankfully got patched out!)

The PSP version is on my Vita's card and is even better as you can map the shoulder buttons to work correctly on the Vita.

Amazing ad... I'm sure I have said this before, but I'm going to say it again: I really love these type of ads PS puts every now and then for their main games.

Really looking forward to this game.

for the life of me I don't no how this became a more viable franchise over Jak n Daxter. but that's me

All i got from that was nothing has changed since ps2 other than the visuals. Another R&C is no bad thing, but i'm no more hyped for this than i was the last game (which i received as part of my ps+ subscription). Roll on 2024.

Awesome advert! Can’t wait to finally play this!

Honestly, this ad just makes me depressed. I haven't even come close to being able to get a PS5. I'm sure there's a lot of people like me that won't be able to experience this game for a long time, possible a couple of years, because of PS5 stock.

@nessisonett Hard disagree, Deadlocked lacked the exploration, gadgets, puzzles and platforming that made it feel like more than just another shooter, gameplay wise.

@Loftimus You clearly have been ignoring the trailers then.

Been with ratchet and clank from the very beginning, So looking forward to this one next Friday.
My second most wanted game after HZDFW.

@Mgene15 two reasons:

1. It's a lot more fun with all the different weapons and gadgets. While Jak 2 was a step up from the first, Jak 3 was pretty much just more of the same.

2. Naughty Dog only makes 3 games, a racing spin off, then abandons the franchise, so anything they make is destined not to have staying power, even if it's really good. It's happened with Crash, Jak, I'm pretty sure Uncharted 4 is a racing game, just you wait until the Last of Us: Crazy Battle Races comes out in a few years.

@Sjmaster The setting was way more interesting though, with a proper co-op mode that me and my brother played, a much darker tone and some great worlds. The other games didn’t grab me the same way.

Only played the PS4 remake. I enjoyed it well enough. If Sony ever dabbles in virtual console releases again, I'll probably try some of the older games in the series, too.

My first time playing Ratchet and Clank was the demo of the original game, featuring Metropolis and Blackwater City. That was stunning first time around, especially with all the details in Metropolis.

Ratchet and Clank 2 (Locked and Loaded/Going Commando) was the first one I played fully, and it's still my favourite to this day. It nails the fine humour that the older games had, has great gameplay, and has some fun side activities and other things to mix it up.

I did miss the PS3 era games unfortunately. If I can ever be bothered to try out PS Now, then they might be worth a look.

The ps4 one killed that series.

But hey, the ps5 one looks like a good tech demo.

@Omnistalgic funny how it shakes as well when they change to a new era.

More like longevity than evolution at this point . oh , and by the way -

1. R&C 2
2. R&C Tools of Destruction
3. R&C 3
4. R&C 1
5. I never played Crack in Time but , Size Matters was kinda ''eh'' so I guess Crack in Time here.

@AdamNovice The PS4 game isn't no where near Top 3 to ratchet fans though . The first three PS2 games are easily better . Sales ironically arent indicative of quality , I think thats been proven plenty of times .

The first R&C game I played was Into the Nexus on PS3. I then binged pretty much the entire series that same summer, excluding Deadlocked and the PSP games. I think it was the summer of 2014.
Growing up loving Jak and Sly, I was (and still am) disappointed I didn't grow up with Ratchet and Clank along side the other two.

@Sjmaster of course i have... The rifts are smart and that but its all on rails. I'm not a moth so it takes more than some prettier lights than last time to make me pee my pants. It looks great but nothing i can't wait for. Especially at that price.

Saw R&C on the cover of a Game Informer magazine way back when and thought how stupid it looked like it was going to be. Bought it anyway and have absolutely loved the series since literally day 1 of release. Haven’t missed a single installment. Even took my kids to see the movie.

@AdamNovice Best selling ≠ good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kD_QhYgIA4

I grew up with this series and it's been cool to see it grow up too. Played every single entry and never walked away unhappy with the experience. Here's my arbitrary ranking of all the R&C games:

1.) Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time
2.) Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
3.) Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction
4.) Ratchet and Clank
5.) Ratchet and Clank (2016 Remake)
5.) Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus
6.) Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
7.) Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty
8.) Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
9.) Ratchet: Deadlocked
10.) Secret Agent Clank
11.) Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
12.) Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault

You think the formula would get old, but it somehow keeps it fresh with every entry.

The new R&C looks like what Biomutant wanted to be.

My first games on ps2 were the OG R&C and Rayman 3. I picked Ratchet and Clank only because of the art haha I was blown away, though.

@tselliot Totally different type of game, dude.

@UnlimitedSevens i don't see it that way. i feel like the series has become too formulaic and by the numbers at this point. what exactly have they done to keep it fresh outside of the graphics over the past 20 years? the only main differences between entries is the inclusion of new and wacky weapons and gadgets. that isn't to say most entries haven't remaind "good" and "fun" to play, but surely, insomniac could do more to innovate on this series. unfortunately, they have become incredibly risk adverse and rift apart looks to be yet even more of the same outside of the teleportation gimmick (as cool as it is).

I missed out on the PS2 era. After my debate over the PS vs. Saturn, I went PS. Then life hit. Law school. Marriage. It just wasn't meant to be. The first thing I did when I divorced was buy a PS3. No regrets (except for the marriage...could have done without that).

@Porco

Well, I can see where you are coming from. I played the games as they came out, with gaps between them so there was less of that series fatigue. On the surface, it is the same game it was in 2002, with better graphics and a new gimmick here and there.

The biggest changes are behind the scenes stuff. There was a huge leap between the first and second game, when they introduced a leveling system, changeable armor, upgradeable weapons, optional missions and planets, and a bunch of RPG-lite elements which blew my young mind away. I was hooked for sure. The transition from the first to the second game has been the biggest evolution for the series so far.

The third game refined those leveling systems a bit and tightened up the narrative. No big changes. I was slightly disappointed in it despite the community in general holding it as the best R&C game to date, but I still liked it.

Ratchet: Deadlocked stripped everything away besides combat and I was tired of the series at this point. Combined with an overall weaker story and villain, it was a step backwards for me and I think most agree it didn't gel. At the time I assumed it was the final game and came away disappointed.

The PSP games were passable and iterative, but the main draw there was the portability of the PSP and they were impressive for their day in that regard. Clank getting his own dedicated game was appreciated but the PSP was so limiting, even back then.

Quest for Booty was just bite sized DLC on PS3, albeit very good, to hold people over for the next main entry.

R&C Future on PS3 brought the series back to form in my opinion but as you say didn't do anything too amazingly new outside of introducing "open world" areas here and there. Everything was tighter and of course graphically astounding.

A Crack in Time, being my favorite, refined everything that came before and introduced the best story in any game so far. The game had more personal stakes and they stepped away from the humor for a bit here and there to tell a more meaningful story, with the best gameplay and pacing so far.

All 4 One is one of my least favorites and ironically that is because it was the biggest departure for the series. Very linear and gameplay was all about 4-player co op. Into the Nexus was good and kind of a smaller experience but no huge departures there. And we don't talk about Full Frontal Assault in polite company.

Which brings us to the remake. Which was a great game but this is where I again felt fatigue, probably because it was a retelling of the first game with a new spin. Overall, a great game but somewhat "samey" when compared to the PS3 main entries.

Sorry for the long write up haha. I think as I write this I'm realizing there is a lot of weight to your point. I would describe the series as very "iterative", with new gameplay elements introduced in each game but the core game play and structure having stayed exactly the same for 20 years. The hidden benefit to that though is they've tightened up the experience to a razors edge through small adjustments, generally all for the better, but the drawback being the series can be tiring and repetitive.

I think I have a high tolerance for this series because I really like the style of humor, and the gameplay has always been top notch. I think we also have to acknowledge most people haven't played every entry and don't have that same burn out effect. I imagine many started with the recent entry on PS4.

Interestingly, the three weakest games of the series (going by aggregate reviews and my own personal experience) were the games that strayed away from the tried and true formula. Ratchet: Deadlocked (arena combat), All 4 One (4-player co-op), and Full Frontal Assault (tower defense) were very, very mediocre for me.

I think we are coming to a point where I personally will need an extended break from the series but it has been a fun ride. I am glad Insomniac is branching out into other games.

@UnlimitedSevens very well said. your knowledge on this series is impressive to say the least. your point about newcomers and people coming to the series for the first time does make sense. a new generation of gamers may not have played a ratchet and clank game before so this will be their entry point. for that group, it will be a magical experience. for old people like us, who have been there from the beginning, i see this being a strong entry in an otherwise predictable franchise. i will definitely play the game when the time comes, but my anticipation and excitement isn't particularly high for the reasons mentioned. at any rate, i do hope you enjoy the game and it turns out to be the best entry so far... and mybe one day, we will infact see a sequel that completely re-imagines what it can be — not an easy task but something that may be necessary, if not just for the fans, but for the development staff to maintain their passion and take it in a brand new direction.

@Porco

Yeah, sorry for the rambling response. I think the more I wrote trying to make the point the series has stayed fresh, the more I ended up convincing myself I agree with you haha. I've never looked at the series overall through that lens, but... I think you are right. The series would benefit from a new direction for us old-timers.