Marvel's Wolverine (PS5) Extended Gameplay Trailer

PlayStation's State of Play started off with a gory, bloody bang with Marvel's Wolverine, slashing its way to the PlayStation 5 on September 15th, 2026. This extended gameplay trailer shows off plenty of gruesome gameplay moments and intense action. It also includes some hints and teases at various characters that want to either help ol' Hank out or rip him from limb to limb.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) "Story Overview" Trailer

Ready for one more slice from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart? This time PlayStation and Insomniac Games are lifting the curtain on the story of Rift Apart. Once again, Zurkon Jr. brings its harmonious voice to deliver one more goofy but enjoyable trailer. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart rips PlayStation 5 owners a new one when it launches on June 11th.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) "Planets and Exploration" Trailer

As Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's June 11th release date approaches faster than a wild Speed-tle, Zurkon Jr. is back with another installment of the Almost Launch Party. This time it focuses on the various planets featured within Rift Apart, always one of the most exciting parts of a new Ratchet & Clank game: which wild and fantastical places the two will explore together! Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is less than a month away, and I couldn't be more excited. (Well, maybe if I had a PS5 of my own, actually...)

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) Gameplay Trailer

Introducing... Rivet! The mysterious female lombax from another dimension finally has her name revealed with this all-new gameplay trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. There's more to come gameplay-wise as well, as on Thursday a brand-new State of Play featuring and focusing heavily on this newest entry in the Ratchet & Clank series will air! For the time being, marvel at this ultra impressive trailer for Rift Apart, launching on the PlayStation 5 on June 11th!

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) "Pre-Order Now" Trailer

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the latest title in one of PlayStation's still ongoing series, received a new pre-order trailer this morning. While nothing too exciting on its own, as most of the footage is from content we've already seen, what is interesting and exciting is that Rift Apart now has a release date after all this time: June 11th. Yes, in four months PlayStation 5 owners will be able to sit down and enjoy this must-have exclusive for 3D action-platforming fans. Are you excited for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart?

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4) Review

SPC closes out the first month of 2021 with one final review. It's for a launch game for the PlayStation 5, but we're actually going to take a look at the lesser-reviewed PlayStation 4 version. It's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and without further ado, let's swing into action with the SPC review.

Miles ahead of other superhero video game sequels

The PlayStation 5 launched with not one, not two, not three, but four first-party games. An impressive lineup and accomplishment if there ever was one for a console's launch. However, two of these first-party games were also released on the PlayStation 4, same day and date: Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. While most of the attention regarding both of these games was heavily focused on the PlayStation 5 versions, I wanted to devote some time to looking at the previous generation versions. You might have already seen my Sackboy: A Big Adventure review, but now it's time for Insomniac Games' cross-gen superhero action game to get its turn under the microscope. 

The entirety of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes place over the Christmas holiday.

Coming off the original Marvel's Spider-Man's ending, Miles Morales has his newfound powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider similar to the one that gave Peter Parker his powers. Over the past months, Miles has been in training under the tutelage of the O.G. Spider-Man. With Peter Parker leaving the country to go on a trip with Mary Jane that means that while the Spider's away, Miles will... well, not so much PLAY as he takes up the crimefighting burden in Parker's stead. What follows is a personal struggle between living up to Spider-Man's legacy while carving his own path. This is all in the middle of a corporate conspiracy that delves deeply and blurs the line between Miles' private and superhero parts of his life along the way. 

When a standard, trademark Spidey quip won't do, Miles lets his feet do the talking.

Miles plays similarly to the original Spider-Man--after all--he was trained by Peter--but there are various key differences. While Miles' mobility options are mostly unchanged from the Peter's from the first game--what, with the web swinging, web rushing, climbing walls, running up walls, hanging from ceilings, etc.--this new Spidey has some new tricks of his own. These are Venom powers: electrically charged moves that deliver heavy damage to surrounding enemies. As you progress through the story, more become unlocked. From a Venom Punch that sends an electrified fist directly into the faces of foes, to a Venom Jump that sends surrounding foes in Miles' immediate radius up into the air, these moves stun and bring a whole world of hurt onto the new webhead's repertoire of baddies. Each Venom power uses up a section of a special orange gauge that refills as Miles attacks enemies and successfully evades attacks. 

With the Venom punch and other Venom powers, Miles can really send shocks to his enemies' systems!

And that's not all the new tricks that Miles has in his arsenal. Around the midpoint of the game he earns the ability to temporarily camouflage, offering a way to stealthily sneak up on unsuspecting enemies and take them out, or utterly bewilder and confuse foes as he disappears right in front of their faces--a perfect move for getting the heck out of dodge in a flash. There's a cooldown period in between camouflage uses, so it's not something you can just cheese on and off at any time to make encounters easy.

While a lot of times stealth will work--taking down enemies silently from walls, ceilings, perches, and directly from behind--sometimes Miles will just have to get his hands (and feet with regard to kicks) dirty. There are a great number of options available to players in combat situations. Everything from web powers to Venom powers, to gadgets like Miles' web shooters, remote mines, or gravity wells that act like a vacuum to baddies, are all available and fair to use. It's a ballet of carnage, and with enough practice, you can battle even the biggest of baddies with elegance and grace as you evade enemies and cycle between fists, kicks, webbing, Venom powers, and gadgets. This is all as your combo multiplier soars to impressive heights. 

Have a nice trip, see you next fall.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a shorter game than Insomniac's original take on Spidey, clocking in at just under ten hours to beat. However, that is partly due to a lot of the fat from the original game being cut out. There are no stealth missions with powerless playable characters to concern yourself with, which was a major sticking point for this reviewer--among many others players out there. That said, there is an ample amount of side activities to participate in to beef up the playtime of the game. For one, there is checking a helpful "Friendly Neighborhood" app with a quick swipe of the Dualshock's touchpad. This brings up a list of what are essentially side quests to take on from citizens around Manhattan. These range between finding lost pets to more involved scenarios, such as cracking down a crime ring that is stealing from the local F.E.A.S.T. shelter from the first game. 

Miles' friend, Ganke's helpfully designed app allows you to select from a myriad of missions.
These can even be replayed at your leisure for extra experience and activity tokens.

Then, there are fun side activities like holographic training missions set up by Peter Parker before his trip out of town, involving everything from combat to stealth. There are also enemy bases to enter, dispatch all enemies inside either stealthily or not, and complete a specific task in each. Whether you're simply completing side missions, stopping the abundance of crimes that pop up in the city, or gathering collectables like weapons caches and time capsules, you earn experience to learn new abilities via skill tree, and goods that can be used to buy and upgrade various suits, visors, and gadgets. 

Even after the credits roll, there is plenty of post-game content to have a reason to continue shooting webs and swinging around Manhattan. Unlike the original Marvel's Spider-Man, which received a New Game+ option after release in a post-launch patch, you can enjoy a new game with all of your stats, suits, experience, and more already included with the game. Plus, if you so wish, you can take on the Ultimate difficulty, where enemies are ruthless, damage is high, and your Spidey skills have to be of the utmost quality to survive. Even still, we're talking about 16-20 hours of playtime to complete everything both in-game and trophy-wise for Miles Morales. Not bad at all, considering the shorter playtime encourages more play-throughs. I know at least I'll happily return to Harlem and Manhattan as Miles. 

That said, as a shorter sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man, there are some glaring issues I have with the game. A major one is how lesser polished of an experience the entire package feels as a whole. There were multiple occurrences of enemies phasing through walls--out of reach of Miles' attacks, resulting in having to reload a previous checkpoint--instances of falling and clipping through geometry, and various visual glitches. The frame-rate of the PlayStation 4 version isn't the most impressive when things get busy with obvious slow-down at times. I say "obvious" because even someone like myself who usually isn't bothered by or notices such issues had problems with the frame-rate in this game, especially during some cut-scenes. That said, I was impressed with the PS4 version's loading times. While nowhere as instantaneous as the PlayStation 5's, fast traveling around Manhattan (once that option unlocked) was relatively quick, taking about ten seconds to do depending on the distance being traveled. 

While not as impressive of a looker on the PlayStation 4 when compared to the new hotness of the PS5,
 Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales still impresses on Sony's older hardware.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales was given a bit of a disservice pre-launch for coming off as but a short expansion to Insomniac Games' original web-slinging adventure. However, Miles' game is so much more. It offers a greater amount of combat options, improved mobility, and a story that I was eager to press on and find out what was going to happen next. Technical bugs and glitches do bring the overall experience down, at least on the PlayStation 4, but overall, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales swings with the best of them and is a worthy follow-up to the original Spider-Man.

[SPC Says: B+]

Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) Review

Here's one final review to round out the month of September, and it's a bit of a doozy. Marvel's Spider-Man is a PlayStation 4 exclusive that absolutely dominated the conversation in the gaming world in both acclaim and sales when it released earlier this month. Now, that the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled, how does Insomniac Games' take on Spider-Man fare? The [albeit non-definitive] answer awaits in my review.

The Amazing or the Spectacular Spider-Man? Why not both?

To say there hasn't been a really good Spider-Man game yet would be a bit of a falsehood. For their time, games like Neversoft's PS1 Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and also my personal favorite, Ultimate Spider-Man, were good games that were well regarded. Heck, many Spider-Man games remain well regarded. That notwithstanding, to say there hasn't been a really good Spider-Man game in a while would have some truth to it. This is where Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and Sunset Overdrive developer Insomniac steps in with the full backing of Sony. The end result is a masterpiece of a superhero game, though flawed in several ways, that is more than worthy of the Spider-Man name.

Insomniac has done an astonishing job at creating its own Spider-Man universe with Marvel's Spider-Man. The story is paced rather well, and it delivers one of the finest interpretations of Peter Parker and Spider-Man I've seen. The story beats kept me interested and engaged, and the story in general managed to pull me in and made me care about all of the characters involved. I pumped my fists in the air when I overcame a challenge as Spider-Man or Peter Parker, I gasped when one of the many twists of the story took place, and I even got a little emotional with the ending.

The voice acting is superb, and Yuri Lowenthal nailed his dual role of Spider-Man and alter ego Peter Parker. The raw emotion that comes from his voice in certain scenes in the game--heck, now just him, but the entire cast--is just truly mesmerizing. It all lends well to Insomniac's created universe, as does the humorous quips by Spider-Man and character interactions that I couldn't help but smile and sometimes even laugh out loud at. I'm particularly thinking of the right-wing Alex Jones-like J. Jonah Jameson personality who still has an ax to grind against Spider-Man, but it results in some excerpts from his radio show that are some of the funniest bits of dialog within the game.

Manhattan is your virtual playground, so play and swing away!

Insomniac's universe in Marvel's Spider-Man, too, shines brightly due to another character within the game. I'm not talking about a someone, but instead a something. I'm talking about the open world setting of Manhattan, and it's Spider-Man's and your playground to explore, and it's absolutely a blast to do so with all of our friendly neighborhood superhero's moves and abilities. From traditional web-slinging (well, as traditional as something called "web-slinging" can be) and running up the sides of buildings, to zipping across rooftops and above city streets with webs, Spider-Man knows how to get around the hustling and bustling island of Manhattan.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, runs on whatever a spider can.

You will, also, as the controls are quite intuitive and easy to learn. To web-swing, it's as simple as holding down the R2 button as you move by a building or other object that a web can attach to (and can support the webhead's weight). When Spidey's swing is at its maximum height, you can jump to reach higher places, whereas if you jump while mid-swing, you'll gain a lot of distance and speed at the same time. A combination of both can have you jetting around Manhattan in no time.

Nevertheless, you will want to stop and smell the roses occasionally. I don't mean literally smelling roses here, but instead, taking part in all of the activities and side missions that slowly open up as you make progress in the game. Though, it is true that many of these seem a bit too rote and stuck in the past when it concerns open world games--such as turning on police surveillance towers as a means to reveal all of the side stuff you can do in a given Manhattan district. Others come across as busywork, like stopping crimes within town, which boils down to beating the snot out of a gang up to no good.

While all of the side activities aren't that riveting, some do shine. While it's nothing we haven't seen a hundred times in past open world games, there are collectibles sprinkled around the city. These reveal their locations to the player from the aforementioned surveillance towers so they aren't maddening to find. What makes them so special is that they delve into Spider-Man and Peter Parker's backstory, as they're items that Spidey discovers in the many backpacks placed around town. There are also landmarks throughout Manhattan that you can take pictures of as well. These backpacks and landmarks do a terrific job of further expanding upon and building the world within the game.

However, my favorite side activities would have to be the research stations left behind by Harry Osborn. These are interesting because they're the most varied. With taking out enemy bases and completing challenges from a certain villain in the game, you pretty much know what to expect gameplay-wise. With the research stations you're doing a variety of tasks, and no two are ever the same. These are Marvel's Spider-Man's side activities at their most intriguing. One has you swinging through smog clouds to collect data samples while another has you following a pipe to discover the source of a leak. They also expand upon the world and are more than the same old, same old that makes up most of Spider-Man's optional activities.

NPCs hand out side missions like candy, but these aren't as sweet of experiences as they could be.

Well, I say "optional", but by completing crimes, research stations, taking out enemy bases, collecting backpacks, and so on, you earn tokens that are required to spend on new gadgets, upgrades for said gadgets, and new Spider suits. It's really to your benefit to try to collect as many tokens as possible by doing as much side content as possible. After all, most tokens types are only available in specific varieties of side missions, and outfitting Spidey with one of over 30 different Spider suits, each with their own special ability, is too cool and enticing of a deal to pass on.

That's all just one piece of Marvel's Spider-Man. There's a whole other piece to it, and that comes in the form of combat. Combat in Spider-Man is most similar to Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham line of games. It's combo-based, but Spidey has many more options available to him due to his mobility, agility, and webbing prowess. You can start beating down a group of goons, traveling between each enemy by web, and effortlessly dispatch a group of foes quickly. Of course, like games are wont to do, the challenge ramps up when different enemy types are introduced. Some hold shields that you must punch and then slide between the carrier's legs to perform an attack to their exposed back. Others don't have much pugilistic pride, opting to use firearms of the pistol, machine gun, and rocket launcher variety. It becomes a bit of a juggling act, but thankfully, the webhead has his good ol' Spider Sense that emits white lines around his head as an indicator that it's time for the player to dodge an attack.

"I'd tell your boss The Kingpin that no amount of money is worth getting your butt kicked by Spider-Man."

The amount of possibilities in combat is really amazing, and this is helped in part due to new gadget unlocks that open up as the game progresses. There's the standard web shooter that needs to be shot multiple times to ensnare an enemy, but at the same time, its supply regenerates rather quickly. Then, there's the trip wire webbing that when an enemy crosses its path, the wire grabs onto them and webs them up against whatever the wire was attached to. Spidey is indeed one crafty inventor, having everything else from drones to electrical webbing that can turn on power in dark areas as well as shock enemies temporarily. Using a mix of Spider-Man's pure physicality, webbing, and gadgets makes for some truly emergent gameplay. 

Here's webbing in your eye!

Spider-Man himself gains focus energy as he successfully attacks enemies and builds up a combo. The higher of a combo he gains, the faster his focus gauge increases. When it fills, Spider-Man can perform a devastating finisher that immediately takes out any enemy it connects with. Tougher enemies than your standard foes, such as brutes, require two filled gauges to use a finisher on. Apart from using focus energy to unleash creative and visually fascinating finishers on foes, you can also use focus energy to recover Spidey's health mid-battle. This can be a literal lifesaver in particularly challenging encounters where Spider-Man's fighting off ten or more enemies at once who all want to get his number. ...And I don't mean to take him out on a date--merely because they want to take him OUT.

Unlike this baddie on the right, most enemies won't just stand there while you beat up on their buddies.

That notwithstanding, brawn and brute force won't always be what the situation calls for. Sometimes Spider-Man will have to use some stealth to take out an area or roomful of enemies without being detected. Thankfully, Spidey is perfectly suited for such scenarios. When playing as Spidey, you can take out foes silently through a multitude of means, such as take-downs from the air or from the ground. Of course, you don't want to let yourself get spotted by a foe whose pal you just wrapped up in webbing and is now hanging upside down from a ledge.

Spider-Man--in one of many of the available, special unlockable
suits--surveys the area before picking off each foe one by one.

Clicking in the right stick brings up another Batman: Arkham series-inspired game mechanic, Detective Mode. Here, you can see through Spidey's eyes and determine if taking out a foe is either safe or dangerous. If it's the latter, you're going to get caught if you try taking the foe in question out. This Detective-style mode also has many uses outside of stealth sections, offering views on points of interest and enemy weaknesses.

Didn't see that one coming, did you? That said, Spidey definitely saw you going.

Marvel's Spider-Man is a gorgeous game in all aspects. The way the windows of buildings shimmer when the sun shines directly on them, the way tree branches sway to and fro in the wind, and the immense draw distance available to players, particularly while Spider-Man is perched on the highest building in Manhattan are all spectacular sights. The amazing detail each character possesses is also something I can't help but gush about. Sure, some faces approach "uncanny valley" levels, but overall they look expressive, animate well, and are just impressive beyond words... save for the ones I just wrote.

Despite some side missions and optional activities being less than inspired, as well as stealth sections that mess with the pacing of the game a little bit, Marvel's Spider-Man is without question the best Spider-Man game I've had the pleasure and joy to play. Without delving too much into exaggeration, it might also be the best superhero game I've ever encountered. Never before have I felt more enamored with a superhero video game and felt more like Spider-Man thanks to his myriad tools, abilities, and ways to interact with the world--no matter if I was dispatching a gang of the Kingpin's men or just web-swinging through Times Square. Insomniac's vision of the Spider-Man as a series, the world, characters, and mythos shines brightly and is a testament to the original thought that the property was in good hands when it was given to the developer to create a Spider-Man game. It's a game that both casual and veteran fans will enjoy--as well as anyone else who just loves an amazing and spectacular video game.

[SPC Says: A-]

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2) Retro Review

If you know me and have been following me for a while now, then you no doubt know that Ratchet & Clank just happens to be my favorite PlayStation franchise. So, when I get a chance in my summer vacation to play a game from the series, I jump on it. That's exactly what I did here with this retro review of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (no offense), the third entry in the illustrious franchise.

A game that both robots and squishies alike can enjoy.

I finally got to play the reboot of the Ratchet & Clank series earlier this month, and it made yearn to play some more of the series. I had already played the PlayStation 2 original games up to Deadlocked, as well as pretty much all of the PS3 entries apart from Full Frontal Assault. Though I own the latter, the negative fan feedback put me off of playing it. Regardless, I started a new file in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal a year ago on the PlayStation 3 as part of the Ratchet & Clank Collection. However, other more recent games got in the way of my playthrough. Long story short, playing the Ratchet & Clank reboot got me back to my old Up Your Arsenal save file to enjoy this third ever entry.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal follows Ratchet and Clank enjoying what appears to be a game of galactic chess, though instead of kings, queens, rooks, and knights, they have Snargian Snagglebeasts and other in-universe monsters instead. Hearing word that a group of monsters known as the Tyhrranoids, is attacking Ratchet's home planet of Veldin, he and Clank travel across the galaxy to reach Veldin and support the troops, the Galactic Rangers, trying to fend off the Tyhrranoids. This action starts off a grand galactic adventure, seeing Ratchet and Clank travel to various locales, aiming to stop a villain connected to a certain character's past's grand plan on turning the universe's "squishies", as he calls all organic lifeforms, into robots. The story is engaging, the story sequences don't interrupt the flow of gameplay too often (these can also be skipped at will with a simple press of the Start button), and the humor of the game continues the series's fine line of funniness.

Compared to its predecessor, Going Commando, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal plays very similarly. The game is a 3D platformer with third-person shooting elements, though the latter is more prevalent and focused on than in Going Commando. Regardless, there's still a good amount of careful precision jumping on various platforms to be found here.

Ratchet and Clank have a grand adventure ahead of them in Up Your Arsenal.

The new additions to the gameplay of Up Your Arsenal include Galactic Ranger missions that are all focused on combat scenarios. You team up with a gang of AI robots to complete a certain objective. Most simply have you eliminating all enemies on the battleground, whether as Ratchet himself or him inside a combat spaceship, while other missions have you protecting a batch of Galactic Rangers as they fix a turret. The latter is far from an annoying protection mission, as it's quite simple, so no worries! Regardless, these more action-oriented scenes make for some nice pacing and freshness to the game. There are also five video game cartridges that tell the adventures of Captain Qwark through a charming 2D side-scrolling platformer that is a lot of fun to play as well.

Geronimo! Ratchet and the Galactic Rangers get a drop on the enemy forces in some missions.

Continuing with the action focus, there is also a battle arena, a coliseum, if you will, for Ratchet and Clank to face challenges in, known as Annihilation Nation. Here, special themed arena contests are held, with the rewards being vast amounts of bolts. Some contests need you to clear multiple round of enemies while dodging environmental hazards like spinning blades and fiery pits. Others give you a boss to tackle, force you to fight without taking damage, or have you using just one weapon to survive. These are enjoyable challenges to do, and yes, they further add to the value of Up Your Arsenal.

During the game, Ratchet and Clank will also sometimes split up, as they did in both the original R&C and Going Commando. Clank will have segments where he teams up with a monkey to get through hazard-laden areas. With Clank's banana gun, Clank can fire bananas as a means to get the monkey to certain spots, such as on a button to extend a bridge or in a spotlight that triggers a turret gun that would otherwise kill Clank instantly, but instead, the monkey distracts the turret so Clank can pass by. (No monkey was harmed in the playing of this game.) There are also times where Clank can control up to four miniature helper robots, tasking them with following, staying put, attacking foes, or entering little houses that when all the robots have gone inside, the way for Clank to proceed opens up.

Ratchet also has some fun by himself. In one portion of the game, he dons a Tyhrranoid outfit to sneak into the main villain's aquatic base, interacting with real Tyhrranoids through burping, odd movements, and belching. This is done with a Parappa the Rapper-style rhythm mini-game that doesn't outwear its welcome as it's used sparing, and adds to Up Your Arsenal's variety.

The Tyhrranoid outfit, or guise, is one of many gadgets that Ratchet and Clank come across in their planetary adventure. Another like the Hypershot, serves as a a gadget that can be used to cross chasms by linking to a hook-like contraption, and allowing Ratchet to sling across. Then there is the Hacker, which allows the opening of locked doors through playing a simple mini-game where you shoot around a circular field, blasting red lasers while tractor-beaming up green lasers to pass. Finally, things like the Gravity Boots that grant Ratchet the ability to walk up certain pieces of the environment, and the Refractor that reflects lasers to solve environmental puzzles, round out the gadget package in Up Your Arsenal.

Tyhrranosis is the home world of the Tyhrranoids. Ratchet, Clank, the Q-Force,
and the Galactic Rangers bring the fight straight to the enemy.

As Ratchet moves through levels, he can use either his standard melee weapon, a large wrench, or he can utilize a wide repertoire of high-powered weaponry, most of which is earned by buying them from vending stations placed throughout levels in the game with the Bolts (the currency of the Ratchet & Clank series) found from broken boxes and defeated enemies.

The first main planet Ratchet and Clank get to explore is the jungle planet of Florana.

Like Going Commando, through consistent use of a given weapon (and that weapon's shots must hit an enemy), guns and weapons gain experience, leveling up to grow stronger. Weapons can be leveled up initially up to four times, resulting in a version five of a given weapon. The Ratchet & Clank series is known for its wide array of clever and fun-to-use weapons, and Up Your Arsenal certainly is no different. Blasters, missile launchers, plasma whips, sniper rifles, laser shields, acid-spewing guns that infect enemies and confuse them into attacking their own side, and so much more are available for Ratchet to use throughout the game. As weapons level up, something like the portable death machines known as the Agents of Doom, that fight beside Ratchet in battle, in their fifth level, turn from four marching robots that fire weak lasers into hovering death bots, launching missiles at foes.

Once some guns get leveled up enough, they can become positively shocking!

When the initial game is beaten and the final boss has been made to eat Ratchet's dust, a new Challenge mode is available for players. Here, weapons that have been fully leveled up in the original campaign can have stronger version purchased from a Gadgetron vendor. These can then be leveled up a couple of more levels, becoming totally powerful in combat. In addition to that, a new bolt multiplier is available, increasing as Ratchet defeats enemies without taking damage, up to a 20 time bolt multiplier.

Big or small, Ratchet and Clank take out them all!

Bonus content in the form of well hidden Titanium Bolts, which can be used to buy character skins such as a tuxedo-wearing Ratchet, a ninja-guised lombax, or even a frosty snowman, is here. Additionally, the series's usual skill points return. There are 30 in all, and these are essentially special tasks to do in levels that you wouldn't normally think of doing, such as shooting down innocent flying Pteradactyl on one planet, or defeating a boss with only Ratchet's wrench. These unlock fun cheats like a big head mode or mirroring the levels of the game completely.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal doesn't shake up the established formula of the series too much, but instead it further refines it. Ratchet controls as tightly as ever, new weapons add new strategies to battle, the platforming is more finely honed, and additionally gameplay like Galactic Ranger missions, Qwark side-scrolling levels, and Clank solo sections add some variety. Some might not care for the more action-focused gameplay when compared to the previous two Ratchet & Clank games, but all in all, Up Your Arsenal delivers good variety, a great villain, and the same gameplay that makes so many of us return to the Ratchet & Clank series time and time again.

[SPC Says: A-] 

Ratchet & Clank (PS4) Review

Time for the first review of August, and boy, is it for a game that I've been hankering to play for months now. It's the 2016 reboot of a PlayStation franchise that began in 2002. It's Ratchet & Clank on the PlayStation 4, and here is the SuperPhillip Central verdict.

Ratchet & Clank Rebooted

The PlayStation 4 is starting to really get its first party presence down immensely this year. With both Uncharted 4 and this new Ratchet & Clank game, things are finally getting quite exciting with Sony's first party offerings. Ratchet & Clank is without question my favorite first party game that the PlayStation provides. Its blend of third-person shooting action, platforming, and humor usually always makes me smile.

After multiple entries in the series, a new movie has released, and the game based off this movie takes the Ratchet & Clank series back to square one, doing a remixed retelling of the 2002 original game. Mixing things up considerably while presenting the fine, fun, and familiar gameplay fans like myself have come to expect from Insomniac's series, Ratchet & Clank as a reboot is sublimely done, and it's one of the best games of 2016 so far.

Our tale begins with Ratchet, a lombax, who spends his days on Planet Veldin, helping out old Grim at his garage. Upon hearing about the Galactic Rangers holding tryouts nearby, Ratchet races over to show his best to the head of the Rangers, the egocentric and slightly eccentric Captain Qwark. Upon getting the cold shoulder by Qwark, Ratchet mopes around the garage until a fallen spacecraft crashes nearby, containing a mild-mannered robot named Clank. The two quickly get along, and Clank informs Ratchet that the nefarious Chairman Drek has a plan in store to reek evil across the galaxy. With Clank in tow, Ratchet leaves his home, Veldin, starting the events that follow, leading to Ratchet joining up with the Galactic Rangers and doing his best to foil Drek's plans.

Ratchet & Clank's story features gorgeous cut-scenes full of the series's trademark humor and wit. The characters, down to the one-off characters, exude personality and charm. Those expecting the same retelling of the original Ratchet & Clank on PlayStation 2 from 2002 will see a brand-new tale, based off the movie that released earlier this year. The game expertly weaves in scenes from the movie while bringing enough exclusive narrative content to make for a riveting tale, even if you've already seen the film.

What isn't too terribly different is that Ratchet & Clank plays like any other game in the series, but that's definitely a good thing. The heavily and finely honed run and gun gameplay that the franchise is known for is here and accounted for, while bringing lots of new enhancements to make for a better experience for players. For instance, in past Ratchet & Clank games, gadgets like the Swingshot took a spot in players' quick select menu. This meant that to use the Swingshot, the gadget used to cross chasms like a grappling hook, had to be selected each time you wanted to use it. In this new game, the Swingshot, or any other necessary gadget, is equipped automatically when you're nearby the target to use it on. Now, this doesn't work well 100%, as it's a pain when you're in the middle of a battle, and you're nearby a Swingshot target, because instead of firing your weapon (which is the same button as your gadget button), you might use the Swingshot by mistake.

Old locations like Planet Novalis feel new again in this reboot.

The original Ratchet & Clank by today's standards, especially compared to more modern games in the series, much less its subsequent sequels on the PS2, feels rather dated. The lack of being able to strafe while firing was a big oversight, but this PlayStation 4 reboot features this ability, making aiming and shooting at a foe while keeping your attention focused on them easy. You don't have to worry about changing Ratchet's direction while he (hopefully) dodges, evades, and jumps over enemy shots and attacks.

Another enhancement to this reboot of Ratchet & Clank that the 2002 original lacked is the ability to level up the various guns Ratchet utilizes throughout his adventure. As you move on from planet to planet, the inventory of in-stock weapons at the Gadgeton vendor, a vendor that is located at multiple locations in each of the game's areas, increases, offering new weapons to purchase with the bolts dropped from enemies and found in crates. These weapons range from multiple fire handguns to more powerful weapons like rocket launchers and grenades, to more innovative weapons like the Groovitron, which launches a disco ball, forcing any nearby enemy to break into dance while Ratchet can pick them off. Then there's the old standby Mr. Zurkon, a mobile hovering robotic sentry that backs Ratchet up for a brief period of time, launching miniature missiles into foes all the while taunting foes.

Sandsharks? Kill 'em with fire with the Pyrocitor! 

Repeatedly using guns while making sure Ratchet's shots hit their intended target slowly levels a given gun up. When it gains enough experience, it levels up, making it stronger. In the main game you can build up a weapon to level five. Raritanium, an ultra powerful and strong ore, dropped occasionally by fallen enemies and located in hidden ore mounds, can be used at Gadgetron vendors to upgrade weapons. This can be used to increase the ammo count of a weapon, how many bolts enemies dropped when defeated by said weapon, and countless other benefits and bonuses.

In the original game, Planet Batalia was a rain-drenched battleground. Here, it's all iced over.

The level design of Ratchet & Clank is comparable to past games in the series. Many locales will feel familiar to players of the original game. Some locations are near exact compared to the 2002 original, while others have gotten a great overhaul. Each planet generally has at least two objectives to complete that are mandatory to progress. Each objective generally opens up another planet for the lombax and robot duo to venture to. There are usually two main paths to take on a planet, with each having Ratchet reach a different objective. The paths themselves have a strong sense of linearity to them, but the amount of secrets that are held when you go off the beaten path is immense. From Gold Bolts, the main hidden collectable in the game, which unlock cheats for players to use, as well as Holo Cards, a new collectable introduced to the series, there are a lot of goodies to be found for the exploring types.

Holo Cards can be found in packs as well as dropped by defeated foes. These each depict a character, weapon, enemy, or setting from the Ratchet & Clank series. Collecting a set, a trio of themed cards, unlocks new bonuses for the player, such as an increased chance for enemies to drop more Holo Cards or Raritanium, or increased bolts.

Two enemy forces fighting against each other? Let 'em fight.

Early Ratchet & Clank games became a slog to replay at certain points due to having to play as Clank. In the original Ratchet & Clank, sections where you only played as Clank were tedious, as you had to command robots to do tasks that took some time to do while you watched from a distance. In this PS4 reboot, these sections have been replaced. Clank still interacts with other robots, but this time he can carry them and transform them into one of three forms: a Power Bot, that charges conduits to open doors; a Spring Bot, used to bounce to higher platforms; and a Bridge Bot, used to anchor to specific spots to create bridges for Clank to cross. Later levels with Clank on his lonesome feature using a combination of the three to solve increasingly more challenging environmental puzzles. These sequences also play much more quickly than in the early Ratchet & Clank games, making repeated play-throughs much less of a hindrance.

Speaking of repeated play-throughs, after beating the main campaign of Ratchet & Clank, which will take about six or seven hours depending on your skill level, the option to play Challenge Mode is unlocked. This starts you from the beginning of the game with all of Ratchet's current weapons at the current levels, and current maximum health. Not only is there a bolt multiplier now in play, ever increasing up to give up 20 times the regular amount of bolts as players continually defeat enemies without taking damage themselves, but now earned weapons can level up to 10. However, the means to acquire the ability to get weapons past level 5 has changed. Earning specific Holo Card sets unlocks the ability to buy stronger versions of Ratchet's weapons at a Gadgetron vendor. When a more powerful version of a weapon is earned, the player can then level up the weapon more, all the way to level 10.

A planet so hostile that even the birds want to harm old Ratchet.

I always assumed that people who were clamoring and claiming that Ratchet & Clank on PS4 looks like a Pixar film in video game form were heavily exaggerating the graphics of the game. Seeing how well everything animates, how crisp and well detailed character models and environments look, and viewing it all in a silky smooth frame-rate has me convinced otherwise. Ratchet & Clank is one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen, cartoon-y or not. The environments are jaw-dropping, the level of detail is immense, and the immaculate attention to creating a believable fictional cartoon world is amazing.

Screenshots like this are easy to ogle at their beauty, but just wait until you see it in motion!

The sound also delights, offering wonderfully done voice acting that walks the line between a cartoon and a drama without falling too much onto either side of the equation. The music is bombastic, accentuating the action at every conceivable moment. It all adds up to a presentation that absolutely floored me.

Ratchet & Clank's 2016 reboot is a stunning display of action-centric platforming gameplay and high octane visuals. It's a game whose pace seldom dulls or lessens, always bringing something creative into the fold whether conceptually or gameplay-wise. The team of Ratchet and Clank have rarely looked, played, and felt as good as they do with this year's impressive romp. Some very minor camera and control issues mar the experience just slightly, but overall, Ratchet and Clank's latest is one of their best adventures together, and it makes me look forward to where they head to next.

[SPC Says: A]

Ratchet & Clank (PS4) "The Game, Based on the Movie, Based on the Game Trailer" Trailer

Now HERE'S a game that definitely interests me as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Ratchet & Clank. This revised version of the very first Ratchet & Clank game features a lot of familiar territory and areas for fans of the original PS2 game. However, there's just enough that's new (such as the sexy new visuals) to make for a game that is a must have when it comes out in Spring of 2016!

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando HD (Vita) Review

Many times you've probably read how someone's favorite game was botched in some regard and made a mockery of because of it. Perhaps you are of the opinion that the smartphone and tablet versions of Final Fantasy VI with its odd sprites is a crime against humanity. I didn't really know that feeling until when one of my favorite games got the treatment, although completely unintentional because of the hardware it was ported to. The game in question? Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando for the PlayStation Vita.

The Definitely Un-definitive Version of Going Commando 

Let's get this out of the way right now. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is one of my favorite entries in Insomniac's 3D platforming series, and it's also one of my favorite games of all time. However, the Vita version, as part of the Ratchet & Clank Collection, in digital form only in North America, suffers from two glaring issues that make this version the weakest by far. What you're left with is a game that is good fundamentally and structurally, but one that is hindered by two major control problems that are exclusive to the Vita version.

Starting out, you only have access to two guns. However, you are
able to purchase more as Going Commando progresses.

For one, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando offers a ton of variety. There are gladiator-like arena battles, fast-paced races through desert areas and forested marshes, and even ship combat. The latter is hindered, however, by the PlayStation Vita's analog stick used for movement. Normal air dogfights behave just fine, as you don't need really tight precision flying. However, a grave issue rears its ugly head into the equation when you decide to race Ace Bunyon through a series of rings. While this task is by no means mandatory to beat the game, it is if you want to collect all 40 of the game's Platinum Bolts, which for someone like me who is a completionist, was something I eagerly wanted to do.

Space combat is fine, but when you have to do anything with
a hint of precision, things get ugly pretty fast.

Nonetheless, trying to pilot your ship through the tiny rings is a challenge on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 under the best conditions. On the Vita version, with the system's incredibly sensitive analog stick, it becomes a nigh impossible ordeal. Your ship moves far too much with every poke of the analog stick, making it so precise movement isn't possible. This means the goal of riding through every ring while beating the competition to get a Platinum Bolt on these missions is a very hard proposition.

Furthermore, Going Commando added a bunch of new helpful goodies to assist players in better enjoying the game over the original Ratchet & Clank. To begin, when you bring up the Quick Select menu, the menu brought up during confrontations and gameplay to select a different weapon or gadget, in Going Commando the game pauses everything. This is while in the original R&C, the action continued while the Quick Select menu was opened.

Aw... Is this blockade of enemies just for me?

In addition to that, using weapons a bunch improves their capabilities, so not only can you defeat enemies to earn more health for Ratchet, but you can use weapons to level them up, making them stronger and more efficient in battle. This continues in the game's Challenge Mode, a mode that lets you replay Going Commando after the initial play-through has been completed. This mode allows you to level up your weaponry further, as well as earn a much higher bolt multiplier. Bolts being the currency of the Ratchet & Clank series, used to purchase new weapons, further the game by buying plot-centric materials, and restock on ammunition for the aforementioned weapons.

These foes get blasted into scrap metal by Ratchet's Blitz Gun.

An added move that Ratchet has in his arsenal in Going Commando and games onward that he didn't have in the original Ratchet & Clank is the strafe. It allows him to continually face an enemy while shooting and leaping over potential hazards fired his way. Once you get accustomed to the new mechanic, you'll wonder how you ever were able to play the previous R&C without it.

Despite using guns as the primary means of disposing enemies,
there is still plenty of traditional platforming to be found.

That said, the strafe maneuver was easy to pull of in the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions. Again, not so much with the Vita version. You see, in the PS2 and PS3 versions, the R2 button is easily accessible to reach and hold down. This is how strafing is performed by the player and Ratchet. On the Vita system, L2 and R2 are relegated to the rear touch screen due to the design of the system lacking proper L2 and R2 buttons. It's not just the rear touch screen, it's the corners of the rear touch screen. This makes it so strafing is incredibly hard to do in a consistent manner. When you really need it in the middle of the action, it's sort of like rubbing your stomach while patting your head, a challenge, for sure. It also makes it so certain areas of Going Commando on the Vita are much more difficult than they need to be due to the inferior placement of L2 and R2.

When your strafing doesn't work, put your tail between
your legs and run away!

Another addition that seems small but is all-so-helpful with Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (and this one is actually problem-free on the Vita version) is the notification when you have reached a checkpoint, or as the game refers to them as "Continue Points." No more do you suffer through a long level, not knowing if you've reached a checkpoint, only to die and have to restart at the beginning of the arduous road all over again.

From a formula perspective, Going Commando is pretty much 100% the same compared to the original game. You travel from planet to planet, completing objectives, meeting NPCs, purchasing information, or doing some other task to receive coordinates to the next planet of the game, where you proceed with this structure. The only real change this time around is that as previously stated, there is a lot more variety to be had in the form of gladiator arena battles, fast-paced hoverbike races, giant mech battles on spherical planets, and galactic battles with you controlling Ratchet and Clank's powerful vessel.

The art design and direction of the Ratchet & Clank games
is simply phenomenal to a high degree.

Going Commando looks relatively good on the PlayStation Vita. There are some pop-up issues in the backgrounds of larger levels with high draw distance, but that doesn't really detract from the overall experience. What does in this version, however, is that certain sound effects will play long after the weapon you used that made them have stopped firing. This is especially obnoxious to the ears with the game's Sheepinator weapon. It's something that is genuinely annoying that it is befuddling how it wasn't found by the developer of this port.

Careful on these platforms, Ratchet! You don't want to
get a taste of that questionable liquid below!

As you have read, the PlayStation Vita version of Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, one of my favorite games, has a lot wrong with it that is mostly due to the wackiness of the hardware of the system, the overly sensitive analog sticks, and the lack of a proper R2 button. It makes it so it is a hard game to recommend playing on the Vita unless you have no other choice. Even the PS2 version, despite being in standard definition, is more worthy of being chosen to play than the Vita version. It's a shame, too, because the idea of playing one of my favorite games of all time on a system I could take anywhere was an idea that seemed too good to be true. Unfortunately, it turned out that Going Commando HD on the PlayStation Vita was just that.

[SPC Says: C-] 

Sunset Overdrive (XONE) TV Spot

One of my most anticipated Xbox One games is Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive. When a carbonated soft drink turns a plethora of citizens into monsters, there's just one person to call upon-- you! Check out Sunset Overdrive when it hits store shelves on October 28!

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (PS3) Review

Continuing a week of reviews, including one for our founder's birthday this Thursday, we have a review of the latest Ratchet & Clank adventure entitled Into the Nexus. See what we think of the last installment of the Future series with our review.

Ratchet and Clank's Excellent Adventure

For over ten years now Ratchet the lombax and his robotic buddy Clank have enamored PlayStation gamers with top shelf platforming action. The duo has also done their share of disappointing players, notably with titles like Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault. While these alterations to the structure of the series were admirable for taking big chances, they weren't really what fans wanted. With Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, Insomniac Games gives fans of the franchise the type of gameplay the series is known for-- and with a smaller price to boot. Does Ratchet's latest tread too much familiar ground, or does this lombax know some new tricks?

Our tale starts off with Ratchet and Clank aboard a prison ship, armed with the task of safely delivering a wily criminal, Vendra Prog, to a detention center. Of course, if this went well, we wouldn't really have a game on our hands. No, the ship's systems malfunction and Vendra's brother stages a jailbreak with the help of some hired goons. In the turmoil of all of this, longtime friends of Ratchet and Clank, Cronk and Zephyr lose their robotic lives. Now with a mission of revenge, Ratchet and Clank must track down both Vendra and her brother before their plan destroys the entire universe. Into the Nexus' story contains the trademark humor the series is known for. The scenes are enjoyable to watch, and if you're not digging the story, they can simply be skipped.

Hmm. It appears Ratchet is currently
at a disadvantage, no?

After deviations in the series' formula, the iconic Ratchet & Clank gameplay of titles predating All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault returns after a long absence, albeit in a much more bite-size form. Into the Nexus has you exploring planets, each featuring exotic locales of some sort that the heroic duo visit. From a flooded city to a murky swampland, the planets featured in the latest Ratchet & Clank contain a lot of variety.

The locales of Into the Nexus' five planets
give off a quality over quantity vibe.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus has you using weapons purchased with bolts, the franchise's currency, from vendors sprinkled throughout the game's five planets to take down enemies of all shapes and sizes. Using weapons repeatedly will eventually upgrade them automatically, boosting their abilities exponentially. For instance, Ratchet's starting gun, the Omniblaster, transforms once it reaches level 3 to the Dual Omniblasters,  A mineral known as Raritarium, located in mostly hidden locations and found by defeating foes, lets you tune up guns and other weapons. Increases to how much ammo a given weapon has, rate of fire, Raritarium and bolts each defeated foe gives you, and more are done through tuning up weapons.

When you see a lombax packing
this much heat, you best start running.

The weapon variety is quite admirable in Into the Nexus, offering plenty of ways to blow enemies into oblivion. From a powerful sniper rifle in the Plasma Striker to the boom-bringing shotgun the Temporal Repulsor, Ratchet will be able to have an amount of arms to rival many countries, much more his enemies. Creativity abounds in the weapon design, as one would expect from the series. A personal favorite of mine, the Winterizer plays a version of Jingle Bells as you spray baddies, eventually turning them into snowmen. Smashing them wide open reveals presents, each containing a nice chunk of bolts.

With the Winterizer, any time
is Christmastime!

Alongside weapons, gadgets are an important part to the Ratchet & Clank series. Into the Nexus doesn't disappoint, offering many returning gadgets, such as the Swingshot, increased agility Hoverboots, and Jet Pack, allowing temporary free-range flight. However, a big focus in Into the Nexus is on gravity. This is apparent with the early introduction of the Grav Tether. This gadget allows Ratchet to aim at special targets and create a beam of gravity between them, giving the brave lombax the ability to ride on the beam. Several puzzles force you to think about which target you shoot at first, because that target will be the starting point. The second target is where the gravity beam will move Ratchet to.

Behold, the power of the Grav Tether!

Ratchet doesn't get to hog all of the gravity-based gameplay. Clank has a large role to take as well. This comes in the form of opening rifts. Inside these inter-dimensional areas, the game is played similar to a 2D platformer. The thing that makes these truly fun is that with the right stick, you can control the gravity of each 2D segment (e.g. flicking or moving the right stick left with make Clank fall to the left). The developers present some clever concepts and puzzles to solve with this mechanic, and these sections don't overstay their welcome because there's but a handful of them to do.

Oh, what a feeling when Clank
is running on the ceiling.

Into the Nexus is not your typical Ratchet & Clank adventure. It only has five planets to venture to, and one of those is a coliseum-style planet. In total, a first run of the game will most likely take you five hours. That's including some time uncovering hidden Gold Bolts, acquiring all the pieces of the omnipotent R.Y.N.O gun, and completing skill points-- objectives like beating a boss without taking damage, destroying a dropship, among other tasks-- which unlock cheats to be used in the game.

Lombaxes aren't natural air creatures.
You wouldn't be able to tell, though, with Ratchet.

While the amount of planets is indeed small compared to other games in the series, what saves Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is two things. The first of which is the price tag, a modest $30.00 USD. The other is a mode that fans of the franchise are most likely super familiar with, Challenge Mode. This mode unlocks once the initial game is beaten, and allows you to play a harder version of the game. However, you're allowed to bring over the weapons and armor you have in your collection, as well as the upgrade levels each are at. In addition to all that, weapons that have been upgraded to level 3 are available in the shop in more powerful form, granting the ability to upgrade them to level 6.

The prices are a bit exorbitant, but a helpful bolt multiplier makes it so the bolts you earn rack up quite quickly. As enemies are defeated, the number bolts are multiplied by raises. The highest it can go is 10. However, taking damage brings the multiplier back to 1, and you must build your way up to a high multiplier again.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is a stunning game to behold. The amount of complex geometry being displayed on screen at the same time, the special effects, and character and environments are all incredibly beautiful. The art design itself makes the already dazzling visuals even more spectacular. It's not all perfection, though, as there are notable signs of enemies, crates, and pieces of scenery popping into view abruptly, and some slowdown when the action gets quite heated. Then again, when the frame-rate problems did occur, there were about twenty enemies in sight and multiple special effects happening.

Gorgeous sights abound in Into the Nexus.

The Ratchet & Clank series has always been known for its impeccable voice acting, and Into the Nexus does not disappoint in this regard. The lines of dialogue are delivered well for both comedic and dramatic effect. What doesn't impress as much is the soundtrack. Even after repeated plays, I can't recall any of the themes heard in the game. They surely suit the action and platforming happening on screen, but they don't leave a permanent mark in the mind for future reference.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is a much welcomed return to the formula the franchise has been known for outside of entries like Deadlocked, All 4 One, and Full Frontal Assault. The game's campaign is relatively short, but multiple difficulties, Challenge Mode, hidden trinkets, skill points to obtain, and weapons to fully upgrade keeps the play time from being all too short. To do everything there is in Into the Nexus will probably take 15 hours. After some series missteps, it's abundantly reassuring to see that Insomniac Games has not lost sight of what makes Ratchet & Clank so cherished as a video game franchise. I personally can't wait to see the beloved lombax's first PlayStation 4 adventure, now that Into the Nexus has whetted my appetite, and I'm certain I'm not alone. While the latest Ratchet & Clank isn't the longest platformer around, what players of the game will find is a title that is short and oh-so sweet.

[SPC Says: 8.0/10]