1. I came into this game w/o any sort of familiarity w/ the series. I've heard the name Ratchet & Clank in my life but it just blends in w/ so many hero-and-sidekick type games from the formative days of 3D platforming. I don't imagine many coming upon this review will share my perspective but I am going to write it anyway. I am a warrior.
2. This is a gaiden game and a bit of fan service for fans of the Clank character. I dunno... I guess he's normally silent but he talks a lot in this one. You see, Secret Agent Clank is not just a clever title. This is a send-up of the James Bond series and Clank plays the central roll. The overall gist is Ratchet has gone amok and Clank goes on the job to figure out what's going on.
3. The technical presentation here is top notch. They're not going for a photo-realistic style but the cartoonish graphics are crisp and smooth--w/o the jagged edges that sometimes occur in PSP games. Sound design and score are likewise thoroughly polished. Of all things, I was not expecting to be so impressed by the production of this game in particular and yet here I am.
4. The voice work deserves special notice. We are obviously not looking for Oscar-type drama here but the actors make the voices really jump from the screen and their performances could hold their own w/, say, those on Batman: The Animated Series.
5. So, yeah, looking at and listening to this game is awesome. Actual game-play could charitably be described as uneven. High Impact Games bit off more than they can chew w/ this one. In addition the core stealth/action mechanics, there's battle arenas, multi-character puzzle solving missions, racing, a shmup level,Tetris-like block puzzles and even extended length rhythm games. I am not sure what the budget would look like to execute all of these things competently but the developers clearly did not have it.
6. There's four playable characters (well, three plus a group of three or four), which is about three more than you need if anyone is counting. This is just fan service as far as I can tell so that doesn't really work for me given this is my intro into the franchise.
7. For what it's worth, what I consider the main gameplay works really well. When playing as the titular Secret Agent Clank, you get a broad variety of weapons and techniques to make your way through each level. Stealth is an option and encouraged in may places but you can generally fight your way through throngs of enemies if things go sideways. I personally enjoy this style of gameplay quite a bit and find planning my routs such that I can soften up a group of enemies through stealth before going guns ablaze quite satisfying.
8. Unfortunately, there are also enforced stealth sections where you lose automatically upon being sighted. Does anyone like this shit? I hate it. By all means punish me for being spotted but give me a fighting chance. An automatic game over is just cheap.
9. For the fan service sections you play as Ratchet and some Incredibles-style super hero called Captain Qwark. These really feel chucked in for the sake of it. They are simple arena stages where you have to survive and kill waves of oncoming enemies w/ little respite from this formula. The Ratchet stages you just run around and spam your special weapons until it's done. Captain Qwark sections have a bit more depth but are mostly salvaged by their sense of humor rather than fun gameplay.
10. Several puzzle solving sections where you control a group of small robots fare a bit better. The puzzles aren't exactly Portal... or anywhere close to Portal. Actually, they are all really easy and when it does offer up some challenge it tends to be more about doing something quickly rather than solving a more involved puzzle.
11. The story is presented exclusively through cut scenes in between sections. These have the same high production values as the rest of the game and are probably its strongest suit. I am more of a fan of games that find creative ways to incorporate narrative into gameplay but I'm a huge nerd so who cares what I think.
12. Holy shit, the final boss battle in this is way too long.
13. Secret Agent Clank ends up being nearly impossible to review in brief and the reason for that is the same reason gameplay suffers: it tries to do too much. There are so many features that I wish were better fleshed out and so many that I wish weren't there that pinpointing the best and worst is an exercise in futility. I did sincerely enjoy many of Secret Agent Clank's best sections but spent at least an equal amount of time bored or frustrated. Playing this first, I am not turned off the Ratchet & Clank series entirely but it's doubtful I will be seeking another out any time soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment