A humour filled sci-fi platforming romp with some whacky characters make this game a sure winner.
TOD is essentially a sci-fi platforming shooter with RPG elements, confused? Well this game takes a wide variety of influences and mixes them together but without losing sight of the core of what the game should be.
You play as Ratchet, a Lombax who kind of ends up in the way of an invading Cragmite prince and his army of heavily armed robotic commandos intent on taking over the universe. On the way to trying to stop him Ratchet will find out about his past, meet new and interesting characters as well as (and most importantly for you) blow stuff up.
The game plays out in 3rd person perspective where Ratchet runs, jumps (hovers and glides thanks to Clank on his back) through various levels on many different planets. Like in any good sci-fi however Ratchet is armed to the teeth with state of the art firepower including missile launchers, lasers, electro whips and disco balls just as a few examples. The more Ratchet uses these weapons and gadgets they will individually gain experience points and level up making them more powerful and eventually giving them an added ability, though upgrades to hold more ammo, fire faster etc are also available to purchase at regular intervals as well from radium collected in chests and enemies throughout the adventure.
Ratchet himself levels up with enough defeated enemies increasing his health bar in an RPG like fashion. He can also buy new and improved armour as the game goes on allowing him to engage some of the tougher foes the game will throw at you.
At certain points during the adventure things change up and give you the chance to play as clank, Ratchets robotic side kick. Clank doesn't have much health, or any weapons to speak of, though what he does have is the aid of these little alien creatures known as the "Zoni" who will attack any enemy Clank comes across as well as help him slow down time, move bridges and repair demolished machinery giving the game quite a bit of extra depth. These sections are different, but quite short so the full on Ratchet action is never to far away.
Every so often as R&C are traveling from planet to planet in their quest to stop Emperor Tachyon they will run into space pirates that will attack their ship for booty, plunder and whatever else space pirates want...grog maybe? Anyway, these sections play out more like the gummi ship sections in Kingdom hearts where you control the spaceship weaving between asteroids letting rip and any pirate vessel that gets to close, before taking on a boss ship at the end.
Visually, R&C is fantastic to look at with detailed and colourful graphics in some huge environments running at a smooth frame rate the entire time. I loved the look of the game, not just technically, but also artistically as the planet variations and designs are very aesthetically pleasing. The sound is no different really with some great effects and more importantly some perfectly fitting voice acting that really bring the characters to life.
The characters themselves are a pleasure, this is partially due to their strange design (A conceited celebrity superhero, A megalomaniac with an inferiority complex and crocodile Dundee as a space smuggler) and also partially due to the brilliant script full of constant humour that all ages can enjoy making the game a real delight to play.
The game is quite a lot longer then i thought it would be and with plenty of extras to keep you entertained including finding all the gold bolts, getting all the skill pints to unlock extra characters, modes, art, videos and Huge head mode! (funny as hell)
If you like platformers, sci-fi and disney humour then this is a game you should not miss. It's fun engaging and is good value for cash. I recommend it, even if only for a weekend rental.