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How Up Your Arsenal Changed The Series
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- Опубликовано: 11 дек 2022
- In this video I go into some detail about Ratchet and Clank which was originally back on the PS2 . My goal is to provide some retrospective to games I use to play in the past to see how they hold up today.
#retro #ratchetandclank #insomniacgames
Something I always enjoyed with Up Your Arsenal was how they did the weapon leveling then. Aside from feeling like they leveled up very quickly, they also added extra features with every level, making them feel more powerful and unique. Like the Shock Blaster got a charge feature at level 2, lock on at level 3, area affect at level 4, and finally a stronger charge blast at max level.
I agree. It's small upgrades over time but every few levels really brings out the weapon before it's final form.
If I remember correctly, didnt that completely ruin the lava canon by changing it from a liquid stream to shooting rocks like a glorified rocket launcher?
@@rdowg That was in Going Commando. For Up Your Arsenal, they switched it so that it evolved into a liquid nitrogen gun instead.
@@rdowg actually it's the opposite: in going commando the lava gun upgraded into the meteor gun. In Up your arsenal, the lava gun evolved into the liquid nitrogen gun, which was functionally the same as the lava gun, but more powerful.
Up your Arsenal is a near perfect game, the only thing that was missing for me was the detail in the levels unfortunately. RAC 1 had beautiful planets, each having unique aspects, mostly unique enemies aside from a few repeat additions and a lovely soundtrack to match. I LIKE the UYA planets and levels but compared to the RAC 1 level building with the separate maths and the world building with the scenery, enemies, music and atmosphere? Unmatched. So, so close yet so far
Couldn't agree more
Great concept coming from UYA but the game was rushed, only one year in the making. That's the problem here.
I mean Going Commando did have a subvillain, it was Angela. You just don't know it until 1/3 of the way into the game. Doesn't mean she wasn't one just because after the fact you know she isn't. You also have the Thugs4Less boss who has the most obnoxious boss fight. So yeah, I don't think that argument really holds up.
If you analyze it carefully, you'll realize how this game improves on everything that can be so from the previous titles. From the combat mechanics, the graphics and the story, to the weapon and bolt earning progression. It's a bit of a shame that lately some people have started to bash it just for getting rid of a couple of things that were already exploited enough, and forget that Insomniac is a company whose trademark is innovation. If this game was made too similar to Going Commando, the disappointment would've been the same as if that one were just another R&C 1 with a different story, if that was even possible. And you didn't even mentioned the historic multiplayer this has, the 3rd one with online mode on a console ever.
There are quite a few reasons why the consensus is that this game is the best of the PS2 era, and probably of the entire series, to the point that even Insomniac itself takes it as the reference for most R&C games since. And the evidence is there, such as weapons no longer level up just once, or that we are still seeing Nefarious but there's nothing on Fizzwidget, Megacorp, or even the Bogon galaxy.
Hey man thanks for that wealth of knowledge! I can see the points you have here and do find them reasonable.
To be fair, Ratchet 2 and its setting are entirely focused on satire of consumerism. Given how the series has departed from these themes ever since Tools of Destruction, it’s a given that Fizzwidget and Megacorp wouldn’t be brought back while the more comedic Nefarious would.
Insomniac also tried to reintegrate platforming and exploration in Tools of Destruction and ite sequels, so not everything that was removed in Ratchet 3 was superfluous.
That said, RC3 is still one of my favourites.
@@nicoloenricorimoldi7425 Well, I just wanted to point out how little Insomniac cares about the 2nd game. It's odd how almost none of its outstanding additions appear again, such as Angela, hoverbike races or platinum bolts, and the Bogon galaxy isn't even mentioned anymore, while many additions of Ratchet 1 & 3 were reused in at least one later game, like hoverboard reappearing in Size Matters, gold and titanium bolts in several games, or a subplot of the 3rd game being turned into an entire game, Secret Agent Clank. They could've made something more with Angela or Fizzwidget, not necessarily related to Megacorp, but they just didn't care. I wish they did, though, since we've already seen enough of Drek or Nefarious.
Also, platforming didn't disappear from Ratchet 3, it was just concentrated in some levels, like Florana, Annihilation Nation gauntlets, Daxx, Obani moons, or the Qwark videocomics. Exploration was reduced more, but still remained in some levels as well. Anyways, it has always been very artificial in this series, since when you can actually choose alternative paths to follow (lacking bolts or a gadget often prevent this), there's almost always a single optimal order in which they should be taken.
@@feder373 I think there's a Megacorp ad in Rift Apart
Personally, I would rank it below Deadlocked. While Going Commando is a more polished game from my experience, I look forward to replaying Up Your Arsenal more for one reason: the Clank sections are faster and more complex.
Up your Arsenal was my least favorite of the original three, which is sad, cause it easily could’ve been my favorite. I loved the vibe of up your Arsenal, I just loved going commando so much as a kid, that when I went to up your Arsenal and realize it didn’t follow the same formula as going commando,(which is a new fun unique planet to explore back to back with 2-3 branching paths and a new weapon every planet) I didn’t enjoy it as much because after planet florana, I thought it was gonna continue that way. Planet after planet, not be a mission based game with under detailed planets and also spending way to much time on certain planets with on one path to do repetitive missions. Going commando and the first one are my favorite cause the whole point of a ratchet and clank game for me is “oh wow, I’m done with this planet, I can’t wait to see what the next planet looks like” that’s what made me fall in love with the series, the planetary adventures and creativity
Hmm very interesting take. I do see your point with the missions and feeling like you are stuck on one planet during UYA. Have you played any of the other titles?
Couldn't agree more
Best for me is Ratchet and Clank 2. It felt like a harder version of Up your Arsenal
I can see that. For whatever reason Going Commando's flow just makes me want to run through the entire game without stopping cause the pacing just feels so good.
Up Your Arsenal was my very first T rated game. Before that I was playing games based off animated movies so this game felt so adult to me. I still remember flashes of my first playthrough and how I felt. Especially the final boss fight that took me 2 weeks to beat since I could only play on the weekends. I've beat it well over 50 times by now but dumb little kid me for some reason never understood that there were other games in the series. I never sought out another RAC game until I rented Deadlocked from blockbuster. Still never thought to buy another until A Crack in Time. Recently played through 1-3 and I had a blast. Long story short, Up Your Arsenal is my top 3 favorite games of all time. Love the video! Looking forward to watching your other videos!
I think people are a bit unfair to criticize Up Your Arsenal for not being as big of a leap forward as Going Commando was. The introduction of strafing in GC was the missing piece of the formula, and what really set it apart from the first game. But it's unreasonable to expect improvements of such magnitude for every new title. We give a lot of praise to GC for solving a problem that perhaps shouldn't have existed in the first place (a whole discussion of itself).
I actually think we would be happier now if game developers back in the day were more willing to copy-paste the formula and give us another serving, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel every damn time. I would easily trade in UYA multiplayer and the entirety of Deadlocked for, say, two more PS2-era Ratchet games that were just more jokes, more weapons, more missions, more characters. Much like I would have wanted a copy-paste of 007: Nightfire and a true sequel to NFS: Most Wanted and Carbon, rather than what we got.
I should specify that after the advent of game updating over the internet, I don't think it's legitimate to release such "DLCs" as standalone games the way I described. Now I think significant engine upgrades are required to release a new title.
I know I honed in on something very specific and went my own way with this, but I still think it's fruitful for the conversation.
I definitely agree with your take and can see where you are coming from. People expect each iteration to be bigger and better than the last however the law of diminishing returns it's simply not that easy unless you scrap the entire blueprint and create something new. I guess part of that fear for a developer is repeating the same formula like Pokemon or CoD and fearing the worst from it.
It was Sony forcing online multiplayer on developers that hampered the development of UYA. Former Insomniacs Mike Stout and Tony Garcia actually go into fair bit of the development history of the third game in their Dev let's play that I cant possibly recommend enough. To paraphrase the team genuinely thought they had just released their first bad Ratchet game, because the process was so messed up. I think an entire team had to be detached just for the online mode/multiplayer alone which led to things like space combat being axed off. Same goes for the planned racing mode. There's even a mostly finished Florana race track in the game files.
Bro if the uya weapon leveling system was in gc. Gc is my favorite game of all time but that would make the game even better
I mean the story wasn't great on the second half of GC but its energy is unlike any other in the series.
I recently just played this for the first time on a PS2 emulator, as a person who only played the PSP Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters when compared to Ratchet and Clank 3, I absolutely love this game a lot
This is still one of my personal favourite Ratchet & Clank games of all time.
i m really enjoying ratchet and clank content keep it coming bro
More to come!
How could he say the suck cannon is bad, that little gun is insane
Nice analysis. Knew I had the most fun playing Up your arsenal
Glad to hear it! Even more so than Going Commando?
@@Natquerx I would say so yes
To this day still the best game in the series. The only game I believe comes close so far is Crack in time. At this point I haven't played Rift apart so let's see if it's just as good!
I haven't played Rift Apart either but I'm hoping I will by the time I work past the others!
I mean, i love the entire r&c collection for ps2 aswell, but going commando and 2002 will always be my favorite games.
Uya had some improvements yes, like the vendor layout and automatically equipping gadgets, but the tideous missions and stripped down level design really didnt do uya any favours imo.
This game and the first Ratchet & Clank was my childhood. I'm currently replaying it on pcsx2 for the first time since around 2008
Can't blame you for that. It still is just as fun today as it was back then!
It was a banger Fr fr
I still prefer the second one over it, ratchet 3 felt shorter
GC is flawed for sure especially story wise but I concur. For some reason GC had so much energy I just wanted to keep playing it without stopping.
based opinion
Lmao the guitar hero joke, 10/10
Glad you got it!
This was really entertaining I’m going to check out your Going Commando Video next :)
1:38 “Awesome” suck cannon 😂
Story is more in-depth but it’s also tonally inconsistent
How so? Could you explain?
ur content is fire i'm always looking for good ratchet and clank content lol
Don't worry boss. I got more on the way! (Just takes some time).
It’s the best Ratchet & Clank game!
cool
i like 3 but 2 will always be better
Am I the only one who doesn't know who Courtney gears is based off of?
Greatest game of all time, baby
Good analysis!
The Rhythm game for R&C did not inspire Guitar Hero, people often call PaRappa the Rappa (1996) the "first true Rhythm game"
Thanks for your comment. I didn't state that R&C directly influenced Guitar Hero that came out a year later (as it's impossible to produce a game in that short span). That statement was about how it reminded me of Guitar Hero which happened to come out a year later with its entire selling point based on taping a certain button at a certain time.
It was a cool game, kind of a step down from the Going Commando though.
Algorithm
This man.
Game is fun but too easy compared to 2
It can't be my favorite because no grind rails
Uh you forgot the Hacker? The puzzle gadget that's a combat focused gadget now. XD Uh hello do research it's clearly based around Space Channel 5 on the Dreamcast or PS2 go to Useless Podcasts the Dev commentary. You people that only focus on big name games and not enough research and context because Space Channel 5 is too niche of a Sega IP. Sigh. I mean you play a demo or watch Space Channel 5 being played it's not Guitar Hero it's characters dancing off and you have the buttons on screen not a full on cut to only the lines of buttons and pacing to play like Guitar Hero. XD
The thing about Ratchet 3 is it's combat focused, the textures get worse than Ratchet 1&2 even if better use of the hardware and more minigames to work with. It's a fine game but it's too streamlined and I don't like it. Sure minigames aren't streamlining but still.
I like the jokes but the battlefields (I hate them whether the turret sections, ships or otherwise) and gauntlets weren't my thing. For bolts the arenas are fine enough, having repeated paths change is a fine idea but I do end up getting to the ones I hate and wanting to skip them. Nefarious being on his own is just bad in later games. Their a duo, Ratchet and Clank are a duo but you get Qwark or another alongside him. Nefarious without Lawerence shoes the issues and is like removing a two comedian skit performance it just doesn't work. But like Insomniac gets that.
I do like the ship combat in Ratchet 2 though I don't mind genre changes being brief or minigames but the amount of times or frequently presented ones weren't my thing in 3.
Ratchet games got away from being tactical like 1. I mean who used the Taunter and Mine Glove because many of us likely didn't. To just more area of effect glove or lava gun or other weapons (I don't like the Bouncer it's just a breaks down to mini popcorn grenade launcher eh pass) and others to more bland typical guns. The variety is still there and better than later entries but I still don't care for most of them. It's better than just the Blaster and Devastator used often than others in Ratchet 1 because you really needed them to get past certain areas but still. I used the Agents of Doom, Sheild Charger/Holoshield, Infector and others the least and o ly to get them out of the way. I know they are tactical like the I factor for example but they needed to tweak it you can't use it for the greatness it can have of brainwashing or draining health while the holoshield is fair for a shield/life steal but not enough. I only see very few levels to use them or forget about them. That and also we don't get rock walls with bombs or so to open like in Ratchet 1 so different secrets hidden in areas than the earliest being more a platformer/action adventure with tactical weapons than a third person shooter with light platforming which Uncharted blended better in some cases than Insomniac has for some of their games. To me typical archetypes of weapons is pretty boring. They can be creative but High Life made me think of the Shotgun creature one in Crack In Time. The Spiral of Doom for a fan submission gun was good. Some are like that but others are so basic even with upgrades. Some have more personality than others depending on the entry in the series.
The problem is like Spyro 3 too much content I don't like is in them. I'm all for variety and minigames but they crammed too many. Cool for the sake of developing some cool ideas like the puzzle gadgets, the moons that are far cooler than Mario Galaxy's tiny ones and years earlier and never get mentioned. The Tyrraguise as an ok rhythm game idea like Space Channel 5 without music to match though which is odd but it still works, but SAC didn't have music match when they did so eh. The ideas are interesting from a dev perspective I just don't really like many of the gameplay ideas to play through as a player.
Too much combat makes me get bored. Had that with Rift Apart and wanted to get to the Clank or Glitch moments I was so bored.
The level design got very linear then multiple paths more often then appearing and it got boring or challenging because of it. The difficulty was ok to really hard. The Clank levels being more simplified than 2 wasn't for me either. 2016 at least had some good Clank levels are like Ratchet 2 same with Rift Apart, that's the only thing I like about those games the rest is just so annoying I hate them. 3 isn't a bad game and when I replay I don't want to throw it away like later entries but I just don't agree with the overall praise it get compared to 1&2 or Deadlocked. To me Ratchet 3 being so singer/Hollywood and Dr Nefarious focused is what does it for me I don't like references and stuff like that in western animation so I don't care for it here. Ratchet series whether commerical/business parodies or just fun gameplay I don't mind. The irony and satire is great. I just don't care about the references while the crude/dirty jokes I am fine with those don't make me facepalm I think they are well done more so than many western animation 2000s movies of the time. It blends the line better in Ratchet 3 I think of on point story, on point other jokes and then the dirty ones.
Deadlocked I don't mind the whole game being different and combat focused, more platforming than 3 in some levels (no Clank makes sense) but 3 trying to be a mix of changes and old just didn't do it for me. I enjoy shooters but I don't like 3 that much but the 8 levels of weapons, the quality of life in the vendor and other stuff is great, the weapons are pretty good but the way it changes other aspects does make game in the original era 1 to Secret Agent Clank not as appealing for me. Even Size Matters armour is cool to combine even if difficulty makes it hard to appreciate using them. The PSP ones have their issues and I don't put them above 3 it's just I find some elements in them still appealing even if people push them aside and how weird and too far they went and didn't need to.
Hey man thanks for the wealth of information in the series! I just started this up, so I do appreciate the insight into things I didn't know about. How is Rift Apart overall? I haven't played it yet.
0:08, rac 2 had the best targeting system