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Ratchet and Clank All 4 One

SCORE: 63

Sony is one of those companies who will try different things. I was not sold on Ratchet & Clank All 4 One when I was playing the demo. However I have gotten some quality time with this Playstation 3 (PS3) game, and found some fascinating things. There is an offline mode, and I am pleased as punch. My guess is Sony read my preview and acted upon it.

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One is a game that is best played with four people. Now it can be played with one person. The computer will pop Clank out to help the player at the opportune moment. When I played Ratchet & Clank All 4 One alone, I rarely complained about the computer. There were a few times I wanted it to do something else while I sat there dead. Those instances were rare though.

The worlds in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One are amazing. They look fantastic. There are some monster size creatures and robots in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One. I marveled at the details and animation. The various color schemes are absolutely awesome. I loved looking at the environments. That is the good news. The bad news is the majority of Ratchet & Clank All 4 One involves some form of violence. Shooting enemies by yourself or at the same time is broken up with areas of jumping, swinging, and sliding.

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One contains a fair amount of humor. There are announcers in certain levels that have various things to say of interest. I love when they took commercial breaks. It made me feel like it was a live newscast. The main characters have differing intelligent levels, and like to poke fun at the others. There are also some language issues in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One. I would recommend adhering to the ESRB age rating at a minimum. The chitter chatter commentary in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One add a nice layer to the atmosphere.

When I started to play Ratchet & Clank All 4 One I thought it was short. Then the level went on and on and on. Well you get the picture. There are checkpoints, but if you quit the game you have to start at the beginning of a level. While mildly irritating, I can understand why it was done. It would be difficult to understand what is going on if you miss parts of the level.

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One contains online and offline modes. You can start your own game, or join another one. Headsets are allowed in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One. So another human can say whatever they want to you. I advise caution with this feature. The four main characters have a different feel to them. So that can also add replay value to this PS3 game.

The levels in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One prove the existence of an intelligent design. There was a lot of thought put into each and every single level. Some of them like the first level are very impressive. I thought that big monster would never go down. We had to shoot him, and shoot him and shoot him. The amount of ammo used could decimate a small country.

There are different weapons in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One that add some spice to the game. Ya'll know me, I am not a fan of violent games. Using a vacuum gun to suck up a team mate and then shoot them over to a ledge we can not reach is genius. It does become common practice in this game, so some may miss the intricacy.

Not all of the humor in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One is appropriate for all ages. I would not want my own children repeating some of the things said in Ratchet & Clank All 4 One. The violence in this PS3 game can also get old. There were times I was tired of shooting something, dodging bullets, and then looking for more ammo.

Ratchet is a hero, albeit a reluctant one. I can relate to this. I did not realize when we started Family Friendly Gaming how it would change the gaming industry. But I eventually embraced the path I am on. Ratchet too embraces the path. He saves numerous people and the day. It was fun to be able to play and review Ratchet & Clank All 4 One. I am now more convinced that this four player cooperative concept will be a success.
- Paul

Graphics: 64%
Sound: 59%
Replay/Extras: 72%
Gameplay: 69%
Family Friendly Factor: 59%
System: Playstation 3
Publisher: Sony
Rating: 'E10+' - Everyone 10+
{Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language}

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