What Made Ratchet & Clank So GREAT

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The Ratchet and Clank series has endured for almost 20 years at this point, Rift Apart only having released the other week. I have discussed the Ratchet and Clank series on my channel before, but so many things have changed in the last half decade that I thought it was time to give the Ratchet and Clank series the videos that it deserves, starting with the original from 2002!
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00:00 Introduction
01:07 Going Back to the Start
02:46 Next Generation Appeal
04:00 PS2 Over PS3
06:23 The Setup
08:23 The Weapons
10:53 The Galaxy
13:43 The Second Act
17:19 The Controls
20:31 The Bolts
24:16 The Satire
27:04 The Climax
30:00 The Conclusion

[@JsReviews]

Consider supporting me on Patreon and getting ALL the Ratchet videos: www.patreon.com/JsReviews

[@diegobendinelli2680]

Weirdly enough my Italian Ratchet and Clank Trilogy copy (the name of HD Collection here) had none of the issues yoy mentioned... lucky me

[@champion1859]

You convinced me I'll consider it.

[@maestrofeli4259]

thanks for covering my childhood's favourite game J!

[@andre.mateus]

Remember playing this game when it came out, alongside my grandfather, who I remember saying "I've never seen anything like this in my life". He loved watching me play it. Everytime I replay the original game, I always remember of him. Good times :')

[@XstonedmonkeyzX]

and no better game to have that memory attached to like this series :)

[@ssssssssssssssssss50]

I'm so glad he enjoyed it so much! Any particular memeories of him laughing or enjoying something about the game?

[@nezaholnthaner5174]

i also played it with my grandfather when i was little:)))

[@declanlapsley4318]

Playing this and Jak n Daxter with my father were some of my fondest memories as a child. Happy to see others are able to share in similar sentiment

[@belialearth]

Nice memory :)

[@charactersin-depth3472]

Ah, the writing in this game. 2000s games are the best.

[@justsomeguyontheinternet562]

Absolutely.

[@sanosu87]

Heck yes

[@kidprime6863]

Both 90s and 2000s had the best games

[@rcnhsuailsnyfiue2]

It’s aged very well, economically speaking…

[@arijan-itanmuratovic7495]

The first game had the best music hands down in the entire series. It was so experimental and unconventional and ramains unique even to this day

[@KofteG61]

You should look up the beta songs for this game. They are in stereo instead of mono.

[@doomslayer1210]

I think deadlocked has the best music

[@eternalinnocent9506]

@@KofteG61 no way

[@KofteG61]

@@eternalinnocent9506 Just search Ratchet clank beta soundtrack or ratchet clank stereo. You should see a playlist with the stereo songs.

[@jcksnwndbxjsnsnd9185]

Agreed it was so wonder inducing idk how else to describe it

[@Poldovico]

It's worth pointing out that the devs wanted to have strafing in 1 the way they had it in the next games. They just couldn't do it in time and patched over it with the Thruster pack strafing instead, because it required no animation to do so since it just used the gliding idle. Tony Garcia and Mike Stout explained this in their dev commentary series.

[@RATCHET7]

If Rac 1 had strafing it would be so broken. The enemies were designed around not having strafing

[@Poldovico]

@@RATCHET7 I'm sure they had to work around it.

[@scottprice4955]

A really overlooked detail is how Ratchet and Clank's bond is forged from their highs AND lows. The first leg of the game focuses on Clank wanting to find Qwark to save the galaxy. The Second act, Ratchet throws that in Clank's face when the betrayal happens, Clank does indeed realize he made a mistake and Ratchet feels like he's superior because of his youth and pride, but then after taking Qwark down and the invasion of the nearby planet is going on he realizes he's not all high and mighty as more and more of Drek's chaos is wrought on the galaxy. When its finally time for the final showdown its at Veldin and Ratchet realizes he has a responsibility to stop Drek. Then at the end of it all Ratchet and Clank had forged their unbreakable friendship because they were there during the highs and lows of each other's character arc. Something the reboot failed to grasp when it tried to re-invent the story

[@EWToonsInColor]

Ratchet & Clank 1 is such a classic, it sucks that some people consider it a bad game just because it isn't a shooter like its sequels. I think the fast and frantic combat of the first game is a lot of fun in its own right, and invites a lot of strategy to what could have otherwise been a pretty basic 3D platformer.

[@dragenfire68]

Who tf says it's a bad game? Honestly R&C and R&C2 are classic masterpieces, the third one is eh.... but I'm not even touching the future games.

[@madmonkeymcknight7535]

That's not the reason R&C 1 is considered a bad game, or at least worse than its sequels. R&C 1 is a shooter when you look at it. Sure, it might not be as much action focused as future installments and it definitely has more platforming sections, but it still is a game that has a bunch of shooting at its core, and that shooting is flawed because the controls are pretty bad.

[@MartinHindenes]

@@madmonkeymcknight7535 what works to its advantage is that the central theme and look of most of the gadgets and planets are also bolted together pieces of junk that are functional rather than polished and sleek. The whole game captures that junkyard feeling, and in that light the clunky controls are more tolerable, because it kind of makes sense within the story.

[@MartinHindenes]

This becomes even more clear when you contrast the first game with the sequel, which has not only more polished combat, but the weapons, ships and planets all look more futuristic and polished as well. It's a totally different game.

[@ericpeterson9110]

@@madmonkeymcknight7535 I'd say RC1 is a platformer where guns are the powerups. The lack of strafing means that weapons have more situational value, every encounter has an ideal weapon so instead of focusing on strafing, jumping and mashing the tirgger it's more about positioning and tactical weapon selection.

[@Wulfjager]

25:35, what i always found amazing is that if you have a ratchet & clank 1 save on your memory card you get the employee discount in Up Your Arsenal which released 2 years later. its fourth wall breaking stuff like that that always amazed me in games back then

[@KyrosTheWolf]

There's a small detail I like that you may not even notice in the game, and will only notice if you point the camera at Ratchet's face. Whenever you switch to a powerful weapon like the devastator, Ratchet smiles a menacing grin, as if he's ready to fuck shit up

[@downrightsuperb5690]

Ratchet is a MECHANIC. Clank is a ROBOT. He sees him nothing more than a piece of equipment. He's not just being mean for the sake of it. It's like getting frustrated working on an engine.

[@TheMightyMidget]

I used to see it as ratchet being a dick too until I thought of it this way and then when you see it like this it actually makes there bond more heartwarming ratchet got past his robophobia

[@GoldMario5]

Another thing, Ratchet has been alone for over 15 years, he probably doesn't really know how to act around others.

[@matrix91234]

@@TheMightyMidget I feel the writing got worse after the first game. Though the gameplay in second game is a huge improvement over the first one. But they should have kept Ratchet personality wise as it was. Because the chemistry and writing just was more interesting this way. Ratchet is more brash and more of a jerk, and Clank is the more understanding thoughtful robot. It just was more interesting rather than Ratchet being sarcastic and too bland in my view. I mean i do think they found someway of making Ratchet kinda work on PS2... mainly due to social commentary in R&C2 like the first game did.. but just wasnt the best idea in my view

[@shawklan27]

​@Matrix91 word the writing in the original is definitely the best in the franchise though I do say that a crack in time is a close second

[@kidprime6863]

​@@GoldMario5 Which I do find odd considering that there ARE people who live on Veldin.

[@auger0073]

I actually love how ratchet is a jerk in this one. Unlike so many mascots that we’re going for “attitude” it actually gave him a real attitude and made him edgy. While still being something you could give to a little kid.

[@DmitriPolkovnik]

There's actually a gold weapon shop on Gemlik Base, you don't have to wait for the new game+. It's super well hidden up a wall jump on the runway at the end. I only learnt about it a couple years ago.

[@kidprime6863]

I learned about it in a cheat game magazine

[@destronlaserwave9566]

I'm primarily an Xbox and Nintendo guy, but I played the Ratchet and Clank games recently on an emulator, and the games are so much fun. I've been missing out on a lot. I hope to get a PS5 to atleast play Rift Apart. Also Ratchet being a jerk is understandable, he later learns from his actions and matures as a character. It's a character arc.

[@playerback7722]

Yep and I need me a PS5 as well

[@OtterloopB]

Rift Apart looks great... but as someone who platinumed it, seriously... Going Commando and A Crack In Time are still the better experiences. It's not that Rift Apart is bad, so much as there's just not enough to it. In ways, it almost carries whiffs of Star Wars Episode VII, as VII was simply a repurposed version of the Episode IV. Rift Apart feels like a repurposed version of the first Ratchet and Clank, only with the spotlight now on Rivet and Kit. Rivet's a lonely lombax, meets a defective robot named Kit, they have a rough start at becoming friends... and by the end of the game they're buddies. And given the length of Rift Apart feels barely longer than Into The Nexus... it just isn't worth $70. There's not enough substance to it once the novelty of the graphics fade.

[@user-qs3ih3ll5f]

Rift apart is sooo badly written.... The in-game dialogue feels childish and the story feels wrong. "Ratchet and clank saved the galaxy again!! wooOoO~~~. But you know what? The chaos was created by them initially, but who cares? everybody still praises them for "saving the galaxy".". I even heard a guy say "That Ratchet and clank is a pixar movie game is a false statement because pixar film is way better written than Ratchet and clank", which is hilarious. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZjHl4GantF6fKc This explains a lot. (Spoiler alert)

[@randomduck8679]

@@OtterloopB Wouldn't the 2016 game be Episode VII?

[@surgeeo1406]

I really enjoyed Ratchet's character ark, and it wasn't too agressive for my taste. The more nastiness he had in this game, the more merit he has for improving himself. This grudgy trait still haunts him to this day, in the excellent "Rift Appart" there's a moment of weakness when Ratchet stops to bonk Nefarious on his head, when he should be stealing a ship to rescue Clank from abduction. I was really impressed at that scene.

[@wyattbottorff2473]

One day Ill get ahold of a system that can play the new one. Even if it is after the apocalypse.

[@mrredeyes7021]

Spoilers dude

[@surgeeo1406]

@@mrredeyes7021 Yeah... not really. It's really early in the game, and not relevant to the plot at all, so it's not.

[@mrredeyes7021]

@@surgeeo1406 asshole spoilers are anything about the game

[@surgeeo1406]

@@mrredeyes7021 Did you know, that the hero and the villain of the story, they really don't get along? Wow, spoilers dude! Wait here's another one... The hero... acts like the hero 😱😱😱 I'm so sorry I just ruined the whole game for you... No need to play it anymore, I just saved you 70 bucks 😂

[@megaman15ish]

This was my very first PS2 game. Got it for Christmas back in 2005 and it was what truly kick-started my love for gaming.

[@Tylerplaytime]

Ratchet was upset in the first one because his hero tried to kill him. It wasn’t clanks fault but it technically was. I thought it worked fine you’d be pissed to lol.

[@kidprime6863]

Sure, Clank should have suspected off. But that's no excuse for Ratchet to hold that against him and be a dick about it. I mean to be fair, Clank was too excited about finally finding Qwark and have him help them defeat Drek and was too naive to notice something wrong. He was built yesterday, after all. When Ratchet said "If you're so smart, how come you fell for Qwark's stupid trick?", that was a low-blow. Sure, I'd get pissed off too if a friend fell for that trick and lead me into a trap like that. But I wouldn't be asshole about it. This would make more sense if Ratchet suspected something off about Qwark from the start.

[@kidprime6863]

@Atomic Beast In Clank's defense, he was just built yesterday. Of course, he was going to be naive like a kid. He was probably bound to fall for it, either way.

[@matrix91234]

I mean... was Qwark really a hero to Ratchet though lol. I mean sure he has a poster of him. But he kinda makes fun of him in the entire game even before he betrays them. Though Clank is programmed sentient, so he probably is more gullible than Ratchet

[@Tylerplaytime]

@@matrix91234 maybe not hero but he had some respect or him. probably just looked at as washed up but doesnt mean you still dont have love 4 the washed up hero

[@matrix91234]

@@Tylerplaytime I mean i once bought Batman Begins because was bored, but i hate superheroes. Its just they are everywhere, you cant escape it : P

[@decadentgamer3108]

On the point about Ratchet's personality, I really think that people don't really understand why he was the way he was. I mean was he a jerk? Sure but you have to also keep in mind that it's implied that he's a teenager and well... Teenagers can be moody. Couple that with the tone of the early 2000s where being attitudinal was a trend, I think IG wanted to incorporate and exaggerate it with Ratchet's character. Plus and maybe this is jsut me, I feel like the reason why Ratchet was so moody besides teen hormones, I feel like maybe he was lonely. Like in the context of the first game, it feels like Ratchet didn't really have any friends and especially not family. We don't run into any friends of his on Veldn (or in later games for that matter) so I feel like he may have had some loneliness in him and when he meets Clank and butts heads with him, he doesn't really know how to process it outside of anger. And also seeps into why he didn't care much about the Drek situation and wanted t ofocus on his own selfish ambitions until he noticed that essentially the world doesn't revolve around him. Anyway, that's just how I saw it when I first played these games back kin 2003 (I played the first game a year after it came out lol) Anyway this was a nice re-review though I must admit I'm conflicted because all the problems you highlighted that this game suffers from is valid and makes sense but yet I can't fully get behind it all and I think that's my nostalgia bias kicking in . I played this game back when the only other R&C game out was Going Commando and I just got used to how the first game controlled. Not saying I was perfect or amazing but I was able to get to a level where I could play somewhat comfortably and not be turned off completely from the things you mentioned in the review. I think for myself, I can accept that this game is flawed and that Going Commando did things better in terms of combat but with that, this game is a "comfort game" since I'm hit with nostalgia when I even look at anything having to do with the game lol.

[@skyartisan8873]

I felt this, i pretty much share the same opinion

[@kidprime6863]

Your take on Ratchet's attitude is quite insightful. Considering he's been an orphan all his life and that there doesn't seem to be many members of his kind in the Solana Galaxy, it's not surprising that he would act this way. Maybe he never really bonded with any of the people on Veldin on an emotional level. He probably distanced himself from everyone else because he feels out of place. That's why he wanted to build a ship to explore the galaxy, be himself and find his place.

[@decadentgamer3108]

@@kidprime6863 Right exactly. I mean they don't outright state this and everything is up to interpretation but it makes the most sense. He lives in a garage that seemed outside of the town all by himself and didn't seem to have any friends neither, not even when we go back to Planet Veldin in Up Your Arsenal when it's under attakc, they don't hint of him having any friends that he wanted to go see or anything like that. So you just kinda put the pieces together lol.

[@wood1066]

Really loved the first game even with the gameplay flaws it had some of the best level design in the whole series. It's also nice to see Ratchet back when he wasn't a bland kid friendly hero like he's been in the recent games.

[@JDXtraction]

Just realised my guy is reaching 100k. Well deserved keep up the good work.

[@bananabike279]

This video made me realise how great the writing of the first Ratchet and Clank game is! It was one of the first games I ever played, so a lot of it flew right above my head... I really need to replay this game sometime soon!

[@daseal1479]

I literally JUST platinumed this game on the PS3 collection, then checked on KZbin to see this, lmao. What an insane coincidence… Same goes for Rift Apart, that game was great too, but it was nice to return to the original classic. I grew up with the first game, and it will stick with me forever.

[@PatoGuzmanAd]

I just want to notice that in the Spanish dub of this game, in the PDA skit, Ratchet says "Poca Dignidad Aprovechable?" which means "little usable dignity" making it more hilarious lmao, great video.

[@amit_patel654]

Wtf 🤣

[@thefearofg0ds758]

As some who's never played the older R&C games...I have to say that Ratchet has the most drastic personality shift I've ever seen throughout a video game series. Who he is in the first game compared to now are like two completely different characters ..

[@decadentgamer3108]

Well to be fair, with the way Ratchet was in the first game to how he became in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, it felt like a nice progression of his character. But yeah comparing the two is quite drastic shift.

[@teneesh3376]

Still weird that the ps2 R & C looks worse with each release. Not bad, but the firsr game is the best looking

[@nintara3746]

Eh, id say deadlocked still looks better than uya and gc

[@quint866]

Nice to see you Revisit this J-man

[@natejackson1037]

Actually just got around to playing the first three games. I enjoyed this one a lot, even if it has some rough patches.

[@Brandt2698]

I think it's a shame these new Ratchet reviews don't have nearly as many views as most of the Sonic ones, even the recent ones. These reviews are all awesome, keep up the good work!

[@derpyderp1991]

Ratchet: what does ryno stand for? Merchant guy:rip ya a new one Ratchet: what did you just say to me

[@Elfman126]

I love all 3 of the original Ratchet and Clank's, including Deadlocked and Size Matters. Ratchet and Clank 2 will always be my favourite one in the series because that game was my childhood along with loads of other games. I enjoy these games for their gameplay, soundtrack, hilarious cutscenes and characters and way more to. Plus, I love speedrunning Ratchet 2 as fast as possible as well since, I have beaten it many times over the years.

[@kirbytheartist3318]

While this game has some flaws that later entries fixed, I still love the game for what it is :)

[@MattCrossMedia]

Awesome to see crisp original PS2 footage. With the exception of prolly Kingdom Hearts and Persona 4, I have a similar distaste for glitchy/lazy sixth-gen HD remasters.

[@dylansurendranath3091]

MattCrossMedia Personally I feel Kingdom Hearts 2.5 is another example of a sixth gen remaster done badly, because the PS3 ports suffered from longer load times, longer drive form loads, a crash on the first Xemnas fight and the Reversal RC being broken.

[@johannessguten2527]

@@dylansurendranath3091 what about the ps4 remaster?

[@dylansurendranath3091]

@@skibot9974 While I do agree that the PS4 version fixed a lot of problems with the PS3 port, initially it added even more issues with the game, due to the change to 60 fps. Thankfully the patch fixed a lot of them, but a few problems do still run rampant. One being that Lingering Will's Rush Punch still cannot be avoided by just blocking, and the other being that one of Marluxia's scythe circle attacks rushes towards Sora too fast. The issue of save crashing is also still present but tends to be rare nowadays. From what I've heard so far, the PC ports are the most unstable, so I just stick to playing the PS2 version, even if it does run at 30 fps.

[@dylansurendranath3091]

@@skibot9974 I actually emulate KH2FM on PCSX2 since it is really hard to get the means to play it on an English PS2 nowadays, plus I get to play it with Japanese voices. I do agree with the vanilla version of KH2 not having a good chunk of the postgame content that the FM version had though. However, you did have a reason for levelling up Drive Forms already, for the Growth abilities. 2FM just gave you a stronger incentive than before to level them up, so you could use the Growth abilities in interesting ways.

[@TonyTheTiger94]

Metropolis will always be my favourite soundtrack on Ratchet and Clank.

[@bartoltolic]

Weapon equip sounds and their transformation in your hands are one of those little things in this game that I absolutly love.

[@kidprime6863]

Me too

[@jacktwelve1710]

I like this game quite a bit. I did a replay of it recently. The glove of Doom is the best Weapon

[@BANJO500]

I liked Ratchet jerkyness in the first game. After all Ratchet and Clank is structured like a buddy movie: two incompatible characters meets, they don't get along, they are dicks to each other the rest of the time and then becomes friends at the end after facing a menace. The first game's writing is fairly simple, but effective.

[@Gamer18402]

Ratchet and clank will always be the top PS2 GAMES of all time to me!

[@williamwhite1036]

Same. Going Commando and deadlocked are my favs

[@ProtectorOfMemes]

Great content as always, though I'm fully expecting this comment section to be filled with Ratchet 2016 memes once it goes public

[@shardz8842]

Same

[@nedalomar4216]

*nice trick are we looking at the next skidd mcmarks here*

[@kirbytheartist3318]

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" "IMPROVISING"

[@cliffturbo2146]

What do you guys know about MagnetBoots!?

[@keeganstormblade5456]

"I am experiencing many conflicting feelings"

[@cliffturbo2146]

To be honest, the only problem I had with it, is that it lacks strafing and the whole Ratchet being a Jerk thing. It was one of my first video games and I still love it for what it is! The jokes are timeless, the levels are most fun and perhaps it doesn't have my most favorite weapon selection, it still packs some good punches.

[@crangejo]

It doesn't need strafing because it's not supposed to be played like the ones after it

[@cliffturbo2146]

@@crangejo The games after that definitely needed it the most, with all the weapons and enemies. Yet, it could still be useful when you can't quite get the aim at some.

[@superhedgehog6447]

I mean racthet was 15 years old in the first game. You do realize how much of a jerk teenagers can be especially at 15. So it feels natural when racthet made fun of clank sometimes or insulting him because that's what litterly some actual 15 year olds would do. Especially after getting tricked and almost getting killed (even though clank didn't know that qwark was working for Drek). Sometimes I just feel like some people didn't like the way Racthet acted because he wasn't a bland goody toe shoes like Mario or Crash and he was a actual character with flaws and had edge. Which explains why in Racthet and clank 2016 he was pretty much the opposite from this game.

[@playerback7722]

@@superhedgehog6447 you now you have a point

[@Skitskl33]

I do think this game suffers from bad aiming systems which would be alleviated by strafing(using the blaster can be a frustrating experience) and some weapons being mostly useless, like the taunter. Majority of these issues were fixed in Going Commando.

[@kinggalactix]

I have never played this game, only seeing walkthroughs. Even so, I love it! It's an awesome quadrilogy!

[@A_Salted_Fishe]

Glad I found this channel when I did. I can see this channel getting real big real soon!

[@Zzzlol94]

I’ve had so many struggles with the Drek boss fight, that in my playthrough of it this month, I got through it with only using the Blaster, Bomb Glove, Devastator and Tesla Claw, while taking no damage on my first attempt on the fight in over 5 years. Basic strategy is, use the Blaster/Bomb Globe up early to deal damage when his attacks are the easiest and use the Tesla Claw when he spawns mines or bots to instantly take them out. Then the Devastator is only used for his last bar of health as it is the most difficult and unpredictive. With this, and waiting for Drek’s s to go away when using the Tesla Claw, you’ll have exactly enough ammo to kill Drek without ammo crates.

[@TEEZY105]

I swear I love your reviews. The way you talk about games makes me want to play them right away

[@TheFlamingGamerYT]

I’ve watched someone play through the first Ratchet and Clank game, and I must say, the story and the characters are pretty good for it’s time. I can see why the game would be weird to play, especially with the mechanics being on ps2, which are far from being advanced as the newer consoles. I’ve never played the ratchet and clank games, mainly because my interest didn’t get the chance to experience them. It might also be because I’ve never seen any of the games until I heard about the 2016 movie, and then saw gameplay of the 2016 game. And now, rift apart is out, and I’m setting my sights to get a ps5, since I got the game, and make Rift Apart my first ever ratchet and clank game I’ll ever play. If I ever get the chance, I’ll definitely get the og trilogy for the ps2 one day. Great video about the first game, and I’m interested yo watching the other reviews about the other games in the series

[@ArtificialVik]

man the quality of your videos have considerably improved over the past year imo

[@DyaMetR]

I never played R&C back in the day because I didn't have a PS2 (or 3). I played it for the first time a couple of years ago (alongside 2 and 3). I remember when I finished 1 for the first time and all I could think was: "This is definitely a classic." It's flawed, but it's fun, full of charm and it's very memorable, as you said.

[@Hero1922]

in relation to buying the ryno i got it my first time through by reaching the final area (drek boss fight) then going back to collect the bolts needed (logging site eudora was my place for bolts, collect everything then leave rinse and repeat lol took a while but i did it in my first playthrough lol and i love ratchet's story arc, made sense to me and replaying it more recently (when i was in my 20s as opposed to my teens) i really got the arc that much better and qwark is one of my favorite characters in the series thanks for this retrospective, i just recently saw some of your work so i'm a new fan, keep it up :)

[@AxEWorlD]

Thank you SOOOOOO much for the hack at 32:39! I’ve made it to the final level and made the plan to go back to every planet to get enough bolts for the RYNO. This saved me such a hassle and I’m currently doing it now with my 360 controlled pressed down onto the O button! THANK YOU!!!!

[@deepseastonecore3017]

A star walks into a black hole but doesn't seen phased. The black hole then turns to the star and says, "I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation."

[@DecadoPrime]

Can't wait to see the next few videos in this series

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

This is the fourth long analysis of Ratchet and Clank I've seen, after those from TheGamingBritShow, The Golden Bolt, and Synthetic Man.

[@ZanguSwe]

Ratchet and Clank 1 is genuinely so fucking good it's insane. Music, gameplay, characters, the whole shebang

[@--Paws--]

Most of the planets are named after the team who are part of creating Ratchet and Clank. I noticed it when the credits rolled especially after beating the game.

[@Tvdiet]

This is an incredible piece of music Definately up there as one of my favourites

[@ratshy2359]

I literally first played through this game when I was 5 years old (I'm 21 now), and I'm palying them till this day, it's just a big part of my life at this point

[@SRJplayGAMES]

Playing Ratchet & Clank on my PS2 makes me feel old

[@DaPhenomAce]

Ratchet was roasting tf out of Clank 😂 I forgot all about that

[@richieosborn2639]

My brother got the first game for his birthday when we were kids. We’ve been with this series since then.

[@zakjumah]

Wow, there's quite a discrepancy between the remake and the original isn't there. I just finished the remake and loved it but I never played the original ones.

[@Ashamedofmypast]

The reboot took out the soul of the original. For me the series lost its appeal post ps2 era.

[@newageBoundhippie]

@@Ashamedofmypast agreed on the reboot...the gameplay was a great improvement, but it loses a ton of character development as well as the fact some entire planets are outright cut from the remake/reboot. Maybe if it could have been a straight remake rather than a movie tie-in ( I mean seriously, half the cutscenes are literally clips FROM the movie ) it would have been a lot better. I still absolutely LOVED the Future trilogy and Into The Nexus as much as the 4 PS2 games personally....the PSP games suck though IMO, and both All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault are okay but feel more like spin-offs due to their departure from standard Ratchet & Clank gameplay.

[@Ashamedofmypast]

@@newageBoundhippie I'm actually not adverse to agent clank or size matters. Also imma say that the ps4 reboot is actually the worst in level design and gameplay it was linear and truncated in comparison to the first and while it splays better its encounters and constant handholding voice over telling you exactly what to do and where to go ruined it for me. It was just the bad aspects of deadlocked/gladiators commentators but devoid of the humour and often made no sense in lore.

[@MuchWhittering]

The reboot is the #1 reason I refuse to play Rift Apart. If Insomniac believes that's an acceptable RAC game, then my interest in the series is dead.

[@newageBoundhippie]

@@MuchWhittering Rift Apart actually continues the story from where Into The Nexus ended and from what I've seen looks to be a return to form....the reboot was literally made to be a movie tie-in.

[@namesomega3694]

I've always wondered how Ratchet didn't freeze in space despite only wearing a suit in the later games. I'm guessing lombaxes have great body insulation that protects them from temperatures upwards of around -455 degrees farenheit

[@kidprime6863]

Or How Qwark is able to breath in space without a breathing apparatus or space suit

[@ViktoriaMagrey]

I played this game for the first time exactly ten years ago today, when I was eight. My eighteenth birthday's this Monday, but I never stop feeling like a little kid when I play this game. I'm completely serious when I say that nothing in the world makes me feel quite like this game does, in fact, I don't think I even know what feeling it is... But it is something incredible. It's easily the most important game in my life just from how much it impacted everything I'd love in the future. I'd never played anything like it before, and I probably never will again. It's just a one of a kind game, no matter how much I love pretty much all the other games in the franchise. This one's something really personal for me. Viva la nostalgia. Anyway, all your Ratchet videos in general are really solid, even when I don't always agree. Super glad to see this franchise being talked about, as always. :,)

[@Flutterdark_]

i recently replayed this, and am replaying the entire series because i can with the goal of maxing every weapon. and man in this game the morpho ray is somehow very fun.

[@A_Salted_Fishe]

Welcome to getting old, Gen Z!

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

(I'm only a few minutes in) I would just like to say that Mikey Kelley is actually my favorite Ratchet voice, even though he was only in this one game. He was the one who recommended James Arnold Taylor to take over when he couldn't return for the second game, but I do still prefer his voice for Ratchet over JAT's voice, though I love JAT as an actor.

[@bobbyshewan4229]

My first, and still to this day my favorite. Can’t wait to get my hands on Rift Apart tho

[@batfang25animations39]

Ratchet and clank, jack and daxter, and sly cooper were my favorite games as a kid and ratchet is the first game I beat completely, I wish I knew more games like them

[@nerdicmem5720]

I just ordered the original trilogy for my old ps2 to play for the first time and I’m very excited

[@solidwisdom8749]

Just a very fun platform series. Hun upgrading feels satisfying, collecting bolts. And it’s made by my childhood game Spyro makers

[@Jackrabbit7]

It’s still the best in the series

[@TheHockeyjock10]

I don’t remember Clank meeting his mom, but good god that’s the sweetest thing I ever seen.

[@sonofhades57]

I used to play this a ton with my dad. It was my first ever PS2 game and I'm still hooked on the series to this day. Even if the first game hasn't aged as well as the rest of the series, it's still aces in my book.

[@sonofhades57]

I don't blame you whatsoever for cheating on bolts. The cash gates were intolerable and I remember spending literal days just farming up bolts to get the RYNO.

[@nedalomar4216]

Ratchet and clank 1 had the best soundtrack ever

[@ColdFear6666]

When we got a PS2 it had a demo disc, which had the Ratchet and Clank demo. We played it for many days(weeks), until we finally got some games. Good, old times.

[@zorrovian]

Alright time to rewatch this, AGAIN

[@demiurgusgodofform8589]

Honestly, I just spent a day or two dominating the Hoverboard races to get the RYNO and a few thousand extra bolts. It's probably a bit of tedious grinding for some, but I just felt that the hoverboard races was a really good, solid minigame.

[@Kiable7]

I get questioned for using claw method by some, but using the index for the stick and thumb for buttons instead of the other way around takes it to another level. Other than that, amazing review. 👍

[@jowprower8467]

Good job👏

[@adognamedsally]

I enjoyed the vid, thanks for the content. The point about bolt scarcity is interesting to me because I don't think it's possible to run out of bolts if you break every box you come across. Unless you are just chain failing a stage and having to buy ammo over and over. Even then, you get bolts from enemies and crates every time you fail and I'm pretty sure that's net bolt positive. Maybe this is a hot take, but I like the paywalls in games like this. Both in this game and in Spyro, I liked the paywalls. It gave me a sense of progression upon fulfilling the condition. It taps into that part of the brain that is stimulated by idle games where you get a slightly bigger number by buying an upgrade that you grinded for for a while.

[@mikearndt8210]

ratchet and clank was my first game i ever played. i still have played it every year since then. also good with the other ps2 games

[@dragonsswarm1987]

"hold down the circle button to suck, bit then you have to release the load" great line. Edit: 9:25

[@MuchWhittering]

I maintain there has never been a RAC game as good as the first one.

[@tpx7414]

Based

[@matrix91234]

I think problem with 2 and 3 is. While gameplay is way better, it just got worse in writing : I

[@JDM_BUSTER]

Man I love ratchet and clank games I must have been so hooked on the hd remastered collection on the ps3 that I didn’t even notice those glitches

[@jordancromwell]

Just finished the game yesterday. It's pretty good. Now on to the second 😁

[@coolmacatrain9434]

I played Lunar Lander, Battlezone, Space Invaders, Galaxian, Phoenix, Scramble et al when they first came out in 1979/80, but stopped round about the time Defender launched. I didn't try games again until a few years later in 1985 when Ghosts 'n Goblins popped up - I absolutely loved that (although I never did beat it Ha ha!) I never looked at games again until I bought one of my nephews a PS2 for his birthday in 2002/2003 and a few magazine that had demo discs. One of the discs had Ratchet and Clank , Jak and Daxter, Silent Hill 2 and ICO! - how was that for an introduction to modern gaming?

[@RussRobo]

An incredible experience I won't soon forget.🙂

[@emperorshark888]

A note about the vita version of the R&C trilogy. A lot of the issues of the ps3 version are brought over to the vita version, however the vita version has a few problems of its own. First the l2 r2 triggers are mapped to the corners of the rear touchpad, making pulling tricks off during the races incredibly difficult. The second is input delay, this isn't a problem with the second or third game, but for the first game I swear the controls are incredibly delayed, like it's being emulated instead.

[@Jay_Hysterical]

The cutscenes in the original ps2 are still good but Ratchet and clank as a tv show series would be amazing

[@toffeefeathers]

Perfect timing, right after I learned what this game even is

[@m3spyd3r35]

Ahhhh, I love this series.

[@givehonestanswer5508]

For me Ratchet and Clank is easy going game, it is simple and relaxing to play. also it is Not a confusing open world military shooter doing unwanted side missions and their is no loot boxes to upgrade the wrench and weapons.

[@ZEK-ROM]

Eventually combine all your coming reviews into one mega video lol

[@BromanEntertainment]

I'm currently playing this game for the first time and I'm enjoying it. I intend to play through whatever other games in the series are available in the PS+ Premium classic games catalog, and finish up with the PS5 game.

[@lonecourierO]

I heard the blaster equip sound and just started smiling

[@TheMasterJay]

2:43 - Yeah, remasters in the Ps3/360 era in some cases were not always of the best possible quality, not necessarily game-breaking in some cases but definitely distracting in some cases like Sly 3 where no music plays during the Muggshot battle where you play as Carmelita, widescreen and 720P is nice but I'd rather stick with the Ps2 version there especially with the Hud not scaling right on the Ps3 release. A couple months ago I got the digital version of the HD Collection because it was a cheap way for me to buy the trilogy (I have Deadlocked and the 2: Going Commando on Ps2 already) mainly to save money at the time, and while I'm definitely satisfied with what I've played, it's the first three games after all, I've definitely noticed some visual and in some cases audio glitches, I went in expecting some presentation errors but what I didn't expect was that in 2 and 3 that the right channel of the audio to be muted and all the audio blasting in your left ear (I use a Roku TV with a audio-jack headset port, so I definitely noticed, reason why I don't just use the TV speaker is because I live with a bunch of neighbors nearby in an apartment complex, also because I'm used to gaming with a headset on) and I'm just wondering how that happened when the first game's audio in 4:3 cutscenes were fine, oversight of the digital version or is this bug present in the physical release too? Either way I plan to pick up the Ps2 versions of 1 and 3 regardless. In some cases, I think that the Ps3/360 version of the Devil May Cry HD Collection is better than the Ps4/XBox One/Steam versions weirdly enough on the presentation side, I think the modern versions have better load times maybe, but don't quote me on that. I think one of the better HD Remasters of the Ps3/360 era is of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World via the Tales of Symphonia Chronicles bundle for the Ps3, mostly because I think that game is underrated, the game itself definitely had some problems back on the Wii and some of them don't go away on Ps3, though on Ps3 its 60FPS slows a bit for two seconds after you do an ultimate attack compared to the Wii version where that never happens, but I prefer the Ps3 version since there's no real game-breaking glitches to speak of and you play with a controller rather than with the Wii remote and nunchuck (it wasn't bad since there was no motion controls unless you equipped a skill to a motion-controlled swing but you had more options to work with), if one likes action-RPGs or are just starting out I can recommend Symphonia Chronicles, but I'm a little off topic so digressing. 8:24 - As far as the weapons go, I definitely got a ton of mileage with the Suck Cannon, I'd pop that bad boy something fierce when dealing with crowds of small enemies and when I saw it could suck up crates in R&C3 I saw that as a major improvement and used it a lot until mid-game, but that's a story for another time (as far as the mines at Qwark's "training course", my thought process was that they were too big to be sucked like the medium sized enemies so I didn't bother and defaulted to the Bomb Glove). On my first run, I withheld on spending bolts on weapons until I was past a certain point, right after I got the Persuader, to buy weapons at a cheaper price because I wasn't sure how stingy I should be with my Bolts, but I found that I was able to get through a good portion of the game with the freebies you get along the way, as like you said every weapon is useful throughout the whole game. My favorite weapon was definitely the Tesla Claw. 17:07 - Yeah, as much as I liked the 2016 movie game gameplay-wise (not necessarily certain levels as some felt kinda uninspired even on a first run-through), even I thought how Ratchet and Clank were characterized was weak-sauce, and while the execution of the original with Ratchet's character arc probably could've been better I'm pleased with how it turned out given the circumstances of the crunched development of each game before Rift Apart, I was surprised he wasn't more mean-spirited, especially looking back to when I watched the cutscenes back in the early 2010s. 20:32 - I can definitely say in retrospect from playing the game for myself on my first playthrough that I could've afforded to spend a little extra bolts before I got the Persuader. I didn't really run into the problem with the paywalls either since I always had bolts to spare since I was a saving up for when I got the Persuader, but it definitely also helped that I was aware in advance of the paywalls and came prepared. 22:47: It may be cheating, but while I like this game there's no denying that the fastest route was an appealing option, and I found that if I couldn't do the Decoy Glove method I could platform on top of one of the trees using the Heli-Pack and get to the Hoverboard track that way. If you leave yourself standing beneath those respawning crates for about a good two or three hours or so, you'll also be able to afford the Gold variants of the weapons, I left it on the game for a whole night to get 1 million bolts at the race-track for a trophy some tape to hold the button down. 24:16 - As far as the satire goes, I didn't laugh out loud at every single joke, but I was definitely entertained thoroughly throughout and I did find it funny. That poor soldier boy wanting to go to college though. I found Ratchet 1 to be a great game and it's definitely a game I revisit whenever I go back and play the trilogy and Deadlocked, if I'm looking for a good platformer with a mix of gunplay with a ton of platforming that isn't Jak 2 then Ratchet 1 would be my second choice between the two and I like it a good amount. I don't know if you'll read this, J, but you did good with this review and it's clear to me how passionate you are about this. Been watching a few of your videos for a while, not every video as I have some preferences in games (though I don't mind the occasional TV show retrospective like your 2003 TMNT retrospective, and I definitely had to give the show a try after hearing how good it was from a couple people, still on season 1 but I enjoyed what I've seen thus far), and while I don't agree with every take you have there's a good bit I agree with and some I'm surprised I agree with, like Jak 3 which I liked for years and still like and still have fun playing but couldn't put my finger on why I thought it lesser than Precursor Legacy and especially Jak 2 until recently but you nailed it on the head for me for the most part.

[@zzhypee]

so nostalgic

[@michaelp545]

Ahh... I remember this game. This is a great game, even if has a few flaws that would get ironed out by the sequels.

[@TheRavenArchon]

Maybe it's just me, but I recently went back through all the Ratchet and Clank games and I had this realization while playing the first game - It's a Spyro game. Much of the gameplay, level design, progression, the odd and quirky npcs, feels a lot like Spyro, just in sci-fi with guns. Ratchet even controls a lot like Spyro, at least he feels like it to me. I personally think Insomniac probably used the Spyro games as a starting point and worked off of them to build ratchet. Probably why it took three games for the controls and identity to finally settle on the shooter platformer hybrid we all know now. Maybe this was obvious to others, or maybe I'm the only one who thinks so, but that's the thought I had while replaying it. Well, that and the thought that it's one of my fav games in the series. Despite the growth and retooling the series went through, I think the first one knocked it out of the park. (Of course I also think Precursor legacy is the best Jak game, and Thevius Racoonis is the best Sly game).

[@kcrash7150]

Ratchet and Clank was probs one of my first actual games i played as a kid... good times

[@itzrobzen]

The Holo-Clitch still works on PS3. Can confirm. Its just a bit harder to do. And I don't know if that was a thing on PS2 - but in PS3 HD Version you can only use it efficiently once per playtrough. As soon as you destroy smth while using the clitch it is gone and won't respawn as soon as you leave the track.

[@UndertakerU2ber]

imo Modern titles in general have a lot of "fluff" that the old R&C games didn't have. That largely goes for other titles as well from that era, and what I mean is that in R&C, you get an intro cutscene, an intro level, maybe a few more cutscenes going over exposition, but then it's raw gameplay the rest of the way through with cutscenes sprinkled here and there. Modern R&C games have a lot more cinematic elements and narrative segments that dilute the gameplay often. For me, I had a strange order in which I played the R&C games; starting with Going Commando, then Tools of Destruction, Deadlocked, Crack in Time, All 4 One, the first R&C, and then played Up Your Arsenal many years later. When I finally played Up Your Arsenal for the first time, I thought to myself "This is it, the last classic R&C title from the trilogy. Every other title either strayed too far from the original tone/formula or were made by untalented individuals that didn't understand the series." And boy, the difference truly was night and day compared to the Future series. The only description that came to mind for it was "arcade-y", but really, I think what I was sensing was the trimmed down fat of dialogue, story BS, etc., and was allowed to just jump straight in the action. From my perspective, I don't think people are blinded by nostalgia when they say the original trilogy is the best of the series. The Future series was fun, along with some other titles, but the original trilogy has such a unique experience that isn't replicated, and part of that I think comes from the fact that the story doesn't try to be something it's not. For example, that time when Quark "died" in Up Your Arsenal, the original trilogy didn't change in tone and even kept making jokes about him, but I know if this same event were to happen today, the game would take itself too seriously and have many cutscenes lamenting Quark's fake-death until he comes back, and no one would ever make any jokes about him.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

I lump Gladiator/Deadlocked in with the first 3 games. I see it as the final evolution of the arena and combat mission stages in RC2 and RC3.

[@ZeDitto3]

3:55 Dear god I thought my child brain was making that shit up with the texture changes.