Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
File:R&C FTD Box Art-RP-thumb.jpg North American boxart
Developer(s)	Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Series	Ratchet & Clank
Engine	Insomniac Engine v.2.0
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Release	UK: November 9, 2007
Genre(s)	Platform, shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction in Europe and Australia, Tools of Destruction for short) and also known as Ratchet & Clank 6 is a PlayStation 3 video game developed by Insomniac Games, released on October 23, 2007 in North America and on November 9, 2007 in Europe. It is the sixth installment in the official Ratchet & Clank canon (although Secret Agent Clank takes place before it) and the first PlayStation 3 installment.

Plot

Ratchet and Clank respond to Captain Qwark's call for help while on the planet Metropolis. They find that a large army of robotic commandos have laid a full-scale assault on the capital city, led by Emperor Tachyon, crown prince of the Cragmites. Tachyon reveals that he is after Ratchet, the last Lombax in the galaxy; outnumbered and overpowered, Ratchet and Clank flee. The two decide they must learn more about Tachyon and begin to search the universe for answers. During their investigation, Clank is visited by small robots called the Zoni that only he can see; the Zoni upgrade Clank and tell him that he is special, and that he must help Ratchet make a difficult choice in their current adventure.

As they travel from planet to planet, they learn from allies that during the Great War long ago, the Lombaxes had wiped out all of the Cragmites, and were considered heroes of the universe. Exactly how the Lombaxes had done so, however, was unknown, and that had become known as the Lombax Secret. Ratchet learns of the abandoned home planet of the Lombaxes, Fastoon, and goes there to learn of the Lombax Secret, revealed to be the "Dimensionator", a helmet that is able to open wormholes to other dimensions. The Lombax had used it to banish all the Cragmites to an alternate dimension, except for one; Tachyon was found as an egg after the Great War, and was raised by the Lombaxes; after learning what the Lombax had done to his species, he launched an all-out attack on Fastoon. The Lombaxes realized that the best solution was to send themselves to another dimension with the Dimensionator, attempting to fool Tachyon that he had destroyed the race, though two were left behind: the Guardian of the Dimensionator and his son. Tachyon reveals that he ended up killing the Guardian but not before he could send his son to the Solana galaxy, and that Ratchet is that son.

Recognizing that Tachyon plans to use the Dimensionator to bring back the Cragmites from banishment, Ratchet and Clank recover it first, but Captain Qwark shows up and tries to destroy it himself; the blunder allows Tachyon to recover the device. As the duo confront Tachyon with his assembled army on Fastoon, which Tachyon plans to remake as the new Cragmite homeworld, Tachyon tempts Ratchet by opening a wormhole to the dimension where the Lombaxes now live, but, with help from Clank's advice based on the Zonis' warnings, Ratchet recognizes he must stop Tachyon completely, or else the Cragmites will not only control this dimension but also the Lombax's dimension. Ratchet and Clank fight Tachyon, and are able to get the better of him. The Dimensionator is damaged during the battle, opening a black hole that Tachyon falls into, and while Ratchet and Clank are able to flee, the device becomes irrepairable.

As Ratchet and Clank and their allies gather to celebrate the victory, the Zoni show up, now visible to everyone. The robots tell Clank that they are now going to bring him "home", to show him "who he is" and "what he'll become". Clank willingly goes with them despite Ratchet's protests; the game ends with the disappearance of Clank and the Zoni, with Ratchet stunned and helpless to stop them.

Continuity

The game seems to disregard the continuity of the series. It is often mentioned that Ratchet has never seen another Lombax, though a female lombax was a main character in the third game.

Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Ratchet and Clank series

Tools of Destruction retains much of the basic gameplay found in previous Ratchet & Clank games, the game being primarily a shooter-platformer. The player controls Ratchet most of the time, with some sections using Clank, as they explore various worlds to complete missions, using Ratchet's wrench and other exotic weapons gained during the course of the game. At times, Ratchet may enter free-fall, or with an upgrade to Clank, will be able to fly; during these periods, the player uses the tilt functionality of the SIXAXIS controller to maneuver Ratchet. The tilt-sensing abilities of the SIXAXIS are also used to control some weapons and gadgets, such as steering the path of a mini-tornado, outlining a path for a laser-cutting tool, or using a marble to complete circuitry. The weapon described above is the Tornado Launcher. Other exotic weapons include the Nano-Swarmers, similar to Going Commando's Mini-Turret glove, and the plasma beasts, which produce single-use synthenoid creatures. More conventional weapons include the Negotiator, a rocket launcher, the Combuster, a standard blaster pistol, and the Alpha Disruptor, an extremely powerful laser, but expensive to upgrade and with limited ammunition. Notably, this is a Lombax weapon found on Planet Sargasso and not purchased from a vendor. The weapon it upgrades into (the Alpha Canon) is the most powerful in the game's arsenal with a damage level of over 50,000. The weapons menu information screen claims that because of its power, it was once believed to be the Lombax Secret, although this plays no part in the story. Another weapon of notable origin is the Pyro-Blaster, a flamethrower engineered by the Kerchu, whose Pyroguards use flamethrowers against their enemies. However, a zoom-in sniper rifle was not included in the game's arsenal for the first time since it was introduced. One of the game's cheats allows Ratchet to use pirate swords, axes and similar weapons in place of his wrench, although its use is not affected. On Rykan V, Reepor and Fastoon, Cronk and Zephyr (and Talwyn on the latter two) accompany Ratchet and fight with him. While immune to damage, their weapons are far less potent than Ratchet's. As with previous games Going Commando, Up Your Arsernal, Deadlocked and Size Matters, there is an arena area called the Imperial Fight Festival. This is found on planet Mukow, and uses the same elements as previously. Like in Ratchet & Clank, Going Commando and Size Matters, the player will have the ability to pilot a ship against enemy forces, in this case, space pirates.

At times, the player will control Clank in a mode similar to previous games, using robotic creatures called Zoni to fight foes, remove debris or reconstruct bridges, and to power devices in the level. Clank possesses the ability to slow down time as well during these sections, allowing him, for example, to make his way under a rapidly closing door.

Weapons gain experience as previously implemented in the series, but in addition, the player can collect Raritanium crystals and use them to upgrade the weapon in additional ways beyond the experience path; weapon improvements are presented in a tree-like structure and require that all previous upgrades be obtained for that weapon first before later upgrades can be purchased.

In addition to weapons are objects known as "devices". While they are selected and used similar to weapons, they may or may not directly damage foes but instead provide an effect beneficial to the player. The "Groovitron", for example, is a disco ball that causes all foes to dance for a brief time, allowing the player to deal with them while distracted. The carrying capacity of such devices are generally very low (2 or 3 units for each). Device vendors in addition to weapon vendors can be found in the game.

Armor can be bought from an armor vendor on certain planets. Each upgrade to the armor decreases the amount of damage the player takes from enemy weapons. These armors cost a large amount of bolts.

Beyond the main gameplay, Tools of Destruction features an arena with several challenges, "Gyro-cycle" courses that use a turbo-charged bike, and on-rails space combat.

Tools of Destruction is the first game where Ratchet, Clank and other characters converse with one another with lipsynced dialogue during gameplay, out of cutscenes.

Main characters

• Ratchet - The main protagonist of the series.
• Clank - Ratchet's robotic sidekick.
• Captain Qwark - A bumbling superhero who aids Ratchet by spying on Tachyon.
• Emperor Percival Tachyon - The last Cragmite who wants to kill Ratchet and dominate the universe.
• The Plumber - A recurring character who helps the duo out.
• Talwyn Apogee - A young woman who works with Ratchet and Clank along their way. Her father was last seen searching for the "Lombax secret."
• Cronk and Zephyr - Talwyn's robotic guardians who constantly squabble with one another. They are meant to represent the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 respectively, constantly mocking each other for their technical faults and praising their own abilities. They also had a third partner named Willy (representing the Wii), who does not feature in the game due to his habit of jumping up and down and waving his arms when ever there is any action, which caused him to be destroyed prior to the game.
• Captain Slag and Rusty Pete - The leader of a pirate group and his right hand man, respectively. They were created by Tachyon but have become a separate threat.
• The Smuggler - A sneaky trader who builds Ratchet the RYNO IV- Ratchet has to assemble a complete holo-plan, the parts of which are scattered across planets. Ratchet also sells Leviathan Souls to the Smuggler for bolts.
• The Zoni - Ghost-like robots which Clank controls like the Gadgebots from previous games. They start out as helpers of Clank, but take on a more sinister role at the game's completion, spiriting Clank away to another dimension as their leader, and ending the game on a cliffhanger.
• Aphelion - A talking space ship that was seriously damaged on planet Fastoon. Ratchet and Clank repaired her and now have her as their ship and companion on their adventure.

Production

The game was first announced at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, where a Ratchet & Clank next-gen tech demonstration was shown for the PlayStation 3. Many new worlds and weapons will be introduced into the game like in previous installments of the series. It will also be more of a platform game, as Insomniac wanted to stop the series from becoming the more weapon based combat game it had become in the previous games Up Your Arsenal and Deadlocked.

There are reported to be a total of 31 weapons, gadgets, and combat devices, further divided into 15 weapons, 8 gadgets, and 8 devices. Unlike Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the player cannot unlock weapons from previous games using a memory card.

It was also announced that the game would have some sort of remote play with the PlayStation Portable game, Secret Agent Clank. There is no official word regarding the interplay, but a secret area in Tools of Destruction contains a code that can be used in the upcoming Secret Agent Clank.

Demo

The game's demo was released October 102007 on the PlayStation Network. People who pre-ordered the game from GameStop or Electronics Boutique can get the demo disk for free; However, the disc was made earlier than the download and was the same demo from E3. The PSN demo is 1611MB in filesize.

Technical issues

It was found that on release, some users were not able to load the game with a message claiming there was not enough free space to store game data on the hard drive, despite the drive being far from full. A workaround for this hard drive issue was released, requiring users to add or delete approximately 500 MB of content to or from the hard drive (the game's demo itself is a prime example.), after which the game should load normally.

Demo version HD pixelation issue

On some 1080p HDTV’s The Demo version of Ratchet and Clank appears to be pixelated. Reports of this were uncommon, but it seems that although being a 720p game, when 720p is selected on the display options for the Playstation 3 the game does not appear as it should on some HDTV’s (a 52inch 1080p Sony Bravia is one of the mentioned televisions). When 720p is unchecked, leaving only 1080i and 1080p the picture in fact clears up but at the bottom-right of the screen is a block of broken up, fuzziness.

Upscaling from 640p to 720p would cause some strange exaggeration of aliasing, and other minor problems with picture quality. Instead, Ratchet and Clank cuts off 8pixels above and below, meaning the remaining image will still be rendered at 720p but with small black bars above and below, as seen in an HD film on a television. A 1080p film will have black borders above and below, thus not using all the pixels, but the quality that is displayed still means it is 1080p. Ratchet and Clank is even less extreme than this, since the black borders would be almost unnoticeable if HDTVs didn’t use overscan to remove them completely. This image is sent from the Playstation to the television, and then the overscan of the television will make the final picture fit the screen, thus not showing the black bars.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	89/100
Metacritic	88/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	8.5/10
Edge	8/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	9/10
Game Informer	9.25/10
GamePro	5/5
GameRevolution	B
GameSpot	7.5/10
GameSpy	4/5
GameTrailers	9/10
IGN	9.4/10
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK	9/10
Play	10/10
PlayStation: The Official Magazine	9.5/10
PSM3	93/100

The game has been met with universally positive reviews, and has been largely heralded as one of the greatest games on the PS3 so far. On Metacritic, it has received an aggregate score of 88 from 68 reviews, giving the game a ranking of "generally favorable reviews", but some sites criticized the game claiming it to be too easy to play.

IGN, who gave the game a 9.4 out of 10, said "Not only has it supplanted Going Commando as the best title in the franchise, it's also the best game of any series on the PlayStation 3 thus far -- and that's saying a lot when you're up against Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden, Warhawk and Insomniac's very own previous effort, Resistance: Fall of Man." Also on IGN's weekly PS3 podcast, they called it the best video game they've played on any platform in 2007. GamerNode, who gave the game 9.5 out of 10, said "In Tools of Destruction, Insomniac is back doing what they do best, and they do it better than ever, This is the best Ratchet & Clank adventure to date, and at this point the best game the PS3 has to offer.Cheat Code Central gave the game 5/5 across the board saying it is one of the best games of all time. X-Play gave it 5/5 with its own personal episode. NTSC-uk said "...it never stops being anything less than great fun to play and hugely engaging".

Awards

Tools of Destruction earned the following award nominations and wins:

• Spike TV Awards: Best Action Game.
• Gaming Target: "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007" selection.

It also placed runner-up for various awards in IGN's Best of 2007, includng PS3 Game of the Year.

Sales

Tools of Destruction sold nearly 75,000 units during October of 2007. While this value is lower than other previous PlayStation 3 titles (such as Warhawk and Heavenly Sword, both which broke 100,000 sales in their first month of release), the game has outsold Ratchet: Deadlocked's first month of sales by nearly 20,000 units. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has stated that they are "very happy" with the initial sales figures.

In an interview with MTV News in March 2008, Ted Price stated that Tools of Destruction has sold over 1 million units so far and compared with the rest of the Ratchet series, it "has sold as many as the other games have at this point in its lifecycle. We were also panicked because we thought, 'Wow, there aren’t that many games on PlayStation 3 this Christmas and Ratchet should really be one of those big ones.' But then we realized that PlayStation 3 still is in the hands of consumers who tend not to be Ratchet fans. They’re the older consumers who are more interested in M-rated games. It hasn’t made its way necessarily to family play. And that’s the kind of game Ratchet is. So what we expect and what we’ve seen in the past is that it will have a long tail. … What’s cool for us is there aren’t that many family-friendly games out there [on the PS3] that provide competition for Ratchet.”

See also

• The Full Moon Show

External links

• Official website
• Insomniac Games official website
• Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction at Curlie
• Ratchet and Clank wikia