Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal turned the series in a decidedly combat-focused direction and introduced an entirely new multiplayer component. Ratchet: Deadlocked continues along the lines of its predecessor, expanding the combat aspect with squad-based and co-op play, a weapon mod system, and expansion of the multiplayer game to support ten players. I was recently given a demo of the game’s new features and even got a little hands-on time with the game. After seeing the game for myself I can tell you Ratchet & Clank fans out there that you’re probably really going to like Deadlocked’s new features.

Ratchet lets loose on a heavy mech.

First a little on the game’s setting … Ratchet and Clank are kidnapped by media mogul Gleeman Vox who wants Ratchet for his underground Running Man style show, Dreadzone. A special deadlock collar is put on Ratchet that will administer shocks if he strays into restricted areas and can even be detonated if he refuses to cooperate or he makes the show’s ratings take a dive. So Ratchet is forced to compete on the show and do his best to survive. Ratchet & Clank fans can expect this storyline to be injected with the same sense of humor and over-the-top characters as in the previous games. From the cutscenes I saw the writers obviously had a lot of fun with the script as Ratchet is constantly cast in a very bad light by the show’s announcers and a lot of fun is had at the expense of a certain network whose name rhymes with “Vox”.

When you begin competing you’ll be sent to a special space station where you can look for available missions on the show. As you compete you’ll earn points and medals that will unlock new missions and planets. Each mission has a difficulty rating and you can use this rating to decide which mission to take on next. Some missions will also be entirely optional, although skipping a mission means missing out on the chance for more points and medals. If you’re wondering where Clank fits into all this, he’s assigned to the station and will provide you with feedback and information as you progress through the missions.

A big part of the Ratchet and Clank series has always been the weapons. It’s always been a lot of fun to use Ratchet’s imaginative and exciting arsenal to wipe out legions of robots and toothy aliens. Deadlocked will take the weapons to the next level by allowing you to customize them using the game’s weapon mod system. The mods fall into two categories: alpha modes and omega mods. Alpha mods are similar to the weapon upgrades in previous Ratchet and Clank games. As you use a weapon you gain experience with it, eventually earning enough to gain mods such as extra ammo capacity and firing speed. Omega mods are purchased with bolts and are used to alter the effects of a weapon. There are mods that add splash damage, freeze effects, napalm, arcing electric bolts to a weapon’s ammo, and more. You can even combine these mods to add multiple effects or increase the power of an effect. For example, adding a couple of napalm and splash damage mods to a weapon will have you filling a room with lava-like hotspots to torch your enemies. These mods are pretty versatile too – you can change them around to your liking during a mission to suit the current situation.

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