Chris Kavan's Game Review of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

All 4 One May Not Be the One for All
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/26/12

Ratchet & Clank has been a great series since its inception - you have a variety of increasingly bizarre weapons, the story lines are always entertaining with the right dash of off-beat humor and the characters are both interesting and likeable. I admit, I've been slacking this gaming generation in this series. I haven't played either A Crack in Time or Tools of Destruction. But the ability to play local multi-player for the first time introduced the perfect feature to get back into this game. While the game is far from perfect, there is plenty of the old-school touches left to make it worthwhile, especially if you get a few like-minded friends together.

Presentation:
Like previous entries, this game uses bright, cartoon-like animation throughout - both during gameplay and the cutscenes. A refreshing change from the muddled browns that FPS games present. It has always fit the series, and this time is no exception. There aren't as many worlds this time around - you do start off in an urban city, move to a planet being torn apart by gravitational forces and one snow level, but overall the variety is a bit lacking in this department this time around.

The voices are still a highlight - whether it's the dimwitted President Quark or the scheming Dr. Nefarious - the talented voice actors (you might not know their names, but believe me, you've heard them somewhere before) really do a great job of bringing the personalities to life and remain a highlight of the game.

The music is unobtrusive but otherwise unforgettable. This is a game where you're paying attention to the BAM BOOM CRASH - not the background soundtrack. Speaking of the BAM BOOM CRASH - the SFX is still good.

Story
I'm guessing this stays the same whether you're playing single or multi - but just in case, I've only experienced this playing locally. After foiling yet another scheme by Dr. Nefarious at a supposed award presentation for President Quark, Ratchet & Clank are ready to call it a day when all four are whisked away by a massive ship. Waking up inside, the four learn that a planet is in peril and that in order to get back home, they will have to stop the ship - Ephemeris and whoever is controlling it. Through various video diaries you learn the story of partners turned rivals Dr. Croid and Nevo Binklemeyer and what brought about the creation of Ephemeris in the first place (someone really wanted their pet back). When you finally track down Dr. Croid, he's gone a bit batty (continually trying to "translate" Ratchet's speech) but nevertheless points you in the right direction. The final boss turns out to be something much more different than you would imagine.

The great thing about the story is not necessarily the depth, but that it keeps that Ratchet & Clank feel - even with more characters. It has a unique brand of humor and it continues with this game - a most welcome thing.

Gameplay:
Now here's the rub. While multi-player brings something new to the table, it doesn't mean things are always better. Each level has the heroes competing against each other for bolts, collecting animals even cooperating together. The winner gets more bolts to spend on weapons or upgrades. The only problem is (well, if you are like me and my friends) you find yourself worrying more about breaking open boxes then actually killing things - and sometimes you end up falling off the side of screen looking for that next score.

The variety of weapons are still present, and each character has their own unique weapon in addition to the myriad of guns and other things to kill the many, many enemies present. Too bad most of these unique weapons seem pointless (okay, Quark's shield did come in handy a few times). My favorite weapon actually ended up being one I thought would be kind of useless - the lightwhip. It stuns, it kills - the only weapon that is better (and the one you'll use probably 80% of the time, unless you run out of ammo) is the basic pistol you start off with. Each weapon has both an ammo and power upgrade and a final "super" upgrade that makes it do something incredible. The more expensive weapons hardly got used and seem superfluous compared to the thee most useful weapons - pistol, bomb launcher and rocket launcher - but like the other games, I think most of the weapons are made a lark anyway.

The Co-op itself is pretty easy to handle - you have a a tether you can use to catch up, certain parts require teamwork - either shooting someone up or across, or using a few tools in tandem to open the way. It's not anything that will strain your mind but it's fun enough for families and friends alike. The worst part is that there is no backtracking - if you miss something, too bad, you'll have to start over. The camera itself can sometimes be an issue - but I don't think it's as bad as I've seen in other games. I don't think we ever encountered any bugs. We started the game on hard and made it most of the way through - but at one point we faced a wave of enemies so terrible we literally ran out of ammo for everything and could not progress. Even bumping the game down a difficulty took us a few times to get through. Plus, there are about three of those battles IN A ROW. For a game that was so lighthearted and fun, it throws a massive obstacle at you right towards the end. Another feature of the COOP is that you can be saved from dying - but the downfall is, if you're not rescued by the time your life runs out, everyone dies and you have to start over - a real bummer during boss battles (not that they were that terrible).

You still have secret bolts and the RYNO suit (which we never quite completed, sadly), but overall the game is pretty linear without much room to explore. Aside from one mini asteroid navigation level, you're pretty much left with an action beat 'em up instead of a true platformer. You still have save points (thankfully) but sometimes I wish there were more ammo replenishment sites or weapon dealers around. This game can easily be passed within a day (or two), so if you're looking for something with a lot of depth, it might not leave you very sated.

Overall
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One tries to bring some new shine to a long-running series. While the story and look still bring that great mix of humor and action, I'm not convinced the multi-player aspect adds all that much too the game, other than being able to spend more time with friends or family. However, even with its short length, it is fun so if you're a fan of this series, it's probably worth the trip.

Presentation: 4/5
Story: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 3/5 Multi-Player
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5