To those who prefer these games over the PS3 ones, what makes them better in your opinion?
I've only played the PS3 ones and really enjoyed them. Just wondering what makes the OGs possibly better.
i'd say Crack in Time is easily up there with the best of the PS2 Ratchet games. The problem with Tools of Destruction is that, aside from the graphics, it didn't do anything better than any of the previous games; in fact, it probably did them slightly worse. The strain of developing for the PS3 certainly had a negative effect on the first PS3 Ratchet game.
As for All4One, I never really understood why they would strip out the series most endearing tropes in the name of multi-player co-op. Gone is the high replayability, weapons upgrading system, combat arena and mini-games, and what's left is a functional, slightly ordinary co-op game that fails to exploit the strengths of the series. I had fun playing the game online, but as for as Ratchet games go, it's well below the series best. As a side-note, Quest for Booty suffered from the same problems with zero replayability being the chief offender.
They also suffered from perfecting the formula with the PS2 games, and, to a certain extent, there's the sense, unfairly I might add, that familiarity breeds contempt; it's often the stick with which many a reviewer has beaten the later games with. And this is despite the fact that this style of game is in such short supply. So, that's probably why the PS2 games are so revered in comparison to the PS3 games.