REVIEW: Ratchet & Clank series

As a ‘grownup’ gamer, I could have written about Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank series in my sleep. Something about 2002’s Ratchet & Clank and 2003’s Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando being among the best games I’ve played in this generation of consoles.

In case you’re wondering why I left out 2004’s Up Your Arsenal the recently-released multiplayer-focused Ratchet: Deadlocked, the latter is next up on my GameFly wish list (I played the demo at E3), while the former is already wrapped up for the holiday season (it’s mine...all mine!).

Of course, I’m not writing about my own affinity for the loveable Lombax and his runty robot sidekick, but rather, about how much my kids like ‘em.

First things first; the ESRB. While overall, I believe that the ESRB does more good than harm, I’ve already documented some of their rating errors in the past (e.g. Dog’s Life). Ratchet & Clank is another case of a rating faux pas.

All four games in the Ratchet & Clank series are rated T for Teen, which I believe to be a mistake. There is no way that these games are inappropriate for every kid under the age of 13. E10+ sounds about right to me, after which, parents are free to decide whether to use the ESRB as a hard and fast rule, or merely a guide. In the case of Ratchet & Clank, despite my E10+ rating, I let my kids play them, and they’re younger than 10.

EDIT: Yes, I realize that R&C, Going Commando & Up Your Arsenal were released before there even was an E10+ rating, which the ESRB created earlier this year. Given the choice, though, I still believe that E is more appropriate than T.

I recommend that parents use ESRB as a jumping-off point to help them make up their own minds. I often agree with the ESRB ratings, but since errors can and do occur, if parents simply follow them blindly, they are equally likely to miss out on a good game their kids will love (hey, like these!), as buy them a game that may contain some things they don’t agree with.

I believe that the problem is that the people who rate the games spend too much time on the superficial and not enough time understanding a game at its essence. Granted that this would take more time and effort, but it is most definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Now let’s get to the meat of what the ESRB (and some parents) probably found objectionable. There are weapons in the Ratchet & Clank games...lots and lots of weapons. Choosing the right weapon at the right time is the key to success in the Ratchet & Clank series.

So, armed (sorry, couldn’t resist) with this knowledge, why didn’t I automatically file these games safely away in the “grownup games” drawer?

Well, before I answer that, let’s take a closer look at two things; 1) what kinds of weapons we have at our disposal, and 2) just who is on the receiving end of all this firepower.

First, the weapons. Come with me now, as we zoom off to the land of make-believe. You’ve just landed on a strange new planet, and you soon find yourself surrounded by a swarm of weird little alien frogs, birds, or other pests of that ilk. So instead of letting them gang up and chomp away your health, you take aim, fire, and turn them all into......sheep...or chickens (depending on which game you’re playing). Ooh, scary.

Although the chicken-changing weapon is officially called the Morph-O-Ray, my kids immediately took to calling it...say it with me...the Chickenator (later to be upgraded to the “Big Chickenator” – you turn your little enemies into ...well, big chickens). Why? Because the sheep-changing weapon, which debuts in Going Commando, is called the Sheepinator!

While not every weapon is as whimsically innocent as the Chickenator or Sheepinator, that same sense of humor runs through the entire Ratchet & Clank series. And although they have a virtual armory bristling with weapons, the ones that resonate most with my kids are the ones that turn the bad guys into barnyard animals.

So now that we’ve talked about the cartoonish arsenal, the natural follow-up question is to ask just who is it that we’re shooting at?

The answer? Robots and funny little monsters - never people...or anything cute. And when you “get the bad guys,” there is nothing remotely graphic about it – just a shower of bolts (the game’s currency) to collect.

If you’re still unconvinced, then I recommend that you take a trip to your local library.

Killing Monsters, by Gerard Jones, is a book that should be read by all parents who have concerns about the games their kids play. Without turning this article into a book review, I will say that it does an excellent, well-researched job of explaining why make-believe, fantasy violence is not the evil it’s been portrayed to be.

One of Jones’ main points is that many of these video games are simply modern versions of “cops & robbers,” and that kids are better at distinguishing fantasy from reality than we give them credit for. And when we foist our concerns about real violence onto kids who are shooting with digital versions of their thumb and forefinger, it leads to confusion and self-doubt.

This doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t teach their children the important life lesson about not using violence to solve their problems: of course not. But that lesson should be taught at any time, and not specifically when their kids have a controller in their hands.

It doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t check in to make sure that their kids can in fact distinguish real from imaginary. Just don’t buy into the laughable assertion that kids who play with pixilated guns necessarily graduate to a life of violence and crime.

It also doesn’t mean that parents can just sit back and abdicate responsibility for what their children play: far from it. I’d no sooner allow my kids to play Grand Theft Auto or God of War than allow them to watch Silence of the Lambs or, say, run with scissors. But Killing Monsters does shed important new light on an emotionally-charged hot-button issue.

Title-wise, I can certainly understand how names like “Going Commando” or “Up Your Arsenal” can give parents pause. But these jokes for the adult gamers will be way over the heads of many child gamers.

In our case, my son calls Ratchet & Clank “the first new Ratchet & Clank game,” and Going Commando “the second new Ratchet & Clank game.” I should probably explain that the reason they are both “new” games is because we’d been playing several Ratchet & Clank demos (on PlayStation 2 “Jampack” discs) for over a year before we ever played a full game.

In addition to not causing harm, the Ratchet & Clank games can also be beneficial.

As with many good video games, there is a lot of problem-solving that needs to occur for the player to succeed in the various Ratchet & Clank games. For example...

After vanquishing a few faux foes, we come to a large moat that lies between us and the next platform we have to reach. Since it’s definitely too far away to jump, how can we make it across? What to do? What to do?

We were stymied for a while, but suddenly, my daughter remembered that a while back, we came into the possession of a gadget that can melt ice, and more importantly, freeze water. So we changed liquid to solid, skated across the previously impassable moat, and continued on our merry way.

EDIT: I'm borrowing the next 2 paragraphs from what I wrote in the comment section, 'cuz I thought it made sense to include it in the review itself....

"I've been a platformer fan since the days of Pitfall, Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers, and R&C (and a precious few others - e.g. Sly Cooper) does the genre proud by carrying the modern platformer torch."

"R&C absolutely shines in its gameplay and controls. It just "feels" great to play, and I can't say that about many games - not even Miyamoto-san's most recent Mario platformer - Super Mario Sunshine."

For mom and dad, the Ratchet & Clank series consists of several funny, satisfying, intelligently-written, expertly-crafted video games. For the kids, they are fun games that shouldn’t cause you too much worry. Now go turn some robots into chickens...or sheep.