Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Feb 13, 2007
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters isn't just a great PSP game. It's also a welcome return to form after the previous game in the Ratchet & Clank series. When we last saw our heroes, Ratchet was trussed up in a suit of armor, a muted palette, and an almost cheerless combat game. Clank was little more than an occasional commentator. His name wasn't even in the title. Ratchet: Deadlocked indeed.
Size Matters is like an apology for Deadlocked, which wasn't a bad game so much as an out-of-character curiosity. With Size Matters, Clank is back, the bright Calypso tones and tunes are back, the minigames are back, and even the playful double entendre in the title is back. "Size Matters" at least ties into the fact that this is a handheld game, but otherwise it ranks somewhere between the cute enough "Going Commando" for the second game and the unfunny British-ism "Up Your Arsenal" for the third game. What is it about the bathing suit area that fascinates these guys so much?
Here you have pretty much everything that has made the series great, and then some: crazy weapons with upgrades and modifications, an assortment of enemy types, hidden bolts to unlock costumes, secret skill points for each level to unlock cheat codes, amusing cutscenes, and just enough minigames to mix up the action without diluting it. Clank is back in several different forms, enjoying more than a few moments in the spotlight. Good to see you again, little fella. There are some scripted sequences that fit pretty well into the game, many involving undemanding jumping challenges. Don't worry. This isn't a game about repeatedly falling to your death.
In Size Matters, you'll find one of the most memorable levels ever to grace a Ratchet & Clank game. That's not saying much, since the locations have never really stood out beyond their cartoony sci-fi look. But in at least one spot, the creators have managed to bust out of that groove and go someplace truly mind-blowing (Psychonauts deserves a mention in the "special thanks" part of the credits). They've also done something really spectacular with Clank's giant robot form. These two bits, which coincide with a plot point at the center of the game, are worth the price of admission.
The translation to the PSP is top-notch. You might think it would be hard to play without a second analog stick to control the camera, but after a little practice with the shoulder buttons, you'll have no trouble seeing where you want to see. Otherwise, there's a handy follow-camera option that tethers the view behind Ratchet as you play. In on time at all, you'll forget your on a handheld and you'll sink into the action as surely as you would on a 52" TV.
The graphics are superb, with colors that really pop on the PSP's screen, detailed geometry that isn't cluttered, and an immaculate frame rate, even when the world is crowded with monsters, weapons effects, and flying bolts. Just as the Ratchet & Clank games managed to unlock the best of the PS2's hardware, Size Matters works wonders with the PSP.
It also takes great advantage of its networking. There are, of course, ad hoc games for people who are local to each other. But there's also robust infrastructure support for online games. For the last two titles, the developers of Ratchet & Clank have done a wonderful job building full-featured multiplayer support into their games. Size Matters is arguably the best attempt to date. Although it only supports four players at a time, the maps and modes are meticulously built to wring the most out of multiplayer matches.
In addition to deathmatches and capture the flag, there's a set of clever objective-based games with unique rules for each map. For instance, Island Escape has two teams gathering radioactive canisters to power an escape ship. A canister infects you as you carry it, so you'll eventually turn into a mutant and drop it. But when you respawn to recover the canister, your mutant form is guarding it. With twists like this, these four maps manage to break out of the typical run-around-and-shoot paradigm. And even run-around-and-shoot makes great use of the weapons and map tricks. The PSP has had some great serious shooters with multiplayer support, but this is the system's best hope for over-the-top multiplayer action. Let's hope it finds a player base.
This is a short game, with only about a half dozen planets, but in this regard, size doesn't matter so much. Even though it feels about half as long as a typical Ratchet & Clank, it's built to be played at least twice, which is a hallmark of the series. Beating the final boss (and she's a doozy) isn't the end of the game, but is instead the beginning of a whole new level of destruction. The second time through is harder, but more gratifying. With the added difficulty come greater rewards: more cash to buy weapon upgrades, easier access to hidden places, and even entirely new weapons.
Ratchet & Clank has always been generous with the rewards, which is a big part of its appeal. There's a new armor collecting subgame in Size Matters. If you fit Ratchet with all the components of an armor set, he'll earn a special bonus. Furthermore, there's a generous assortment of minigames for Clank to play, including a Lemming style puzzler, a vehicular combat arena, and a sort of robot soccer match. There are multiple challenges for each of the three minigames, which are an important way to earn money and unlock bits of Ratchet's armor.
Dying is usually painless, since you never lose any money, experience to increase your health, or progress towards weapon upgrades. Every moment you spend in a Ratchet & Clank game is forward motion. The approach has almost always been a cheerful, "Hey, you're here to have fun and we're not going to do anything to get in your way. Knock yourself out, kiddo!" It's effective, enthusiastic, infectious, and almost maternal. Along with some of Nintendo's best games, this is a series that wants to make you happy. These guys get it.
So it's no surprise that the developers of Size Matters, High Impact Games, are a splinter group from Insomniac, the original creators of Ratchet & Clank. Almost every polygon, sound effect, and animation will ring true for Ratchet & Clank fans. And for everyone else, it's a splendid return to form that has all the convenience of being played on a handheld. Welcome back, guys.