Ratchet & Clank (PS2)

Ratchet and Clank is going to be the superstar platform action game of the season on the PS2, if not all formats. Featuring a pair of wacky robots in a quest to save the universe, it may offer the same old basic platform scenario--run around, elude or destroy enemies, jump, and negotiate treacherously dynamic environments--but it has a number of things going for it that place it among the best titles ever in this genre.

The feature that will strike you first is the terrific art direction. Set in a science fiction future, the game has a beautifully executed retro cartoon look (think old Warner Brothers). The attention lavished on every detail, from architecture to character design, makes for a world that feels complete and real. This extends to the cut scenes, which feature a variety of colourful characters given vivid life with excellent voice acting. Then there's the sheer size and level of interactivity of the environments; a particularly stunning moment came when our character was knocked off a skyscraper, but, instead of perishing, landed on a ledge and was able to seamlessly navigate a whole separate section of the game. Another moment of truth came when we aimed our blaster at one of the vehicles whizzing by in the sky. These vehicles were just pretty wallpaper, we thought, but no, the thing blew up. In fact, nearly every thing you see is destructible or responsive in some way: you can jump up trees, scuttle over walkways, smash boxes, and climb up ledges. And the control scheme is just complex enough to keep things interesting with multiple weapons and the like, without bogging down with too many features.

While the routine of finding and destroying enemy robots may get tedious after a while, Ratchet and Clank keeps things interesting with the many metamorphoses of Clank (who takes on forms that surprise even himself) and cool weapons like the "Glove of Doom", which unleashes armies of tiny Clanks, and shifting 1st-robot, 3rd-robot points of view. This deserves to be the bestselling platform action game of the year. --David Stoesz

"A gripping comic space opera that's outstanding in every way. Gaming really doesn't come much better. 9/10."

Set in and around some of the darkest, most inhospitable and downright scary areas of a hostile universe, Ratchet and Clank is an entertaining blend of action adventure, exploration, puzzle solving and all-out combat. You'll find yourself seeking out strange new worlds, encountering bizarre and wonderful new species, and roaming weird alien landscapes--and blowing most of it up with really big weapons. To help you in your mission to thwart Big Bad Boss and save the universe, you'll have a range of cool vehicles and even cooler gadgets, including a hover-board and the extremely handy Magneboots. One of the coolest things of all is Clank himself, a small, intelligent but slightly weird robot who can be transformed into a thrusterpack, a hydropack and a helipack. Among the vast array of hugely destructive weapons you'll collect on your travels are the remarkable Bomb Glove, the Bolt Blaster, a Suck Cannon, a mind-blowing Morpharay and, of course, the aptly-named Devastator.

Ratchet & Clank takes classic action adventure gaming to a whole new dimension, delivering a blend of action-platforming, shooting and adventuring that revolves around the acquisition and use of hi-tech gadgets and weapons as well as exploration, puzzle-solving and combat--all set in a vibrantly detailed futuristic sci-fi world. There's big adventure, tons of enemies and an arsenal of weapons and gadgets, but what makes this game the one to have is that you get to blow up. It ain't the size of your weapons that counts, it's how many of 'em you have and, better yet, how you use 'em...