Ratchet and Clank: Ratchet and Clank Impressions Company: SCEA When I first popped in the Ratchet and Clank demo, I had a idea of what I was getting into considering the massive amount of time I spent playing it at E3, but was still expecting a Jak and Daxter clone. Judging from the responses of other gamers and a few late night Denny's pow-wows with some of your beloved Game Vortex staff members, it's what just about everyone was expecting. However, after spending a considerable amount of time with Ratchet and Clank, I couldn't have been more wrong. While it may look like a platformer, and may play like a platformer, under the hood it has much more going for it. As I played through the demo, the game seemed to switch from a simple platformer to a shooter to an RPG without batting an eye. One area would have me blasting an onslaught of baddies, but in the next I would be fetching an item for someone or completing a puzzle in order to acquire an item. The game throws so much at you that it's hard to put the controller down because you want to see what's coming next. One of the game's key elements is the use of gadgets and weapons. As you progress through the game, you will be able to upgrade Clank into a variety of different machines in order to unlock new game areas, or weapons to take on certain baddies. While the demo only showed a glimpse of some of the weapons, it's safe to say that Insomniac is pulling out all of the stops in this one. For example, one of my favorite weapons is the Doom Glove, which allows Ratchet to throw dozens of tiny little robots to attack enemies. Look for Ratchet and Clank this November, only on the PS2. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: SCEA's Site Insomniac Games' Site