Ratchet & Clank Going Commando

I was convinced that Going Commando was bound to be some lame pseudosequel created to turn a quick buck. I mean, this is the delicate art of platforming, not just some yearly update of Madden'. I've rarely been so happy to be wrong--Insomniac has crafted a worthy follow-up that handily bests last year's debut. The premise remains the same: wisecracking furball protagonist and deadpan tin sidekick hop and shoot their way across the solar system, completing various odd jobs and heroic deeds. The characters have been tweaked a bit for the better--Ratchet doesn't look quite as dorky, and Clank has a lot more to do now (you get to take A control of him more often, and he can now attack while on Ratchet's back). Plot-wise, though, it's kind of a wash. Outside of a few funny quips from Clank, the story consists mainly of goofball fetch quests and corny puns...but hey, platformers aren't really about gripping narratives. Here, the gameplay is the star. From the get-go, it's supremely easy to get back in the R&C groove. Even if you somehow missed the first game, control here is instinctive and precise. At first, Going Commando seems like another rote collect-a-thon, but all those shiny bolts you're gathering are indeed valuable--you can spend 'em on new weapons. You can amass a huge arsenal of cool, crazy guns, which can now be upgraded and modified as you progress. Figuring out the best weapon for each enemy encounter demands strategy and experimentation, and luckily, the game's forgiving system of infinite lives and plentiful restart checkpoints keep the frustration to a minimum. As sequels go, this one doesn't look very different from its predecessor, but that's not such a bad thing--the original R&C sported fantastic visuals, with a variety of massive planets to explore. The new spherical levels are cool, and the spaceshooting bits really impress this time, too. Even so, a little more creativity might have been nice; a new desert planet, a new ice planet, and a few new planets that rip off Star Wars' Coruscant are hardly original. So, other than a vague sense of deja vu, there's little to fault Going Commando with. It's doubtful you'll find a better platformer this year.

I liked the first Ratchet & Clank a lot, except...I didn't like Ratchet. In the first game, the furry dude was kind of an ass, and it's hard to totally dig a game when your lame alter ego pisses you off. But magically, he's now a likeable guy in Going Commando. (Sensitivity training, perhaps?) And for me, that goes a long way toward making this a better game. And boy, oh boy, is Going Commando excellent. The platforming-action genre has a lot of competition, but this year, Ratchet runs away with the prize. This is an absolute must-play--even if you didn't play the first one. It's got everything you've ever wanted from an action game. The weapons are bigger, better, more creative, and now fully customizable. Also, a fantastic experience system works just the right amount of RPG-ish depth into the mix, and you won't dread the various minigames and arena challenges. Commandds level design is perfect, providing plenty of things to discover in each challenging (yet extremely satisfying) world you explore. Better than Jak II? Definitely. Set aside some time, 'cause this is a monumental game you do not wanna miss.

I dunno what Shane is griping about. Yes, the levels look a bit like those in the first Ratchet, but that's about as meaningful as saying I look like my brother, so you should like me less because of that. Whatever. The level design is brilliant, the weapons combat is a freakin' blast, the subtle tweaks really do change everything, and the characters are more appealing than the last go-round. Even at its toughest, when you're stuck replaying an especially difficult area, Commando is a metric ton of fun, thanks to the fact that you're gaining more experience, your weapons are growing and evolving, and you're earning more bolts to buy new weapons. Those RPG elements seem so straightforward, but they really, truly change everything. I've never felt as encouraged to experiment with so many different things in a platformer, all for the sake of leveling up and gaining some amazing new weaponry. The other little tweak that matters so much: strafing. I'm not much of a shooter guy; I come to this game as a pure platformer nut. But the weapons combat has gone from intuitive to blas-tastic bliss. I'm pulling off moves that I never thought possible, like strafing around high-impact baddies while doing side jumps and tossing explosives. Commando controls like a charm, making even the most hardcore of feats fairly achievable. But most of all, Commando is incredibly addictive fun. I really, really love this game.