Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters [PSP]

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.