Insomniac Games, the developers who brought you Spyro the Dragon, are hard at work on a new action/adventure platformer for the PS2.  Ratchet & Clank promises to be more than your typical console platform game, and if the demo we played is any indication, it will deliver on that promise.

Before getting into the details of a game, it is always good to provide a little information on the background story.  One of the game's two stars, Ratchet, is a fox-like creature that lives on a backwater planet far from anything interesting in the universe.  He's one smart fox, er, critter, that has taught himself to be an ace mechanic.  While he spends his days tinkering and dreaming of exploring the galaxy, the Blarg have decided they have had enough of their polluted planet, Orxon.  Their leader Chairman Drek hatches a plan to create a new world by taking all the best parts of the other worlds in the galaxy.  If the owners of those planets can't be convinced to give away chunks of their worlds, then Drek will send robotic warriors to convince them to part with parts of their planets.

While the robotic army is being created, a computer glitch creates a small but very smart robot named Clank.  Clank learns of Drek's plans and wants no part of them, so he escapes to try and thwart them.  As he is escaping, Drek's ships destroy Clank's ship over Ratchet's world, sending him crashing to the surface.  Ratchet rescues Clank and decides to help him, getting far more adventure than he ever dreamed about or bargained for.

The game's planet-hopping science fiction theme gives you the opportunity to explore a very diverse set of worlds, all populated with a variety of aliens and creatures.  The aliens encountered are full of personality, and part of the fun of exploring the worlds is meeting their wacky residents.  The cast of characters in the game's demo featured some crazy accents and over-the-top acting that let you know that the game has its tongue planted firmly in cheek.

While playing the game, you control Ratchet who moves through the different worlds with Clank strapped to his back in a manner that brings to mind Chewbacca and C3PO in The Empire Strikes Back.  The game's designers packed Ratchet with over 20 basic moves, giving you a lot of freedom in how you defeat enemies and make your way through the different worlds.  In addition to his ever-present monkey wrench, which he uses to attack enemies with a variety of moves and combos, Ratchet can obtain over 35 different weapons and gadgets during the game.  The weapons not only vary in power and destructiveness, they also have unique features that make them particularly effective against certain enemies.  For example, the Blaster can be used at long range with a special aiming reticule just like a sniper rifle, while the flamethrower is very effective against mobs of enemies at close range.  In addition, weapons can be accessorized, giving you an even greater arsenal and many options when facing enemies and blowing stuff up.  Switching between the weapons is very easy using the game's 'quick select' menu - no need to take the time to mess around with inventory screens.

While you are fighting enemies and exploring new areas, you will come across nuts and bolts.  You should collect as many of these as possible as they are the currency of the game's economy.  You can use them to purchase new weapons and ammo (you didn't think the weapons would have unlimited ammo, did you?), gadgets, and you'll even have to grease the palms of a few of the locals to get key information or items.  You'll also find special infobots during adventures that provide clues to open new areas of the game - at a price of course.

But what about Clank? »