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Ratchet is smaller, but just as feisty. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters demonstrates the approach that developers should be taking with PSP games. The game has the graphics and gameplay associated with the series on PS2, but is an all-new game tailored for the challenges that come along with PSP game development. The result is a game that fits in with the rest of the Ratchet series and one of the best PSP games to boot.
Size Matters has a jovial yet fully fleshed out story. The game begins with Ratchet and Clank vacationing. While they’re enjoying themselves, a girl named Luna approaches Ratchet and asks him to take some pictures for her. While doing so, the girl is kidnapped prompting Ratchet to go rescue her. To do this, the pair is shrunk and transported to a land of tiny beings. There are a few twists and turns along the way, all of it told with the classic Ratchet series humor.
Ratchet’s adventure will take him to various levels where he will have to jump and shoot his way to victory. You begin the game with a basic pistol before finding acid bombs, a sniper rifle, rocket launcher, and others. As expected, these enemies gain experience and evolve into more powerful versions of the same weapon. In addition, you can mod the weapons to include lock-on targeting and other modifications. Aside from the upgradeable weapons, Ratchet will gain more health throughout the adventure and you can purchase additional armor.
The game’s controls work surprisingly well on the PSP. The analog nub controls movement while the directional pad controls strafing. While it sounds awkward, the system actually works very well and will have you double jumping and shooting in no time. The camera can be controlled by the shoulder buttons or set to follow you. The first alternative is the better one, and although not perfect works quite well given the PSP’s limitations.
Size Matters has four-player multiplayer mode with both offline and online support. The online support has a number of features including leaderboards and a friends list. The most popular gameplay mode is by far Deathmatch, although others such as team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Iron Lombax (given various objectives for you to complete) exist. The game’s replay value is also increased by side quests such as space shooting and hoverboard races, as well as numerous items to collect. You can spend many a hour seeing everything the game has to offer after its eight-hour singleplayer campaign.
Ratchet & Clank is one of the best looking PSP games currently available. Ratchet’s character model is very detailed and the animation is as fluid as you would expect from one of the PS2 games. The other characters look pretty good too. The environments are just as detailed and quite expansive, and look great on the PSP’s widescreen display. You’ll notice that the developers play around with the level of detail of certain textures in order to deliver a steady framerate but it never detracts from the great visuals.
The game’s audio is a mixed bag. The sound effects are generally recycled and don’t sound quite as crisp as you have come to expect from the series. The soundtrack is cheery and happy in typical Ratchet & Clank mood, however. Thankfully, the audio is saved by amazing voice acting. The voices for Ratchet, Clank and Luna are all amazing and really bring the characters to life. The dialog is very funny and comes across perfectly thanks to the top-notch voice acting.
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is a great game and a worthy addition to any gamer’s PSP library. It’s a shining example of how to properly make a PSP game. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Mar 5, 2007
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