Platform: Playstation 2
Genre: Platformer / Action
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Insomniac Games
ETA: Q4 2004

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Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

Hands-On with the Multiplayer

This fall is going to be one of the biggest for Playstation 2 platformer fans as three big sequels will be released: Jak III, Sly Cooper 2, and Ratchet & Clank 3 (RC3). RC3 will have one feature that the other two won’t have: online play. But those that don’t have a network adapter won’t be left in the dark either as there will also be offline multiplayer for up to four players

The good folks at Insomniac are incorporating modes emphasizing team play. For the past few weeks I have had the chance to play the multiplayer portion of the game. The online play is certainly showing a lot of potential, but there is still tme to fix the niggling problems before the game ships this fall.

My recent hands-on time with RC3 only permitted me to play two maps (of a promised six) and one game mode (Siege mode). If you’ve ever played Tribes: Aerial Assault for PS2, then you should feel right at home with the Siege mode.

The Siege mode pits two teams (red vs. blue) against each other and the basic premise is to destroy and capture your opponent’s base. To make things interesting, each team’s base is guarded by turrets and robots so don’t expect a walk in the park once you’re in the opposing team’s base.

RC3 uses some multiplayer elements from games like Battlefield, Joint Operations, and Unreal Tournament 2004 for the PC, including spawn points. Spawn points basically allow you to re-spawn on various locations of a map. This makes it much easier to give back up to your teammates and prevents spawn camping (sometimes). Basically when your character is incapacitated, a map of the level will pop up and you move your d-pad to the corresponding spawn point under your team’s control.

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To make the online play even more interesting, the developers have included vehicles (land and air). A maximum of two people can control a vehicle and use its weaponry.

I was introduced to two vehicles during my time online: the Turbo Slider and the Hovership. The Turbo Slider is a land-based vehicle that is extremely fast and excellent for taking out large groups of enemies. The only downside to the Turbo Slider is its weak armor. The Hovership is an aerial vehicle that can deliver devastating attacks. Rockets and bombs are the two main weapons used by the Hovership. If you’re ever inside either one of the vehicles when it explodes you automatically die. (That is, of course, if you don’t bail.)

Like Tribes: Aerial Assault, RC3 allows you and a friend to play split screen offline. This is certainly a welcome addition, but the way the developers went about accomplishing this is certainly questionable. Oddly enough the entire screen is not used when you’re playing with a friend online. About 1/3 of the TV is not used and this can be quite problematic on smaller televisions.

Most fans of the Ratchet and Clank games will tell you that the weapons are what make the game great. The single player portion of RC1 and RC2 both contained about thirty-five weapons. The online portion of the beta I played was limited to nine weapons. Some of the weapons available include your N-60 Storm (your default weapon), Blitz Gun, Gravity Bomb, Sniper Rifle, Sheepinator, Lava Gun and the Rocket Launcher. Each one of the weapons is upgradeable, with the rocket launcher proving to be the most useful and most whined-about weapon. There still needs to be some tweaking for the strength of the weapons as some of the weapons feel like they are too underpowered.

One of the weirdest parts of the online play is that you can see the nametags of the enemies when they come within a certain distance of you (even without targeting them).

The online options for RC3 has all the bells and whistles like any other online game should have. Friends list, clans, and voice chat are just some of the available options. There are some things that should be changed for the game’s final release (in my humble opinion). When you enter a game lobby you must always wait for everybody to hit ready before beginning a game. This was a major problem with the first SOCOM, but the developers for SOCOM II implemented a system where only a certain percentage of players would have to hit ready in order for the game to start. RC3 also uses live voice chat so you won’t have hit the button to speak. I think RC3 supports too many players to make live voice chat work properly. Live chat is better suited for sports games like Madden. First of all you’ll constantly have people speaking at the same time and what’s even worse is that you don’t know who is talking. You’ll constantly have to ask whoever is on your team, “Who is this?” My final complaint is that the host or any other players cannot vote or kick players out of a game.

Keep in mind that there is still two and a half months before the game releases, so there should be plenty of time for the developers to implement the proper fixes. Look for Ratchet & Clank 3 this November.

- Siddharth Masand

(August 20, 2004)

This fall, platformer fans are in for a real treat as Sony has three big titles on the way: Jak 3, Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves and last, but not least Ratchet and Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal (RCUYA). RCUYA seems to have the most potential of all three games as the developing team has gone to great lengths to tweak the game play and add new modes of play that look rather promising.

Perhaps the most notable addition to RCUYA is the addition of a multiplayer mode. The game can be played offline or online (broadband only). The offline play allows split-screen play for up to four players, while the online mode allows eight players to battle online. (We should have more on the multiplayer really soon!)

While the multiplayer mode has been getting most of the attention, the game still features a robust single player mode. Once again, Ratchet and his sidekick Clank are called to duty to bring peace to the universe. The environments will present more of a challenge to the player as well as smarter enemies should extend the difficulty of RCUYA.

So, on with the official line from Sony:

After word spreads of Ratchet and Clank's recent conquest in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, Clank finds himself recognized as an interstellar robot of mystery and intrigue after starring in his own television series, Secret Agent Clank. While Ratchet is dismayed by his new sidekick status, the feelings are put aside when the twosome is called together by the Galactic President to bring peace to the universe. They find themselves traveling back to Planet Veldin to battle Dr. Nefarious, a robotic supervillain who has devised a diabolical scheme to wipe out all organic life in the galaxy. To reach his goal, he has instructed the Tyhrranoids, a race of multi-eye aliens to annihilate the organics. However, while Dr. Nefarious is aware that if the Tyhrranoids are successful, they will end up causing their own extinction, the Tyhrranoids are not aware of this danger.

To fight back, Ratchet and Clank are able to recruit Captain Qwark, a favorite from previous games, out of retirement to lead the Q-Force, an unlikely band of heroic space cadets comprised of some of the most memorable characters from the Ratchet & Clank franchise. This includes Helga, the robotic seductress; Big Al, a techno-geek with the ability to encrypt technology systems; and Skidd McMarxx, a former hoverboarding champ and pro slacker turned spy.

Together with the Q-Force, Ratchet and Clank set off on another hilarious interstellar romp to uncover the schemes of the sinister Dr. Nefarious and keep the galaxy safe for organic life.

The Starship Phoenix, headquarters for the Q-Force, is the flagship in the fight against Dr. Nefarious and serves as a key information hub. The Starship is also where players can expect to receive new missions and training, and purchase armor and weapons. In addition, players will gain access to new vehicles, like the Turbo Slider or Hovership, to compete in races and combat enemies in intense battlefield missions. Refined intuitive enemy artificial intelligence means non-playable characters behave more intelligently by gathering information about their environments and forthcoming attacks, ultimately providing the player with more challenging gameplay.

The multiplayer gameplay featured in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is naturally suited for both the offline and online universe because it includes the variety of weapons, gadgets, vehicles and gameplay made famous throughout the Ratchet & Clank franchise. For those who want to experience the split screen multiplayer capabilities, up to four players can play offline, while the multiplayer online mode accommodates up to eight players over a broadband connection. In addition, six new levels are introduced for online play, featuring several elements that encourage team-based activities in modes such as capturing an enemy's base. For example, destructible environment obstacles in battlefield environments create strategic gameplay decisions and general mayhem. Commandeering multiple vehicles further encourages strategic co-op gameplay by allowing players to work together as one person navigates the vehicle while the other works its weapon's arsenal.

In order to promote community gameplay, voice communication will be supported online via the USB headset (for PlayStation2), allowing players to communicate with fellow team members during online games, either in-game or in the main lobby. The lobby area will feature an online friends list, allowing players to be matched up based on their gameplay statistics and will offer the ability to select from a variety of player skins.

Look for RCUYA this fall and stay tuned for more information!

- Siddharth Masand

(July 24, 2004)