Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
We’ve gone hands-on with the game’s single and multiplayer levels, and even a side-scrolling vid-comic starring Captain Qwark!
Published: October 8, 2004
Recently, we had the chance to try out a demo of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, the third installment in Insomniac Games' acclaimed action series. The single and multiplayer stages we played through offered a clear look at the mission concepts and the new weapon variations that Ratchet will wield this time around. What really took us by surprise was the undeniably fun 2D side-scrolling mini-game starring the hero-to-zero Captain Qwark. From innovative, team-based multiplayer action to classic platforming goodness, Up Your Arsenal really looks to have a full sweep over the action genre by means of encompassing both extremes.
The solo level of the demo was set in Marcadia, where apparently the Galactic President was under attack from three-eyed aliens called the Tyhrranoids. For the first portion of the stage, you as Ratchet are simply tearing up any of these extraterrestrials that stand in your way in classic R&C style. A vendor stands at the beginning of the level for you to buy up on ammo and new weapons as necessary, while numerous crates of ammo, bolts and Nanotech are just waiting to be smashed as you progress throughout Marcadia. A number of new weapons either came standard or could be bought with the proper bolts in exchange, many of them worth mentioning. The Flux Rifle, for one, is a surprisingly effective sniper rifle that even features a slo-mo like view as you aim with it. For wiping out a string of enemies within range, the Plasma Whip does wonders. Possibly the most innovative weapon we put to use was the Rift Inducer, which actually shoots out small rifts that suck in any nearby any and spews out bolts in return. Also available was the Infecto-Bomb, which causes enemies to attack each other instead of you; the N60 Storm, a straightforward projectile gun; and the Shock Blaster, which seemed much akin to the previous game's Blitz Gun.
Speaking of leveling up, our weapons went through quite a few upgrades throughout the course of the single-player portion of the demo, as did our ever-growing Nanotech health gauge. Unlike in previous Ratchet & Clank games, a weapon doesn't exactly evolve into another form once reaching enough experience, but rather is updated in version and packs a little more punch and flair as you progress through multiple versions. For example, once upgraded, the Shock Blaster can actually be charged up for a few seconds to unleash a massive short-range blast.
As the first single-player portion played as seamlessly as any other R&C title, the second part mostly involved us offering aid to the Galactic Rangers as an onslaught of Tyhrranoids continued to attack. It was pretty exciting being able to fight alongside a small team of A.I. allies, and assistance offered by the turrets scattered throughout the area certainly added to the sense of a futuristic battlefield. Most of this latter part of the one-player level had us choosing from a set of missions in return for a reward in bolts. One that turned away from the team-based concept of the others involved putting the Refractor gadget to use, allowing for Ratchet to redirect laser beams in order to open doors and take out enemies, too. More clever uses of this dandy gizmo are surely in store.
Up Your Arsenal's uncharted territory of multiplayer action was offered in the demo in the forms of two and four player matches. The concept of each is pretty neat: take out certain turrets located in your enemy's territory until you're able to get inside their base and destroy a console. Some of the series' classic weapons were featured here, such as the Gravity Bomb, Lava Gun and Blitz Gun, just to name a few. The interactivity of the level allowed for commanding a small group of hovering bots to follow you and gun at opposing targets, and also had us manning an ATV, although its firing capabilities appeared nonexistent. Logically, it seems that's where the two-man vehicle concept will play in.
Now believe me when I say THIS one totally came out of the blue: a modernized side-scrolling vid-comic with everyone's favorite Captain Qwark as the playable character. As Q, the demo had us hoping platform to platform while collecting Qwark Tokens and timing jumps to avoid rising and falling fireballs. Qwark was able to use his fists to give the 1-2 combo to confronting rats and, uh, ghost pirates, and was temporarily granted a blaster to fire away at a snake-like we encountered at the level's end. The old school platforming elements were noticeably prominent here, and including disappearing platforms and the aforementioned platform jumps (hell, even the haunted house music represented for the classic days). Aside from infecting us with a case of nostalgia, seeing this really proves that developer Insomniac can stay true to the genre's roots.
From what we tried out, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is shaping up to be another fantastic installment in a series that always aims to impress. Expect to see this one in stores on November 2. We'll keep you posted with new details, and hopefully, more impressions until then.
The solo level of the demo was set in Marcadia, where apparently the Galactic President was under attack from three-eyed aliens called the Tyhrranoids. For the first portion of the stage, you as Ratchet are simply tearing up any of these extraterrestrials that stand in your way in classic R&C style. A vendor stands at the beginning of the level for you to buy up on ammo and new weapons as necessary, while numerous crates of ammo, bolts and Nanotech are just waiting to be smashed as you progress throughout Marcadia. A number of new weapons either came standard or could be bought with the proper bolts in exchange, many of them worth mentioning. The Flux Rifle, for one, is a surprisingly effective sniper rifle that even features a slo-mo like view as you aim with it. For wiping out a string of enemies within range, the Plasma Whip does wonders. Possibly the most innovative weapon we put to use was the Rift Inducer, which actually shoots out small rifts that suck in any nearby any and spews out bolts in return. Also available was the Infecto-Bomb, which causes enemies to attack each other instead of you; the N60 Storm, a straightforward projectile gun; and the Shock Blaster, which seemed much akin to the previous game's Blitz Gun.
Speaking of leveling up, our weapons went through quite a few upgrades throughout the course of the single-player portion of the demo, as did our ever-growing Nanotech health gauge. Unlike in previous Ratchet & Clank games, a weapon doesn't exactly evolve into another form once reaching enough experience, but rather is updated in version and packs a little more punch and flair as you progress through multiple versions. For example, once upgraded, the Shock Blaster can actually be charged up for a few seconds to unleash a massive short-range blast.
As the first single-player portion played as seamlessly as any other R&C title, the second part mostly involved us offering aid to the Galactic Rangers as an onslaught of Tyhrranoids continued to attack. It was pretty exciting being able to fight alongside a small team of A.I. allies, and assistance offered by the turrets scattered throughout the area certainly added to the sense of a futuristic battlefield. Most of this latter part of the one-player level had us choosing from a set of missions in return for a reward in bolts. One that turned away from the team-based concept of the others involved putting the Refractor gadget to use, allowing for Ratchet to redirect laser beams in order to open doors and take out enemies, too. More clever uses of this dandy gizmo are surely in store.
Up Your Arsenal's uncharted territory of multiplayer action was offered in the demo in the forms of two and four player matches. The concept of each is pretty neat: take out certain turrets located in your enemy's territory until you're able to get inside their base and destroy a console. Some of the series' classic weapons were featured here, such as the Gravity Bomb, Lava Gun and Blitz Gun, just to name a few. The interactivity of the level allowed for commanding a small group of hovering bots to follow you and gun at opposing targets, and also had us manning an ATV, although its firing capabilities appeared nonexistent. Logically, it seems that's where the two-man vehicle concept will play in.
Now believe me when I say THIS one totally came out of the blue: a modernized side-scrolling vid-comic with everyone's favorite Captain Qwark as the playable character. As Q, the demo had us hoping platform to platform while collecting Qwark Tokens and timing jumps to avoid rising and falling fireballs. Qwark was able to use his fists to give the 1-2 combo to confronting rats and, uh, ghost pirates, and was temporarily granted a blaster to fire away at a snake-like we encountered at the level's end. The old school platforming elements were noticeably prominent here, and including disappearing platforms and the aforementioned platform jumps (hell, even the haunted house music represented for the classic days). Aside from infecting us with a case of nostalgia, seeing this really proves that developer Insomniac can stay true to the genre's roots.
From what we tried out, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is shaping up to be another fantastic installment in a series that always aims to impress. Expect to see this one in stores on November 2. We'll keep you posted with new details, and hopefully, more impressions until then.
