The Development of Ratchet & Clank PS4 - Gaming's Most Successful Failure

[@TheGoldenBolt]

*FINALE: RIFT APART RETROSPECTIVE:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y57KY2R-mZWXasU Thanks to Bespoke Post for sponsoring this video! New subscribers get 20% off their first box - go to www.bespokepost.com/tgb20 and enter code TGB20 at checkout!

[@Rainos62]

I actually really liked the remake of rachet and clank. it gets so much disrespect for a good game that was forced to work around a movie making developing the game around the story a nightmare. It just makes me appreciate that game more. I would love to see them attempt a proper remake of the original trilogy with the modern control scheme just let them take rein on the story. This feels like the hidden history of different games rather than a retrospective but it still really cool. Nice job.

[@agentclank8183]

No matter what the movie was like, I can say I really enjoyed this game. One very important point you brought up is that the original game is still there. So I can just get my story full there. While more one note (mostly shooting, which isn’t bad. It’s been a thing since R&C 3) the game does play better than the original. It’s a give and take for both. Being rewarded with the gold bolts and Holo cards for looking for areas in the original always was a treat. My only gripe with this game was the lack of an arena mode. Making post new game plus feel like the only source of replay ability. This is a good game with flaws, gladly the gameplay not being one of them. So I’m satisfied with it.

[@LaggyKar]

​@@agentclank8183 Yes. Disclaimer, I haven't watched the video yet, so maybe some of this is mentioned. But I agree, the problem is not the gameplay, the gameplay is fantastic. The original still has it's charm, and it's fun to go back to it sometimes, but the reimagining is a major improvement in that area. The problem is everything else around it, such as the story (including shoving in lots of stuff from UYA), the awkward cutscenes, the characterization (Ratchet's and Clank's character arcs are completely skipped), the huge changes from the original, the pre-order exclusive bouncer, and the fact that the game yaps at you and tells you what do do all the damn time.

[@akilcharles3473]

I just want to say I actually like the movie even despite its major flaws. I never had a PS4 by that time and so I wasn't able to play the game but I still enjoyed Ratchet & Clank regardless. I would love to hear your take/thoughts about the movie even tho I would guess you hate it otherwise, that is when the time comes. *STAY* *GOLDEN*

[@talinkretchmer5928]

I'm stoked you're getting sponsers. Love this content, love your videos. Keep up the good work and take a vacation sometime bc you deserve it.

[@turbochomp]

I genuinely love the original ratchet being a dick in the first game. It makes sense for his character and seeing him become a better person by the second game feels right

[@s3er0i9ng]

Yah I second this it was really cool to see Ratchet grow as a character throughout the 3 games on the PS2.

[@BlueisNotaWarmColour]

Yeah without him being a dick up front, what's the point? Where's the arc? It was satisfying seeing him act nicer in Ratchet 2 because of his behavior in 1.

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

It would have been cool to see James Arnold Taylor give an attempt at a facsimile of Mikey Kelly's version of the character real missed opportunity

[@charKT-7461]

And then people shit on his later appearances because character development apparently isn't welcome, and they'd rather have him be an asshole to everyone around him

[@BlueisNotaWarmColour]

@@charKT-7461 there's being kinder due to character development and there's being comically, nauseatingly docile to everyone. It's like when network execs decided to make Itchy and Scratchy more wholesome on the Simpsons.

[@Brindlebrother]

8:07 "So what Ratchet ps4's story ended up becoming was this in-universe parody of Ratchet & Clank's in-universe holo video game, which is based on the in-universe holo-film, which itself is the game's analog to the actual film that to Insomniac felt like a parody of Ratchet & Clank" Sir, I don't know what you just said but thank you for making this video

[@Rateptaker]

Meta Af. The way I undestood it is that Insomniac made a parody of themselves in which they parody Ratchet and Clank in the game's universe while simultaneously parodying it in this one

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

@@Rateptaker All thats missing would have bein a Bonus Epilogue Cutscene that shows Ratchet and Clank sitting in the movie theater and just....being confused and then shrugging it off ore a witty comment by Clank. That acually could have bein a fun 100% completion bonus

[@brandonmyers9660]

ouch my head 🫣

[@gracekim1998]

I think I understand 😂

[@ale4964]

i don’t understand 😢😭

[@Behon]

Bella Thorne’s voice acting in this game deserves to be in a museum of awkward performances. It is weird that she sounded perfectly fine in the movie,so I agree with your guess that there must be some separate behind the scenes factor when it came to her recording for the game.

[@aquariussolaris2492]

Wait stop i forgot she was in this game lmaooo

[@BlueKunai]

I'd put money on it being something that was in her contract that was more of a token afterthought as far as the project went and thus didn't have the same passion nor direction put into it. Another example would be the SpongeBob Movie tie-in game where Scarlet Johansson reprised her role as Mindy but completely phoned in her performance compared to the actual film.

[@hmamsb1150]

Wtf she was in the game?

[@TheForever206]

@@hmamsb1150 she was cora.

[@andreejagger5093]

Belle Thorne was in the game?

[@waylander9265]

The remake definitely showcases how far the series has come from a technical point of view, but it’s hard to ignore what was lost along the way. The gameplay is great but the world and story feels a little hollow. The remake shines an uncomfortable light on the fact that what was once a biting satire on consumerism, has become just another generic corporate product

[@charKT-7461]

@@mydadispumpingyourmom The dumbass Groovitron trophy

[@afarensis9720]

It became the thing it made fun of...a soulless remake stripped of all the charm and bite from the originals to meet deadlines for the flashy upcoming Hollywood movie

[@TheShizzle622]

Man you really hit the nail on the head with this comment. You perfectly summed up exactly WHY the shitty story rewrite felt like such a big deal for me. Like obviously the gameplay, graphics, and mechanics are awesome, but the way this game turned Ratchet into such a boyscout and it lost all of its satirical humor about consumerism is just too tragically ironic to ignore honestly.

[@UsernameInvalid48]

Brilliantly put

[@benji7275]

Cry more

[@REDRatchet]

Regardless of my own personal sorta disappointment with the PS4 game and Movie, I'm glad that it kept Ratchet & Clank relevant over the years and has introduced the series to a whole new generation of fans.

[@BugsyFoga]

Same

[@-Nine9-]

The concern I have is the impression this gives. Because it’s not mentioned in this video at all, but all the themes of hyper consumerism were glaringly absent from this. There was no satire which the originals did so well. This is just the most polished analysis a person can give of the game because it yada yada yadas over all that was wrong with it saying it’s somehow excused because the development team got bigger. You would think that would make it more inexcusable.

[@maineman5757]

@@-Nine9- it's because Sont realized thay hyper consumerism is exactly what they want from the masses. Can't be making people aware.

[@Numbuh_W.]

@@-Nine9- that honestly isn’t really shocking considering that style of humor has long been gone up to this point

[@stitchfinger7678]

@@-Nine9- thats like 1% of the point of the games though There's almost no ire over the lack of arena, and you're spedning time getting mad at the LACK OF FUCKING SATIRE FUCKING WHAT

[@JablesAchim]

The problem is you can't play the original games or even the ps3 games on the new hardware. So we are stuck with this one.

[@hijack3979]

I remember being in a really shitty mood when I managed to get this game. I was upset about something but I remember playing this and it instantly made me feel better. I loved the references to game. Granted the more I played the more I saw the deviations. But as a retelling/new game I was just happy to be playing Ratchet and Clank again.

[@arealcookingchannel5134]

Funny same thing happened to me when Rift Apart came out

[@ALGOChannel]

I wish that would've been the case for me because I had the exact opposite experience. I was super pumped to play this new remake of one of my all time favorite games in my new ps4 and I couldn't be happier that day... until I actually started playing i and I could not last more than two hours before turning the console off and never touching that game again. My day was absolutely ruined.

[@ryno4ever433]

I had a lite version of your experience. I finished it but I wasn't terribly happy with it. I expected a more 1:1 remake as I didn't know anything going in. I never became one of those nerds trashing the game online that Golden Bolt mentions, but if I ever talked about it I couldn't help but mention how much I didn't like it.

[@hijack3979]

@@ryno4ever433 id be lying to myself looking back on it now that it definitely and saying it was what I expected. They definitely missed a lot of the points but I think Golden Bolt already pointed all of that out. It was a good ratchet and clank game but not an amazing remake. I just managed to get a ps5 and no spoilers of course but Rift Apart has been absolutely amazing.

[@sohaibhamdan2114]

Same I instantly got rift apart after this cause I fucking missed rachet and clank

[@BlueisNotaWarmColour]

I actually played this before the originals and, yeah, the OG fans are right. The scene in the original with Clank and his 'mom'... damn that hits. That said, learning about the development issues definitely puts the game in a new light and makes it easier to appreciate.

[@CamCaustic]

I'm glad someone's been able to put into words my entire feelings about this game. I remember playing the series in order from 2 onwards, so my experience with Ratchet was always his Going Commando attitude, which I loved. To see him be this plank of wood in my first playthrough was a shock to the system, but after playing it a few times, yeah seeing the movie cutscenes made me realise the movie was bringing the game down quite a bit. I would've loved to have seen what this game could've been without the movie tie-on handcuffs so to speak. My workplace threw out a copy of the first game and I managed to dumpster dive to recover it and it'll forever be a part of my collection. To see the PS4 version narratively fall flat was harsh, but the gameplay still has me coming back. Been watching the entire retrospective and subscribed right after watching the first few. Keep up what you're doing, it's always super interesting and entertaining!

[@luisc2408]

I wonder if it would have been a plot along the lines of rift apart or something to continue the series' plot? imagine a new main line R&C game on the ps4. :0 the alternate timeline

[@RobotScarlet]

Agreed. I like the movie for what it was and the fact that we got a RnC animated movie at all but attaching it to the game, especially the WAY in which they did it, didn’t work. And despite liking the film I still see it as a RnC start done wrong especially when it comes to Ratchet’s personality and Qwark’s ending, and I don’t just mean the “adult jokes” that everyone pretends were clever and mature lmao The game is still tons of fun that I still play and complete 100% to this day, shame about the cut content like majority of the planets we didn’t even get to see remade.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

If you started with RC2, I'm curious as to what your reaction is to Ratchet's conflicts with Clank in the first game. Then for gameplay, Ratchet accelerates slower in the first game and can't strafe.

[@CamCaustic]

@@takatamiyagawa5688 I appreciate what the first RC started, since its the catalyst to one of my favourite franchises along with Crash and Spyro. However going from playing 2, 3, the future games and the remake, then backtracking ALL the way to the original ps1 release... God it felt clunky, Ratchets personality sucked, and it just made me wanna play 2 and 3 instead. Id still take the original story over the movie reboot tie-in ps4 remake though. Its better to have a character with a shitty personality that grows on you in later games than the plank of wood in RC remake.

[@RobotScarlet]

@@CamCaustic That's the thing that got me. As shitty as Ratchet was in the first game, if it was the only title you got from the franchise, yeah, I get why it would be a buzz kill of a game. Lord knows I played the Jak series and his personality annoys me lol But Ratchet was a kid and he grows out of it through each game. I think Crack in Time and Into the Nexus are the ones that set in stone his mature personality. The movie and the subsequent game just... start with Ratchet being a good yet-to-be-soldier boy with almost no flaws except trusting people too much and wanting to be a hero too much, I guess? They do establish he has a bit of an ego though but not too much which kinda sucked. Could've done more with that. Qwark was the same as Ratchet in the 2016 version. He was also egotistical but not too much. He still wanted fame but was shown to be actually concerned with the people, especially after the triumpht speech Ratchet gave him at the end of the movie. He was less "I'm gonna do evil later so I can defeat the evil and get my fame back" when the original game doesn't redeem him, doesn't fix him, he goes on continuing to be a shithead lmao I understand that they weren't going to do a remake of the sequel or a continuation of the first movie and then the game but still.

[@jeffm7007]

If I had a nickel for every time I watched a guy with the initials TGB talk about the PS4 Ratchet game for nearly an hour....I'd have two nickels. Which isn't that many, but still, it's weird that it happened twice.

[@blobblub9424]

Oh who's the second guy?

[@ThaThree]

@@blobblub9424 the gaming brit

[@blobblub9424]

@@ThaThree thank you!

[@HardwareFahrrad]

What's so weird about that? I like to re-watch my favorites or just generally good content that I know I will enjoy, too. I can't just watch whatever's new all the time.

[@ThorsShadow]

@@HardwareFahrrad It's not about re-watching stuff. It is about the fact both "The Golden Bolt" and "The Gaming Brit" made a video about this and both have the initials TGB. The way this meme is worded (if I had a nickel for every time this happened.....I'd have x amount of nickels.....not a lot of nickels, but weird it happened x amount of times) is always meant to reference, that multiple people made a very similar thing and the person using that meme format is experiencing this. It's never about just watching something multiple times.

[@shizumeru_]

In addition to Spiderman, they also have Sunset Overdrive in development since 2011. They approached that game with the mindset of breaking traditional shooter rules by engaging foes with large amounts of momentum and way out in the open, instead of the peek and shoot style. It also allowed the studio to integrate some personal stylization and get on the zombie bandwagon at the same time. This further emphasizes the over-ambitious production we're all familiar with and it's always impressive Insomniac can create great games juggling three or four projects at once, sometimes needing to coordinate with film productions as well.

[@KaminoKatie]

Insomniac Games is the goat

[@Drumpizza]

I really hope the Rift Apart video is 2 hours long. I love these videos so much. Keep up the amazing work!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

For my sake, I hope it's not - I've got deadlines!

[@Drumpizza]

@@TheGoldenBolt That's fair. Don't overwork yourself.

[@playerback7722]

Ok

[@draidenwolf]

@@TheGoldenBolt I liked this retelling of R&C I remember the first one and was happy they referenced the deja vu thing which put a smile to my face and never actually beat the first one on PS2 but I remember bits and parts and I loved it dearly but, despite the lack from the movie and the PS4 retelling of R&C I still enjoyed it and I’m at the nefarious boss fight and I like it but I hate it I love Ratchet and Clank and I come back to this game more and more just to feel a wave of nostalgia every once in a while either way I love the game I hope you respect my opinion

[@ForumArcade]

@@TheGoldenBolt Don't be afraid to take necessary delays in order to deliver the product you want to make.

[@michaelriverside1139]

The game is insanely fun and while it definitely has writing issues, the fact that you take it as Quark's account of the story turns it strangely compelling!

[@alfiobonanno5100]

That would be fine IF they didn't make obvious that everything happened more or less exactly as shown in the ending with community service quark, nevermind most of the writing being subpar at best, even stuff unrelated to the movie.

[@michaelriverside1139]

@@alfiobonanno5100 Yeah, it's pretty clear that the project being split between the movie and game didn't do favours to any, like that post-credits scene in the movie with a mechanized Dr. Nefarious, that should've been in the game... But still, I prefer to take it as Quark's obnoxious account rather than part of the canon.

[@alfiobonanno5100]

@@michaelriverside1139 I get it, but also, I can only go off of stuff in the game not my wishful thinking (I wish that scene didn't exist so much...) And aside from that, the writing is just bad, even stuff unrelated to the movie, pokitaru, gadgetron's HQ, quark (with the exception of "I'm listening" that was gold), skid, the fucking plumber etc, also, the dead fish stare into the void conversations ...

[@michaelriverside1139]

@@alfiobonanno5100 Oh man, Pokitaru is quite raw, not unfinished per se, but definitely funky... I get your feeling, the game as a whole is kinda off, but still fun, it's just a shame that it was Qwark's last big role since he's barely a cameo in Rift Apart.

[@alfiobonanno5100]

@@michaelriverside1139 Honestly, I feel like Quark has been way overexposed, he's bow a caricature of himself, and that's saying something. I don't know about insanely fun, I'd say it was fun enough, but there were way too many hiccups I think, from there being way less variety of enemies, to almost all the weapons coming from ToD (the simple fact they had the combuster in is already detracting points for me, easily the worst pistol on the francise) to the Ryno being just the ryno 4 (at least use the original...) Tohalf the levels being so streamlined that they lost all character, I don't know, it was just underwhelming I feel, also, only one save file, that is inexcusable.

[@Lytbringr0]

For me, the dream of being a Ranger felt shoe-horney, but could be forgiven. However the complete switcharoo in personality in Ratchet made me not pick the game up. His character became this naive, dreamy child who immediately hit it off with his bud, which meant his character development from every other game was toast.

[@charKT-7461]

Good thing it's not canon, then

[@TheGravityShifter]

@@charKT-7461 Kinda, kinda not. The retelling is canon but not like 100%. Rift Apart ignored the game's story but had references to it.

[@charKT-7461]

@@TheGravityShifter the only reference to it is the existence of the Pixelizer and Mr. Micron’s ship on Viceron

[@TheGravityShifter]

@@charKT-7461 And the Sheep being Chairman Drek.

[@charKT-7461]

@@TheGravityShifter oh yeah, that too. But it doesn’t mean the game is canon, because it’s not. It’s a retelling of a story that already happened

[@djtoxicdhg]

Heavenly sword was absolutely amazing but I literally never knew they even made a movie about that game and I was a huge heavenly sword fan back in the day.

[@thecommentsofyoutube7265]

I think this ratchet series is hands down the best gaming video essay series on KZbin. Golden bolt has done every single game and managed to put huge detail in without ever dropping quality. D You’ve done a monumental task so far and it’s a credit to your talent to continue regardless of how much work it is. Il be watching you for years to come :)

[@Yozzoy]

As I said in your community post, I just Platinumed this game to play it and have it done before you put this video out. I never played this game beforehand but I did see some of the "Cynical" takes of it on youtube and around the web, but I kinda put this game out of my mind since I was so busy with university. Having the chance to play it now, this is what I think of the game. Its good. Its not the best thing ever nor is it a replacement for the original but as an entry point and a tip of the hat to a lot of the old R&C fans like myself I think it's perfectly acceptable and I had a good time. Granted some of that is also now influenced by the fact that I live in a world where Rift Apart is a thing (Hell I played that before I played this) but ya overall I liked it. It was something that I looked forward to playing after work and I'm glad I got to experience it. I took 6 friends to see the movie opening day though and oh boy, it still gets brought up... Never gunna live that one down lol

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

I've never seen the movie. It can't be THAT bad, right?

[@Yozzoy]

@@user-vi4xy1jw7e Its pretty abysmal imo. But watch it for yourself and come to your own conclusion is what Ill say.

[@ultr0shot440]

10 years from now I hope you'll remake the retrospective series when some developers will eventually be able to give you all the information about what actually happened 😀. That would almost be amazing as the amount of effort you put in to make this series so amazing 👏

[@NoxideActive]

You should have some kind of stream chat with TheGamingBritShow, not to argue or debate but to talk about R&C, (wherever it takes you). I think that could help bridge the divide between the decisive fanbase, and also it would be really fun listening to.

[@robertdowney85]

That would be nice.

[@hassanghanim3966]

Yea let him talk with the guy who made a 2 hours of nitpick and misinformation, no thanks, The Golden Bolt does something called "research" in his video.

[@besten70]

@@hassanghanim3966 How is it misinformation exactly? All I saw when watching the video was a guy giving his honest thoughts on a game he didn’t like in his favorite game franchise. And how is Golden Bolts level of research necessary to review a piece of media? Yes, knowing the production history can be good as to know why something is bad or good but making a review of a game solely based on what’s in the disc you bought and the original game it’s meant to be a remake/reboot of is completely fair imo.

[@dantetouchdown9030]

@@hassanghanim3966 now you are just lying

[@Darkfawfulx]

I think they'd be civil.

[@personwholovesailorm]

Truthfully I enjoyed this game more for the game aspect of it than anything to do with the movie. I sunk hours into this game when it came out and if I ever get back to playing the PS4 again I'll probably sink even more hours in because I LOVED playing this game.

[@lightyearpig12]

I fondly remember collecting all the Holo-Cards and unlocking the RYNO. Nefarious only lasted maybe a minute.

[@butterflydreamer9649]

Honestly idk why but the card system was my favourite thing about rac 2016

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

I remember when the 150k bolt price to buy the RYNO was considered a LOT of bolts. It's like Ratchet's universe suffers from pretty high inflation.

[@radical_dog]

One thing you missed was the constant notifications of when screen sharing was enabled/disabled, thanks to those cutscenes. That really hit home how clunky it all was. Perhaps if Sony bought Insomniac earlier, the ties between game and movie might have been much smoother!

[@shcdemolisher]

Do keep in mind, before the movie had aired, there were NONE of those! After the movie then they got added which just always felt off.

[@DominoPivot]

Thanks for this nuanced and informative take that I was too emotional and too ignorant to make back when I tried to make my own video on it.

[@Ericss2009]

"...the first game's jokes felt a little dated after 15 years, that it fit the target demo of 7-10 year old boys back then but maybe didn't land as well to 7-10 year old boys AND girls today, that they cringed looking back" I think that sentence is far more cringey than the jokes themselves

[@Rugrats-91]

Here we are, this was my intro to the Ratchet series and while I liked it enough to want to go and play the games, now I have very mixed feelings about it including after Rift Apart was announced and released. While the movie was my first time really hearing about R&C, I never saw the movie nor did I play the game until 2020. But I do commend the game for getting me interested in this series to begin with and there are still good moments but it's not my favorite out of the loads of games R&C has made.

[@luisc2408]

what is if you don't mind my asking?

[@Rugrats-91]

@@luisc2408 That's gotta be Up Your Arsenal, 2016 is still a fun game especially since it got me into the series. UYA is my favorite game in the Ratchet series, Deadlocked, Nexus and Rift Apart are all up there too.

[@lulubugs2752]

So at the end of the day, Insomniac is a developer that ALWAYS cares for R&C. Sure, there are a few misguided and outside elements that are sometimes out of their control but they never stopped loving R&C. Makes me... respect everything revolving around this game now. Great vid

[@stitchfinger7678]

Even Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank, and FFA still felt like there was love. The overall experience wasn't... as good... But it still felt like there was care. And frankly, I think SM is overhated a little.

[@ci7210]

​@chandllerburse737 Last of Us getting a remake before Jak and Daxter will always irk me

[@jUppers]

insomniac might care for R&C but writers lately have been becoming political activists, and those people care about nothing but pushing their mental illness agenda

[@CheezerTheGrate]

I’m sure if this wasn’t tied to a movie.. this would’ve been a good remaster and a good opener for a lot of people In my opinion the final product of Ratchet & Clank PS4 did it’s best and it’s not gonna be perfect but it did it’s best as a… “reboot” a uh… “remaster”? Anyways as a person that got into the series late as I was born in 2005 I think PS4 was fine.. not good but just fine

[@CheezerTheGrate]

@@mariokarter13 honestly I agree with this… it’s never complete

[@playerback7722]

True

[@akilcharles3473]

As a side note and I know not many would agree with me but I kinda like Ratchet & Clank movie despite how not great it was.

[@CheezerTheGrate]

@@akilcharles3473 I do too but I feel if they were different projects… perhaps things would’ve been better?

[@RobotScarlet]

@@akilcharles3473 You’re not alone. I see for what it was, I know it’s not the greatest re-telling or presentation of the characters as they originally were but I still have fun. Not many franchises can get a very good looking movie done with their favorite characters so I appreciate it. Still not a good movie though lol And I highly appreciate Nefarious’ squishy re-design, his original one was ass, regardless if it made sense for him to be there or not.

[@knuclear200x]

I'm a bit disappointed that the only Ratchet game on PS4 was just a remake movie tie-in. They really burned themselves out with all those PS3 sequels

[@BugsyFoga]

The first ratchet game I got on release, and the sole reason I bought a ps4.(also good on you dude for releasing this vid the day after the film turned 6 years old)

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I would have had it out yesterday but then I decided to drink

[@darflame69yt12]

@@TheGoldenBolt 😐

[@dduuddeechil]

@@TheGoldenBolt 🤣🤣🤣

[@xanderkbruh582]

@@TheGoldenBolt live your life king

[@yoindianbro]

@@TheGoldenBolt the most relatable thing a KZbinr has ever said

[@amy-rose7090]

I really respect your optimism and I’m always so glad to hear it when people say they enjoyed the movie and reboot. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy it as much as I enjoy playing the original games. My favourite thing about the games has always been the characters, their development and story. It was both hilarious and heartwarming. The enemies to friends arc that Ratchet and Clank have I just adore, and I loved watching them teach each other their opposite ways of thinking, which I feel was not only ruined, but quite possibly inverted by the movie. I can’t help but cringe at virtually everything that happened in the movie, and game, ‘jokes’ especially. My solution is to obviously just pull out my ps2 and play the games I love, but I still wish that the new fans had been introduced to the same Ratchet and Clank (as characters) as we were. (And Umbris, Orxon, Gemlik Base and Oltanis were some of my favourite planets so I mean….. :(( But that being said, this game is keeping the franchise afloat, and drawing in new fans which is awesome. I hope it means they can keep on making more and hopefully improving the characters and story with each new game.

[@TopTwom]

I'm in a simillar boat. I'd love to be more positive about this game but the original just means too much to me. It genuinely taught me lessons as a child... most importantly about selfishness vs. selflessness. Removing that arc from Ratchet's character removes the value of the whole game for me. As you say, those originals still exist... but they aren't the ones readily available to new audiences.

[@mandalorianhunter1]

Thanks for this video Gold Looking back at this time was interesting. The gameplay of the game looked fun, but a lot of things were different. Yeah the movie bombed but I still want to check it out. It maybe would have done better as a series

[@suitNtie22]

I've just binged all of you ratchet and clank retrospectives and I'm so impressed and inspired by the development stories and your own experiences with each title. These were so well done and you should be very proud! I look forward to future retrospectives and analysis's from you

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Much love, my friend. And also I'm sorry I stole your entire day, dear god.

[@Eridium_Crash]

This is a great video :D Keep it up. Also find it awesome how this video goes full circle.

[@liamclarke91]

28:18 I'm not sure what's more confounding. Sasha being absent or that Darla Gratch now looks like Juanita from Deadlocked. Really liked this episode, though. A nice counterpart to that other TGB's video on this game.

[@maxwelllutomski7855]

IKR? Why has no one ever talked about the Darla+Jaunita mash-up? I've looked online to see if people have talked about it, and found nothing. Made me feel like I was the only one that remembered that they are two separate beings

[@ElliotFW]

I'm fairly certain it's just a mistake in the holocard name. She definitely is Juanita, as she's paired up with Dallas in the movie.

[@liamclarke91]

@@ElliotFW I mean on the one hand, it makes sense for it to be Darla cause she was in the first game. On the other hand, maybe they were just doing asset reuse and figured no one would notice if they got rid of Dallas' toupé and gave Juanita actual eyes...

[@DolanDuking]

They put the original RYNO facing the wrong way and on its side too

[@michaeldunlap1032]

@@maxwelllutomski7855 because that's NOT a darla+jaunita mash up, that was just a misconception that the ratchet and clank ps4 game did. In the movie, it is 100% jaunita (heck, she even calls herself that in the film). Honestly, whenever I'm discussing stuff like the ps4 game and film, my source will ALWAYS be the film.

[@literalcharlie4171]

I never knew most of this about the development. It does make me sort of wonder how the game would have materialized without the movie deadline or creative restraints. Maybe we could have gotten vid comics or an actual insomniac museum instead of the insomniac garage

[@shcdemolisher]

Yeah. The garage part always felt off.

[@MattTheHuman9]

You were on point at 32:42, I feel like hardcore fans of any franchise tend to forget that casual fans will almost always have a positive opinion on what's considered a decent or above average game to the dedicated fanbase. They also tend to forget just how many people have played the game outside of the community even though the stats are right there like you listed. In a weird way I feel like Ratchet has always been a sleeper popular franchise, not popular enough to get much online engagement like the comment comparison you did, but enough that's it's been steadily been getting games since 2002. You're more likely to find someone to talk about R&C irl than Legend of Dragoon for example.

[@lethauntic]

I'm just going off my stream of consciousness with this, so while I want to explain what I think, it's long and messy. The PS2 wasn't my first console, but I was still a kid when I got my first Ratchet and Clank game, being Going Commando. Followed up with the first and so on. I still have a faint memory in the back of my head of me seeing RaC 1 in a Blockbuster and thinking about how odd it looked. I don't know in what way, but it stood out. I didn't think that a random game, which my brother ended up getting some time later, would end up becoming one of my favorite franchises and be so impactful on my tastes. Now, I do recall seeing the RaC movie... God, was it already 6 years ago? I was modestly excited for it. It's not like I never looked forward to these kings of things, but I'm not clouded by my love for the series. You know, I could somewhat see how this was going to turn out. Partly because it would always happen regarding video game movie adaptations, but even besides that. I saw it with my brother (we were one of the only ones there) and when the movie was over I remember just having a lack of reaction. I wasn't angry or upset, not that I would get that way over something like this, but I was just like, "well, that's that, I guess". I would've rather watched an hour-long video on a game I _didn't_ like over this movie. I... think there was a Jak reference at one point, which was cool I suppose. I don't remember when I played the movie tie-in game in relation to the movie itself, but I at least had some kind of a complex opinion on it-- Again, relative to the movie, which was just kind of a wet fart more than anything. I didn't really like the game overall. The narrative and jokes were just bad, I think we can all agree on that. It might've had it's moments, but those almost felt like flukes based on how often they happened. Same with the characters. I remember Qwark being the most... him, but even then I really didn't like any of them. Say what you want about the narrative and jokes from the first game, but I still find some of it kind of funny. Maybe some of it's a little much, but RaC 2016 just felt sterile and typical of how I imagine most kids cartoons to be. Not like media made for kids should also be made for me, but that clearly wasn't the case for RaC. A grown up could easily play through the PS2 trilogy and have fun. 2016 felt almost like it was talking down to me. And I'll just say that the comparisons between the original and 2016 are to be expected. My thoughts wouldn't be much different if at all just looking at the game in isolation, to be clear. well, I mean, as much as you can as a fan of the series anyways. Also, the whole "mean Ratchet" stuff did confuse me when I heard about it for the first time. I played Going Commando first, and while I don't remember a lot from back then, I don't recall having an issue playing the original. I think it's because I was like, "so this is what they were like before they were friends", or something along those lines. I was surprised to hear how much people hated Ratchet's attitude, but especially considering that it was the only game at the time, I can understand. I never saw an issue with having a story where two of the main characters didn't like each other-- hated each other, even. I mean, some of my favorite stories, in games and otherwise, involve that. Seeing them overcome that gap is always a treat, even more so the bigger that gap is. Granted, Ratchet was the antagonist in the relationship, and he was a little over-the-top considering what flipped his switch (being Qwark's betrayal). They warm up to each other by the end and the "tin can" line was a nice enough end for what it is. And no, I didn't take that line as some random insult. It sounded more friendly than anything even just in tone. I know that I'm spending a lot of time on this point, but I was rubbed the wrong way when it came to this and his character in 2016 doesn't help. I don't like the idea of Ratchet being unnecessarily mean just for the hell of it, but how he was in the first game always made the second better for me, at least as far as the duo is concerned. The idea that someone who was real callous mellowed out and grew up a bit and that's what he became is intriguing. To clarify: It's not like I think that the game would've been bad if not for his rudeness in the first game or anything. Rather, I'd probably still love the game just as much as I do now, more or less, I wouldn't know. And no, I don't want him to be rude in every game he's in, either. It feels like some people treat Clank like a dog as well, by how protective they are of him. I mean, it's not like I don't get it, but going on and on about him "yelling for Clank, not at him", just sounds like what would happen naturally in a character ark, does it not? There was no need to "fix" anything. Unless they planned for Ratchet to be that way forever, which sounds silly. I know that with 2016 it's a bit different, especially with the direction they were going in, which is fine. But both Ratchet and Clank talking, minutes after meeting, as though they're best friends just sounds cheap. I mean, the whole narrative does, but at least what they went through in the first game gave their friendship more meaning. At least to me it did. The gameplay for 2016, as much as I didn't like the complete package, was still pretty fun. I mean, I keep it in my bi-yearly playthrough of the series for a reason. I never felt wowed by any of the weapons, though. They were fine, I suppose. The orb weapon that pulses (just watched the video and forgot) is pretty cool and the pixelizer is nice too. Other than that the bouncer was cool to see, though it being DLC and being free in-game does effect balancing even more so, but it was nice to see return at the very least. I didn't feel much from the other weapons, since they kind of just felt like they were from the Future games anyways. Not _bad,_ but a little bland to be honest. All-in-all the gameplay is very solid I can't disagree, far from my favorite, but still fun. The music was another thing I really didn't like about the game. None of it was memorable, or even enjoyable. Though, I just went back and listened to a lot of it on ITunes, to see what I think of it in higher quality, and I have to say that I do like it more than I used to, at least some of the tracks. I still don't particularly like the soundtrack, but actually being able to hear all of the instruments makes a big difference. When I played the game several times in the past all I heard just sounded very loud and simple. I don't really agree on the "it's like hearing the artist live" analogy here though, but I can understand what you mean. It's just that compared to the first game it sounds very different. And I'm not even speaking on the quality of either when I say that, rather that they almost aren't even comparable. Pokitaru and Kalebo 3 sound the most similar, but it's only passing. And I'm fine with it not being the same. But even using my headphones, there are tracks that sound pretty cool in parts, but are filled with the same generic sounding bombastic orchestra. Like, if you enjoy that kind of thing, then cool, but that's why I never remembered the songs. I'm not saying orchestral arrangements are bad, because I like them normally, but these don't sound great. Not all of them are like that of course, some tracks sound quite different, like Pokitaru and the pause screen itself. And I do somewhat like the sound that the orchestra gives in it's own way, even if to a small degree, but again they all start to feel the same with this game and I just wish there was a little more ambience in them. Aridia from 2016 was almost there for me, but had the same issues. The way I treat the things I love is that I don't care if the remakes are different. When RaC 2016 was being talked about, it's not like I was freaking out about what they might or might not do, I was just like, "oh, cool, can't wait!" When there's a remake of something, I don't so much care if it's the same of has differences to it. I loved FF7 Remake and that's very different. It just depends on if it works. I do not think that it did with 2016. The lack of planets, the lackluster soundtrack (at least to me), the weapons that felt like they were mostly just from the previous Future games. The narrative and jokes that felt like they were talking down to you. The characters felt butchered, for the most part. The gameplay was fun, but it still felt like it was missing a lot. I know that the game had a small dev cycle and that they'd work on it more if they could, but that doesn't change how I feel about the game itself. Surely it's pretty clear why someone wouldn't like the game even without any misunderstanding about what the game was or meant for the series. I still have fun playing it, but it feels deflated. I hesitate to say that I hate the game, because it's fun to play, just almost everything surrounding the gameplay itself that I strongly dislike. I don't get anyone who would lose their mind about RaC 2016 either. Not even because the original still exists, because it's fine to criticize 2016 either way, just to go overboard is a bit much. Though it's just a fraction of a fraction that act that way I'm certain. Maybe I forgot something, I don't know, I just like talking about the things I like, even if it's incredibly hard to do so through typing. It's ok if no one reads this, but just being able to share my thoughts on this stuff is good enough, because I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this. I really do appreciate these retrospectives, though, sad it's at the end.

[@thtrustyspartan1344]

I started with going commando as well. I just played the OG first one the other week and I’m on a similar situation as you now

[@soya_kitchens]

I agree with everything you said here. The only real redeemable aspects of this game are the graphics and the gameplay, and even the latter subject feels really tame and boring compared to previous entries. I've never actually played the original game (started at Going Commando and went up from there), but it's obvious to anyone that this story is not a Ratchet & Clank story, much less anything near the first. I eventually just was done with the game sometime around the crystal collecting planet because it was just too soulless and the gameplay and shiny graphics wasn't enough to make me want to finish it. Speaking of, as a side note: Sometimes you can have too much detail. I'm going to be honest, I never really liked the Pixelizer. As a kid(?), even I thought it was trying too hard to be one of the "funny" weapons, and you get it almost instantly. It's a neat idea, but it just takes you completely out of the experience when you use it.

[@keegansoares9303]

I’m gonna come and say I appreciate the way you took my childhood games (1-3), the ps3 sequels and spinoffs, and gave them all the respect they deserve. Thank you for reminding me why I loved these games growing up

[@gaminggladiator06]

The description of calling ratchet a “walking piece of cardboard” is pretty much the best way to describe him in this game. In the effort to making this ratchet as opposite of the first ratchet, they managed to make him as stagnant as possible to where the ratchet from the ps2 actually has more personality, just because he has character growth in his game, where in this one, he barely changes, and when he does change, it’s back to where he starts. This one’s the happy-go-lucky kid who thinks he has what it takes because he has heart, which is literally a part of the movie, with that last part being word to word. And while the first ratchet was still a bit too much of an ass to be rectifiable, at least later on in his game, he wakes up to the reality of whats happening and hero’s up. The only time the ratchet from the remake ever changed was when he went into a depressive state for not stopping the deplanetizer the first time, even though things got a bit out of his hands and that he probably shouldn’t have gone in alone. Worst off was that this wasn’t solved later on through the game, it literally gets rectified in a single cutscene from clank giving a half-hearted speech. I mean, how do you relate to a character when they look like they don’t have a single problem in life. Ps2 ratchet at least got mad when he was tricked, remake ratchet acts like a freaking care bear and doesn’t get upset at quark after revealing to be in league with the baddies. Not even justifiable stuff, like the fact that he’s with the villains that destroy actual planets, or the fact that he put his rangers he danger doing this. Even games before this, but after the first, there were times where ratchet’s temper would get the best of him, yet this game makes ratchet look like you could hit him upside the head and give a half-assed reason for it and he’s forgive you in a heartbeat then go out and pick up your laundry for you. Well, i wouldn’t go that far, but this personality was a bit far from the one we know, where he still had that edge, that temper, even that ego at times, but still kept his compassion when he wanted it, and his aggression when he needed it. That was the ratchet i knew, but the one i see here is just a walking piece of cardboard, with a poorly drawn smiley face on it. A very high detailed piece of cardboard, but cardboard nontheless.

[@weirdotzero7065]

I feel it would've been easy to do fix Ratchet's arc from R&C 1 without making him cardboard. Just tone him down. He could've still been a jerk at the start, but not as horrible as he was in the first game. Then actually give him the full development he should've gotten in the first game, rather than in between 1& 2. But they were stuck with what the film had given them, and the film was just a bland, BLAND film. So yeah. I feel like if this game wasn't tied into the movie, and was an actual built from the ground up remake of R&C1, I think the game wouldn't have this problem.

[@titsbitchmcgee7502]

The fact that we're gonna have to deal with reboot Ratchet in every subsequent game is the real failure here. They completely de-fanged his character, and going by Rift Apart it doesn't look like that's ever going to change.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

@@weirdotzero7065 I seem to recall it was around when you get the last spaceship in the first game that Ratchet begins to be less of an asshole to Clank. Next level, for the story, Clank gets struck by lightning, throwing Ratchet into a brief panic until he sees Clank has survived. For the gameplay, you have to do the level without Clank, and the platforming can feel a bit harder when you've gotten used to having the thruster pack via Clank.

[@Agent-yw1kj]

I really don't get the "Ratchet was an ass in 1" he wasn't in the slightest. He was just a dude with a edge that got understandably mad that the robot he followed with for most of the game sent him to a trap. He's not an asshole, and "mister nice guy" Ratchet is simply not Ratchet. He has an edge

[@mortiana5298]

This re-imagination was always a game that I felt off about after playing, probably having been attached to the series since the very first game. To be honest, from the title to the presentation from point to point, it is roughly the same as I felt albeit more optimistic about it all. Like many of the recreated parts are legitimately beautiful and awe-inspiring, even some of the original bits they added, But then there are the awkward cutscenes, all of which felt to me lacked a soul. I honestly think it is possible to write a simple protagonist well. It is true that this game actually wants to capture Ratchet's most important goal in life. He is an explorer first, hero second, and punk to person with bite third. The problem, and as hinted stems from the movie, is that Ratchet is a very subdued and bland take of it in this game. If there was anything like the first game to grab the person's attention on his conflict between hero and explorer, and how he should blend the two together in his own way, it probably would've been perfectly fine. Unlike Quark who was a corrupt/megalomaniac hero first, a savior far far last at least in the first game. The strange thing about the gameplay is that it is on par with Crack in Time technically yet didn't have that spark that made me even enjoy the first game's simplicity and jank, at least to me. Like it was this spectacle of lasers, pellets, and explosions but... there was something about that made me almost emotionless about it at times. It didn't help that I thought that there was too much glare and bloom with the effects which obscured attacks. Even the final boss I thought was just... dry. Not bad. Just dry. And that is how I feel about this game as a whole. It is just dry. Though, the game probably shouldn't have "split" the fanbase, assuming it even did that in the first place. To be honest, if I remember talks about the game before release and in Ratchet forums, there was already this divide between the classic games and the modern ones, where this just sort of a focal point since you can now make direct comparisons. Even then, folks were relatively calm about it, even if there was a lot of starry eyes looking back, where even I would include myself as one of them. Maybe that calmness should've remained...

[@spartanq7781]

I remember a lot of Ratchet fans hated this remake but first time players salivated. I also remember people hating the movie released during the same time period.

[@Starcat5]

I agree with your take here: A love letter and a genuinely good game, based on a bad movie based on a good game. And on a related note, I was planning on preordering Rift Apart, but I wanted to secure a PS5 first. To date: No Rift Apart, no PS5. And despite what some at Nintendo think, watching a LP is not a viable replacement. A supplement, sure, but not a replacement.

[@GamingDragon221]

My opinion on this game is and always has been that it has some amazingly fun gameplay (aside from the fetch quest), but it's story will always be disappointing. It's a good fun side game which while having flaws is still fun to go back to and play. I think viewing it as anything more than that is where getting upset with it can come in. I never really go the impression that they were actually going to reboot the games from this, but if I had I would probably be one of those people complaining about on reddit or god forbid twitter. That being said the way they handled letting people know this wasn't an actual reboot wasn't the greatest, especially with that joke in the game. I've seen people refuse to play Rift Apart because "It's part of the reboot canon."

[@maineman5757]

I'm one of those people who wasn't going to play Rift Apart then I looked up if it was a direct sequel to 2016 and was happy with what I learned. It's still "new age" Ratchet but they compromised with older fans so I'll take what I can get. Rift Apart is good.

[@TerrorOfTalos]

Lmao outside of some ambiguous stuff at the parade there's a lot more evidence pointing towards the mainline series because if it was part of the reboot canon it'd contradict several things at once, especially with nefarious.

[@koboldparty4708]

I actually did remember that Heavenly Sword existed-it was the first ps3-exclusive game I’d ever heard of, so it kinda stood as a symbol of the entire console (which I never got-I went ps1> ps2 > wii > xbox 360 > switch)

[@akinsimsek5564]

To be honest I always had mixed feelings about this Game. I love it for the cool and fun gameplay, but hated it for being a "reboot". Now after your video i see it as a standalone bonus Game and i am sure that i can enjoy it alot more this way when i play it again.

[@xJagz]

These games are my childhood. I've seen each and every one of your reviews on them and it has opened my mind to all the behind the scenes and development of the games I never knew or thought about. As a kid I always dreamt there would be a R&C movie, and when it finally happened when I was in college I was thrilled! Then the movie got delayed but at least the game turned out to be a really fun reimagination of the original, I thought it was terrific. Thanks for what you do, your in-depth reviews are excellent!

[@Pastyovercoat]

I’ve never played any of the R&C games until the PS4 and now PS5. I need to go back and play thru them all.

[@waluijayy]

I was in a strange place regarding this one. I unconditionally loved every single RaC game as a kid (

[@bpollock86]

As someone who only played the original three R&C and the most recent one, these retrospectives have been an invaluable window into this franchise that I've loved for realistically two decades now, but never got around to participating in fully. Thank you for this service you've done for it and other games. You truly are Golden mate.

[@cobaltcoyote4290]

Listening to your views on the previous games amazed me of how different those were from this one. I’ve only had the chance to play this one and liked it, but I’d have loved to see how the old game would have looked if updated to a modern audience if it did have the companion of the the movie.

[@TopTwom]

This is the old game "updated to a modern audience" hence why it's bad. I wish the originals were more readily available because there is nothing wrong with them. They are exceptional games that so many people feel they can just ignore... which is a shame. Why is it you were amazed at how different his views were? Were you unaware of how different the games were?

[@cobaltcoyote4290]

The problem is it’s a old game updated for a modern audience as a companion game based around a kid’s movie that was finished before the movie released and was not really worked on during that extra year.

[@soepkip192]

I was so out of the ratchet and clank community for so long, the last one i played was gladiator, so seeing this game come on ps plus for free i gave it a shot and fell in love with ratchet and clank all over again. I went back and played every single one, including the ones i didn't play, plus i have 100% om rift apart this time around. So i always look back fondly at this game for making me fall back in love with the series.

[@MykonosFan]

Um just a quick correction but Cream actually was introduced in Sonic Advance 2.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

You're fired

[@Yobisewk206]

@@TheGoldenBolt haha

[@ZatchZXman]

God. Having celebrity voice actors was a terrible idea. Looking at the movie, I start to remember why I wasn't a huge fans of the changes. They tried to make the movie more marketable which is ironic because Ratchet and Clank was rude, had a a bite and took risks.

[@RTDice11]

My biggest issue is still the characters. I always preferred R+C1's savvy, streetwise, self-centered Ratchet. He had a solid character arc, and Clank pulling him away from the cynical consumerism of the rest of the galaxy is a sweet narrative in itself. But I've come to appreciate the new Ratchet a bit more. The world is harsh enough already, and sometimes a fluffy alien cat earnestly trying to do the right thing is just what my shriveling dopamine receptors need.

[@ejfumeknight4064]

Haha I kinda feel the same

[@TKM-ic7mh]

Years of ratchet and clank will teach that a focus of gameplay > story , can always make for somewhat of a successful game . Great video !

[@theobserver4667]

This game was kinda my reintroduction to Ratchet & Clank as a series, since it had been years since I played my last R&C game, Up Your Arsenal. I was pleasantly surprised by the Reboot game at first, even going as far as to (nearly) 100% it. Then, I got curious and nostalgic about the older games, so one night I said "screw it" and decided to binge every cutscene across the series. Every. Single. One. Ever since I did that, the 2016 game only gives me a bad taste in my mouth. It was like a flick of a switch: one moment, I loved the game. The next, I hated it. The combat and most gameplat mechanics were great, amazing even, but everything else left me with a pit in my stomach as I fell in love with the rest of the series. I've grown to tolerate it, but after Rift Apart's release, I can't help but worry about how it'll effect the rest of the games from here on. Will Insomniac feel as if they can just smack a meh story on R&C (cough Rift Apart) from now on and call it quits, or will they be willing to go the extra mile? It's odd, how my enjoyment of the game turned to bitterness so quickly.

[@sampotham9528]

rift aparts story was good but it lacked substance (side characters, unique arena bosses and planets)

[@Cieje3]

Found this at a thrift store for $5 and enjoyed the heck out of it, as it was my first in the series. Asked a friend what he thought about it, and he said... "It's complicated"... Thanks for un-complicating it. :P

[@SolidSpartanX]

Ratchet 2016 was the first Ratchet game I've ever played and I went into it with an open mind, as I try to do with controversial games, and while I'm not fond of it, I was willing enough to play the game a second time on Challenge Mode. I agree with everything people have said about the story, but I think it was a decent game to play and maybe I'll play it again someday. Maybe someday I'll also try the PS2 games and the Future Saga if I get the chance. Only time will tell... only time will tell.

[@celestialkitsune]

Just recently found your channel yesterday, and been binging on your R&C videos, decided to subscribe after the first one, and imagine my surprise being this early to a R&C video of yours, even if it is the last one. A very nice surprise, I will say.

[@Justuas]

2016 game was so successfull that there has been only 1 R&C game after that.

[@Mastercheeks17]

Because fucking Marvel happened

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

The adoptive dad & uncle character are something I hope Insomniac goes back to in a sequel. The Lombaxes have been built up & up by now, so it would be neat some actual reactions to that from, well, family. Just tons of potentially for both drama & humor in that.

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

The ideas behind most of the story changes were really good, but the execution killed it. Make Ratchet more likeable. Check But it ruined the buildup to Ratchet and Clanks friendship. Make the galactic rangers a thing that's well known. Check But making them central to the plot messes up the whole stories dynamic. Introduce Dr.Nefarious to set up his importance. Check But making him the real bad guy muddies the story and ruins Drek, who is a fantastic villain. Like, almost all the ideas for changes were rooted in taking the whole franchise lore and creating a cohesive experience we're amazing, but they dropped the ball big time with the execution. It's also too bad the galactic rangers were so bland from a personality perspective, because their designs are fantastic

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

The 3rd game's galactic rangers seem better; a funny mix of slightly incompetent, slightly cowardly, but pretty likeable. "We'll cover you... from back there!"

[@fuzzatz7257]

nu-ratchet is NOT more likeable, what the fuck are you smoking?

[@masonbain7098]

wtf are you talking about ratchet was already likeable that cockiness he had was the best part about him that's why this game failed.

[@Zer0_Ph34r]

@@masonbain7098 In the first game exclusively Ratchet is a bit of a jerk, especially to Clank. Whether you felt that way or not, the Golden Bolt brings up that this is how the production team at Insomniac felt about his character (you can check out his review of the original to get the exact statement), so on this new iteration, the production team was looking to make Ratchet the same lovable character we're accustomed to from all the other game entries, but over corrected and led to a character with no arc

[@masonbain7098]

@@Zer0_Ph34r dude clearly youre so guy who is a goodie goodie, no shit he was a jerk but that was the point of his character, its a unique hero character similar to dead pool who doesn't care about the image of being a hero just having fun, literally that's why the game failed and many people dislike the change of his personality. Him being a jerk in the beginning is how he developed in other games because of his experiences, are you that stupid to never have seen a story like that? A selfish character becoming self less? Youre probably just a kid then that has experienced those types of shows then not an insult in my opinion.

[@latrodectusmactans7592]

As someone who hasn’t played a single Ratchet and Clank game, this is an incredibly good and entertaining series of videos. I appreciate that you always try to keep perspective (even while putting in your own takes) and explore the development with respect for the people at the studio.

[@darflame69yt12]

Honestly this game imo is amazing and I remember having a constant smile when first playing it, I think they did something great with this one.

[@patricklittle8281]

How have i went so long being such a big KZbin user without knowing about/subscribed to this channel. Me and my girlfriend love R&C and so much of our bonding is thanks to it

[@SockLove]

I think the hate for newer games will always happen in any long running franchise. With how many games these series end up having, that span over years, the first time you'll play something is never going to be the same as how it was back then. Having played runescape that's the perfect example of it. People wanted the old school game back, and we got it, but it's really just not the same since we aren't kids anymore, and that's the thing, i feel that a big sentiment twords this game comes exactly from the people playing it not being kids anymore. The first time i played a Rac game i was like what, 8 or 9? When the 2016 game came out i was 18, with my experience in gaming and overall all other rac games, i was never going to look at this game with the same lens i did the first game. I feel that a lot of people do let their nostalgia cloud their judgement at the end of the day. I've enjoyed this retrospective, thanks for making it.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Absolutely - it's why I have a great amount of respect for Rift pulling together four eras of players (PS2 OGs, those that started with Future, PS4 only players, and brand new players to the series) without missing a beat. Obviously not everybody's gonna vibe with Rift, and there's some behind the scenes stuff there that we already know that clearly shows in game, but for it to function as a Toolsesque soft reboot while also being very clearly a sequel that respects the prior history? That's so, so hard to pull off, and it's why a lot of similar series end up hitting this same split point if they go on long enough.

[@veronicasauget332]

You’ve nailed everything I’ve ever thought about this game! I’m going to have to go back and watch the rest of this series now.

[@manutdfan231]

Ya know for the longest time. I always wondered why some fans hated this game. I only played the into future series and this one and absolutely loooovvvveeed this one. And dont get me started with A Rift Apart, mastapiece. But after watching this video... it all makes sense now.

[@spiraljumper74]

Old ass comment but if you haven’t seen it yet, That Gaming Brit Show’s “How Ratchet lost his edge,” is a pretty exhaustive breakdown and comparison of 2016 to the original. It’s very interesting, and goes over both games’ mechanics and stories with a fine toothed comb.

[@manutdfan231]

@@spiraljumper74 oh yea I seen that vid and I can understand. I still like what ratchet is now but I get it

[@ratchetlives]

First of all, this whole retrospective series is amazing. The work you put in to this series and everything you’ve taught me and other fans of this channel about this topic is incredible. Ratchet and Clank was literally the first game I ever played and it and it’s successors have been with me through my entire life (I think my KZbin profile pic says it all). Funny enough, I recently 100%’d RaC PS4 and the whole time I just wanted to play the first game. I think PS4 is a great game, but I just don’t see any of that charm that the first game had. For all of it’s annoying quirks, RaC had so many things that made it iconic: the music, the conflict, the atmosphere, the conflict. I feel like literally the best planets were cut out: Oltanis Orbit and Oltanis. Just that feeling of hopelessness and dread: THAT is what Ratchet needed after failing to save Novalis. I could go on and on about this but I’ll leave it here (as I doubt I have anything particularly interesting to say beyond this).

[@mutantwalnut3390]

My experience with this game was like watching a blockbuster action movie in the theater. It was fun spectacle that I forgot about the second it was over

[@ThellVallock]

Funnily enough I've been playing the original trilogy on Vita and even before I saw this video I was thinking about how the remake feels like Qwark's narration could be the reason certain story changes were made (Qwark's sympathetic portrayal, his old nemesis Nefarious being kinda shoehorned in, etc.) Great video, as always. c:

[@Neo232100]

I want to say that this retrospective, along with all of them really. Have been absolutely amazing. You've done an absolutely amazing job explaining this, and you made me reevaluate my own opinions on this game. In a good way. I thought the game was just _fine,_ not great, not terrible, fine. But you've caused me to look on it with a bit more appreciation.

[@goldensun03]

I was one of those people that despite the movie not being *great* i watched it 3 times opening weekend. I loved it for what it was even though i wanted more. The same can be said with the ps4 game and rift apart. I think both games were made way too short. Deep down i would like a reboot trilogy of the ps2 games and maybe even the psp and deadlocked games too but that is a dream for another time. Thank you so much for making these videos Golden Bolt. I cant wait for the next one!

[@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation]

I have a weird love-hate relationship with this game. I still really enjoy playing it.

[@lordpolvo222]

This was the first Ratchet and Clank game I played (I’m 34 atm) I just never got the chance to play the ps2 games and went with Xbox 360 after that so never played the ps3 games. I loved this game when I played it and it’s the reason I’ve since gone back and played all the other R&C games. If it wasn’t for this game I don’t think I would have bothered with the rest of the series :)

[@SpottedAlien]

Tools of Destruction was my entrance into the Ratchet and Clank series and hearing these videos go into detail on the production side of these games has been a treat. While it's irritating to learn why so many characters and plot threads get dropped, it's nice to learn what was going on behind the scenes.

[@aarongill7430]

I’ve watched every video on ratchet clank you’ve made but a rift apart because I’m currently playing it. Every video has been amazing quality. Thank you for the hard work you’ve put in. It really brought me back to my childhood watching all these retrospectives. I really mean it from the deepest part of my heart. Thank you.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

This was a great lil pick-me-up to see this, so thanks for the kind words! I'm glad I could help bring you back a bit, thank YOU for making my day better today. Much love, my friend!

[@jaceybella1267]

As a longtime Ratchet fan, I'm soooooooooo glad I've found this channel! Also a bit disappointed, because I kinda wanted to be youtube's ratchet person, but I was too late in getting my video making career started lmao. Anyway. It's really great to see someone talk about these games with such a nuanced perspective, this is exactly what I've been wanting since a certain Brit's levels of salt were a bit much for my tastes. I wasn't aware of the hurdles of this game's development at all, it was something I just never looked into (probably owing to this being the first ratchet game to come out once I was a "real adult" working full time). It makes perfect sense, and I feel bad for the whole situation. The movie excited me way back when it was first announced, I remember telling friends this would break the video game movie curse because it was animated and had team members on board. Alas, that did not come to pass. TJ's absence is really telling. I often hear people complain about the future series ratchet being more sanitized, but the film took it to a whole other level. It's honestly remarkable that insomniac got the game in as quality a state as they did with the strange challenges faced here. Anyway, great stuff and very informative. Though please do clue me in on where to find this ratchet fandom you mention, vitriol and all. I know it's small, but I've never really found my "people" in respect to these games.

[@RedSpade83]

This was my first ever Ratchet & Clank game. I didn't know much about the series going in, but completing the game after getting it for free with PSPlus one month, it made me a fan of the franchise. Now, staring from where it all began (on the PS3 because I can't find a used PS2 copy for a good price) and working my way back up through to Rift Apart, this is one of my favorite series of all time. btw, it's good being critical about something you love. It shows you aren't blindly loving a product just because.

[@roonkolos]

The thing that bothered me the most with the reimagining version of R&C is they say it's a retelling of the original story and yet we never see Clank's Mom, we never get several moments of banter they had, hell, Ratchet & Clank almost never even *LOOK* at each other!! let alone speak to the other outside the mag boots fetch quest It's claimed that be a retelling of the origins but it lacked so much soul that the first had. Maybe I'm just a jaded long time fan but honestly, this game gave me such a bitter taste in my mouth after playing it. I get it's from Quarks perspective and that it's partially duebto limitations, the movie etc but that doesn't make any of this any better in the long or short run

[@FMK03]

The ending highly suggests it's not from Qwark's perspective, but other than that, I agree fully and whole-heartedly. They removed any and all interactions between Ratchet & Clank from the OG, so much so that, it just becomes the perfect representation of the problems with Ratchet & Clank post- "Future" Trilogy. That's coming from someone who wasn't even born when the OG released, and one who was introduced to the Ratchet & Clank franchise by "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction".

[@Cykelpump33]

Of all the things you could mention that made the original game special...you go with a machinery that's main purpose was just to develop robots lol. xP

[@roonkolos]

@@Cykelpump33 "I will make you proud, Mom!" "You already have." Theres plenty of other moments like the entire ending sequence so for you, let's go with that instead. Or how Ratchet poked fun at Clank being naive at first. Maybe even the back and forth they had for a fair bit. Take your pick because it ends up being the same point in the end

[@Zayindjejfj]

My biggest issue was that they didn't include all the levels from the og. I was disappointed when Gemlik base and Orxon (my favorite levels) were nowhere to be seen. Some levels felt pretty lacking due to how they rearranged things. I'm fine with the new plot, but man at least include all the planets.

[@michaeldunlap1032]

Um, I'm pretty sure it was VERY obvious that this game's story is a retelling of the film adaptation, not the ps2 game itself, as its LITERALLY said to be "the game based on the movie based on the game", so.. honestly, this complaint would've been better suited for the movie, not a very obvious movie tie-in video game. Honestly, most of the complaints of this game not being like the original is always confusing cuz... why are you guys NOT saying the same exact thing for the film that this very game is based on? Idk, maybe it's because To me, i don't really care much for movie tie-in video games when discussing the main plot, as the movies that the games is based on is clearly always gonna be the definitive version of that plot, so I always have a problem with discussing topics like this. XD

[@lazycouchman]

Awesome video! The sonic video you did before this was also super amazing and the timing on that one was perfect with the whole Balan wonderworld situation! I liked this ratchet game, but it felt less funny than the original. Overall though, I didn't expect much from a movie tie in, so it being as fun as it was surprised me. I just can't believe they make these games in such a short time and still have their "disappointing" ones come out better than alot of other studios good games.

[@ProfileFb]

This game is actually pretty good. It has grindings, jet pack gameplay, clank gameplay, great graphics, nice sceneries, hoverboard races, ship gameplay. For a R&C game it turned out well.

[@decentlyaverage9483]

i thought it was very fun to play as well. ratchet has kind of a carboard personality but i thought some of the jokes landed pretty well.

[@TLMonkey54]

you know what, i actually felt a little guilty when you mentioned only 1% comments. i'm a longtime R&C fan and, honestly, i feel really lucky to have stumbled upon your channel somewhen early in this series. thanks for your work on these videos, it's been quite nostalgic going through the entire saga :')

[@redpandarampage2191]

They cut Gemlik Base and didn't use any of the great original music... Unforgivable. Lots of the weapons weren't that fun to me either- stuff like combustor and warmonger are nowhere near as satisfying as the old blaster and devestator, so even the gameplay isn't amazing. This game/ the movie were a mess imo, TheGamingBritShow's "How Ratchet lost it's edge" video pretty much sums up my feelings. I will say though it was nice to replay the old levels in new graphics and I appreciated all the little references to the series, but just a complete 1 to 1 remake/ remaster of the original with the story smoothed out a bit would have been preferred. This game felt sanitized and missed a HUGE chunk of what made the old games so good.

[@overMatt]

Totally agree with your thoughts on the game. As a long-time Ratchet-fan since the first game launched, I still loved the 2016 reimagination 'cause I took it exactly as it from the first day: a reimagination of the original game, instead of a remake or a full reboot. And despite obvious flaws in writing and storytelling, due both to movie-production issues and time constraints, it's been (and still is, after many replays) a damn good experience and a very fun chapter to play!

[@gabouchar9977]

Everyone seems to talk about the story of this game being bad, while saying that the gameplay is good. It feels weird, as the gameplay has always been my main issue with the game (i didn't care about the story of this one much). Since going commando, they pretty much reached what they needed to make an amazing game that is really fun. After that, they just added a few things here and there. That's why i personally think that no matter what they do, they can't mess up the gameplay. It's already peak quality for a 3d plateformer/shooter. Still, they dissapointed me with this one. In every game, they tried to make new things. Ratchet 3 : better arsenal and bigger arena fights (wasn't my thing, but still new). Deadlocked : weapons customization, co op and combat focus (really awesome) ToD: New system, new direction. Completely different. (Amazing. Something about this is just right for me. Not sure why) ACIT : hoverboots, time travel, puzzles and so much more. (Amazing) All 4 one : co op (alright) Full frontal assault : tower defense (was not good at all in my opinion) Nexus : jetpack, raritanium upgrades that changes weapons Every game has taken what going commando has done (and more from other games that followed) and created new things that were really fun (for the most part). That's just a small list for each game. This remake though... it has nothing. It's basically a copy and paste of nexus. Down to the level up system for your hp (10 at a time), raritanium upgrades, jetpack and more. There are 2 new weapons only (i think), which is nothing for a rac game. And they didn't even remade a single original weapon. The game was overall just a let down in my opinion. Still, as i have already said, it's still fun. This formula can't be not fun. It's just too good. This game's gameplay is as good as any ratchet game will be, but it's nothing more than that. That's why it's a let down for me. Still made the platinum in one day (on christmas) and 100% it more than 10 times though :)

[@thesamfizz]

I really appreciate and agree with this perspective. It's nice to hear such level-headed and comprehensive discussion about the game, taking all factors into account. I loved the game at release and fell into the trap that many others apparently did of turning on it and fixating on its flaws. It's good to remember that it wasn't all bad even if it didn't deliver on everything it set out to do.

[@jewelsdragonfly]

In discussion of R&C toxicity in the Fandom. I once when I gave some hopes for Rift Apart before release and then getting a lot shit for it and being told I'm not a true R&C fan for saying that. Even though I thought the PS4 version was meh and but wasn't a dick about it. Like damn, I hope R&C doesn't become a Rick and Morty type of Fandoms.

[@goldgunscantshoot973]

It's pretty bad, there's not much more to say about it. Crying about toxicity is disingenuous imo.

[@BugsyFoga]

@@goldgunscantshoot973 Huh, I didn’t realize complaining about fans who gatekeep was considered “crying “

[@crazyconan28]

I agree, though I'm in the opinion that all fandoms can be toxic. There's good people that enjoy it in different ways, and those who hate it in different ways. Though with larger fanbases, they're all more people on polar ends. :/

[@goldgunscantshoot973]

@@BugsyFoga What "gatekeeping" are you talking about? People called the game shit, rightfully so. That's about it. There's no gatekeeping to be made, if anything people tried to OPEN gates by telling newcomers to enjoy the superior older products, helping them share the fun.

[@BugsyFoga]

@@goldgunscantshoot973 I mean saying stuff like “You’re not a real fan if you like or are excited for this game”, that is something I really can’t tolerate.

[@thechugg4372]

I have such a history with this game, I even enjoyed Nexus, even though it was the first time I felt robbed because of how short that game was, I still had fun. This was the first ratchet and clank game where just didn't have fun, at all, and I didn't know why at first, then I looked up online and saw TGBS' video on the subject. My brain was awakened that day, motion blur and 30 fps, that's why moving around didn't feel as fluid as before, he brought so many points that were exactly what I was feeling about the game except he knew what caused them. Something changed that day, and I never looked at games the same.

[@animiyashi7137]

*"COME AND BUY A PIXELIZER"*

[@leagondarygrefergaming1467]

The way I enjoy this game is I see it as a parody of remaster/remake games.

[@shotaroikaros7096]

I’ve been playing Ratchet and Clank since 2002. I’ve loved it before the series even took off. And I can say for certain, without a doubt, this reimagining of the first game is just awful. I loved the banter between ratchet and clank 2002 and how they would go back and forth. But this game’s story, everything was treated as a joke, there was no pure emotion. The first game’s ending always gets me, but nothing from the new even comes close to it.

[@Woud_]

The algorithm brought me here, halfway through the video so far, great stuff! I grew up with the R&C games, heck it even helped me learn English with using subtitles. Definitely going to check more of your R&C videos!

[@anthonynguyen5204]

I’m so happy that I missed the online discussion of this game. I barely played this game, and finished it just recently. And I had a ton of fun with it! Was it the best ratchet and clank game that I ever played? No. But it was a lot of fun and I don’t regret buying it at all.

[@chalsjul]

Great video Bolt. In my view, RaC 2016 wasn’t at all a bad game, but a worrying one. For many long-time fans of the series (myself included), this game raised a lot of questions about the future of Ratchet and Clank and created a sense of concern that would only get worse and worse over an agonizing 4+ years. That concern peaked on June 2020, when Insomniac revealed Miles Morales during the PS5 event. Some of us feared the RaC series may never come back, or at least that its story would never be continued. Little did we know, we were only one GT7 trailer away from getting an answer.

[@vireo2543]

As “Meh” as the game was I still geeked out when I saw the first game’s planets in modern graphics. The game felt like a chore playing twice to platinum it though, I HATE that one where you have to Groovitron all the enemies or whatever because I missed one my first playthrough and had to replay it all over again 😭

[@gustaforce]

When I first played this game, my reaction was, "Wow that was fun, except when it was trying to be a game of a movie of a game". I didnt realize that summed up the problems with its development as well.

[@jettfisher5313]

some how you managed to make me admit my favorite childhood game ever wasn’t amazing and respect the game that I thought was the worst in the series. Your videos are incredibly well done thank you for entertaining me.

[@plexyglass429]

I think "the original is still there" is a pretty dumb thing to say. They could've done litterally anything by that logic and it wouldn'tve mattered because "just play the original"