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Ratchet: Deadlocked - Gamespot review

W

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
8.6

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/ratchetdeadlocked/index.html

The Good
Excellent presentation, graphically and audibly; The already-great weapon system gets even better; Brand-new cooperative mode is a welcome addition; The online multiplayer has been beefed up; It's humorous and stylish in every way;
The Bad
Single-player game is surprisingly short; Not especially different from other Ratchet games; Diminishing role of Clank;


Ratchet: Deadlocked is a little on the short side, and it's quite a bit like previous games (to the point of feeling all too familiar). But all in all, it's an excellent game that combines humorous presentation, stylish weaponry, and a ton of different modes into one cohesive package. If you like the idea of weapon-centric gameplay with a charming platformer twist, this game will be a welcome addition to your collection.
 
man, I'm so disappointed, they concentraded too much on online this time, and giving ratchet a master chief armor wasn't a good idea either
 
Speevy said:
Do I have to start this series from the very beginning? Which one should I buy first?
Click to expand...
The second or third are fine to start with. I'd avoid the first. It's bland.
 
Wario64 said:
8.6

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/ratchetdeadlocked/index.html

The Good
Excellent presentation, graphically and audibly; The already-great weapon system gets even better; Brand-new cooperative mode is a welcome addition; The online multiplayer has been beefed up; It's humorous and stylish in every way;
The Bad
Single-player game is surprisingly short; Not especially different from other Ratchet games; Diminishing role of Clank;


Ratchet: Deadlocked is a little on the short side, and it's quite a bit like previous games (to the point of feeling all too familiar). But all in all, it's an excellent game that combines humorous presentation, stylish weaponry, and a ton of different modes into one cohesive package. If you like the idea of weapon-centric gameplay with a charming platformer twist, this game will be a welcome addition to your collection.
Click to expand...

This will be mine...............my precious.
 
Another Ratchet game... I own the first 3, but come on now. They're super talented, I'd rather they try something new. I know they're doing I-8 for PS3, but they better not put one of those out every single year.

Oh well, they sell well and they already have the engine and assets so why not from a business perspective. The crunch to get a new entry in the series out every year obviously took it's toll here with it being short. 4 Ratchet games in 4 years...

Insomniac is one of my favorite developers, but seriously now.
 
Foil said:
Another Ratchet game... I own the first 3, but come on now. They're super talented, I'd rather they try something new. I know they're doing I-8 for PS3, but they better not put one of those out every single year.

Oh well, they sell well and they already have the engine and assets so why not from a business perspective. The crunch to get a new entry in the series out every year obviously took it's toll here with it being short. 4 Ratchet games in 4 years...

Insomniac is one of my favorite developers, but seriously now.
Click to expand...


I just finished watching the video review. Before playing Jak III I used to think these Sony platformers were lame but now I am definitely going to give this series a spin. Deadlock looks like the best Ratchet game ever; it also looks like one of the best looking PS2 games ever.
 
Doom_Bringer said:
I just finished watching the video review. Before playing Jak III I used to think these Sony platformers were lame but now I am definitely going to give this series a spin. Deadlock looks like the best Ratchet game ever; it also looks like one of the best looking PS2 games ever.
Click to expand...


Its true man. It's hard to believe that the best platformers from this generation were not produced by Nintendo and Sega. Rachet and Clank, the Jak series, and even some of the Sly Cooper games were the best platformers produced this generation. On top of that, they were produced by Sony's oft-scorned first party developers. Of course I have to give an off topic shout out to Voodoo Vince, my favorite XBOX platformer.
 
Foil said:
Another Ratchet game... I own the first 3, but come on now. They're super talented, I'd rather they try something new. I know they're doing I-8 for PS3, but they better not put one of those out every single year.

Oh well, they sell well and they already have the engine and assets so why not from a business perspective. The crunch to get a new entry in the series out every year obviously took it's toll here with it being short. 4 Ratchet games in 4 years...

Insomniac is one of my favorite developers, but seriously now.
Click to expand...

indeed. had tons of fun with R&C2/3 but that's as far i so. i'd probably stop at R&C2 if i started with the first one. maybe i'll rent this one but no way am i buying another one, even if sears does another misprint at $20 :)
 
Speevy said:
Do I have to start this series from the very beginning? Which one should I buy first?
Click to expand...

The story and characters in the series are so balnd and superficial that it doesn't matter where you start. So go for number 3 and 4, since the other two are very poor.
 
Speevy said:
Do I have to start this series from the very beginning? Which one should I buy first?
Click to expand...

I enjoyed 3 a lot, so I played 2 and man it felt like such a HUGE step backward.. I cant imagine what it'd be like to go back to 1 at this point. You get discounts on items if you have save games from the earlier ones in the sequels and you wont feel like youre "missing features", so if you do play the old ones, do it in order or just skip a few and dont look back.
 
Speevy said:
Do I have to start this series from the very beginning? Which one should I buy first?
Click to expand...


The first one is really good. The second one is kinda meh (only because it's more of the same thing). I haven't played the third one.


Don't be lame and get the Greatest Hits versions either.
 
Speevy said:
Do I have to start this series from the very beginning? Which one should I buy first?
Click to expand...
If you have the time and money, it would be nice to start from the first. You get weapons and bonuses from the previous games, and a lot of characters in the third one are actually previous ones that you would know better from the first two, so yeah.

However, it should be noted that if you start with 2 or 3 and THEN try the first one, it will definitely feel like a step backwards, since a lot of the elements in the sequels weren't in the beginning. Like strafe mode!
 
Foil said:
Another Ratchet game... I own the first 3, but come on now. They're super talented, I'd rather they try something new.
Click to expand...

That's what they did here! Ironically, when this game was first announced, a lot of people complained that this game deviated too much from the formula followed by the first three games. Now we're hearing it's not different enough?

Earlier games in the series were more like platformers with some shooting elements. Ratchet: Deadlocked is now much more like a shooter with a bit of platforming thrown in. If you're familiar with the multiplayer mode in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, then this game should be easy for you to understand. The default control scheme is "lock-strafe" now.

There were some complaints about Ratchet being covered in full body armor, and how Clank is relegated to a background character now, and how these changes made it seem like they were abandoning the (relatively) "cute" look and feel of the previous games in favor of a "darker," more serious tone. Fear not, fans! You'll still see Ratchet's furry face often enough in the cinematic sequences, and Clank gets a good amount of screen time, too. The typical Insomniac humor is present, too. The theme isn't any "darker" than any of the other games in the series.

Online play supports up to ten players now (up from eight in R&C:UYA). I didn't even notice it on the box when I first got it, but then I noticed it in a game when there were two teams of five players. There are several more online modes in the game, too.
 
To the few people moaning and groaning about yet another Ratchet game: did any of you give the multiplayer mode in 3 much of a shot? I did. It's some of the most fun I've ever had in an online game, and I've been playing them since the modem-to-modem days of "Spectre VR." If "more of the same" means a more robust multiplayer mode and a main game based on said awesome multiplayer mode, this sounds like a must-buy to me. I'm getting a bit sick of the main R&C quests too, but the multiplayer takes the series down a truly great new path that could bring fans of the first couple games back into the fold.

Four games in four years might seem like lame milking, but as long as they keep improving and refining the game as much as they have in 3 and 4, I say milk away!
 
I've bought and enjoyed the first 3 games, but man, if they haven't gotten a new writing team by now, I'll wait until it's $10US.

The endings for the first 3 games SUCKED. They can NOT write a good ending to save themselves. Hell, I've even gone back and played Spyro 1 & 3 recently, and it's the same deal. You feel let down at the end.

Plus, they don't use enough of their own damn technology, due to the short time of game creation. R&C3 had, about 2 mini-moon levels. Add more! Not enough use of the magnet boots, and R&C3 had too many "Heres a circular area, blow shit up" missions.
 
Zen said:
The story and characters in the series are so balnd and superficial that it doesn't matter where you start. So go for number 3 and 4, since the other two are very poor.
Click to expand...

Ignore this man. He has no taste in videogames.
 
I think it's well worth playing through the entire series in order. As other people had mentioned, previous save games affect the next games, giving you free or cheap weapons from those games. There has been a lot of evolution in the series, but most notable for me was the weapon handling (or lack of in earlier games - Less quick change options, you have to find gun upgrades instead of getting them automatically.) It may be hard to go back to the original after playing the later titles but it would be silly to skip it. By the time you've finished the first three the next one may have dropped in price!
 
I don't see this changing proportion of Platforming to Shooting that most reviews have been claiming over the years, at least for the first three games. I just started the fourth yesterday though. I was relieved to find that there's actually different planets like before.

I'd say the first is worth playing just cause it probably has the most enjoyable final boss battle of the first three games.
 
BenT said:
The second or third are fine to start with. I'd avoid the first. It's bland.
Click to expand...

Personally I didn't find the first game to be THAT boring - I'd even go so far as to say I found it an amusing diversion. I'd be willing to bet you can get it for the price of dirt if you look in the right places.

2 and 3 really are fantastic games, though. You should definitely play those before 4...not for story reasons of course...I mean, it takes about thirty seconds to sink your teeth into the backstory of just about any platformer, and the story in the third game is pretty crummy anyway as they desperately try to cram the universe with as many secondary characters as possible to fill out the multiplayer and to have more to work with in future iterations (like Deadlocked). You should just play them because they're great games.
 
If you don't play one first you probably never will as the series became much better with 2 and 3. The first one was great but the control and weapon systems just improved so much that going back after playing the others would be hard.

I will pick this up and Jak X but they don't feel like games I need to rush out and get as I have played all 6 games over the past 4 years.
 
So...has anyone played this or Jax Racing online? At this point in their respective series that's my main interest in impressions.
 
wipeout364 said:
If you don't play one first you probably never will as the series became much better with 2 and 3. The first one was great but the control and weapon systems just improved so much that going back after playing the others would be hard.
Click to expand...

There are some ways in which the first is still the strongest of the titles. The later games all introduced weapons that basically made you a walking weapon of mass destruction, with things around you just exploding without you having to do anything.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
So...has anyone played this or Jax Racing online? At this point in their respective series that's my main interest in impressions.
Click to expand...

I played the demo for Jak X and Ratchet.

Jak X sold me for 29.99 or 20. It's really fully featured and has got an online mode, and the controls are solid (far more forgivable than the Jak II/III vehicle controls). It's not Crash Team Racing, but the destruction is hot and the customization is deep enough to be compelling. The track we played on in the demo wasn't anything special from design, but the visual engine as always is impressive. Music was lame, story actually seemed somewhat better since it's not the focus. Pretty harmless.

Ratchet Deadlocked seemed to have some of its character-based soul ripped from it, but the focus is tighter and the gameplay rock solid. I'd have to play it online to know if it's worth the price tag, though, as a single player experience I think it's going to be much weaker than 1/2/3.
 
I got my copy yesterday, played it from 6pm until 2am.

The single player experience is definetly shorter, I really like most of the missions so far. The addition of the two robots changes things up a little and makes it feel a little different -- which is nice.

I really love the way the weapons are set up now. THe Alpha Mod pool is great for making the exact kind of weapon I want, and the Omega Mods is great cuz now any projectile weapon can be a sheepinator :)

I haven't tried the multiplayer because no one else in the office has bought the game yet, but I did try out a little bit of the co-op. Seemed fun, but I couldn't play the game split screen.

One thing I noticed is that, where as in the previous one the Shield Weapon was the worst weapon of them all, in THIS one I find the Shield Gun to be the best. Every enemy hits like a bus now, and two hits can kill you sometimes. The Shield Gun is amazing once you give it the Frost Omega Mod. Any enemy that collides with the shield instantly freezes. And the Shield is HUGE now, where as before it was tiny.

My biggest beef so far is that it hasn't recognized my previous Save Files from the 3rd one, maybe I get something later for it....
 
Musashi Wins! said:
So...has anyone played this or Jax Racing online? At this point in their respective series that's my main interest in impressions.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've played both.

I briefly mentioned Ratchet: Deadlocked online play in an earlier post in this thread. It plays a lot like R&C:UYA does, but with ten players maximum and with some new modes of play.

I only got to play about four games online. Two were 2 vs. 2 "Deathmatch" games where I and my teammate got our heads handed to us. I think the other two guys were in the beta test, and as a result they were much more familiar with the map and gameplay changes than we were. It plays pretty much the same as "Deathmatch" in R&C:UYA, but with some changes to the weapons, and of course all new maps.

The other two games I played were 5 vs. 5 games (one of my teammates identified himself as Ironclad Ninja's brother). One was a team game called "King of the Hill," where players would try to get inside of a certain glowing area for a certain amount of time. I was never adept enough to actually get inside of the glowing area, but I did get a couple of kills. The last game I played was "Conquest," which is a revamped version of "Siege" from R&C:UYA. When you gain control of the nodes, the team members can vote on what extra ability the node will have (defensive turrets, teleportation to other nodes, and a couple of others).

The other two modes (which I haven't played ) are "Capture the Flag" (presumably similar to "Capture the Flag" in R&C:UYA) and "Juggernaut." The "Juggernaut" game sounds interesting--one player is the "Juggernaut" who has temporarily increased abilities, and the other players have to try to kill him. If someone can deal the deadly hit, then he in turn becomes the new "Juggernaut," and everyone else now has to pursue him.

Jak X: Combat Racing is very good online. It goes up to six players, and one nice thing about it is that if you don't have enough human players for a six-player game, then the host has the option to assign computer-controlled players to fill up the missing slots. There are several different types of games to play, and they're similar to most of the single-player modes. Some are circuit-style race tracks, others are Twisted Metal-style games played in wide open areas. It's a fun online game, but some of races can be daunting if you're playing with players who have unlocked much better vehicles than you. This gives you an incentive to work through the single-player game, too.
 
Great impressions Flark, thanks!

I'm going to be picking this up but not for awhile. It's a must-buy for me, for sure, but not a must-buy-immediately.
 
echoshifting said:
Great impressions Flark, thanks!

I'm going to be picking this up but not for awhile. It's a must-buy for me, for sure, but not a must-buy-immediately.
Click to expand...

Yeah there are just way too many games out right now. I forgot I even had the game pre-ordered until it arrived at the office yesterday. I'll probably end up beating the game this weekend, and then starting it over again on the hardest difficulty. I haven't decided yet if I like this one more or less than Up Your Arsenal yet.
 
Wow, these impressions are quickly making me want to run out and buy it.. the online mode sounds really fun!
 
Start with the first, then play the second and then play the third :p These games are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. You won't regret it.
 
For those who played the previous Ratchet games and did or didn't enjoy them should really check this one out. From casually playing the first three to playing Deadlocked, the biggest noticeable change by FAR is the fast pace of the action. Throughout most of the game it is an absolutely chaotic battlefield especially when playing in the Gladiator or Hero difficulty modes. This is contrary to the previous games where the action could get a bit slow at times in between platforming elements.

Previously, the Ratchet games felt a bit too easy so long as you went out of your way to upgrade your weapons and not time attack through the game. This one offers multiple difficulty levels from the get-go which make the game a lot more exciting for those who are into highly difficult action shooters that require more finesse (this isn't even including the exterminator difficulty which is unlocked after beating the game, good luck with that one.)

In some places I literally have to pause the game, look away from the TV and take a breather after a minute or two. The sections like this are plentiful though there are some missions that slow down the pace a bit (vehicle missions mainly).

It retains the overall humor of the previous games and is actually alot funnier in many ways, though the style is darker (the jokes are actually funny to adults compared to 1-2). Overall I'd say this and 3 are my favorite of the series now and definitely recommend buying or renting it.
 
Brief GAF review:

+Good graphics, sound, and presentation.
+Alpha/Omega mod system is great for making your gun just the way you want it.
+Intense firefights
+A plethora of cheats and game mods.
-Somewhat useful robot sidekicks.

-Questionable control scheme that only really works well in 3rd person (not the default) mode .
-The personality's been stripped from the series.
-Annoying robot sidekicks.
-Weapon innovation is gone.
-Platforming is nearly gone.

Score: 6/10

A mockery of the R&C series. Otherwise, a fun shooter, but nothing special.
 
Matlock said:
-Questionable control scheme that only really works well in 3rd person (not the default) mode
Click to expand...
What's questionable about the default controls? I've been using them without qualms--just like the lock-strafe in UYA, which was awesome.
 
It's just wildly different from the previous Ratchet games. No manual lock? No strafe button? Replacing the strafe button with an additional weapon select button? I chall shenanigans.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
what'd ign give it, an 11.8?
Click to expand...

8.5 Presentation
Insomniac has always told a good story and the characters show good personality, but there seems to be an awful lot of loading between missions (thankfully, they?re short).
8.5 Graphics
True widescreen support and progressive scan supplement the always-pretty worlds of Ratchet and Clank. Expect to see slowdown and camera issues from time to time, though.
7.5 Sound
Despite its stellar voice-acting and appropriately spacey sound effects, the soundtrack in Deadlocked is the weakest of the series, and while still pretty good, doesn't measure up to the rest.
9.0 Gameplay
The Lock-strafe control still handles great and the various difficulty settings ensure challenge and fun for any gun-toting Lombax. The puzzle solving and platforming, however, is missed.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
A robust multiplayer mode and tons of unlockable skins, weapons, special items, and cheats should give you plenty to search for between single and multiplayer gaming sessions.
8.8 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
 
Matlock said:
It's just wildly different from the previous Ratchet games. No manual lock? No strafe button? Replacing the strafe button with an additional weapon select button? I chall shenanigans.
Click to expand...

This control scheme is so much better than the lock on.
 
I got Ratchet: Deadlocked the other day, I spent some time with the single player just just to get to know some of the new weapons. I like the duel vipers myself, nothing beats those twin machine guns of death, expect a missle launcher, but that just doesn't make me feel stylish.

Tried some of the online mode, after finding out how much I suck, and how over powered that mace is in the right hands. I had a blasted in Juggernut mode. The only mode where I could get more than 5 kills. Least liked mode is king of the hill, on the Shaana ice temples. I whole bunch of people setting up holoshields and blasting people with the bombs wasn't so much fun when your on the losing team.
 
Matlock said:
It's just wildly different from the previous Ratchet games. No manual lock? No strafe button? Replacing the strafe button with an additional weapon select button? I chall shenanigans.
Click to expand...
It controls like a first person shooter. I like it better than the other schemes, but then again I didn't play the first two Ratchet games.
 
MarkRyan said:
It controls like a first person shooter. I like it better than the other schemes, but then again I didn't play the first two Ratchet games.
Click to expand...

The FPS mode plays much better than lock-strafe, tho.
 
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