Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Updated impressions of High Impact Games' UMD adventure.
Published: January 14, 2007
Almost a month ago, we got a chance to spend a little time with Size Matters at a little soiree thrown by Sony Computer Entertainment America, but a few hours to juggle multiple upcoming games is not the ideal environment to get a grasp of how a game is coming along, and thus our preview was a little on the short side (or at least shorter than we usually like for hands-on stuff). Luckily, SCEA was kind enough to shoot us a build of the game we played at the event (sans multiplayer, sadly, so our impressions here won't include that part of the game, but we did cover it a little in the last preview), and we've dumped hours into unlocking all that we could.
Curious about what we found? Good, cause we're eager to share it.
The start of SM has been well documented on the site now. Check out our first preview for the deets there. Here, we're going to explore what happens after we finally get off the seemingly tranquil resort planet of Pokitaru after little Luna, the photographer-in-training, gets kidnapped (no, that's not a huge spoiler, you'll see it within the first couple minutes of playing the game).
Our first stop was the jungle world of Ryllus, choked with massive plants and an almost Technicolor tint of heavy purples and reds to everything, it was our first experience with the Sprout-O-Matic, the little water gun that allowed us to bait mimic plants into growing into everything from makeshift boulder hurlers to ladders to, uh, Ratchet-hurlers. At first, it wasn't much different from Pokitaru; Ratchet unloaded his arsenal of weapons (and we got to make ample use of the game's trademark multi-weapon switching system by just holding the Triangle button) to take down some acid-spitting plants, smacked some of the weird little sword-wielding roller dudes and devil dogs around with the trusty wrench, and enjoyed the fruits of experience-based weapons leveling (plus some bonuses to Ratchet's nanotech -- aka hit points -- in the process).
It wasn't until we got to a seemingly impassible locked door that things got interesting. Clank was able to squeeze in and we had our first taste of portable mini-bots. Using the same Triangle-hold menu as Ratchet's weapons-switching system, we were able to issue orders to attack, wait and follow just like in the console versions. A handful of enemies and a few environmental puzzles weren't much to shake things up, but we did dig the turrets that allowed us to chuck the little bots up onto ledges (they can't jump, after all). If they happened to die, they just respawned and would come running back a few second later. Handy! With Clank's help, Ratchet finally got to see what was behind the door, and it gave them a clue as to where to head next.
With the knowledge in hand, we set off for Kalidon, a hunk of rock with seemingly no visible atmosphere, but littered with vendors that offered us our first taste of weapon-specific upgrades -- in this case a boost to our Lacerator's lock-on function and an increase in the range of our Concussion Gun. This joined the addition of the familiar Agents of Doom add-on that was available at the store on Ryllus and the new Scorcher flamethrower (it's made from old ship engines, y'know) that was out of our price range.
Almost immediately, High Impact decided it would be best to mix things up, throwing a hoverboard race at us where the prize was a handy dandy shrink ray and some new grind boots -- both of which came in handy for a new take on the grind rail segments from the console versions of the franchise. Shrinking yourself down to keyhole size then sliding along thin rails while jumping over bombs, jumping from rail to rail and whacking security pads isn't exactly the most trite way to open a lock, but then the series has always enjoyed making mundane things entertaining.
At the risk of getting too in-depth here, we'll just mention that a rather big plot twist mixes things up and the pair split up to tackle their own challenges. Ratchet deals with a trippy dreamscape littered with references to past games (including giant floating 2D friends and enemies from previous games), weird giant eyeballs and birds and... well, let's just say someone at High Impact may have dabbled in the past with mind-altering substances. Clank's segments were pint-sized with some light puzzles that use mini-bots and then a fantastic little rail shooter segment where destroying enemies built up a meter that allowed for a super attack.
As we reunited the pair, the earliness of the build started to show itself. The game would hang and freeze, so we used the opportunity to divorce ourselves from one of the best platforming experiences we've had on the PSP and just decided to bang out this updated preview before we spoiled too much and Sony's ninjas descended on the TPS offices. Still, we were impressed by little touches; namely a solid framerate, shadows that actually faded out moments where tons of bolts were unleashed on the screen and, best of all, a solid feeling that, yes, Ratchet works very well indeed on the PSP.
We'll have a full review in just a few weeks, but in the mean time, we thought you might want a peek at some updated screens and movies. It's just something we like to do for you. Because we love you.
Curious about what we found? Good, cause we're eager to share it.
The start of SM has been well documented on the site now. Check out our first preview for the deets there. Here, we're going to explore what happens after we finally get off the seemingly tranquil resort planet of Pokitaru after little Luna, the photographer-in-training, gets kidnapped (no, that's not a huge spoiler, you'll see it within the first couple minutes of playing the game).
Our first stop was the jungle world of Ryllus, choked with massive plants and an almost Technicolor tint of heavy purples and reds to everything, it was our first experience with the Sprout-O-Matic, the little water gun that allowed us to bait mimic plants into growing into everything from makeshift boulder hurlers to ladders to, uh, Ratchet-hurlers. At first, it wasn't much different from Pokitaru; Ratchet unloaded his arsenal of weapons (and we got to make ample use of the game's trademark multi-weapon switching system by just holding the Triangle button) to take down some acid-spitting plants, smacked some of the weird little sword-wielding roller dudes and devil dogs around with the trusty wrench, and enjoyed the fruits of experience-based weapons leveling (plus some bonuses to Ratchet's nanotech -- aka hit points -- in the process).
It wasn't until we got to a seemingly impassible locked door that things got interesting. Clank was able to squeeze in and we had our first taste of portable mini-bots. Using the same Triangle-hold menu as Ratchet's weapons-switching system, we were able to issue orders to attack, wait and follow just like in the console versions. A handful of enemies and a few environmental puzzles weren't much to shake things up, but we did dig the turrets that allowed us to chuck the little bots up onto ledges (they can't jump, after all). If they happened to die, they just respawned and would come running back a few second later. Handy! With Clank's help, Ratchet finally got to see what was behind the door, and it gave them a clue as to where to head next.
With the knowledge in hand, we set off for Kalidon, a hunk of rock with seemingly no visible atmosphere, but littered with vendors that offered us our first taste of weapon-specific upgrades -- in this case a boost to our Lacerator's lock-on function and an increase in the range of our Concussion Gun. This joined the addition of the familiar Agents of Doom add-on that was available at the store on Ryllus and the new Scorcher flamethrower (it's made from old ship engines, y'know) that was out of our price range.
Almost immediately, High Impact decided it would be best to mix things up, throwing a hoverboard race at us where the prize was a handy dandy shrink ray and some new grind boots -- both of which came in handy for a new take on the grind rail segments from the console versions of the franchise. Shrinking yourself down to keyhole size then sliding along thin rails while jumping over bombs, jumping from rail to rail and whacking security pads isn't exactly the most trite way to open a lock, but then the series has always enjoyed making mundane things entertaining.
At the risk of getting too in-depth here, we'll just mention that a rather big plot twist mixes things up and the pair split up to tackle their own challenges. Ratchet deals with a trippy dreamscape littered with references to past games (including giant floating 2D friends and enemies from previous games), weird giant eyeballs and birds and... well, let's just say someone at High Impact may have dabbled in the past with mind-altering substances. Clank's segments were pint-sized with some light puzzles that use mini-bots and then a fantastic little rail shooter segment where destroying enemies built up a meter that allowed for a super attack.
As we reunited the pair, the earliness of the build started to show itself. The game would hang and freeze, so we used the opportunity to divorce ourselves from one of the best platforming experiences we've had on the PSP and just decided to bang out this updated preview before we spoiled too much and Sony's ninjas descended on the TPS offices. Still, we were impressed by little touches; namely a solid framerate, shadows that actually faded out moments where tons of bolts were unleashed on the screen and, best of all, a solid feeling that, yes, Ratchet works very well indeed on the PSP.
We'll have a full review in just a few weeks, but in the mean time, we thought you might want a peek at some updated screens and movies. It's just something we like to do for you. Because we love you.
