In my opinion, Mario 64 and subsequent followers like Banjo Kazooie set up the notion that all 3D platformers required a massive list of things to collect for no other reason than, well, you had to collect them to open up the next level.  With a lot of recurring tasks (how many times do we feel like searching for eight red coins, really?) and really, the lack of much of a storyline or changes in the gameplay with progression, the platforming genre had started to feel a little stale.  And this is a recurring trend, indeed; very little experimentation outside of this simple formula has been attempted.

Thankfully for us, Insomniac seems to enjoy taking that collectivism formula, throwing it out the window, replacing it with dozens of slick guns, a multitude of levels, and an actual story.  Cool.

Let it be known that I have never actually played a Ratchet and Clank title before this one.  To be perfectly honest, before I could actually participate in the game I was a little bit worried.  I wasn’t really digging the initial cutscenes or the direction in which the plot seemed to be heading.  I didn’t really like the voice acting, nor was I all too endeared by any of the characters.

But almost immediately after I gained control of Ratchet, my opinion on the game took a total U-turn.  Up Your Arsenal is really fun!  The controls are tight, with all of the basic platforming expectancies here and done well.  Running is smooth and there’s no trouble in changing directions or falling off of narrow walkways.  Jumping is easy enough, with a double jump that lets you glide back down (by default) if you hold in the button.  Nifty.  With different combinations of jumps and a shoulder button depending on your movement, you can do a regular jump, high jump, or long jump.  If you jump at a wall, you can do a wall-kick.  Really, all of the basic 3D platformer prerequisites have been met.

However, the game goes above and beyond that with its enormous selection of weapons and tools and upgrades that you get to use throughout the course of the game.  You don’t even start with a puny little handgun or anything like that; already in your inventory is an impressive shotgun with a wide range that really shows off its power when you see how enemies bounce back after the first shot and promptly explode or fall over dead with the second or third.  This ain’t your daddy’s firearm, son.  Also here is what is apparently the traditional melee weapon in this franchise, Ratchet’s wrench, which doesn’t require ammo (of course) but really isn’t that powerful.

And that’s just the beginning.  There’s an enormous repertoire here.  A gun that uses whirlwinds to suck up items or small enemies and shoot them out.  A weapon that works more like a grenade launcher than anything except the ball it shoots causes some kind of dimensional rift change with some nice splash damage, and is great for taking out tough enemies in groups.  There’s a fairly rapid fire gun that you can easily lock on to targets with.  There’s a gun that actually poisons the enemy and causes them to attack their comrades like in an RPG!  There’s a gun that not only protects you from laser beams, it allows you to redirect the laser and use it to point at enemies or switches!  There’s a fiery whip to use instead of your wrench for dispatching those tough enemies in close quarters.

What may be the most powerful gun in the game simply converts enemies into sheep.

And that’s not all, really.  In addition to the small sampling of weapons I just listed, there are other non-weapon items to collect.  You can actually change the gliding propeller that Ratchet uses by default, or hook him up with some Gravity Boots, or upgrade your armor.  To make things even more interesting, each weapon has four different levels, and the more you use each one, the faster it will upgrade, becoming more powerful and gaining new abilities.  The shotgun that you start with, for instance, can be charged up and gains an even wider range.

The level design is really pretty good.  The game shuns large open areas in favor of more linear, smaller areas with a single path and generally, a single objective.  I actually prefer this to the meandering, open feel of many other platform games – it makes the overall experience seem a little tighter and more polished.  What doesn’t help, though, are the way some of the missions are executed.  I’ll give you a “for instance.”  Early in the game you are told to help a small group of robots out on the battlefield.  So you hop in a dropship, and when you get there a menu pops up with this mission listed on it.  At first, I actually thought this whole thing was optional, so I tried to avoid it before I realized I had to do it.  Anyway, I hopped off the ship and helped the robots, earned some cash and then I found myself back at the menu with a second mission listed.  So I selected it, and all of a sudden I’m back on the dropship jumping off but there’s a turret in the middle of the field!  And after this mission, I found myself jumping off the dropship again to defend robots who are fixing the turret that apparently broke in-between missions!  The lack of transitions between small missions like these and the really sloppy interface does bring down the experience whenever things like this show up.
 

Up Your Arsenal also features an impressive multiplayer mode, with about ten maps, and can be played either with split-screen or over the internet (assuming you have a network adaptor).  The multiplayer game actually asks for strategy and teamwork in its game modes rather than mindless deathmatch shooting, which makes the whole experience that much more fun.  It supports the USB headset.

Graphically, Up Your Arsenal has its high and low points, and the good does outweigh the bad.  So let’s get the bad out of the way first: where are all the textures?!  Honestly, while the game is bright and looks varied, there are many many sections that use plain old solid colors.  Aside from that, cutscenes don’t look all that great, either.  On the good side of things, though, is the rock solid 60-FPS framerate and the silky smooth animation.  Character models are also pretty good, and you can even see that they attempted to have them lip synch to the dialogue.

Sound’s not bad.  The music is pretty good, and while it could potentially get annoying, it’s usually catchy at first, and you never have to dwell in the same area with the same music for all too long.  The voice acting is pretty hit or miss, in my opinion.  I really like the announcer’s voice during TV game show-type deals that arise throughout the game, and a few of the other characters’ voices are quite good.  The sound effects are excellent, notably in each of the gun’s distinct powerful sounds.

All things considered, Ratchet and Clank is a really good game.  Sure, the cutscenes never quite floated my boat, and the plot wasn’t overly impressive but at least allowed for a wide variety of environments, most of which are fun to play through.  The multiplayer mode is great, too; the production values are satisfactory and at times impressive.  While the game may not raise the bar for innovative gameplay, it is a polished platformer, most evident in the gargantuan list of guns which all offer unique gameplay elements and are all fun to use and continue using as they upgrade.  Check it out if you’re so inclined – you’re sure to find something to like, and the kids are bound to love it.

Gameplay: 9.0

While it doesn’t exactly offer up anything so great that it will wow you immediately, the game’s fun lies in the sum of its parts.  Control is tight, level design is very good, and best of all, all of the many guns are loads of fun to use and they all work quite differently.

Graphics: 8.0

Hit or miss, really, the graphics have their highs and lows.  On the bad side of things, character models aren’t overly exciting and the majority of textures seem to be solid colors.  On the good side, though, animation is excellent – and I’d take great animation over great textures any day, personally.

Sound: 7.5

I can’t stand some of the prominent voice acting, but some of the other voices are well done, so it’s quite a mixed feeling of satisfaction.  Music is fine and sound effects are good, though, so you only have to worry about ignoring the sound when there’s a cutscene, for the most part.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 6.5

In all reality, the game doesn’t offer much at all that’s new or intriguing.  But it is extremely polished and quite deep, and that’s really what makes the game.

Mutliplayer: 9.0

Let’s just say there’s a lot to do and it’s a lot of fun to do it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Overall: 8.7

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a very solid singleplayer game with an even better multiplayer mode.  While the ingenuity level is a bit low, the way everything comes together is great.  There are so many fun weapons to use, the control is tight, levels are fun to tromp through, and everything else doesn’t hurt – for the most part, anyway.  It’s got a definite appeal to youngsters but that shouldn’t stop older folks from checking it out; if you’ve got a hankering for a new platforming game, I heartily suggest it!